 Hi, I'm Susan Lloyd and I'm Kim Ward that would make me Keith go slant and welcome to all things LGBTQ We are taping on Tuesday, January 23rd All things LGBTQ is taped at Orca Media in Montpelier, Vermont that we recognize as being unceded Indigenous land and a quick shout out to Ann and Linda and hope that they're enjoying California We're not jealous. No We're not bitter. No, we're not bitter never Thank You Keith. Uh, so speaking of bitter I'm gonna jump right into it West Virginia has a bill that will label trans people as obscene in A horrific development barely three weeks into the new year a Republican lawmaker in West Virginia has introduced a bill that if Signed into law would ban transgender Exposure experiences or displays to minors Effectively prohibiting transgender people from countless public spaces in the state the bill blatantly portrays the existence of transgender people as Dangerous and fuels our ongoing state of emergency that we're continuing to sound the alarm on There's a couple of other articles From Washington as well that for example the Missouri General Assembly has been has slated to discuss eight transgender bills from regulations barring discrimination against health providers who refuse to perform gender affirming care to an exclusionary bathroom bill and 17 days into this new year lawmakers in Congress and state houses across the country are considering more than 275 anti-trans bills according to the trans legislative tracker and the ACLU The result of all of this is of course a crisis for millions of LGBTQ plus people many of whom have been forced to flee their home States to access basic civil liberties the 2024 attacks on freedom are already accelerating maga politicians are already doubling down on the agenda to strip transgender people of life-saving care banning books censoring curriculum and wielding state statutes as a weapon against people's freedom to exist as their authentic selves and there's there's a lot of different bills on Young people and when they can actually apply for affirming care There was some good news There was a huge Debate around drag bans the LGBT community and allies continued to show up many dressed in drag at the end of the nights and There was a woman who said that in Missouri a lot of these attacks didn't actually wear work in the 22 and 23 mid-term elections most of the people that ran on those anti-trans campaigns actually lost their seats So while people aren't specifically running on this issue Many people who opposed the trans anti-trans legislation actually ended up winning their race So the truth is that LGBTQ plus people have been in this situation before with even fewer allies and fewer resources and They believe that they will they won then and they will win again now Something a little happier. Okay JLo Jennifer Lopez Made an appearance at a West Hollywood gay club called the Abbey over the weekend Thrilling fans and stunning a drag performer who was on stage dressed up JLo Singing and she and the drag artist Joe Lopez had just finished performing a number to the singer's new single can't get enough When JLo walked on the stage Onto the stage and surprised one of her biggest fans. She snuck onto the stage Draped in a full length fur coat and was greeted by chairs from the crowd and a stunned scream from the drag Love that. Okay more fun I love this a UK woman shared her decision to engage in the growing trend of platonic Co-parenting with her gay best friend. I love this The decision felt natural for Nicholas Lawson who considered having a baby on her own in the mid 30s But was worried about the financial burden and she I love this She said many people throw themselves into dating, but I hated the idea of hunting for a man just to have a baby with Nice it felt really forced and I heard too many horror stories of women settling and feeling deeply resentful if they broke up Having to co-parent their children with someone they really wished wasn't the father So she heard about platonic Co-parenting and after extensive thought decided to work up the courage to ask her single gay best friend Tom Hayes if he would be interested in taking the plunge to her surprise He was excited about it from the start after much research discussion and contemplation. They decided to go for it They like to joke that no baby has ever been discussed as much or considered so much in advance So both of their parents are on board and have been supportive and This is they can't believe this is really happening and she's doing the spring. So that's exciting. We have a strong history here in Vermont of platonic Parents yeah joint adoption. I love that and it's never been contested. It's never been challenged. I love that So other things the GLAAD awards are coming out the GLAAD media awards to honor media for fair accurate inclusive Representations of LGBTQ people and issues. There's a whole long list that I'll spare you of things that are in the running But it may be nominated. We are definitely up there. Yes. Definitely. It will be in the at the Beverly Oh, they're gonna have two ceremonies in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, March 14th and in New York City the Hilton Midtown and Then what else speaking to an enthusiastic crowd inside San Diego's Aaron Space Museum in Balboa Park? Democratic State Senator Tony Akins the outgoing president pro tempore of the state Senate and now she's running For governor. She's an out lesbian lawmaker. She's entering into a crowded race against fellow Democrats And of course those other people that we won't talk about What else the national LGBTQ task force on Tuesday called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip They are quite adamant that the roots of this conflict are based in fascism white supremacy and colonialism and the collective Trauma experienced by these oppressive measures keeps us from moving all towards liberation I think Keith you and I were talking about this a little bit earlier in a historic move Bobby Brooke Arnold a transgender Female has been approved to be placed on the ballot as a candidate Representing West Alexandria in her chosen name and gender identity Despite the strong Republican majority and conservative stance on these issues And so she she went through a lot to get to this point She's been Started transitioning nine years ago and part of that was her name there was an old statute that you had to use your dead name or show evidence of what your current name was and It says that democracy thrives when it reflects the diversity of our community So it's a big move forward to be able to be on the ballot in such a conservative area and Then one more real quick. Yeah Hmm South Carolina Charleston activists from a South Carolina chapter of Moms for Liberty a Group best known for opposing LGBTQ rights are pushing for the removal of library books fighting racially inclusive curriculum And now they're starting their own charter school The new school will be fully taxpayer funded funded but is structured in a way that avoids any state oversight I like that they get the money, but they don't they're not held Accountable There's a curriculum. They call these ironically 1776 curriculum, which you would think would be Liberty and freedom, but actually Nutjobs is really what it is The first head of the school the person they want to head the school Got a grade of an F from the last school that he was the headmaster at man. They have his school failed in math 23% people passed their math standardized test and only 12% passed in science So this school is not a political project. The new headmaster said we're just trying to provide the best education So in a continuation of good news this week This past week has been filled with a lot of good news from countries around the globe I seem to have a handful of things from of all places a couple of them are from the church tonight As well as some Vietnamese soccer I've got of course as usual a new term to share with people new to me So in terms of from the rainbow it's so we'll see so I'm gonna start with first up Pope Francis Recently announced that priests can now bless same-sex couples. You're gonna say that's he was gay. He was gay. Oh, wouldn't that be great now I've seen the outfits. It's not that far. Come on. It's not a stretch. I mean it. Yeah, they do wear dresses So Pope Francis has announced that priests can now bless same-sex couples though They so will not be allowed to be married in the Catholic Church Vatican statement still made it clear that marriage is exclusively exclusively between a man and a woman They announced it in the New York Times a rare and important type of Vatican document on Monday It elaborates on the October letter the Pope issued in which he responded to five Conservative Cardinals who asked him whether or not he would permit priests to bless same-sex unions at the time He wrote that while the church only recognizes marriages between a man and a woman Catholic priests could consider same-sex couples for blessings on a Case-by-case basis The most recent declaration from the Vatican maintains that the church remains firm quote-unquote on the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage While same-sex unions are now eligible for blessings The declaration stresses that these blessings are not equivalent to marriage and should not be confused with any kind of liturgical Right, so that's kind of an interesting step I feel like he's trying to maybe step them towards some things But maybe not these blessings can be imparted upon those who recognize themselves to be destitute and in need of God's help according to the declaration Interesting So what does he actually think about queer trans people? He established himself as one of the most boundary-pushing popes the church has ever had when he came in And there are several stances. He's held He's widely understood to be one of the most progressive popes to hold the position and in recent months He has taken steps to provide LGBTQ plus people with increased access to the church He has said that trans people can be baptized and become godparents if doing so does not pose a scandal risk I don't know what that means. He also ate lunch with trans women at the Vatican For the church's World Day of the Poor and revoked a retired anti LGBTQ plus Cardinals access To a Vatican apartment and salary because the Cardinal had become a source of disunity So there's some mixed messaging going on obviously by challenging the pontiff's softening of the church's LGBTQ stance So he's that's not mixed message. I apologize. So he revoked this Cardinal's access for challenging what he's doing That being said the Irish State Minister Jack Chambers has become has come out as gay in an Instagram post He said as I look forward to 2024 I'm sharing with you something a little different, but it's something I wanted to do for a while as a politician it can sometimes be difficult Life and that can lead to things drifting. However, it's important for me to be true to myself firstly and to you all in my public service role Starting out 24 by telling you I'm gay. So good for him Road trip road. Yeah. Well in the Prime Minister in Ireland as well. Yeah, so Kudos to them the Greek Prime Minister Kiriyakas Mitsutakis should be that three times said that a bill to legalize same-sex marriage will be moving forward in Parliament in the next few months So that's kind of cool. See we're taking notes of where we could visit Road trip. Actually, that would be an ocean trip. Greece's Center, right? Government will soon submit legislation on allowing same-sex marriage despite reservations from its lawmakers on the country's influential and the country's influential Orthodox Church So he stressed that the proposal Proposed law would not extend the right to parenthood through surrogate mothers to same-sex couples an issue that has divided Greek society What we are going to legislate is equality in marriage Mitsutakis said we will remove any discrimination Concerning sexual orientation in the issue of marital Relationship, but he added we won't change the law on assisted parenthood the idea of women who are turned into child producing machines on demand That is not going to happen. It's a little extreme Several lawmakers from the right wing of the governing new democrat new democracy party have expressed opposition to any overhaul of Greece's marriage and parenthood laws To include same-sex couples So Mitsutakis said in Wednesday's interview would state run ERT television that he would not force them to back the proposed Legislation seeking cross-party support to get it approved I will be leave. I believe I will be able to secure the bill's approval Some people will benefit considerably in the sense that we will solve a real problem for them Some people may disagree with the law, but they do not stand to lose which I think is a valid point Also in Vietnam a female soccer player became the first female sports player in the country to marry a partner of the same sex Although this marriage was only symbolic It is notable first. It's a notable first for the country as they continue to take more steps towards equality So this is the first weekend of 2024 saw 33-year-old defender Tron Tia to Who played for her country in this 2023 FIFA World Women's Cup marry her partner new a tea twang So I knew a tea twang and they were in Ho Chi Minh City And so how good is that vn express international reports that this is the first time a female Vietnamese football player has Publicly married the same sex sex partner Although they don't recognize it in Vietnam right now. It is a symbolic public event. So Who does to them for doing that? That's the wishes to us the wedding was a great success. They said So Vietnam success success of reaching the world cup for the first time when they qualified in 2023 was overshadowed when they lost the match They had played but there's a wedding involved. So that's happy. All right. So that's what I have so far. We like happy endings That's all I got. Oh, okay So what I have to start with is trivia and they were so close That almost there out in the mountains January 1996 This was the front page Feature article and it was about the queer town meeting three and The bulk of the article was talking about the keynote speaker who was Keith St. John Who holds a unique position within lgbtq plus history? And I as I continue to talk as Coleman plays with the camera What is that unique place in our history and They were almost there so looking at events and we keep promoting this Typewriters doll houses dogs descendants This is Diane Fitch's paintings and drawings that are at the gallery Highland Center for the arts in Greensboro and It is running through February 11th, and we will continue to promote it until the exhibit has closed So and there will be a poster that will come up and you can appreciate You know the work that's going to be on display Rainbow umbrella the women's discussion group continues the book discussion groups You can go on to the Facebook page to get details and Find out what the book is Fox Market in East Montpelier You came to mind Right. Well, wait till you hear Friday February 9th at 7 p.m. Do you know this? Erotic poetry. Yes, I do. Yes anonymous dirty love notes written by you on site. Yes Are we all going there? Wow, and then I thought you were gonna say speed dating Well, thanks. No, that's no that's our that's our history. We don't talk about that in public. Oh, sorry So see but also on Saturday February 24th starting at 7 p.m. Is queer poetry poetry No, but they've been doing regularly at Fox Market. It looks so every month. It's every month Yeah, rabbit and wolf is running those. Yep, which is it's just a phenomena a phenomenal space to read poetry and it's and it's queer poetry with No judgment. It's a lovely space. I'm Outright Vermont and I want to put a plug in and I'm going out on the limb, but if there's one queer organization to really support right now It's outright looking at how our youth I'm looking at and stories that I'll have coming up are targeted. So But a reminder Friday night group here in Montpelier February 9th 6 30 p.m. At the UU church in their meeting on the second Friday of each month So keep that in mind. There is still an every Friday night virtual group that you can go online And it's at 6 30 There is still an in-person Friday night group in Burlington each Friday starting at 6 30 at the outright office and Then I know Morrisville Third Friday of each month 6 30 p.m. At the Clarina Howard-Nickel Center. That's huge doing good work out in the 802 On Sunday February 2nd, they're doing their potluck brunch You can go on to their Facebook page or website to get details. I'm told the food is very good and then if it's Thursday night out in the 802 is Sponsoring a happy hour somewhere. That's right Burlington St. John's Berry St. Albans and And we thank them that the one in Burlington is fun because it's at Lincoln's Where it's literally like an old speakey. So you have to knock on the door to get let in So I'm letting you go again, and I thank you. I'm hoping you have at least one good story in this segment Oh, yeah. All right. Yeah. Yeah, because that'll make up for some of the things I'm not started with it. So don't put too much pressure, but my final story is is I hope is uplifting Well, first of all the Santas dropped out of the race, that's huge, right? Can we just all pause for a moment and celebrate that are we now like no because he dropped out, but he supported Yeah, I know. Well, yes, it's good that he dropped out But the results of a new poll released Sunday showed a shocking number of registered voters actually agree with former president Donald Trump's channeling Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and his Immigrants are poisoning the blood speech. Did we hear about this? Grant he delivered last month at a rally in Durham, New Hampshire 53% of the voters Disagreed but 47% agreed that's messed up people So In other news human rights campaign president Kelly Robinson addressed the rise in political violence and threats targeting LGBTQ and other marginalized communities during a speech at Charles Kettering Foundation's conference in DC and What I liked about this is she said there's there's threats in front of us and trying to get us to back away Go back into the closet and our answer is hell. No Progress is happening and then she said just a couple generations ago 40 years ago you could be fired for being out at work if you contracted HIV or AIDS It was a death sentence took out a generation of gay men The idea of marrying the person you loved was a dream let alone planning for it and having a reality show that follows You around while doing it. I love that In conclusion, she said there are two powerfully important things that we can do together Starting today that can make change one lean into the hard work and conversations because Democracy has always meant being at the table with people you disagree with and therefore. It's necessary to humanize the fight for progress by being unapologetically visible and to use your political power Robinson said Speak out boldly in public use your relationships with influential business organizations associations and elected officials strategically a Little lighter news. I have to go home and see this because I haven't seen this but fans of Max's Our flag means death. Have you guys seen our flag means death? Have taken to the internet on moss to demand that the streamer save the beloved pirate comedy our Chirical popcorn and we got to watch this all right watch the dismay of the show's loyal and queer cult following Who resonated with the central romance between gentlemen pirate steed bonnet my saying that right? And Edward Blackbeard teach max announced last week the series had officially been canceled after two seasons They didn't cite a reason a spokesman thanked the dedicated fans Given that both seasons attracted widespread critical acclaim fans were Understandably devastated to see the show's queer pirate crew stories cut short and they've already received 53,000 signatures to bring it back This is also uplifting I got a dig deep here people sir Elton John became the 19th person for an e-gut He won an ME for did you guys see this the farewell from Dodger Stadium tour? It was good. Check it out Yeah, it was on Disney Plus, but if you know somebody you can steal their password. Whoops. I didn't say that You can go to their house and watch it. That's what I meant to say he's won two Oscars He's won a Tony and of course five Grammys, so that's pretty cool and apparently he wasn't there Somebody woke him up in the middle of the night to tell apparently he screamed like a girl or something of course No, it his husband his husband accepted the award, okay, and then Was it live on TV that he That was funny, okay, but I think I think there were some news out was that yeah It said it says in the notes that he woke up and screamed What else the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday to repeal several Archaic criminal laws that were still on the books including the state's sodomy law That is amazing that that would still be on the books when they have We never had one yeah And then there was also a law that critics have dubbed the walking while trans law. Is that like driving? Driving while black I'm just really happy that it passed and I hope it will pass seamless lady said Tanya New Zealand the executive director of mass equality Despite law and being considered a leader in passing progressive legislation for LGBTQ rights Massachusetts is one of 12 states that still have laws banning gay sex in its criminal statutes This criminalizes the abominable detestable crime against nature and unnatural and lascivious acts And then another person see that for the most part straight man that I've dated to the only ones Wednesday the Florida board of State Board of Education implemented strict regulations against the use of public funds for diversity equity and inclusion programs this Made my head explode. They replaced the course wait for it principles of sociology They said that was too inflammatory Principle with a comprehensive general education core course in American history Because that's real American history cuz they've cut no, but also diversity No out the window They said that higher education has to return to its essential foundations of academic integrity in the pursuit of knowledge Instead of being corrupted by destructive Ideologies and we will not spend taxpayers' monies to support DEI and radical indoctrination that promotes division in our society Several hundred LGBTQ rights activists gathered to disvoice their displeasure All right Also equality Florida has come out and said they will not be scared out of their state They will you will not make laws to remove me or my dreams I was raised on an America that believes that freedom will ring Said the Angelique Godwin coordinator for trans related events. We are not pawns in your political game We are people with a right to dignity equality and a life free from constant slander and discrimination Participants mocked Governor DeSantis, of course, they did second-place showing Rate the numbers they said your policies don't work in America. They don't work in Florida We don't like them either banning books doesn't ban LGBTQ people and it will not eliminate them Restricting access to black queer and other diverse media does nothing to protect our children It actually harms them a child should not have to feel fear from their parents because of who they are a Connecticut town council voted to ban the rainbow LGBTQ pride flag They voted in a meeting to ban all flags except for the US flag the Connecticut state flag and military flags Somebody on the council said the real reason you're doing this is that you are You know homophobes But this you'll like this Keith Tom Tyler interim town attorney claimed that if the pride flag was allowed Isis could come in and demand we fly their flag because that's gonna happen because the terrorists always show up with their homemade flag Rainbow flag in the back of their shirt, but but this is the argument that the conservative right is using To ban the flags. They really don't like it's if we allow Then you have to allow all these others. So we're just limiting it to They're just angry because we banned the Confederate flag. Yes, that's right My final story which I hope tell me if I can do this Keith. It's a tick-tock video, which I would love to Send the long is it it's like a minute. Okay. Yeah, it's tick-tock, but I'm gonna give you that I'm gonna give you the content. I think it's like a minute 37 seconds or something if we don't have time We don't have time But anyway, so the video I'll just I'll tell you about it is a little girl She's about four years old and she comes up to her mom and says you're gay and the mom says oh honey Unfortunately, I'm not gay, which right out of the gate. I started laughing Unfortunately, I'm not gay. I'm married to your dad and he's a boy and and the kid gets pissed And she pouts and she says well, I guess I'm not gay this little kid And the mom says well you might be gay and the kid says She's all disappointed and the mom says we love gay people and you're just too little you might be gay But you might be straight and honey, that's okay, and it doesn't matter really doesn't matter who you love And you know why and the kid says because love is love Right that's sweet and the mom says as long as you're happy and safe it doesn't matter who you love honey and and the and the Kid you know wanders up again. It's happy again. I loved that. I was hoping the mother was gonna say I'm not gay I'm lesbian. Yeah Yeah, but moving on. Yeah, oh, I can't see though now that we're moving on. Yeah, so who's gonna give us new language So I was very excited to see on Sunday morning on CBS this weekend that retired Bishop Jean Robinson Was just interviewed because in November of this past year We just hit the 20th anniversary of his celebrating his consecration as the first out gay Episcopalian Bishop whoo-hoo so very excited about that. He is got to be one of the sweetest people and in the coming months he Will be you know, he's celebrating in different places about this He's been interviewed in a few places and it's there's already been two events So the Sawani of the University of the South they received he received an undergraduate degree in American Studies and History there and so they awarded him an honorary doctorate and They had a whole anniversary celebration and an interview in early October Happened with the diocese of New Hampshire and the Episcopalian group So they said to recognize how brave and courageous The diocese of New Hampshire and the Episcopal Church as a whole were because it's hard to remember how Controversial this was in 2003 And he actually got death threats almost immediately and it was interesting to hear that the Vermont state police Called him almost immediately the day of or after to say we've received a death threat for you We want you to be aware Trying to let him know so there is a really sweet story on Sunday morning if you want to watch it and it's just Pretty amazing to think that he opened up the door for people and they've been telling him You know, you're gonna be sainted and he's like, oh my gosh, please. No, you know I am the least stately person ever, but he's done so many things But that's why he should that's why he's good and like is he still practice it? He's retired. Oh, he's retired. So he's retired, but you know, he is doing some good works, of course They did talk a little bit about the fact that he Was approached by Matthew Shepard's family and they put Matthew Matthew Shepard's ashes in The special spot in the church where you know, he can never be Desecrated because they were worried about even burying his this is that's the cathedral Washington DC Yeah, I don't have the name of it. That's why I was kind of vamping. But yes, so that's pretty amazing I love it. So in a new in my usual style Here's the new term that I came across recently Yes, and I will tell you briefly the background which was I was ruminating on why everyone's this is I do often Why everyone only uses the Kinsey scale to talk about queerness the Kinsey scale, which was Alfred Kinsey and yeah, Wardell Pomeroy. It was like numbers, right? He came up with a ranking for sexuality zero to six if you're straight or gay Yeah, yeah, and the Klein scale is never mentioned in it and it was kind of like why is it never mentioned Robert Klein? Who came up with a later grid, which was multi-dimensional? His client he's he calls it the KSOG In the 78 book the bisexual option talked about sexuality over time and how it can change and added more dimension to whether you're amorous toward or like people Not just sexuality, right all these attractions and then I went to this kale and I said oh my god You went down a rabbit. Also the Klein scale needs updating now because I began to read it And it says are you attracted to men or women? Do you like men or women men or women? So it has none of the updates for really all of our thinking that he's evolved over gender and I thought okay Well, so we need a Kim Ward scale apparently I'm gonna make But I need to interview people I'm gonna have to do a lot of interviews, but in the interim of Going down that rather behold. I found a lovely story by Emma Flint With the term Abro-sexual have you ever heard the term? No, but we were talking last time I was here about gray sexual and gray sexual wheel is actually how I identify Okay, I'm not by I thought it was I call myself by grace be I grace bisexual gray sexual You didn't know I didn't know I thought it was it like old people old people But it wasn't so if you were to guess Abro-sexual Abro What it means is I'm gonna sort of Abro-cadabra Abra-cadabra So those who don't know what it is in lay person terms It simply means when someone's sexual identity fluctuates and changes which is how I got down that rabbit hole now for some people It could fluctuate over a short period of time or a long over the night Yeah, well it could it could right I'm thinking of Holly near Holly near absolutely at the point is that Oftentimes people are told and this woman who wrote the article when she came out of Zabra sexuality People were saying just make up your mind You're confused that was me. That was me in the 80s and that happens when you're bisexual as well, right? That's me now people go why you were married to a man TMI keep this like not made it was clear so I thought it was very interesting to have a term that talks about the fact that Sexuality can fluctuate and that that is okay. Well, how does that fit into our Because all this all the Literature out there is so as you said so dated well I was gonna say that the recent panels that I've been invited to speak on for our youth Our message is don't try to put a label on yourself. Yeah, and basically this theory of Things will change over your lifetime. There are emotional. There are physical. There are spiritual Relationships they all have different dimensions different compositions different complexities Don't okay. Don't don't box yourself Allow that to happen if you talk to young people like my daughter who's under 20s They don't use any of those terms. They don't use labels at all They get frustrated when you say lesbian or gay or even some of the pansexual or whatever. They're just like we're just who we are And yeah, well, that's the extension of that initial conversation is we keep coming up with all of these different terms To box well, no, so we can finally get to the point where we don't need terms at all bingo That's the key. And we're not any of them. Yeah. Yeah, I love I loved coming up with somebody said look I never know what was going on with me until I came up. Oh Abro-sexual and you know But now you said abrogay, so you're that's multi-dimension abrogay. I said yeah by grace a group by grace Bisexual gray got a sexual. Okay. It's very complicated. Okay. All right. Okay. We're gonna have to read the book ace read the book Hey, I don't know. Hey, John. Chen's an actor. It's a different chin But I'm so many chance a c e a c one of the last shows that what I had reported on was a term being used by people doing research where It is not the gender to which you're attracted. It's the Relationship and that you only have an erotic response based upon the Relationship, I mean, that's that's what people have been for years. It's not about the yeah, but that's not about the Say, oh my god. Look at that hot person whoo and some people don't have that reaction It has to be the emotional. There you go. That is all I have. Oh, oh, it's good that we get to chat a little Yeah, well, and we're gonna have more time to chat for videos, okay? I Or we could create our or we could just channel and and read some I'm gonna start I'm gonna start with Maine Okay, because Maine has introduced a bill a LD which is legislative directory 1735 and the intent of this is to make Maine a transgender Sanctuary state It is putting in place all of the things that would allow Healthcare for transgender youth That if you are if you are fleeing because of the repressive Statutes policies in your state you are safe in Maine if they issue a warrant We're not gonna honor it. We are not Send sharing any of our information With wherever it is you came from so so if you're coming from Texas and they said oh we want these health records That apply for abortion to Is there some medical underground railroads? Yeah that we have to do this, but of course the right wing Is pushing back saying oh my god This will become a haven. No, I love a bunch of trans people. No, you're going in the wrong direction I want you to think about how the alt-right creates an emotional fear-based response Vert is a thoughtful intellectual response I'm gonna be in so much trouble for that one, but They're promoting this they're trying to do this bill so they can snatch your children Because a provision in this bill would allow the court to take custody of the child If need be I'm 16 17 years old I am fleeing because my parents and my state will not allow me to receive gender affirming care that I need So i'm in Maine They're trying to get me back Maine can step in and say If if the youth can prove That they would be subject to abuse or neglect The state of Vermont will take custody State of Maine, I'm sorry. Well, no, hold on to that thought though. Yes, the state of Maine will take custody So the alt-right thinks that that they're gonna use this to steal their straight children and Well, they think that steal our children and allow them to be trans. Yeah, that's what I mean That's what I mean like steal our That are actually trans that are trying to flee Their home and this has got a really good chance of being enacted It would make Maine the 15th state to impose to to pass such legislation Vermont like a safe harbor kind of thing is what we're Vermont We did it when we were doing the constitutional amendment on reproductive liberty. Yeah, that's right We did the bill and it included the abortion rights. I haven't seen where this bill does Okay Is there Maine is just focusing on the transgender aspect? Is there a worry that that's something at the national level? We'll try to undermine the state's I Yes Is it isn't anybody worried? Well, no at this point in time Whatever the u.s. House passes the u.s. Senate is not going to go along with And the current administration would veto so yeah, but And it's similar to prop five what prop five meant to do when it started Which is let's protect this state before anything Problematic and so we've got things in place Okay, so the last show I reported that there were things in the legislature that I was watching that I had concerns about and one of them was The house education committee was going to hear from legal counsel about the alliance defending freedom suit on behalf of the mid-vermand Christian academy And it is as bad as I had thought It's a 71 page document. Please don't put yourself through reading it because How they open Is that this civil rights action seeks to protect a christian school and its students and parents From unconstitutional religious discrimination and hostility They throughout their 71 pages States that vermont is created a hostile environment against them and that we are promoting This agenda And that the state of vermont has adopted its own orthodoxy on human sexuality and gender Simply put the state believes sex is mutable and biological differences do not matter The state is entitled to its own views, but it is not entitled Nor is it constitutional hold that in mind To force private religious schools across the state to follow that orthodoxy as a condition To participating in vermont's tuitioning program and the state's athletic association The backdrop to this is there was a case that came out of main called the mark and decision That the us supreme court said If you are allowing public To public tuition You have to give an even playing field to all schools public private religious What vermont has tried to do is to say, okay, if you're an independent private or religious school You are eligible to be designated to receive state funds If you agree to abide by vermont state statutes are non-discrimination statutes public accommodation and in In their summation Where they don't say this is The relief we are seeking they call it their prayer for relief Well, they want the court to rule that the state of vermont can in fact not do that That it is their constitutional right of freedom of speech Freedom of religion and you cannot impose this upon them And they have the right to decide Who they hire who they educate and who is eligible for their I think that's all true as long as you don't want state funding like you can do whatever you want as a religious institution But if you want taxpayer and town and state funded money, you have to follow The rules that's bullshit what the alliance defending freedom is saying that that argument you just made is unconstitutional Well here i want to get back to constitutional though because doesn't our constitution separate church and separate church and state vermont had a ruling that upheld that The mark and decision overturned that The mark and the market but that was in man. No, no, no the mark and decision It was okay, so you asked supreme court. I followed i'm there when did that come down? Uh, two years ago. I don't know. So there's the current in a single Supreme court decision made since this recent change in that Makeup that I have Agreed but the I was going to say the conservative court, you know there we are so The other thing that I was looking at is What did the principles association and the board of education say these are our priorities? I was pleased slightly disappointed all of them said This type of action We have to put in place Legislative protections that would Protect our students and ensure that we have a nondiscrimination education System that meets all of the needs Everybody gets to play Yeah, everybody is participating. Everyone's held accountable and This was from the vermont NEA the vermont NEA believes that all matters of public policy must be built upon in services of creating equity for all vermonters Regardless of their race ethnicity national origin religion gender or sexual orientation Systems of oppression exist in all areas of our social economic and governmental structures They have been created over time and will take intentional work to dismantle and correct To that end it is our intention to work in strategic solidarity With those impacted to events public policy matters That make vermont in our communities inclusive and empowering to all citizens and basically that Philosophy is echoed in everyone's statement the one piece that I was hoping for And I didn't see Was going back and working on harassment and bullying Right, which is gonna be lost in the shuffle bingo But but the senate is looking at Act one, which was we passed several years ago Ethnic social studies standards And what the board of education and other people have said is There's some lack of clarity in the language. Could you please Be very clear about what your intent is What do you want us to do? Who do you want us to include and some of this has to do with A choice of using language other Of either underrepresented communities Or disenfranch communities and communities that have endured genocide So there there needs to be Something worked out there There was that case though keitha when I was here last time that that school Was being sued and that went to the supreme court and the EEOC stepped in and said that the school was at fault for not Protecting the rights of that kid that was being harassed and bullied. I want to say it was up somewhere near like fairfax or up that way Fairfax or chanel and up that way and the they at the vermont. I thought supreme court ruled that the the school Did in fact violate the rights of those kids They were gonna uphold that but but but that's not the problem. The problem is What the standard is for what constitutes harassment and bullying? Okay, you did not meet the current But that doesn't go far enough is what you're saying and part of the reason it doesn't go far enough is It's only counted and that case only made it to the u.s. Supreme court Is if they have met the standard or there's some action that's been taken If you are reporting harassment and they don't think it meets the standards It doesn't show up on anybody's radar and it doesn't show up as a reported incident, right? So that's what we're looking. Okay. Now we are starting to run out of time. No We can always talk about it. Well, no the I want to report on the first bill that passed the vermont house was age 27 And this was the bill about expanding domestic violence for coercive actions huge and It passed On 106 to 31 to 13 vote. No hold that. Wow yet 31 people opposed it All republicans messed up like how do you I'm I'm for violence The entire republican caucus that was in the chamber that day voted against it And nobody would comment on why I went and read The language And this is the last paragraph that what would be included as You are deserving of protection Controlling the reproductive autonomy of the plaintiffs through force threat of force or intimidation Including placing unreasonable pressure on the plaintiff to become pregnant Deliberately in fear interfering with the plaintiff's contraceptive use or access to reproductive information Or using coercive tactics to control or attempt to control pregnancy outcomes I think we have our answer. I'm for coercing women. Yeah. Yeah. Here we go. Okay. House general is taking up age age 363 Discrimination based on certain hairstyles. This is what's called the crown act and there are 20 states that have already enacted it And it would prohibit discrimination based on hair types and styles associated with a particular race and going to One of the stories that you said house government ops Is going to be talking about h 806 A prohibition of book bans by public and school libraries the general assembly Further declares it be the policy of the state to protect the freedom of libraries and library systems To acquire materials for the exchange of ideas and cultural growth of the community And to be protected against attempts to ban remove or otherwise restrict access to books or other materials How about the drag queens? Can they come in and read the books? Absolutely And then senate education is going to again is going to be working on language for How do you qualify to become an independent school under fromant statutes? So they're then entitled To tuition money I would expect that whatever gets passed the lines to defending freedom is going to challenge it in court And we're going to find ourselves appealed all the way to the us supreme court level So As we dwindle down with our time And thank you for being here. Thanks for having me for having us. Yeah, and and you're on the list to come back This is the first time we've subbed together. Yeah We'll be waiting for your comments. Yes, I'm sure we'll get some The feedback please keep those cards and letters coming in So and again the trivia question there were so close So close so close because one of the comments that may have been made by the keynote speaker Keith st. John was Looking out at this auditorium filled with people and said This looks like a really white group of people Vermont isn't really that white To which the people of the audience said Unfortunately, yes, we are And that should have been the hint Keith st. John was the first openly gay african-american public official elected in the u.s And he was elected in 1989 to the albany new york common council What was more Interesting when I was reviewing the article is his keynote focused on The right-wing movement has taken the lead in organizing against the most fundamental principles of democracy equal protection equal participation And self-determination Back in 89. He saw it coming. Does that sound kind of familiar? So with that as linda would say we all need to remember to resist