U.S. District Judge Roy Altman last week issued a stay in the challenge filed on behalf of a Broward County transgender girl who is in middle school. The lawsuit contends that the ban, passed by lawmakers last year, is unconstitutional and violates a federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs.
Civil Rights
Are Lawmakers Seeking to Censor Discussions of Race and Gender in Classrooms and the Workplace?
With such things as critical race theory and sensitivity training targeted, much of the debate and public testimony centered around the bill’s effect on schools and whether it would curtail frank discussions about United States history and race.
Convict Slavery: The 13th Amendment’s Fatal Flaw
The 13th Amendment, considered one of the crowning achievements of American democracy, set “free” an estimated 4 million enslaved people and seemed to demonstrate American claims to equality and freedom. But the amendment did not apply to those convicted of a crime.
Republicans’ Historical Amnesia on Voting Rights
A Trumpified Republican Party that’s left the legacy of Abraham Lincoln far behind, is still flipping Democrats the Byrd as it stands steadfastly in the way of the voting rights legislation that’s now slowly and torturously making its way through Congress.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Radical Message Is Betrayed With Focus on ‘Dream’
Martin Luther King Jr., the “civil saint” portrayed nowadays was, by the end of his life, a social and economic radical, who argued forcefully for the necessity of economic justice in the pursuit of racial equality.
I Saw Firsthand What It Takes to Keep Covid Out of Hong Kong. It Felt Like a Different Planet.
On a visit to Hong Kong, reporter Caroline Chen encountered a 21-day quarantine, a bevy of Covid tests, universal masking and, finally, a fear-free family holiday. Hong Kong’s quarantine procedures are among the strictest in the world. The city is committed to a “zero-Covid” policy, which means it will take every possible measure to prevent a single case.
Desmond Tutu, Father of South Africa’s ‘Rainbow Nation’
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu has died at the age of 90. He earned the respect and love of millions of South Africans and the world. He carved out a permanent place in their hearts and minds, becoming known affectionately as “The Arch.”
Our Thirty Years’ War: Schlesinger’s The Disuniting of America
What historian Arthur Schlesinger had detected in 1992 in a few trends is now orthodoxy–from both sides, neither for the better. The “ethnic rage” of diversity-preaching liberals and the fundamentalist, doctrinaire “monoculturalism” of conservatives has the country in a state of paralysis. Schlesinger wanted a renewed melting pot. But that’s not the solution.
He Was Filming on His Phone. Then an Officer Attacked Him and Charged Him With Resisting Arrest.
Police can arrest people for “cover charges,” like resisting arrest, to justify their use of excessive force and shield themselves from liability. In Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, 73 percent of the time someone is arrested on a “cover charge” alone, they’re Black.
Transgender and Gender Diverse Teens: How to Talk To and Support Them
Transgender youth have been around long before the word transgender has. Yet today, transgender teens are increasingly visible in society. For parents and caregivers, knowing how to talk to their children about gender can present a steep learning curve.