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The entire LGBTQ community has faced two years of unprecedented legislative attacks, the majority of which have focused on trans people. Transphobes have placed a particular target on trans students in public schools. And right now, only eight people in the U.S. that serve on school boards identify as trans or nonbinary, showcasing a drastic lack of representation. Without proper representation, trans peoples existence is under threat from exclusionary politicians and alt-right bigots.

The harmful narrative surrounding the trans community reignited with bathroom bills banning trans kids from using the bathroom of their choice and has evolved into banning trans kids from school sports or banning gender-affirming healthcare. Many state legislatures have been working to ban trans students from playing on sports teams, exacerbating a nonexistent problem into a firestorm of online and in-person fury. Now, the discourse perpetuated by extremists is that men purposefully change their gender to merely win in competitive sports, completely erasing the legitimacy of the trans community.

On the flipside, this rise in hate speech was the reason so many LGBTQ school board members chose to run for office. LGBTQ Victory Institute conducted a survey of out LGBTQ school board members across the United States (read the full report here) and 62% of respondents stated that their primary motivation to run was to support LGBTQ students. Karl Frisch, a school board member in Fairfax County, Virginia, is a prime example of an LGBTQ school board member fighting for equality and for student safety.

Fortunately, there are out trans state officials around the country who use their platform every day to call out anti-trans legislators. Delaware state Senator Sarah McBride, who made history as the first out trans state Senator elected in U.S. history, doubled down against anti-trans legislators banning trans students from school sports.

Kansas state Representative Stephanie Byers speaks out against bigotry that trans youth face in states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Kansas while some of her coworkers in the legislature making transphobic comments and spreading hate. So many trans legislators are working twice as hard to secure equality for all LGBTQ community members but especially trans kids who are vulnerable in this political climate.

Its more important than ever to pay attention to state legislative and school board actions. For years, anti-LGBTQ conservatives have perfected their damaging anti-LGBTQ parental rights rhetoric in school board races to shove anti-equality policymakers in positions of power and spread baseless homophobic dog whistles. This issue is not going to magically disappear. Around 51% of respondents to the LGBTQ school board survey mentioned earlier said that they had been the target of anti-LGBTQ verbal attacks during their tenure and that number is inevitably bound to rise. Even though LGBTQ acceptance is at an all-time high, LGBTQ bigotry and prejudice skyrocketed since it is now accepted as legitimate political discourse.

Trans people do not exist to win in sports competitions or to terrorize people in bathrooms. Trans people deserve to live safe, happy lives and do not deserve to be used as political scare tactics. So when trans rights are stripped at the hands of right-wing, anti-equality bigots, you bet you will see trans people once again protesting in the streets, showing up to the ballot box and leading the charge to stop these horrific bills. But change is up to all of us and we have to show up for them as well.

To learn more about our trans, NB or GNC elected officials, check out the Out for America map here.

Originally posted here:
Standing Against Transphobia: On School Boards & in the State Houses - LGBTQ Victory Institute

Just as the AR-15 rifle has become a sacred object for Christian nationalists in general, the rosary has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional (or rad trad) Catholics. On this extremist fringe, rosary beads have been woven into a conspiratorial politics and absolutist gun culture. These armed radical traditionalists have taken up a spiritual notion that the rosary can be a weapon in the fight against evil and turned it into something dangerously literal.

Their social-media pages are saturated with images of rosaries draped over firearms, warriors in prayer, Deus Vult (God wills it) crusader memes, and exhortations for men to rise up and become Church Militants. Influencers on platforms such as Instagram share posts referencing everyday carry and gat check (gat is slang for firearm) that include soldiers battle beads, handguns, and assault rifles. One artist posts illustrations of his favorite Catholic saints, clergy, and influencers toting AR-15-style rifles labeled SANCTUM ROSARIUM alongside violently homophobic screeds that are celebrated by social-media accounts with thousands of followers.

The theologian and historian Massimo Faggioli has described a network of conservative Catholic bloggers and commentary organizations as a Catholic cyber-militia that actively campaigns against LGBTQ acceptance in the Church. These rad-trad rosary-as-weapon memes represent a social-media diffusion of such messaging, and they work to integrate ultraconservative Catholicism with other aspects of online far-right culture. The phenomenon might be tempting to dismiss as mere trolling or merchandizing, and ironical provocations based on traditionalist Catholic symbols do exist, but the far rights constellations of violent, racist, and homophobic online milieus are well documented for providing a pathway to radicalization and real-world terrorist attacks.

The rosaryin these handsis anything but holy. But for millions of believers, the beads, which provide an aide-mmoire for a sequence of devotional prayers, are a widely recognized symbol of Catholicism and a source of strength. And many take genuine sustenance from Catholic theologys concept of the Church Militant and the tradition of regarding the rosary as a weapon against Satan. As Pope Francis said in a 2020 address, There is no path to holiness without spiritual combat, and Francis is only one of many Church officials who have endorsed the idea of the rosary as an armament in that fight.

Ryan Busse: The rifle that ruined America

In mainstream Catholicism, the rosary-as-weapon is not an intrinsically harmful interpretation of the sacramental, and this symbolism has a long history. In the 1930s and 40s, the ultramontane Catholic student publication Jeunesse tudiante Catholique regularly used the concept to rally the faithful. But the modern radical-traditionalist Catholic movementwhich generally rejects the Second Vatican Councils reformsis far outside majority opinion in the Roman Church in America. Many prominent American Catholic bishops advocate for gun control, and after the Uvalde school shooting, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, lamented the way some Americans sacralize deaths instruments.

Militia culture, a fetishism of Western civilization, and masculinist anxieties have become mainstays of the far right in the U.S.and rad-trad Catholics have now taken up residence in this company. Their social-media accounts commonly promote accelerationist and survivalist content, along with combat-medical and tactical training, as well as memes depicting balaclava-clad gunmen that draw on the terrorwave or warcore aesthetic that is popular in far-right circles.

Like such networks, radical-traditional Catholics sustain their own cottage industry of goods and services that reinforces the radicalization. Rosaries are common among the merchandise on offersome made of cartridge casings, and complete with gun-metal-finish crucifixes. One Catholic online store, which describes itself as dedicated to offering battle-ready products and manuals to stand firm against the tactics of the devil (a New Testament reference), sells replicas of the rosaries issued to American soldiers during the First World War as combat rosaries. Discerning consumers can also buy a concealed carry permit for their combat rosary and a sacramental storage box resembling an ammunition can. In 2016, the pontifical Swiss Guard accepted a donation of combat rosaries; during a ceremony at the Vatican, their commander described the gift as the most powerful weapon that exists on the market.

The militarism also glorifies a warrior mentality and notions of manliness and male strength. This conflation of the masculine and the military is rooted in wider anxieties about Catholic manhoodthe idea that it is in crisis has some currency among senior Church figures and lay organizations. In 2015, Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix issued an apostolic exhortation calling for a renewal of traditional conceptions of Catholic masculinity titled Into the Breach, which led the Knights of Columbus, an influential fraternal order, to produce a video series promoting Olmsteds ideas. But among radical-traditional Catholic men, such concerns take an extremist turn, rooted in fantasies of violently defending ones family and church from marauders.

Juliette Kayyem: A lone-wolf shooter has an online pack

The rosary-as-weapon also gives rad-trad Catholic men both a distinctive signifier within Christian nationalism and a sort of membership pass to the movement. As the sociologists Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry note in Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States, Catholics used to be regarded as enemies by Christian nationalists, and anti-Catholic nativism runs deep in American history. Today, Catholics are a growing contingent of Christian nationalism.

Helping unite these former rivals is a quasi-theological doctrine of what Perry and another sociologist, Philip S. Gorski, have called righteous violence against political enemies regarded as demonic or satanic, be they secularists, progressives, or Jews. The hostility toward liberalism and secularism inherent in traditionalist Catholicism is also pronounced within Christian nationalist circles. No longer stigmatized by evangelical nationalists, Catholic imagery now blends freely with staple alt-right memes that romanticize ancient Rome or idealize the traditional patriarchal family.

Daniel K. Williams: This really is a different pro-life movement

Some doctrinal differences and divisions remain. Many radical-traditional Catholic men maintain the hard-line position that other forms of Christianity are heretical, and hold that Catholics alone adhere to the one true Church. Christian nationalisms nativism and its predilection for Great Replacement theory alienate some radical-traditional Catholics who are not white or who were not born in the United States, and deep veins of anti-Catholicism persist among far-right Protestants.

Yet the convergence within Christian nationalism is cemented in common causes such as hostility toward abortion-rights advocates. The pro-choice protests that followed the leaked early draft of the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, led to a profusion of social-media posts on the far right fantasizing about killing activists, and such forums responded to Pride month this year with extremist homophobic and transphobic groomer discourse. Rad-trad networks are also involved in organizing rosary-branded events that involve weapons training.

Catholics are taught to love and forgive their enemies, that to do otherwise is a sin. But the extremist understanding of spiritual warfare overrides that command. To do battle with Satanwhose influence in the world is, according to Catholic demonology, real and menacingis to deploy violence for deliverance and redemption. The battle beads culture of spiritual warfare permits radical-traditional Catholics literally to demonize their political opponents and regard the use of armed force against them as sanctified. The sacramental rosary isnt just a spiritual weapon but one that comes with physical ammunition.

Original post:
How Rad-Trad Catholics Weaponized the Rosary - The Atlantic

Five years ago, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va.

Heyer was part of a crowd of counter-protesters that filled a narrow, one-way street in downtown Charlottesville when an avowed white nationalist deliberately drove into the crowd. Heyer's mom, Susan Bro, recalls how it happened.

"He sat there a minute, he backed up, and then he sped forward across two speed bumps into a crowd of counter-protesters, Bro says.

The impact sent bodies flying. Several people were injured. Heyer died.

After her daughters death, Bro started the Heather Heyer Foundation, providing scholarships to high school students wanting to continue their education. She has since shut down the foundation to focus on her health.

On how shes doing, five years after Unite the Right

I have good days and bad the month before and I wrote a piece about grief a couple of years ago, how it comes in waves. And that's typical for everybody who's lost somebody. It's not just me by any means, but sometimes the waves are really high and sometimes the waves are shallow, and sometimes you're just aware of their lapping at your ankles. But when you've lost a child, you always have that sense of loss. But you do learn to live and go on despite it. I mean, it's either that or die. And I chose not to die. I chose to keep going.

On if the city has recognized Heather at the location of her tragic death

I don't want Heather recognized anymore than she is. She got too much attention as it was. Heather was just there to walk in support that day. She was not an organizer. She simply wanted to walk in support of the young ladies in her office that day who were also marching and way too much attention has been given to Heather.

I had to fend off people who wanted a park named after her or a statue in her honor. I said, She wouldn't want it. I don't want it. I think naming the street after her is really all that needs to happen. And what we need to focus on going forward, and rightfully so, is to focus on the issues that led to her murder and that is to combat white supremacy, institutionalized white supremacy, to combat racism, to combat division [and] find ways to make life equitable for everyone.

On where Charlottesville stands in regard to equity and justice today

Struggling and struggling. I remember meeting people from Ferguson right after Heather was murdered, and I asked them, How was Ferguson doing? And they said, struggling. Ten years later, they were still struggling. And Charlottesville was doing some of that.

Housing is still a major issue for communities of color. Policing is still a major issue for communities of color. I just see all the same issues that they had before 2017 still being issues. But I will also add, I don't live here. I don't participate in government here. I read about it. I get the publications by email, but I'm not part of this community. I'm not involved.

On whether commentators who watch alt-right hate and extremism for a living are making it more mainstream

Oh, yeah fully intentional. And they make no bones about it.

On how she thinks Charlottesville fits into it the state of extremism in the U.S. today

Movements like these tend to arise when communities are frustrated economically and they start looking for excuses and people to blame. They start looking for scapegoats. We've seen this pattern again and again in history. And then people are all too eager to follow somebody else's solution.

On finding hope

Well, I'm hoping that this is the farthest that the pendulum swings. Moving forward, we've got to find a way to make it more equitable for everyone. We still have a long way to go with that."

On spending the rest of her life as Heather Heyers mom and if it comes with a burden

[Its]funny because when I taught school, she said I'm always Miss Heyer's daughter well, she's got it even now.

I have loved meeting people. I have loved traveling. I have loved being able to make a difference in the world. But it was the cost of someone so dear to me that I would rather have her back than have any of that happen. But I don't want to take away the good in the world that it caused to her murderer. It did serious harm to the white supremacy movement for a while, and in some aspects it's still doing that. Not just her murder, but the car attack and the whole weekend. You know, there are people still being sued. Heck, I've still got a lawsuit going. I'm not looking for any money out of it, just trying to stop people from doing stuff.

On what she sees when she looks at the world through Heather's eyes

Oh, she's always skeptical. She's always prodding people. Like I said, she's not quiet. She's not. She has a rest in peace. She rests in power. I often hear from people that they got this nudge from Heather or that nudge from Heather or they felt like something came together because of Heather.

James Perkins Mastromarino and Jorgelina Manna-Rea produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Catherine Welch. Welch also adapted it for the web.

Original post:
Five years after her daughter's death at the Unite the Right rally, Heather Heyer's mother reflects - WBUR News

Ahead of Wyoming's primary election on Tuesday, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) released her final campaign ad video, which sounds more like a concession speech. Cheney's numbers have been trailing in the polls, likely a symptom of her unrelenting pursuit of former president Donald Trump in the January 6 hearings.

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

The incumbent has been in office since 2016, and she has served as the sole House representative from Wyoming. A poll from Thursday shows Cheney with 28% support from voters, while 57% support rival Harriet Hageman.

Her final campaign ad focuses on lies circulating since the 2020 election and the importance of upholding American democracy, somewhat reminiscent of her stance in the January 6 hearings. America cannot remain free if we abandon the truth, Cheney said. The lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen is insidious, it preys on those who love their country, it is a door Donald Trump opened to manipulate Americans to abandon their principles, to sacrifice their freedom, to justify violence, to ignore the rulings of our courts and the rule of law.

The New York Times pointed out that Trump won 70% of the vote in Wyoming in the 2020 election. Despite this, Cheney has left no room for doubt in her condemnation of the former president's inaction during the Capitol attack in the January 6 investigation, and was one of only 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump a second time. Consequently, Trump has made defeating Cheney a top priority for any and all politicians wanting his coveted alt-right endorsement.

If the cost of standing up for the Constitution is losing the House seat, then thats a price Im willing to pay, Cheney said earlier this month.

See the original post:
That's A Price I'm Willing To Pay: Wyoming's Rep. Liz Cheney Emphasizes Role In Jan. 6 Investigation And Expected Loss Ahead Of Tuesday's Primary -...

Happy weekend, all.

Last August, theWolf administrationannouncedthat it would opt-in to the American Rescue Plans optional Medicaid expansion, increasing the length of postpartum coverage from 60 days to one year.

This week, state officials gathered in Pittsburgh to reaffirm that resources and options are available to mothers and pregnant people amid a confusingpost-Roe v. Wadeclimate.

With the overturning ofRoe v. Wade, we know that many people are confused and worried about getting the reproductive health care they need and deserve to keep themselves and their families healthy,Department of Human Services acting Secretary Meg Snead said.

DHS, which administers the commonwealths Medicaid program, said that those in need can access free or reduced-cost reproductive health care, includingbirth control, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), screening and education for some types of cancer, and counseling from a health care provider about pregnancy, such aspreparing for pregnancy, preventing unintended pregnancies, and enabling individuals to control the timing and spacing of pregnancies.

We are here to tell all Pennsylvanians: whatever stage you are at in your life, there is safe, affordable reproductive, perinatal, and postpartum health care available, Snead said.

Acting Secretary of the Department of Health and Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said the expanded Medicaid access is an effort by the administration to address barriers to access and the commonwealths high maternal mortality rate.

The maternal mortality rates of people of color continue to rise and to reverse that trend we must stress that reproductive health care resources are available to keep those who are pregnant healthy and safe, Johnson said.

In Pennsylvania, the overall maternal mortality rate is82 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the Department of Health.For people of color, the mortality rate is163 per 100,000 live births.

We are the only industrialized nation where pregnant people are dying at a higher rate than they were 25 years ago, Snead said, adding that Black women bare the heaviest burden of this tragedy.

Sydney Etheredge, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania,said that increased coverage, including Medicaid, will help people access the care they need.

Medical care at any point prior to, during, and post-pregnancy, no matter what outcome the patient chooses, is essential and should be within reach for people in the Commonwealth, Etheredge said. Socioeconomic barriers, like cost, prevent people from obtaining the care they need, which is why we are encouraged by the expansion of Medicaid postpartum and look to further increases in coverage in the future.

As always, the top five stories from this week are below.

1.Wolf admin. encourages parents, guardians to update immunizations for children ahead of school year

With the 2022-23 school year set to begin for many schools across Pennsylvania in the next few weeks, state officials are encouraging parents and guardians to make sure their children are up-to-date on their immunizations.

Students and educators are preparing for the beginning of a new school year and opportunities to teach, learn, and grow together in classrooms across the commonwealth, acting Education Secretary Eric Hagarty said. As part of back-to-school preparations, I encourage families to ensure their childrens immunizations are up to date.

To attend K-12 school, children in Pennsylvania need the following immunizations: tetanus, diphtheria, polio, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), hepatitis B, and chickenpox. Additionally, kids entering seventh grade also need meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV) and tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) immunizations.

2.Brittney Griner will be released in about 30 days, not 9 years | Michael Coard

When Brittney Griner, the 31-year-old WNBA Phoenix Mercury All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-year veteran of a Russian womens basketball club, was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined $16,400 Thursday after kinda-sorta pleading guilty to bringing less than one gram of cannabis oil through the Moscow airport, almost everyone was shocked that she received such a harsh sentence.

But, in the words of Public Enemy, Dont believe the hype!

Shes not gonna do nine years, or nine months or even nine weeks. Instead, I personally believe based on the analyses of international political science scholars that shes gonna do approximately 30 days or less.

3.New Pa. budget includes $140M boost to states Property Tax/Rent Rebate program

Inflation is causing price hikes all around Pennsylvania, but the new state budget is looking to ease one cost for the elderly and people living with disabilities.

The $45.2 billion state budget that Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law last week, providing a $140 million increase to the states Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, an action that will expand payments by 70 percent for one year.

Pennsylvanians living with a disability, widows who are aged 50 and older and general residents 65 or older can qualify. The program has income limits, excluding half of Social Security income, for homeowners with an annual income under $35,000 or renters that earn under $15,000 annually.

4.Study: Drilling wastewater on Pa. roads dangerous to human health, environment

A long-anticipated health study commissioned by Pennsylvania environmental officials examined the practice of spreading wastewater from conventional gas and oil drilling on thousands of miles of rural dirt roads in the state. Researchers concluded that the practice doesnt control dust effectively and poses dangers to the environment and human health.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has not yet acted based on those findings but said that the studys impact will be immediate, large and intense.

While we must be willing to accept the trade-offs between the benefits of dust suppression and the drawback of environmental impacts, this research has found that oil and wastewaters only provide drawbacks, said William Burgos, a professor of environmental engineering at Penn State University and one of the lead authors of the study.

5.What is Gab? A look at the far-right social media platform backing Doug Mastriano

Its been referred to as a haven for white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Its been linked to Pennsylvanias Republican gubernatorial nominee, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who has paid the platform for advertising. And it has been the focus of ire from state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the states Jewish Democratic nominee for governor, who has criticized his opponent for courting antisemitic, racist, alt-right extremists on the platform.

So what exactly is Gab, the conservative, Pennsylvania-based social media platform and how does it factor into Pennsylvanias race for governor? Below, City & State walks through the history of the social media platform, the type of content that appears on the site and how the platform and its founder have become a topic of conversation in the states midterm election for governor.

And thats the week. Well see you back here next week.

Read more:
State officials reaffirm access to reproductive health services post-Roe | Five for the Weekend - Pennsylvania Capital-Star