The Times Are A Changing

For the worst. We are being attacked by all sides for speaking up and the latest happened in Maryland which has protections for us, but politics being politics ignores the law.

Mother Of Transgender Son Fired From MSEA After Speaking Out About Slur In School Play
WFMD FM
By Kevin McManus
July 31, 2018

The School System says the offensive word was removed.

Frederick, Md (KM). The mother of a transgender son who raised concerns about a word used in the performance of “Shrek the Musical” was fired from her job with the Maryland State Education Association, an action which was supported by the Frederick County Board of Education.

Nicola Van Kuilenberg, the mother of James Van Kuilenberg, an outspoken transgender activist, says in a statement she learned the performance of “Shrek the Musical”  being held on April 18th at Oakdale High for elementary and middle school students contained the word “tranny,” which is a slur against the transgender population. She noted in her statement that she had seen another performance  of this play at Governor Thomas Johnson High School four years ago, and that offensive word had been removed. “The t-word is equivalent to the n-word which carries with a lot of hurt and pain for the transgender community,”: says Mrs. Van Kuilenberg, in a statement.

Continuing her statement, Van Kuilenberg says she contacted the School System which at first said it had no intention of removing that word. Later on, FCPS says it contacted  the copyright company and received an updated script with the word “tranny” removed.

Now get a load of what the Frederick County Board of Education said…

Following her firing by MSEA, the Board of Education expressed support for the move. President Brad Young said Van Kuilenberg worked with FCPS employees. And even though she’s not a school system employee, Van Kuilenberg was expected to abide by the local policies set by the Board of Ed. “As a state union rep in our school system everyday, she is seen as somebody that certainly is representative of Frederick County Public Schools. And so I would expect that anybody that’s in a direct and quasi-role representing the school system would adhere to it…….to our policies that are there,” he said.

Ah yes, if you go against the “policy” may the wrath of Board come down on you!

In addition, Young said there are other ways to raise concerns about an issue. “Today, it’s unfortunate that most people are looking to social media to get attention. And in this case, if the end result was to get those words out of the play, it could have been done simply by contacting myself or {Superintendent of Schools} Dr. {Theresa} Alban and say ‘hey, can we get this corrected.’ It was corrected within the same day,” he said.

So if the policy is oppressive and caters to those “in power,” suppresses opposition to the Board and as a last resort you plea your case in the public forum shame on you. Don’t you know you are supposed to bow down to your superiors and kiss their feet?

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A follow-up to yesterday’s post on the Religious Taskforce…

Longtime gay-rights opponent Tony Perkins named to U.S. religious freedom panel
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appointed Family Research Council President Tony Perkins to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
NBC News
By Julie Moreau
May.17.2018

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appointed Family Research Council President Tony Perkins — a longtime opponent of LGBTQ rights — to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

“From my post at USCIRF, I look forward to doing all that I can to ensure that our government is the single biggest defender of religious freedom internationally,” Perkins said in a statement released Tuesday. “It is my hope that through the work of USCIRF, the world will become one step closer to recognizing the vital role religious freedom and the defense of religious minorities play in peace, security and human flourishing.”

From what I understand he is also on AG Sessions Religious Taskforce.

Five Things You Need to Know About the Religious Liberty Task Force
Out & Equal
By Madelyn Gelpi
July 30, 2018

Earlier today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the establishment of a Religious Liberty Task Force within the Department of Justice, which would aid in the implementation of the department’s religious guidance set forth in the DOJ’s Federal Protections for Religious Freedom Memo issued last year. Built in response to, in Sessions’ words, a “dangerous movement” against traditional religious freedom, the creation of this task force is an unsettling step in the movement against LGBTQ workplace equality. In his announcement, Sessions directly referenced the case in which Colorado baker, Jack Phillips, refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, as a violation of religious freedom and rationale for building the taskforce itself.

This action taken by the Department of Justice further blurs lines between acceptable behavior and discrimination. Yet, the intentions are clear. This administration does not have the best interest of the LGBTQ community in mind. While Sessions—who will serve as the co-chair of this taskforce and has a documented history of anti-LGBTQ sentiment—has cited shifting culture and the backlash against religious discrimination as “a dangerous movement,” the creation of this task force can be easily seen as “a dangerous movement” towards the erasure of non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals in the workplace.

And the five things you need to know are…

From Out & Equal