School Districts Should Never Keep Parents, the Ultimate Decisionmakers, In the Dark

The following is from our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom:

A Colorado school district assigned a 5th-grade girl to share a room – and even a bed – with a boy who identified as a girl during an overnight trip.

Read more: https://adflegal.org/article/colorado-school-district-kept-parents-dark-over-gender-identity-rooming-scheme

Joe and Serena Wailes said their daughter had been greatly looking forward to the school-sponsored trip to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. But when she got to her hotel room, the student with whom she was supposed to share a bed informed her that he was a boy who identified as a girl.

The Waileses’ daughter was then put in multiple uncomfortable situations before school chaperones finally changed her room assignment. Even then, chaperones on the trip told her to lie about the reason for the switch.

The Waileses were not informed about the District Policy that rooms children by gender identity rather than sex prior to the trip, so they had no way to request an accommodation so their daughter did not share a bed with a boy. School districts should be allowing parents to make the best decisions for their children and providing the information required to make informed decisions. Instead, the district jeopardized the privacy of the Waileses’ daughter and deprived the parents of their right to make important decisions for their child.

Watch the video below from our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom to learn more.

John Deere Backs Away from DEI, Pro-LGBT Activity

The world’s largest seller of farm equipment appears to be moving away from pro-LGBT and pro-DEI activity.

In a statement published on X earlier this month, John Deere said the company would no longer participate in “social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events.” This seems to be directed at pro-LGBT Pride parades and similar performances.

The statement also said the company will keep “socially motivated” messages out of company training materials and policies, and it reaffirmed that “diversity quotas and pronoun identification” are not part of the John Deere’s policies. This seems to take aim at corporate DEI initiatives and training.

This comes as corporations around the country face pushback for their pro-LGBT activism.

As we recently wrote, Bud Light is still suffering the repercussions of its LGBT marketing disaster last year, and Target chose to quietly reduce its Pride-themed merchandise this year following backlash from its customers.

As John Stonestreet often points out, “Ideas have consequences, and bad ideas have victims.” That’s why it’s so deeply troubling when multimillion dollar corporations use their wealth and influence to promote radical, pro-LGBT ideas. Those bad ideas leave victims in their wake.

But it’s also encouraging when customers choose not to support those bad ideas — and it’s encouraging when companies like John Deere choose not to follow the examples of other major corporations.

As some of have said, all of this seems to show the “silent majority” is real when it comes to the transgender issue.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Arkansas Welcomes First Victory in Federal Lawsuit Over Fairness in Women’s Sports

On Thursday a federal court blocked the Biden Administration from enforcing a new rule that would jeopardize girls’ privacy at school and undermine fairness in women’s sports.

Earlier this year the Biden Administration released more than 1,500 pages of new rules drastically reinterpreting “sex” under Title IX to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education and in activities that receive federal funding — like school athletic programs.

Under these new federal rules, public schools could be forced to let biological males compete in women’s sports and use girls’ locker rooms, showers, and changing areas at school.

In May Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced his office and the Missouri Attorney General’s office were leading the legal challenge against the Biden administration’s new Title IX rules in federal court.

The A.G.’s lawsuit also included a high school student from Brookland, Arkansas, who argued the rule change would threaten her privacy in school locker rooms and on overnight trips.

On Thursday the judge presiding over the lawsuit issued a preliminary injunction blocking the federal government from enforcing the new Title IX rules in Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

This is a good ruling that protects girls’ privacy at school and preserves fairness in women’s sports. This initial decision is likely to be appealed, but we believe higher courts ultimately will uphold it.

We have written time and again about how women’s athletics is at risk of being erased in America.

For example, female cyclists, swimmerspowerlifterssprinters, and others have seen their sports radically changed by biological males who identify and compete as women.

Letting men compete in women’s sports isn’t just unfair. In some sports, it can even be dangerous.

Fortunately, educators, policymakers, and athletic organizations are taking steps to protect women’s sports.

Last fall the North American Grappling Association clarified its competition policy, saying biological males must compete against other men, regardless of their gender identity.

Earlier this year the professional golf league NXXT Golf announced that only biological females would be eligible to participate in the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour.

And recently the NAIA announced a policy that should prevent male athletes from competing in women’s collegiate sports.

Many states — including Arkansas — have also enacted laws that preserve fairness in women’s sports.

In 2021 Arkansas passed Act 461 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R — Mountain View) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R — Smackover) preventing male student athletes from competing against girls in women’s athletics at school. This good law protects fairness in women’s sports in Arkansas.

It’s worth point out that public opinion is shifting on this issue, with more Americans agreeing that athletes ought to compete according to their biological sex rather than their gender identity. 

Family Council appreciates Attorney General Tim Griffin and Governor Sanders for standing up against the Biden Administration’s reinterpretation of Title IX. And we look forward to future victories as this lawsuit progresses through our federal court system.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.