Category: Schools / Schooling / Education / Libraries
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Citing anti-gay discrimination, 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year leaving classroom
https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/education/article262785383.html
2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Willie Carver Provided by Willie Carver Jr.
Kentucky’s 2022 Teacher of the Year, who is gay, says he is leaving the K-12 classroom “to make the most difference, and the discrimination and lack of support prevent me from making that difference.”
After 17 years being a public school teacher, Willie Carver Jr. said he decided to leave the classroom and take a position at the University of Kentucky in student support services.
Carver told the Herald-Leader – and UK officials confirmed – that he will be an academic advisor at the Gatton College for Business and Economics.
“I am very excited about this opportunity to continue helping young people in their quest for education, Carver said in a Facebook post. “This was not an easy decision; I have cried quite a few times trying to make it over the past few months. But, ultimately, I have always wanted to be in the place where I can most make a difference in the lives of the next generation. I believe that UK is where I can do this.”
“I also increasingly find that, as a queer person in K-12 education, I have been unable to do that work without facing discrimination, heartache, and being a part of systems that cause harm, though I am immensely proud of my brilliant, hardworking, and fierce colleagues who have and continue to change that system in defense of students.”
In May, Carver told a Congressional subcommittee that he faced discrimination as a gay teacher and that hatred was the norm in schools. The panel was examining the wave of race and LGBTQ censorship engulfing America’s K-12 classrooms.
Carver, who had been teaching high school in Montgomery County, told the Herald-Leader that “vocal anti-LGBTQ extremists at school board meetings (and on social media) have been personally attacking me and my former students.”
“The national rhetoric is turned up, and LGBTQ teachers bear the weight of a lot of hatred that catalyzes the vitriol. It’s tiring,” he said.
Carver said he had been unable to find support from his school administration. “Mr. Carver is a wonderful English and French teacher. We wish him well in his new endeavor,” Montgomery County Superintendent Matthew Thompson said.
Carter said he had been proud to be a teacher and had worked tirelessly for students and their families.
He said he found the resources they needed. He said his goal had always been to strengthen his community and teach young people to believe in themselves.
“I also know that I symbolize potential for some students. I symbolize potential for students who come from poverty, for Appalachian students, and for LGBTQ students,” said Carver. “Of late, I feel beaten down. I’ve withstood it, but it’s hard to find peace or happiness when you’re under attack. This is all the more problematic when a person is a symbol. I can’t risk breaking.”
Some schools are doing incredible work for their students and teachers who are racial or ethnic minorities, or are LGBTQ, he said. Some are not, he said.
“Some are doing harm, are rendering people invisible, are illegalizing discussions about queerness or blackness, are afraid to be allies for fear of political retribution,” Carver said.
“A question that anyone in a system has to ask is whether they are capable of changing that system or whether they are perpetuating it. I believe that I am able best to work with a system that helps students by moving forward.”
Carver mentioned Tyler Clay Morgan, a former music teacher at Kentucky’s West Irvine Intermediate School who resigned after he wrote a message to students on his classroom board that later became controversial.
Morgan in April confirmed to the Herald-Leader that he wrote a message on his classroom board that said, “You Are Free to Be Yourself With Me. You Matter.” The message included a rainbow flag and rainbow colors.
“This is a message I always tried to teach every student too,” said Carver. “I know Tyler and I aren’t alone in this. Thank you to each and every person who has made me, their own colleagues, and their students feel that they mattered.”
Kentucky Teacher Of Year Resigns Over Homophobia
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports:
Kentucky’s 2022 Teacher of the Year, who is gay, says he is leaving the K-12 classroom “to make the most difference, and the discrimination and lack of support prevent me from making that difference.”
After 17 years being a public school teacher, Willie Carver Jr. said he decided to leave the classroom and take a position at the University of Kentucky in student support services.
Carver, who had been teaching high school in Montgomery County, told the Herald-Leader that “vocal anti-LGBTQ extremists at school board meetings (and on social media) have been personally attacking me and my former students.” Carver said he had been unable to find support from his school administration.
Read the full article.
Last month Carver testified before a House subcommittee about accusations that he was “grooming students.” Watch the clip.
its no wonder there is a teacher shortage. low pay + high abuse + no respect.
Zorba PickyPecker • 18 hours ago
If I was 50 years younger, I would not go into teaching again.
I left in 1999. The issue was no pay. None at all for months. The other issue was the university’s extremely poor organization.
wmforr PickyPecker • 12 hours ago
I am thinking it might also become dangerous to be a librarian. }}}shudder {{{
This story makes me sad. Willie Carver could be any of us here – ordinary people who happen to be gay and are just trying to do their jobs and get through life as best we can with some shred of integrity. His story is our story.
Chunk Elagabalus • 18 hours ago
When I was perceived as a straight white male I was on the fast track at the company I worked for, when I transitioned I became unpromotable and was stuck in a corner and told to shut the fuck up. I created my own path after that, I’m much happier now. Good luck to those that face adversity because of who they are, keep your chin up and don’t be afraid to bushwhack your way to a better future.
So the bigots won, basically.
kaydenpat Bruno • 18 hours ago
It’s hard to teach when you’re being bombarded with bigotry and censorship about who you are.
Todd20036 kaydenpat • 18 hours ago • edited
And then they tell their kids their teacher is “sick” and a “pedophile”
Sister_Bertrille Bruno • 18 hours ago
They did, but I can’t blame him for the career switch. There’s only so much hate a person can take.
ECarpenter Bruno • 16 hours ago • edited
Anyone who thinks that the bigots are not currently winning is not paying attention.
Where are the calls to give Biden a House and Senate that will pass his agenda? Where is the national drive explicitly laying out what the Democrats will pass if they’re given a sufficient majority? Where is the PR campaign pointing out the bills that Republicans have stopped, and their record of obstruction? I don’t get it – where are the Democrats?
Goodbye to a sort-of functioning, somewhat democratic country – we’re pretty much doomed.
wmforr ECarpenter • 13 hours ago
While the real-world channels were covering the attack on Democracy today, the BREAKING NEWS on Fux was Nancy Pelosi ‘s father-in-law ‘s traffic accident.
This is the red state plan in order to stamp out the “queering” of America.
Make the lives of LGBTs so unpleasant and dangerous that they’re forced back into the closet or leave the state.
A secondary goal is to make public school teaching even more aversive than it is now so that the system collapses.
And now they have the courts to help them accomplish their goal.
Good teachers are being forced out every year. Dealing with inept superiors, parents who are overwhelmed or just don’t give a fuck about their children and their education and being the political football for dipshits like DeSantis and right-wingers brings teachers to their breaking points. Kudos to Mr. Carver and I wish him luck with his new job.
The far-right fascists were trying to prevent gay people from teaching at least as far back as the 1970’s. See the “Briggs Initiative.”
Long Island library board votes to ‘remove all Pride displays’ and LGBTQ books from children’s section
Why do these people think that kids just seeing gay people and pride items is wrong. Didn’t we just have Father’s Day? The media and daily life are awash with heterosexual / straight couples doing lovey stuff, kissing, holding hands, hugging, sleeping in the same beds on TV sometimes out right close to making out and no one yells and screams protect the kids. I am sick of the way this shit is going. I remember what it was like as a gay kid not seeing anyone else like me with my feelings on TV or movies and instead hearing only bad things about people who had feelings like me. It totally messes you up. I am so upset over the drive to wipe the LGBTQ+ out of the public square and instead fill the space with their religion, God, and the bible. Hugs
A library on Long Island has voted to remove “all Pride displays” as well as Pride-related books from its children’s sections.
The Smithtown Library Board of Trustees voted 4-2 Tuesday to ban any and all displays related to LGBTQ Pride from kids’ areas at Smithtown Library buildings, a move that was met with fierce backlash and call for action by advocates.
The New York Library Association slammed Smithtown’s move, calling it “a direct violation of NYLA’s commitment to intellectual freedom and the freedom to read that libraries are entrusted to uphold.”
The organization reaffirmed its commitment to stand alongside the LGBTQ community, “especially our LGBTQ+ youth, who utilize libraries across the state as a refuge to foster their love of learning and of their authentic selves.”
Library officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the ban, but library director Robert Lusak told Newsday that at least 29 books are affected by the ban. They include a history of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and picture books like “Pink is for Boys” and “Pride Puppy.”
Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted Wednesday night that “our public spaces should be accepting our young people — not rejecting them,” reminding all LGBTQ New Yorkers that the state supports and welcomes them.
The LGBT Network, a nonprofit that fights for the rights of LGBTQ people and their families in Queens and Long Island, has planned a press conference for late Thursday morning to announce its plans to oppose anti-LGBTQ measures in libraries and schools.
The library’s “bigoted move” to remove the books and Pride displays “enraged members of the LGBT community in Suffolk County, where over 100,000 LGBT residents reside,” the group said in a statement ahead of the press event.
Todd20036 • 19 hours ago • edited
When I was growing up, I had no gay books. No internet. No one to talk to. No one to ask questions
I still ended up being gay
Orientation isn’t some choice you learn about. It just is
But try telling the MAGAts that
nocadrummer Todd20036 • 19 hours ago
Orientation isn’t some choice.
But Religion IS a choice.
🄿🅁🄸🅇🄰🅃🄾🅁 – 🅃🅁🄸🄿🄻🄴 🅅🄰🅇🅇🄴🄳 nocadrummer • 18 hours ago
And, children are definitely indoctrinated or “groomed” into religion.
Caitlyn Haiku 🄿🅁🄸🅇🄰🅃🄾🅁 – 🅃🅁🄸🄿🄻🄴 🅅🄰🅇🅇🄴🄳 • 17 hours ago
As someone who a church tried (and eventually failed) to indoctrinate, I feel kids should not be exposed to religion until they are in their late teens at the earliest.
Dot Beech 🇺🇦 Todd20036 • 19 hours ago • edited
There were no gay books when I was growing up. Not for kids, anyway.
But the library had Broadway Original Cast Albums. Heh heh heh. The first time I became acquainted with Elaine Stritch, it was on the COMPANY cast album I checked out of the library.
I can’t say for sure that Julie Andrews turned me queer, but I can’t be certain that she didn’t. (It might have been Mary or Ethel.)
Chris Baker Todd20036 • 17 hours ago
Same here, grew up in a conservative Christian house. Didn’t know anyone gay, wasn’t molested, didn’t have any sexual encounters, grew up thinking that being gay was one of the worst things possible. But nonetheless, I am gay. It did take me a little while to ‘realize’ it and caused some depression in my 20s. But with that upbringing, it really made me realize that being gay was not a choice, or something I was ‘tricked’ or seduced into, etc.
My public library is where I found hope as a young child, unsure of myself and having nowhere else to look for answers on what I was feeling.
Ross • 19 hours ago • edited
& work tirelessly to ensure their entire community feels welcome.
By making sure that LGBTQ people feel unwlecome.
For decades the far-right has been outraged by the “queering” of America. Now their battle cry is to “stamp it out”.
And now they have taken over the courts and a majority of state legislatures.
In the history of the rise of fascism the US is now in the stage of “institutional capture.” When complete, it’s almost impossible to recover.
It’s going to get very ugly and dangerous for LGBTs for a very long time. Orban’s Hungary, Putin’s Russia. Winter is coming.
LGBTQ students would get new protections under Biden plan
The rights of LGBTQ students would become enshrined in federal law and victims of campus sexual assault would gain new protections under new rules proposed by the Biden administration on Thursday.
The proposal, announced on the 50th anniversary of the Title IX women’s rights law, is intended to replace a set of controversial rules issued during the Trump administration by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
President Joe Biden’s education secretary, Miguel Cardona, said that even though there have been significant strides toward gender equality, discrimination and sexual violence persist.
“Even as we celebrate all the progress we’ve achieved, standing up for equal access and inclusion is as important as ever before,” he said.
The proposal is almost certain to be challenged by conservatives, and it is expected to lead to new legal battles over the rights of transgender students in schools, especially in sports. It now faces a public feedback period before the administration can finalize any changes, meaning the earliest that the policy is likely to take effect is next year.
The step meets a demand from victims rights advocates who wanted Biden to release new rules no later than the anniversary of Title IX, which outlaws discrimination based on sex in schools and colleges. Advocates say DeVos’ rules have gone too far in protecting students accused of sexual misconduct, at the expense of victims.
As a presidential candidate, Biden had promised a quick end to DeVos’ rules, saying they would “shame and silence survivors.”
In announcing its proposal, Biden’s Education Department said DeVos’ rules “weakened protections for survivors of sexual assault and diminished the promise of an education free from discrimination.”
For the first time, the rules would formally protect LGBTQ students under Title IX. Nothing in the 1972 law explicitly addresses the topic, but the new proposal would clarify that the law applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
It would make clear that “preventing someone from participating in school programs and activities consistent with their gender identity would cause harm in violation of Title IX,” according to the department. More specific rules dealing with the rights of transgender students in school sports will be released later, the department said.
Biden marked the anniversary of Title IX by acknowledging the impact the law has had in advancing equity but acknowledging there was more to do.
“As we look to the next 50 years, I am committed to protecting this progress and working to achieve full equality, inclusion, and dignity for women and girls, LGBTQI+ Americans, all students, and all Americans,” he said in a statement.
Many of the proposed changes would restore Obama-era rules that DeVos’ policy replaced.
The definition of sexual harassment would be expanded to cover a wider range of misconduct. Schools would be required to address any allegation that creates a “hostile environment” for students, even if the misconduct arises off campus. Most college employees, including professors and coaches, would be required to notify campus officials if they learn of potential sex discrimination.
In a victory for victims rights advocates, the proposal would eliminate a rule requiring colleges to hold live hearings to investigate sexual misconduct cases — one of the most divisive aspects of DeVos’ policy. Live hearings would be allowed under the new policy, but colleges could also appoint campus officials to question students separately.
Biden’s action drew praise from victims rights groups, LGBTQ advocates and Democratic lawmakers.
“These proposed regulations demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting educational opportunities for all students including LGBTQ students,” said Janson Wu executive director of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. “Especially in light of ongoing state legislative attacks, we are grateful for the administration’s strong support of LGBTQ youth.”
Republicans in Congress were quick to denounce the proposal. Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, said the rules will “demolish due process rights and the safety of young women and girls across the country, with promised regulations still to come to undermine women’s access to athletic opportunities.”
If the proposal is finalized, it would mark the second rewrite of federal Title IX rules in two years. DeVos’ rules were themselves intended to reverse Obama-era guidance. The Obama policy was embraced by victims advocates but led to hundreds of lawsuits from accused students who said their colleges failed to give them a fair process to defend themselves.
The whiplash has left many schools scrambling to adopt ever-changing rules. Some have pressed for a political middle ground that will protect students without prompting new rules every time the White House changes power.
“It doesn’t serve anybody’s interest to have this ping-pong effect of changing rules every five years,” said S. Daniel Carter, a campus security consultant and president of Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses. “That’s just not a good way to get things done. It’s very difficult for everyone involved.”
DeVos’ rules dramatically reshaped the way colleges handle allegations of sexual assault and harassment, with an emphasis on ensuring the constitutional due process rights of the accused.
Under her rules, accused students were given wider rights to review and respond to evidence against them, and students had the right to cross-examine one another through a representative at live hearings.
The live hearing requirement was applauded as a victory for accused students, but it drew intense backlash from other advocates who said it forced victims to relive their trauma.
DeVos also reduced colleges’ obligations in responding to complaints. Her policy narrowed the definition of harassment and scaled back the types of cases colleges are required to address. As a result, some campuses have seen steep decreases in the number of Title IX complaints coming in from students.
Under her rules, for example, colleges are not required to investigate most complaints that arise off campus, and they do not have to act on any complaint unless the alleged misconduct is “severe, pervasive and objectively offensive.”
The overhaul was partly meant to lighten the burden on colleges as they mediate complex cases, but some say it ultimately added more work.
Leaders of some colleges have said the DeVos rules are too prescriptive and force them to turn campus discipline systems into miniature courtrooms. Many schools have continued to address all sexual misconduct complaints even if they do not meet the narrowed harassment definition, but they have had to set up separate discipline processes to handle those cases.
Advocates on both sides say that can be confusing for students.
“It shouldn’t be that way. It should be, if anything, more uniform — that’s the whole reason the Title IX regulations were put into place,” said Kimberly Lau, a New York lawyer who represents students in Title IX cases
Biden’s proposal is a major step in keeping his promise to reverse DeVos’ rules. He started the process last year when he ordered the Education Department to review the rules, but the agency has been bogged down by a slow-moving rule-making process.
Donald Trump SECRET RECORDING with Georgia Secretary of State EXPOSED in FULL
This is astounding. Incredible. I know people hard of hearing will struggle with this, and when tRump talks he is very loud compared to the other people and I had to keep adjusting the volume, but my dogs that love gravy this is a must listen to by everyone! tRump starts out very cordial listing all the ways he won, how the system was against him but how he won every state, how he had all these reports that were true (even when told they were not true he claimed they were verified true) he pulled repeated numbers out of his ass and kept just claiming everyone knew he won and everyone was angry these states had not given him the win. Then when after a while the State of Georgia people try to politely push back telling tRump his numbers are not true, he gets ugly and threatening. Plus he goes on a total rant about Ruby Freeman and her daughter claiming this old lady was a well-known political activist who repeatedly sabotaged Republicans and that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger knew this and let her get away with it, and he maybe even helped her. The call was entirely tRump being tRump. Totally delusional, totally unable to accept anything he did not say as even been said, he is the complete authority and if you don’t agree you are wrong. This is worth listening to even if you have trouble hearing. This is the cult leader of the Republican party and the right wing. This was almost the king of the US. This is the guy that all the armed militias came to the capital to put in office against the votes of the people. This is the guy who has inspired an army of Trumpism politicians and most scary inspired ones like DeathSantis who will be way worse and way smarter and will not leave office if he gets elected president. Hugs
Just re-released by the January 6th committee, hear the full, unedited recording between former President Donald Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. There are more than 11,780 reasons to listen to this.
A several hours worth of cartoon roundup. An interesting mix. Hugs
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And now some for fun.
