Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Old Space Camp Grounds…

The Republicans don’t care about the laws only their oppressive laws that they pass.

We all know how the Republicans are passing anti-trans laws and anti-LGBTQ+ laws even though they violate federal laws. Case in point Alabama has passed some of the most repressive laws against us and now it is coming up squarely against federal laws.
Parents, lawmakers voice opinions on U.S. Space and Rocket Center transgender employee
WAFF News
By WAFF 48 Digital Staff and Savannah Sapp
March 11, 2024


Numerous parents and residents across North Alabama have been voicing their concerns about a transgender employee at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

Those parents and residents have taken to Facebook to make posts about the employee who identifies as she/they and works as a Camp Counselor for the Space Camp program.

One parent, Clay Yarbrough, said his daughter had planned on going to Space Camp this week until he learned about the transgender employee.
These parents have a right to not to send their children to camp, but they do not have the right to demand that the Space Camp break federal law. The article goes on to say…
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, there are laws and policies in place that protect transgender workers. A few of those laws are as follows:
  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sex discrimination in employment. Numerous courts and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have agreed that discrimination because an employee or job applicant is transgender or gender non-conforming, or because he or she fails to conform to gender stereotypes, is sex discrimination under Title VII.
  • The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 prohibits discrimination by the federal government on the basis of “conduct which does not adversely affect the performance” of an applicant or employee. This includes being LGBT.
  • Executive Order 13087 prohibits discrimination in federal employment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
  • Executive Order 13672 prohibits anti-LGBT discrimination by federal contractors. If you work for a company that contracts with the federal government, you are protected.
The  U.S. Space and Rocket Center of a government facility and must obey all state and federal laws but in the case that the state laws are opposite to federal law, federal law prevails as stated in the Constitution’s Article VI, Paragraph 2 the Supremacy Clause.

The Space and Rocket Center issued a statement…
We are aware of rumors circulating on social media about a Space Camp employee. We would like to assure parents, teachers, and the public that the safety and security of Space Camp students is our number one priority. Any allegations of misconduct are taken very seriously. We are working to determine the facts in this case, after which we will take appropriate action.

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center adheres to all state and federal laws regulating hiring practices. Our camp staff undergo extensive nationwide criminal background checks that include state, county, and municipal court-level information, Department of Corrections data, state sex offender registries from across the country, and multi-panel drug tests.

We also have rigorous standards and procedures regarding the behavior of Space Camp employees to ensure the safety of students. These include:

No physical contact between staff and students beyond a fist bump or high five.

No staff is allowed to be alone with a student behind a closed door.

No sharing of personal details including personal phone numbers, email addresses, or social media information.

No discussion of religion, sexual topics, politics, or sharing of opinions and beliefs that may be controversial.

Additionally, staff sleep in separate rooms from students and use separate bathroom facilities. We also provide 24-hour onsite security including round-the-clock video surveillance, regular foot and vehicle patrols, and controlled campus and building access.

We are an apolitical organization with no social agenda. Our singular mission is to inspire and educate.

Space Camp has been a trusted institution since its founding in 1982 with more than one million graduates from all 50 states and 150 countries. Many of those graduates have gone on to apply the leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills they learned at Space Camp to successful careers as scientists, engineers, teachers, doctors, and astronauts.  We will continue to work hard to foster trust with each family and student that walks in our doors.

– U.S. Space and Rocket Center
Somehow I don’t think this will appease the conservatives. The Republican politicians had this to say,
His post received just over 4,500 shares and caught the eye of Senator Tommy Tuberville and Congressman Dale Strong who each took to X(formerly known as Twitter) with their own statements.


It is stirring up a hornets nest...
Republican Rep. Dale Strong called for Space Camp to remove a transgender employee after a viral social media post called the person a “freak.”
NBC News
By Jo Yurcaba
March 13, 2024


Three Republican Alabama officials are expressing concern that a transgender person is employed at Space Camp, an educational program for children held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville.

One of the lawmakers is calling for the employee to be removed and for the center to “open a safety review to consider the potential harm and damages they have inadvertently caused children.”

The backlash began Saturday after Clay Yarbrough, a father who lives just outside of Huntsville in the small town of Owens Cross Roads, posted a screenshot of the LinkedIn profile and social media photos of a crew trainer at Space Camp on Facebook. Yarbrough said he had planned to send his daughter to Space Camp the following week, “but we have just found out that this freak is a team lead and a hall monitor in the girls dorms and at times could be allowed to be alone in the halls at night.” 

[…]

Yarbrough’s post was then shared on Facebook and X by Libs of TikTok, a far-right social media account that criticizes LGBTQ teachers and allies, hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors and others. An NBC News investigation last month, which Libs of TikTok called a “hit piece,” found 33 instances in which people or institutions that were the subject of posts by Libs of TikTok later reported being the target of bomb threats or other violent intimidation.
I think we have more to worry about from these right-wingers then from us.
The Alabama Transgender Rights Action Coalition, a trans advocacy group, condemned conservatives’ comments in a statement Monday, noting that Yarbrough “could not name any wrongdoing on the part of the employee, only that they were a transgender person.”
Maybe NASA should move their facilities out of states that that discriminate against minorities and that block women’s rights.

Maybe, just maybe the legislators should look in their own party for people who don’t belong in bathrooms.

I asked Perplexity.AI: "How many republicans have been arrested in bathrooms?"
Answer*
At least three Republican legislators have been arrested for soliciting or performing sexual acts in bathrooms. Some notable cases include:
  • John Hinson, a former Mississippi congressman, was arrested in 1981 for oral sodomy in a Capitol Hill building bathroom.
  • Idaho politician Larry Craig was arrested in 2007 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for a sex-sting operation.
  • Former Florida state representative Bob Allen was arrested in 2007 for agreeing to pay an undercover male police officer for oral sex in a park bathroom.
These incidents highlight instances where Republican lawmakers have faced legal issues related to inappropriate behavior in bathrooms.
I asked a follow-up question: "How many transgender people have been arrested in bathrooms?"
Answer
There have been zero reported cases of transgender people being arrested for misconduct in bathrooms. In contrast, incidents involving Republican legislators engaging in inappropriate behavior in bathrooms have been documented, with at least three cases reported.
It is important to note that the focus on transgender individuals using bathrooms has often been fueled by misconceptions and fear, as highlighted by the lack of actual incidents involving predatory transgender individuals.




*These are the references that Perplexity.AI
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