'Parental rights' bill could discourage abused children from confiding in their teachers

Imagine being so homophobic that you push a bill which could prevent an abused child from seeking help. That is what's happening in Arizona.

According to The Arizona Mirror by way of Raw Story:

Arizona Republicans this week lined up behind a measure that would discipline teachers and open them up to lawsuits if they don’t tell parents everything a student tells them — even if the student confides that he or she is gay or transgender. The legislation, House Bill 2161, would make it illegal for a government employee to withhold information that is “relevant to the physical, emotional or mental health of the parent’s child,” and specifically prevents teachers from withholding information about a student’s “purported gender identity” or a request to transition to a gender other than the “student’s biological sex.” The bill would allow parents to sue school districts if teachers don’t comply. 

A bill like this is shortsighted on a number of levels. The most obvious was how it could undermine a child in an abusive household from telling his or her teacher. This was pointed out during a Jan 25th legislative committee meeting:

Jeanne Casteen, the executive director of the Arizona Secular Coalition and a former teacher, worried about how the reporting function of the bill would impact child abuse. Teachers are mandatory reporters, and Casteen said that every time she had to report child abuse, it was being inflicted by a parent. Under Kaiser’s bill, she said, a teacher would also have to notify the parents — the likely abusers — that the child informed them of the abuse. “I keep hearing about parental rights, but what about the rights of these students?” Casteen said.

A very telling moment about this bill came during the same committee meeting when Rep. Daniel Hernandez, an openly gay legislator, challenged the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Steven Kaiser, about who exactly drafted the bill. Kaiser admitted working with anti-LGBTQ groups instead of educational organizations:

Kaiser initially said the bill was created via a “stakeholder group” and his “own inherent passion” for the issue. But when Hernandez pressed him on which stakeholders were involved in drafting the bill, Kaiser admitted he didn’t work with education groups or teachers, but with anti-LGBTQ advocacy groups — chief among them the Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative Christian lobbying organization that has pushed numerous controversial and bigoted bills since forming in 1995. CAP holds sway with most Republican lawmakers and Gov. Doug Ducey, and is widely considered one of the most powerful lobbying groups at the state Capitol.

 “I know you have a long-standing (dislike) of that organization. I understand where the bait was in that question,” Kaiser told Hernandez, who is gay. “I’m not sure what education group I’d go to, because they’d be against this.” 

 Another stakeholder that Kaiser consulted is Family Watch International, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated an anti-LGBTQ hate group. That group also has its fingerprints on another piece of legislation that would ban any books that have “sexually explicit” content and that critics say would effectively make it illegal to teach about homosexuality.

The Arizona bill is one of many pushed by GOP state legislators across the country. These bills seek to shut down discussions of race, sexual orientation, or gender identity in classrooms under the guise of 'parental right,' which seems to the new buzz phrase for conservatives.

But according to columnist Will Bunch, these 'gag orders' are mimicking 'McCarthyism.'

'Florida lawmaker tells homophobic parents exactly what we all want to say' & other Thur midday news briefs

Florida lawmaker tells homophobic parent exactly what we all want to say​ - THIS is why representation matters. There is nothing wrong with LGBTQ people running for office and thus being able to get into a position to amplify our community concerns.

Florida Senate Bill Could Ban Books With LGBTQ+ Characters - More about the above situation. Unfortunately this is a different bill than the one in the House. Good news though, there was a heavy pushback on the false information. Again, having LGBTQ office holders helps tremendously. 

Amy Schneider's historic 'Jeopardy!' win streak comes to an end after 40 victories - Well darn. Oh well. You did good, girlfriend! 

Jerry Falwell Jr. opens up about pool boy scandal, says the whole evangelical thing was just an act - JUST in case you didn't hear . . . no sh!t. 

LGBTQ Afghans face surge of rape, torture after Taliban takeover, report says - The struggle is real and worldwide. Keep our brothers and sisters in your hearts and prayers.

Don't be fooled. The Family Research Council doesn't give a d@mn about any of your children.

Below is the graphic from a Family Research Council email asking for money:

The email is the usual lies about the need to protect America's children from 'pornographic sex education,'  'LGBT ideology,' 'a pervasive anti-American sentiment' and (here's a new one) Critical Race Theory (which, for those who aren't familiar with the term, is the new way conservatives are scaring the hell out of their base.)

As odious as this ridiculous - and probably successful - fundraising attempt is, it gets even more nauseating when one remembers other ways FRC invokes 'protecting children' in its literature:

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I'd be willing to believe that the Family Research Council actually did care about children in its own twisted way if it weren't for the group falsely implying that transgender children are rapists and all-around predators. 

In reality, the Family Research Council sees children in the same manner which it sees religious beliefs, which is as a commodity for money, fear, and power. 

'Over 500 corporations support Equality Act, but it may not even matter' & other Wed midday news briefs

Over 500 corporations back effort to support Equality Act. Does it matter? - It probably doesn't because as the article notes, many of these companies are supporting legislators standing in the way of it being passed. Some people want to blame Biden for this, but we can't.

St. Vincent Catholic Charities wins settlement that allows charity to deny adoption to LGBTQ couples​ - Half of the story. It was an overall victory for our side but little crinkles for the religious right. Such as this. 

This gay NASCAR driver just raced at Daytona for the first time since coming out - How did he do?

'Batgirl' casts Ivory Aquino as first trans character in a DC Comics feature film - Good for them!

Cedar Rapids community rallies around inclusive statement after board member falsely connects it with child sex trafficking

 

No matter how many times the above claim about gay men and pedophilia has been refuted, some people still believe it as an incident in Cedar Rapids IA proved.

A recent incident during a board meeting in Cedar Rapids, IA reminds us that the prejudicial beliefs about groups of people generally don't go away. Instead, they get remodeled or retooled into another form.

 In the past, folks used to accuse LGBTQ people of trying to 'recruit' children. Now they say we are attempting to 'groom' them.  The incident also reminds us of the success we have when we refuse to allow ourselves to be maligned.

From KCRG in Cedar Rapids (link includes a video news report of the situation including footage of the meeting):

A statement meant to promote inclusion in Fairfield, led to controversy, when city council member Judy Ham said it could lead to perversions and sex trafficking. Confused and offended, several community members in Fairfield addressed the city council Monday night over the comments, which were made January 10th. 

 “This is called grooming if you don’t know what sex trafficking is,” Ham said while holding up the Statement of Intent prepared by the city’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee. The statement, condemns discrimination based on several factors including sexual orientation and gender identity. Council member Doug Flournoy, responded to Ham’s concern at the January 10th meeting. 

 “No this document in and of itself is not grooming but it’s a component of grooming isn’t it,” Flournoy said. “Yes it is,” Ham answered. “Because you normalize and you teach children these are normal things for people to be doing,” Flournoy explained. 

 The conversation was tabled on the 10th, but led several LQBTQ residents to the microphone Monday night, to call on the city to pass the Statement of Intent. 

According to The Ottumwa Courier, Ham's accusations of grooming had the opposite effect of what she may have intended. Not only did LGBTQ residents speak out in favor of the statement, but her claim was also condemned by the IOWA ACLU:

A statement by ACLU of Iowa Executive Director Mark Stringer said the resolution included language that aligns with what the city is required to do by law. 

 "Treating everyone equally and with dignity, as the letter of intent states, is the foundation of fair and good government," Stringer said. "It's important to note that the law requires the government, including the City of Fairfield, to treat people fairly and equally and not discriminate. We were appalled to hear some city council members express disagreement with those long-held American principles." 

 Several community members have reacted in Facebook posts and letters to the city's leadership, as well. 

 "What occurred during the Council's discourse can only be described as a step back in time," Lore Oliver wrote in a letter shared on Facebook. "To a time at which members of the LGBTQ community were viewed as subhuman and sexual deviants. I was appalled as at least one member of the Council compared myself, and those like myself to "perverts." It was also implied that by validating the humanity of LGBTQ people they would somehow be opening the door to "child groomers" and "sex traffickers." 

Other posts show community members who have urged others to contact their city council members, including Ham. Some have called for Ham's resignation.

The statement ended up passing by a 4-3 vote.

'Chasen Buttigieg: Florida's proposed anti-LGBTQ bill will 'kill kids'' & other Tue midday news briefs

Chasten Buttigieg: Florida’s Proposed Anti-LGBTQ Bill ‘Will Kill Kids’​ -  It's an ugly fact but it's a fact.

 Dozens of Catholic priests just came out of the closet - Hello! 

Anti-LGBTQ group claims Va. marriage amendment repeal will legalize polygamy - STILL fighting this battle. LOL 

Here Are the Out Athletes Competing At the 2022 Winter Olympics (So Far) - So far is right.

Senator Marco Rubio ignores FL 'don't say gay' bill while meddling in Finland court case of anti-gay MP

Sen Marco Rubio defends anti-gay government official in foreign court case while ignoring 'don't say gay' bill in his own state.

Recently, several GOP senators chose to meddle in a foreign hate crimes case, raising questions of hypocrisy. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio sent out the following press release on Monday:

 

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), James Lankford (R-OK), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and Mike Braun (R-IN) sent a letter to Rashad Hussain, the newly-confirmed U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, urging his office to monitor the alarming case in Finland against two Christians accused of violating Finland’s hate crime law due to their deeply held religious convictions.

 Today, Finnish courts held a hearing on charges brought against former Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church for alleged hate crimes based on their tweets and past statements reflecting their beliefs on biblical teachings. “It is our understanding that Finnish authorities believe that these actions constitute hate speech, even though these statements reflect a conception of marriage and sexuality that is upheld not just by hundreds of millions of Christians, but also by many Muslims and Jews worldwide,” the senators wrote. 

“We are greatly concerned that the use of Finnish law is tantamount to a secular blasphemy law. It could open the door for prosecution of other devout Christians, Muslims, Jews and adherents of other faiths for publicly stating their religious beliefs that may conflict with secular trends. We believe that, regardless of whether Finnish prosecutors agree with the religious beliefs that MP Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola have expressed, all people have a fundamental right to the freedoms of religion and speech, which should be upheld without fear of government interference.”

According to Yahoo News  the situation involves Paivi Rasanen, a government official in Finland, and Bishop Juhana Pohjol who are on trial because of an anti-gay Bible tweet. They have been accused of violating Finland's hate crimes law.

 A Christian Democrat MP said Monday she is defending "freedom of speech and religion" on the first day of her hate speech trial in Finland over social media posts condemning homosexuality. Paivi Rasanen, a former interior minister and Christian Democrats leader, denies all four charges of incitement against a minority group, which relate to a radio show appearance and online writings about same-sex relationships. 

 Rasanen described homosexuality as a "psychosexual developmental disorder" and said that homosexual people are "dysfunctional". One charge related to a June 2019 tweet in which the long-time parliamentarian criticised the Finnish Lutheran church for partnering with that year's Pride celebrations, accusing the organisation of "elevating shame and sin to a subject of pride" 

 ... Bishop Juhana Pohjola also faces incitement charges for publishing Rasanen's writings on the website of Finland's Luther Foundation. 

I am not condemning or defending Finland's law, but there is a major problem here. It's rather hypocritical for these senators to meddle with a foreign case involving no Americans in light of how they - specifically one (Josh Hawley) - behaved during the January 6th insurrection of last year and how they continue to undermine the committee attempting to uncover the truth about that day.

And specifically in the case of Rubio, the hypocrisy becomes downright ugly.

Florida is presently embroiled in a controversy over a bill which would ban discussions of LGBTQ issues in classrooms across the state.  While the 'don't say gay' bill passed a committee vote and will advance to the Full House, Rubio has been conveniently silent about it. The main complaint about this bill is that it works to erase LGBTQ kids and same-sex families so maybe Rubio is practicing in anticipation. (that was sarcasm)

The fact of the matter is that these senators were not elected to look after Finnish interests. Americans taxpayers are responsible for their salaries. And in the case of Rubio, he should remember that some of those taxpayers are LGBTQ Floridians.