Octopus Overlords

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 8 (“The Parents’ Bill of Rights”) into law on Wednesday. He did so behind closed doors, not televised as he did for another bill he signed into law the same day.

HB 8 will force teachers and school staff to out LGBTQ+ youth to their parents and will limit the mention of LGBTQ+ identity in school curricula.

The bill requires that teachers and school staff – including school social workers, counselors and psychologists – notify a student’s parent of “any change in the student’s services, including counseling services, or monitoring related to the student’s mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.”

The legislation specifically calls out trans identity as necessitating parental notification, and previous testimony has affirmed that disclosures of sexual orientation would also trigger parental contact.

The bill further bans any mention of “sexuality content” in grades K-3 and mandates that such content be “age-appropriate” for all other grades. Sexuality content is defined in the bill as “written instruction, presentation, image or description of sexual concepts or gender ideology.” Nowhere in the bill is “gender ideology” defined.

“I think the basis for it for me, if you’re a parent, you want to be informed what’s going on in your child’s life,” DeWine told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday. “Parents are the best teachers.”

“It’s about creating the right kind of culture educationally in Ohio,” added Lt. Gov. Jon Husted added.

DeWine was specifically asked by reporters about the part of HB 8 that would result in LGBTQ+ students being outed.

“We love these students as we love anybody else. They’re not only welcome in Ohio, but they’re welcome in our schools. We want to protect them as we protect every other student. But I do believe parents are the most likely people to help that child,” DeWine said.

The bill passed by the Ohio legislature during the last hour of their legislative session on December 19 also included language mandating that all schools find a time during the school day when students are able to leave school for religious instruction.

DeWine had previously indicated he would sign the bill into law, specifically endorsing the language on release time for religious instruction.

baelthazar wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2025 12:54 pm We are going to see more of this. I know Indiana is also considering it:

“It’s about creating the right kind of culture educationally in Ohio,” added Lt. Gov. Jon Husted added.

Zarathud wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2025 1:46 pm The people who want schools to report on their children are the same people hostile to paying for schools and who disregard school shootings.

What happened to schools being just a place to learn skills and knowledge? If you’re a parent who needs a teacher to tell you about your child’s gender identity, you’ve failed in paying attention.

The House voted on Tuesday to pass a GOP-led bill that would ban transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions.

The legislation is expected to next be taken up by the GOP-controlled Senate. The House vote was 218 to 206 with two Democrats voting in favor and one Democrat voting “present.” Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar of Texas were the two Democrats who voted for the bill and Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina was the present vote.

The bill would prohibit transgender women and girls from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. It seeks to amend federal law to require that “sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth,” for the purpose of determining compliance with Title IX in athletics, according to the legislative text.

Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities that receive funding from the federal government, and applies to schools and other educational institutions.

The bill would not “prohibit schools or institutions from permitting males to practice against women’s sports teams,” according to a fact sheet from the House committee on Education and the Workforce.

According to the legislative text, the bill does not prohibit institutions “from permitting males to train or practice with an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls so long as no female is deprived of a roster spot on a team or sport, opportunity to participate in a practice or competition, scholarship, admission to an educational institution, or any other benefit that accompanies participating in the athletic program or activity.”

However, the fact sheet from the Education committee states that under the bill, “a recipient of federal education funding violates Title IX’s prohibition against sex discrimination if the recipient operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities and allows a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.”

The bill – called the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act” – was introduced by Republican Rep. Greg Steube of Florida.

It’s not clear if the bill will be able to pass the Senate and likely faces an uphill battle in the chamber due to the tight margin of partisan control.

Senate Republicans have 53 seats. Typically, that would mean that at least seven Democrats would need to vote with Republicans to hit the 60-vote threshold to advance a bill subject to a filibuster.

"While we don't know the exact number of trans women competing in NCAA sports, I would be very surprised if there were more than 100 of them in the women's category," Harper told Newsweek.

One hundred transgender athletes would comprise an incredibly small number of the U.S. population, and the number dwindles even further when it comes to middle school and high school athletes.

Gillian Branstetter, a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the number of transgender athletes isn't comprehensive, but she's also certain it's a very small portion of the nation's population. Branstetter told Newsweek that Save Women's Sports, an organization advocating for banning transgender athletes from competing in girls' sports, identified only five transgender athletes competing on girls' teams in school sports for grades K through 12.

Holman wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 6:38 pm It's also a practice run for stripping rights away in other areas.

Using the law to essentialize gender here sets the stage for ending gay marriage, among other things.

For kids sports that aren't really competitive with like tournaments, again, who cares as long as it doesn't become a safety issue.

Blackhawk wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 8:29 pm This is an easy target. Lots of people support it because the issue is so complex, so even casual gay rights supporters don't fully understand it and aren't too bothered by the law.

And that's what they want - an easy beachhead. Something to get their foot into the door to allow them the room to start expanding it to cover other rights.

Punisher wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 8:24 pm Can you have a birth certificate changed with the sex though? I didn't think that was possible.
That would have been my answer. Birth certificate.

I would say it depends on how it's being ruined.

Blackhawk wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 8:29 pm This is an easy target. Lots of people support it because the issue is so complex, so even casual gay rights supporters don't fully understand it and aren't too bothered by the law.

And that's what they want - an easy beachhead. Something to get their foot into the door to allow them the room to start expanding it to cover other rights.

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 8:37 pm It's always about the "sanctity" of the sport and how it's unfair. Following through, it ultimately impacts the ability to earn scholarships and (I guess) become famous.

gbasden wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 11:02 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 8:37 pm It's always about the "sanctity" of the sport and how it's unfair. Following through, it ultimately impacts the ability to earn scholarships and (I guess) become famous.

Wait until the next step where they start disqualifying female athletes that naturally create too much testosterone because that's "unfair" too and they are just boys in girl's bodies.

As a nerd, the concept that the genetics of the body that you are born with is going to influence your success is rather self evident.

Punisher wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 11:18 pm

gbasden wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 11:02 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 8:37 pm It's always about the "sanctity" of the sport and how it's unfair. Following through, it ultimately impacts the ability to earn scholarships and (I guess) become famous.

Wait until the next step where they start disqualifying female athletes that naturally create too much testosterone because that's "unfair" too and they are just boys in girl's bodies.

As a nerd, the concept that the genetics of the body that you are born with is going to influence your success is rather self evident.

I'll be honest, that sounds a bit far fetched to me.
There's a big difference between a male and a female with extra testosterone.

The policy mentioned a three step process, the first a physical examination 'including clinical signs of virilization (physical appearance, deepness of voice, body hair etc), genital characteristics (clitoral hypertrophy)', the second a hormone test, principally the androgenic sex steroids, but also possibly other hormones, and the final stage a full genetic test.

An athlete would be eligible to compete if her testosterone level was below 10 nmol/L, or if she could prove that 'she has an androgen resistance such that she derives no competitive advantage'.

hepcat wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 11:24 pm What I still don’t understand is why trans politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene are supporting laws that hurt their own people.

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 11:31 am

hepcat wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 11:24 pm What I still don’t understand is why trans politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene are supporting laws that hurt their own people.

She's trans?

Max Peck wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 11:44 am

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 11:31 am

hepcat wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2025 11:24 pm What I still don’t understand is why trans politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene are supporting laws that hurt their own people.

She's trans?

The charitable take is that it's a riff on the idea that every Republican accusation is an admission, hence her obsession with trans people means she must be trans herself.

The less charitable take is that it's a criticism of her appearance, which would be unfortunate since it would imply that trans women are inherently unattractive.

At any rate, "MTG is trans" is a thing on the intertubes.

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 11:53 am Ah. I'm generally wary of using 'trans' (or any similar label) as an insult to begin with. It's not a helpful thing.

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 11:53 am Ah. I'm generally wary of using 'trans' (or any similar label) as an insult to begin with. It's not a helpful thing.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, got into a heated exchange at a House hearing Tuesday that culminated with Mace challenging Crockett by asking whether she wanted to “take it outside.”

The war of words came during a discussion of civil rights and transgender rights, with Crockett calling for re-establishing a subcommittee on civil rights and criticizing Mace’s rhetoric about transgender people.

“I can see that somebody’s campaign coffers really are struggling right now. So [Mace] is gonna keep saying ‘trans, trans, trans, trans’ so that people will feel threatened, and child, listen —” Crockett said.

“I am no child, do not call me a child, I am no child,” Mace interjected, prompting committee chair James Comer, R-Ky., to unsuccessfully call for order.

“If you want to take it outside, we can do that,” Mace said, addressing Crockett.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., tried to defend Crockett, saying Mace had incited violence against her.

After some discussion, Comer ruled that Mace’s remark had not been a call to violence, saying she could have been asking Crockett to go outside to “have a cup of coffee or perhaps a beer.”

Isgrimnur wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 12:19 pm

After some discussion, Comer ruled that Mace’s remark had not been a call to violence, saying she could have been asking Crockett to go outside to “have a cup of coffee or perhaps a beer.”

LordMortis wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 12:27 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 12:19 pm

After some discussion, Comer ruled that Mace’s remark had not been a call to violence, saying she could have been asking Crockett to go outside to “have a cup of coffee or perhaps a beer.”

Or attempt a coup, perhaps hang the VP, nothing violent, really

What a shitshow the GOP are.

GreenGoo wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 12:36 pm

LordMortis wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 12:27 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 12:19 pm

After some discussion, Comer ruled that Mace’s remark had not been a call to violence, saying she could have been asking Crockett to go outside to “have a cup of coffee or perhaps a beer.”

Or attempt a coup, perhaps hang the VP, nothing violent, really

What a shitshow the GOP are.

One begins to wonder what the point of having "fightin' words" on the books, at this point, given that they are subjective and subject to interpretation. Yes, I realize "let's go outside" is not an example of legally defined "fighting words".