Thursday, January 09, 2025

They Are Up And Running...

Me, Regina, and Robin.
Well the 2025 Connecticut Gender Assembly began yesterday and a whole mess of bills were introduced by the Republicans. Senator Sampson introduced these bills on the first day.
 
As we walked around the Capitol there were all different groups there to lobby the legislators, there was a group for prisoner rights, and groups for the homeless and our group "Queering the Capitol"

There were about 50 people there for the "Queering the Capitol" we at first were on the other side of the Capitol and then we found out that everyone was on the other side of the building, it was 50 feet away but we couldn't go that way because it was blocked off. We had to take the elevator down and then back up the other side but a very nice officer looked the other way as we seniors hobbled to the "other side"
 
The Republicans introduced a number of bills.
1 That title 10 of the general statutes be amended to (1) prohibit the
2 development, adoption or teaching of a curriculum for students in
3 grades kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, that includes the teaching of
4 biased political ideology or makes any individual feel discomfort, guilt,
5 anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of the
6 individual's race or sex, and (2) define (A) "biased political ideology" as
7 the following concepts: (i) One race or sex is inherently superior to
8 another race or sex, (ii) the state of Connecticut or the United States of
9 America is fundamentally racist or sexist, (iii) an individual, by virtue
10 of the individual's race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive,
11 whether consciously or unconsciously, (iv) an individual should be
12 discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly
13 because of the individual's race or sex, (v) an individual's moral
14 character is necessarily determined by the individual's race or sex, (vi)
15 an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, bears
16 responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the
17 same race or sex, (vii) any individual should feel discomfort, guilt,
18 anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of the
19 individual's race or sex, (viii) meritocracy or traits such as hard work
20 ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to oppress
21 another race, or (ix) any other form of race or sex stereotyping of any
22 other form of race or sex scapegoating, (B) "race or sex stereotyping" as
23 ascribing character traits, values, moral and ethical codes, privileges,
24 status or beliefs to a race or sex or to an individual because of the
25 individual's race or sex, and (C) "race or sex scapegoating" means
26 assigning fault, blame or bias to a race or sex or to members of a race or
27 sex because of the individual's race or sex and similarly encompasses
28 any claim that any particular race or sex is responsible for society's ills.
This looks like that it is right out of Florida! Then we have another that sounds like it is also right out of Florida...
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
1 That the general statutes be amended to prohibit the state or any
2 political subdivision of the state from requiring any individual or entity
3 to use specific pronouns.
Another typical Republican bill! These two bills and the other right-wing bills introduced will most likely be DOA and never see the lights of a committee hearing.

The Hartford Courant reported that,
Sen. Rob Sampson introduced 70 bills and three resolutions Wednesday, several of which relate to the “parents rights” movement and the culture war around LGBTQ rights, including bills on “developmentally appropriate” instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, “political bias in the classroom,” and the right for parents to visit their child’s classroom during the day.

Sampson introduced bills on school curriculum, social studies curriculum and reading curriculum. The social studies curriculum bill calls for a task force to be formed concerning the recommendation of the American Birthright’s Social Studies Standards, which the National Council for the Social Studies calls “a single narrative of U.S. and Western history that glorified selected aspects of history while minimizing the experiences, contributions, and perspectives of Indigenous peoples, people of color, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, the working class, and countless others.”

[...]

One of the most conservative members of Connecticut’s legislature, from Wolcott, Connecticut’s most conservative town, Sampson’s bills rarely get enough support to advance.
*****
A friend drove me to the Capitol, it was her first time at the Capitol during the session... she was fascinated by the lobbyists... you mean all they do is stand around and talk? Yup.

Meanwhile I renewed a number of contacts and push my desire to drop-in centers for LGBTQ+ seniors.

We left around noon. We got there around 9:30 and most of the time we sitting on hard wooden benches and around noon my back screamed enough!



Connecticut is not alone with Republicans anti-LGBTQ+ laws...
ABC 5 Cleveland
By: Morgan Trau
Jan 08, 2025


Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed nearly 30 bills Wednesday, including legislation that would require schools to notify parents if the child identifies as LGBTQ+ as well as allow parents to opt out of so-called "sexuality" content. The GOP denies it is homophobic, saying it's just a way for parents to stay informed.

State Reps. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) and Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) introduced House Bill 8, which requires schools and teachers to notify parents about any changes to their child's mental, physical, or emotional being — including if they identify as LGBTQ+.
Down in Texas...
“Cruelty tactics” begin again
Austin Chronicle 
By Brant Bingamon,
Jan. 10, 2025


Remember the bathroom bill from the 2017 legislative session? It’s back. If Republicans get their way, this time next year people in state-run spaces like public schools and office buildings who present and identify as men will be required to use women’s restrooms. Those who present and identify as women will be using men’s restrooms. Republican values in action!

The bathroom bills – there are several of them – are one example of the dozens of anti-queer bills filed by Republicans so far this session, many aimed at transgender Texans. “We’re already seeing so much anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation,” Brigitte Bandit, a drag performer, civil rights defender, and member of the city’s LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission, told us wearily. “It’s like, okay, obviously this is going to be a priority for y’all.”

A priority, yes – trans attacks have become an indispensable tactic for the Republican Party, helping it win elections and distracting from its ongoing impoverishment of the state. Miriam Laeky of Equality Texas, an advocacy group fighting for queer rights, told the LGBTQIA+ commission in December that she and her colleagues have identified 60 anti-queer bills filed so far, half of them targeting trans people. Many, like the bathroom bill, are refilings of bills that were considered and rejected in previous sessions.
In Idaho, the Advocate writes that....
Idaho Republican legislators have introduced a resolution on Tuesday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision that established marriage equality nationwide.

The measure, House Joint Memorial 1, claims the Supreme Court overstepped its authority by requiring states to recognize same-sex marriages. It also calls for a return to the so-called “natural definition” of marriage as between one man and one woman, a concept supporters insist is rooted in tradition.

The non-binding resolution, spearheaded by the State Affairs Committee, asserts that states and not federal courts should decide marriage laws. While the resolution carries no legal weight, its introduction sends a clear signal about the state GOP’s priorities.

“The Idaho Legislature insists on restoring the issue of marriage and enforcement of all laws pertaining to marriage back to the several states and the people,” the resolution reads.
Welcome to the new reality! 

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