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High school students discussion group.
The American culture war is one of many fronts. Education represents yet another battlefield where Republicans are attacking LGBTQ rights. Like the Texas anti-abortion law that created a de facto army of vigilantes incentivized by a $10,000 bounty tasked with denouncing anyone considering an abortion, Republican efforts to control education employs a similar strategy. In this case, parents are told they should dictate curricula. While sounding benign enough, the “parents know what’s best for their children” mantra empowers extremist factions to storm school board meetings, intimidate teachers and education professionals with threats of violence and even death to achieve their ends. Meanwhile, rational school board members are resigning out of fear for their lives.
Along with COVID mandates, a primary target of this strategy is the LGBTQ student community. Several states have pursued legislation to deprive LGBTQ students of any rights or the ability to learn about relative issues. Some Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) are also under attack.
Among the states leading the charge against LGBTQ recognition is Florida. There, a “Parental Rights in Education” bill, dubbed by some as the “Don’t Say Gay Law,” is advancing through that state’s house and senate. The draconian bill forbids teachers from discussing LGBTQ issues or people. Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign it into law.
Hateful and Dangerous
President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have decried the law as hateful and dangerous, citing the vulnerability of LGBTQ youth and the higher rates of suicide among them compared to their non-LGBTQ peers. According to a National School Climate Survey, it has been found that over half of LGBTQ students believe their school environment is unsafe due to their identity. Three-quarters have endured verbal harassment and a third have been physically harassed.
Sadly, these facts are lost among those who target the LGBTQ community. Much of the “anti” rational is based on religious or non-scientific arguments. The simple fact is they don’t care about the people they injure. In fact, they seem proud of their accomplishments when they do.
Meanwhile, here in Wisconsin, a law before the legislature, a “Parental Bill of Rights” as it being called, seeks to bar school staff from addressing students by their preferred pronouns without parental consent and allow students to opt out of lessons deemed inappropriate (read LGBTQ) by their parents. While it seems benign enough, the idea is to discriminate, and to reinforce the notion that LGBTQ identity is something to suppress.
Election Will be Crucial
Gov. Evers’ veto is inevitable but, as in other states with Republican majority legislatures and Democratic governors, the upcoming November election will be a crucial one. An Evers defeat by any of the likely Republican contenders would mean such bills, archived in the interim, would again be on the agenda and would pass.
This makes the reelection of Evers critical for the future of LGBTQ rights in Wisconsin. One has only to look over the cast of rabid Trumpniks vying for the Republican spot on the 2022 gubernatorial ticket to understand the danger. Leading hate candidate Rebecca Kleefisch infamously compared marriage equality to a “slippery slope” that would lead to people eventually marrying dogs or inanimate objects.
Apparently told by God to run and endorsed by the My Pillow guy, is crazed election conspiracy theorist State Rep. Timothy Ramthun. Also in the running is Kevin Nicholson who previously failed in a gubernatorial primary run against Fleefisch last time around. To his credit, Nicholson once called Kleefisch “dumb as a bag of hammers.”
So, once again we stand on the brink. I hope the community rises up to meet the challenge.
