#applying to the governor's school

[autistic-disabled-poet]

The Crow

I sit in silence staring out the window hoping for guidance my head remains in limbo

the clouds hang low dark as ash the fog creeps in so slow in the sky there is a flash

I hear a crow far away, with a grating cry  that chills my bones without delay. The sight makes me shiver as I wonder why. Why do you circle my house that way?

The fog creeps closer, closer, closer My thoughts race. Will I be caught by it? No sir. I run quickly, quickly, quickly away from the place

The clouds darken the sky the fog hurries towards me I’m surrounded so I start to say goodbye. My mind is full, thoughts swarming within me.

The lightning strikes, the thunder claps The crow cries This is it, perhaps The little songbird appears, bringing the clear skies.

I relish the sun,  the blue skies,  the warmth. I hope the songbird is here to stay.

[nerdygaymormon]

Utah became the first state to ban LGBTQ+ Pride flags in government buildings and schools (Idaho passed a similar law but it only applies to government buildings). All unsanctioned flags are banned, the only flags which are sanctioned are the United States flag, the Utah state flag, city flags, military flags or a short list of others approved by lawmakers, including Olympic and Paralympic flags, official college or university flags, tribal flags and historic versions of other approved flags that might be used for educational purposes.

Latter Gay Stories responded by offering teachers & educators "All Are Welcome" posters which are not flags and therefore can be displayed in schools.

Salt Lake City celebrates Pride month and has its government buildings display Pride flags during June. During the time between when the Utah state legislature passed the law and when the governor signed it, the city and county buildings in Salt Lake City were lit up in rainbow colors as a way to express their disagreement with the law and to encourage the governor to veto it.

Since the law goes into effect today, the city of Salt Lake has adopted a series of new city flags which are based on Pride flags, and therefore are legal to have a governments & schools. Bravo to Salt Lake City

[badsciencejokes]

So there once was this wasp that lived in a jungle. This was not your ordinary wasp though-he was smart, philosophical even. One day he finally got fed up with his repetitive, insignificant life and decided that he would leave his hive, his family, his entire close-knit wasp community and he would go out into the world and make something of himself, just like the humans do. So the wasp enrolls in school, and passes with flying colors. Remember, this is a very smart wasp. He gets his high school diploma in a little under 3 years, with a 4.0 GPA and all that snazz. After high school, believe it or not, the wasp gets accepted to Harvard. Harvard! This too proves to be no challenge for our hero, as he graduates in just two years, again a 4.0, on the Dean’s list, and all that snazz. Not to mention all the clubs and sports he was in-the newspaper, rowing, student government-and the fact that he was by far the most popular student on campus. Even his professors looked up to him.

He goes on to get two PhDs, and when he finishes his education, the wasp faces a bit of a dilemma. How does he apply his knowledge now? Where does he go from here? He decides to try out politics. After all, he was popular throughout school, did well in Harvard government. So he runs for mayor, and wins in a landslide. He greatly reforms the city, fixing virtually all its major problems. He runs for governor and again wins in a landslide. Two years later, the presidential election was coming up, and the wasp decides he might as well go for it.

Of course, he wins in the largest landslide in US presidential history. His presidency goes exceedingly well-he is loved by all parties, and has the highest approval ratings in history. He also finds the cures for cancer, AIDS, and broken hearts while in the White House. After 8 years (yes, of course he was reelected) the time has come for him to leave his office. Even his successor his saddened by the wasp’s departure, but they all know it’s what must be done. Back at his vacation home in California his first day after leaving office, the wasp looks back on his long and fruitful life. He realizes that he hasn’t been back to his hive at all since that first day he left. He suddenly feels a twang of guilt as he realizes how much he misses his parents and his little brother. So he heads back to the hive, looking more worn out than he remembers. He goes inside and greets his family, who are overjoyed at the sight of him. He talks about how his life has gone as his family listens in wonderment. Eventually he decides he is thirsty, so he decides to visit the old watering hole he remembered. Once he gets there though, there’s an extremely long line. He decides it’s worth the wait, so gets in line. One hour. Two hours. This is the slowest moving line he’s ever seen! Eventually he calculates that it could be a few days before he gets to the front of the line, so decides it’s not worth it. He decides to go get some cider to drink instead, but waddya know, another huge line of people waiting for cider! He remembers one other drinking area that never had a long line-fruit punch! So he decides to go get punch. He arrives, and lo and behold, there’s no punch line.

[ellswritings]

The Flirting Game

Aka the three times you make him blush, and the one time you don’t.

Jesse Swanson x reader

TW: Cocky reader, romantic tension, and tooth-rotting fluff.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Barden University was never Y/N’s first choice in a college. In fact, college was never even on her radar in the first place. The girl’s original plan after graduating high school was to make it big as a singer. She could dance, sing, and act if she really wanted to. But her voice was something she’s always relied on when it came to being successful. Unfortunately, her desire to be famous and successful was shut down by her parents. Her mother being a neurosurgeon and her dad being the governor of the state of California, the were both very insistent she go to school. Even if it was just for a backup plan.

Needless to say, they won that battle.

They told her they could pay to send her to any school of her choosing, but Y/N refused. She’s always been one to do things and accomplish them based on her own merit. She applied to multiple different schools, and Barden was the first one to reach out and say she had been accepted. Does she regret not waiting before accepting their offer? Yes. Mostly because her grades got her into Columbia University, but that would’ve been way more expensive. And she’s determined to pay her way through college on her own.

The hallway outside the audition room is buzzing with nervous excitement. Y/N takes a deep breath, grateful to be out of the intense environment, but as soon as she steps into the hallway, she spots someone leaning casually against the vending machine. His dark hair is slightly tousled, and there’s a playful glint in his eyes.

“Hey,” he calls out, a smirk playing on his lips. “You were just in there, right?”

Y/N arches an eyebrow, assessing the stranger for a second. He’s cute, that much is obvious, but there’s something almost too confident in the way he’s looking at her. “Maybe,” she responds coolly. “You stalking the auditions or something?”

He chuckles, stepping away from the machine and sauntering toward her. “No, no. Just... happen to be waiting for a friend who hasn’t gone yet,” he explains kindly. “I caught a bit of your performance.”

“Oh yeah?” Y/N crosses her arms, intrigued despite herself. “And how would you rate it? Since you took the time out of your day to stand here and listen. I’m sure you have plenty of critiques.”

He grins, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “No critiques, I swear. Just... admiration.”

“Admiration,” she echoes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “That’s cute.”

He blinks, clearly taken aback by her forwardness. “Uh, thanks? I mean, I was being serious. You’re good.”

Y/N smirks, stepping a little closer. “I know I’m good, but I don’t remember asking for your opinion.”

The guy stumbles over his words, clearly not expecting her confidence. “Right, yeah. I just thought—”

“You thought what?” she interrupts, her eyes glinting with mischief. “That you’d swoop in with some charming lines and I’d be all impressed?”

He laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, when you say it like that...”

Y/N narrows her eyes playfully. “What’s your name?”

“Jesse,” he says quickly, extending his hand with a sheepish smile. “And no, I wasn’t trying to, uh, swoop in. Promise.”

She looks at his hand for a moment before shaking it. “Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.” He’s still holding her hand a little longer than necessary, and Y/N raises an eyebrow.

“You planning on letting go anytime soon, Jesse?”

He immediately drops her hand, flustered. “Right, sorry. So, uh, what group are you hoping to get into?”

“I’m not hoping,” she says smoothly, leaning against the wall. “I know I’m getting in.”

Jesse chuckles, clearly impressed but still trying to regain some ground. “You’ve got confidence. I like that.”

Y/N tilts her head, smirking at him. “Confidence is everything. Wouldn’t you say, Swanson.”

Jesse opens his mouth to reply, but then pauses. “Wait, how’d you know my last name?”

Y/N grins, leaning in slightly as she whispers, “You’re not the only one who likes to scout out the competition. Just the only one dumb enough to make yourself known.”

He’s visibly flustered now, and Y/N revels in how easily she’s thrown him off his game. “Touché.”

“Better luck next time,” she teases, pushing off the wall. “Catch you later, Jesse.”

She gives him a playful wink before walking away, leaving Jesse standing there, completely dumbfounded and wondering what just happened.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

The empty arena is buzzing with post-initiation excitement. The Bellas, Trebles, and other a capella groups are scattered throughout the empty space, celebrating in their own ways. The air smells like cheap beer and adrenaline, but Y/N’s more entertained watching the chaos than participating in it.

She stands behind one of the many rows of concrete seats. Stars twinkle in the sky as sips her drink. A small smile makes its way onto her face as she watches two of her new acquaintances, Beca and Chloe dance together on the floor. Beca is a lot more stiff than her redhead counterpart, but at least she’s trying to show she’s interested. Suddenly, Jesse appears out of nowhere, his eyes lighting up when he spots her. He’s clearly tipsy, his steps a little uneven, but his usual cocky grin is still in place.

“Well, well, well,” he says, stumbling to a stop in front of her. “Look who’s all cool and aloof.”

Y/N arches an eyebrow, smirking. “Look who’s all drunk and sloppy.”

He lets out a laugh, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

“You’re one wrong step away from falling down the steps,” she teases, eyeing him up and down. “But hey, I’ve seen worse.”

“Worse?” Jesse echoes, stepping a little closer, his smirk widening. “That’s not exactly reassuring.”

“I didn’t say I was trying to reassure you,” Y/N quips, taking another sip of her drink. “Maybe you need to be taken down a peg.”

Jesse grins, clearly emboldened by the alcohol. “Oh yeah? You think you’re up for that challenge?”

Y/N chuckles, stepping forward until she’s barely inches away from him. She can feel the heat radiating off his skin, and she knows she’s got him right where she wants him. “I don’t think it’d be much of a challenge, Swanson.”

Jesse’s breath catches, and for a moment, he looks like he’s about to say something clever, but Y/N beats him to it, placing her hand on his chest. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

“Flustered?” Jesse tries to sound offended, but his voice comes out a little too high-pitched. “I’m not flustered.”

Y/N just grins, leaning even closer, her lips hovering near his ear. “Oh, you definitely are.”

Jesse shivers, and Y/N can see the way his face flushes. He’s definitely flustered, and she’s loving every second of it.

“You’re... you’re dangerous,” he mutters, trying to compose himself. “You know that, right?”

“Dangerous?” she echoes, her voice dropping to a low, teasing tone. “Perhaps,” she smirks calmly. “Would you like to find out just how dangerous I can really be?”

Jesse’s eyes bore into hers. She can smell the beer on his breath, but it doesn’t deter her. The skin from his neck to his cheeks is completely red. She snakes her hand up and places it gently on the back of his neck, messing with the baby hairs that rest there. She can feel the heat of his skin, despite the chills that erupt on his body from her touch. He doesn’t move away from her. In fact, his lips part just slightly, showing just how desperately he wants to play with danger.

For a brief moment, she considers closing the distance between them, maybe even kissing him just to see how he’d react. But instead, she pulls back at the last second, her smirk widening as she watches him try to recover.

“Maybe next time, Swanson,” she says, giving him a playful pat on the chest before walking away, leaving him standing there, completely dumbfounded.

Jesse watches her retreat, shaking his head in disbelief. “What just happened?” he mutters to himself, still grinning.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

It was late, and the campus was unusually quiet as Y/N and Jesse stepped out of the radio station, the night air cool against their skin. They’d spent the last hour bickering over their favorite songs, Jesse defending his love of 80s rock, while Y/N insisted that nothing could top early 2000s pop hits. Their conversations were always easy, filled with sarcasm and teasing, but tonight had been different—there was something in the air, some undercurrent that neither of them seemed to acknowledge.

Being in the Barden Bella’s could be difficult at some points. Especially with Aubrey Posen breathing down all of their necks. The blonde woman has a vendetta against one specific a capella group, the Treblemakers. Unfortunately, that was the group Jesse got recruited into.

During hood night, Aubrey was practically fuming when she saw how Y/N was with Jesse. In fact, she confronted the girl during rehearsals the following week, telling her if she saw anything like that again, Y/N would be out of the group. She, of course, didn’t take Aubrey’s warning very seriously. She’s already lost two girls based on this vow, and at the rate they’re currently moving at, if she gets rid of Y/N, there’s no way they’d win at Lincoln center.

For a while, she did try to avoid Jesse, just to keep the peace. But she realized it was too addicting to mess with the boy. He just made making him flustered way too easy. It’s almost addicting. So when he offers to walk her home, how could she turn down such an ample opportunity.

Jesse walked beside her, hands shoved in his jacket pockets, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. He hesitated for a second before breaking the silence. “You want me to walk you to your dorm?”

Y/N didn’t miss a beat, her lips curling into a smirk as she gave him a sidelong glance. “What’s this? Jesse Swanson, my personal bodyguard?”

He chuckled, though it came out more nervous than he intended. “Just thought I’d be a gentleman, you know? Make sure you get back safe. It’s dark out.”

“Mmm,” Y/N hummed thoughtfully, pretending to consider it. “And what do I owe you for this gallant service? A song request at the station? A mixtape of all your favorite 80s ballads?”

Jesse laughed, shaking his head. “Nah, I wouldn’t subject you to that again. How about just… your eternal gratitude?”

Y/N stopped walking abruptly, turning to face him. She crossed her arms over her chest, amusement flickering in her eyes. “Eternal gratitude, huh? That’s a pretty tall order, Swanson.”

Jesse stopped too, grinning at her, though there was a hint of nervousness in his eyes. “I’ll settle for a ‘thank you,’ maybe a smile. I’m a simple guy.”

“Oh, just a ‘thank you’? Such modesty.” Y/N stepped closer, her voice dropping to a lower, more playful tone. “And here I thought you were after something more.”

Jesse blinked, visibly caught off guard by her sudden proximity. “Uh, I—” he started, but whatever comeback he was searching for seemed to die in his throat as he stared at her.

Y/N laughed softly, clearly enjoying how easily flustered he got. She placed a hand on his arm, her touch light and teasing. “Relax, Jesse. I’m just messing with you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jesse muttered, shaking his head as if to snap himself out of it. “You’re too good at that, by the way.”

“Good at what?” she asked, though the mischievous glint in her eyes told him she knew exactly what he meant.

Jesse huffed, exasperated. “Getting under my skin.”

Y/N arched an eyebrow, leaning in even closer, her breath brushing against his ear. “Maybe you’re just too easy to get under.”

Jesse swallowed hard, his breath catching in his throat. “Maybe,” he murmured, though it sounded more like a concession than an actual response.

They stood like that for a beat too long—her close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body, her lips so close to his cheek that if he turned just slightly, they’d touch. Jesse’s heart was pounding in his chest, and for a split second, he thought maybe this was the moment. But then, in true Y/N fashion, she pulled away with a grin, breaking the tension as easily as she’d created it.

“Come on, Swanson,” she said, her voice light and teasing. “Let’s get going before you make this weird.”

Jesse let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding and fell into step beside her, his brain still trying to catch up with what had just happened. “Right,” he muttered, trying to regain some semblance of composure. “Wouldn’t want things to get weird.”

But as they continued walking, Y/N couldn’t help but glance over at him every now and then, a small, amused smile tugging at her lips. She loved how easily she could fluster him—it was like a game. And the best part? Jesse seemed to enjoy playing along just as much.

“So,” she said after a few moments of silence, her tone casual, but the mischief in her eyes was unmistakable. “Does this gentlemanly escort service come with a guarantee? Like, if I get jumped, are you actually going to throw punches? Or just stand there looking pretty?”

Jesse laughed, though he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “I’d throw punches. Maybe not good punches, but punches nonetheless.”

“Oh, great,” Y/N teased. “So I can count on you for a half-hearted swing and then some pretty-boy posturing?”

Jesse scoffed, pretending to be offended. “Pretty-boy posturing? Please. I’m more than just a pretty face, Y/N. I’ve got charm. Wit. Unmatched banter skills.”

“Uh-huh,” she replied, clearly unimpressed. “Keep telling yourself that.”

He shot her a sideways grin, eyes twinkling with mischief. “You don’t believe me?”

“Believe you?” Y/N repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, I believe that you think you’re charming. But as for the rest of us? Jury’s still out.”

Jesse placed a hand dramatically over his heart, feigning hurt. “Wow, way to bruise my ego, Y/N.”

“Your ego needs bruising,” she quipped. “It’s getting way too big for your head.”

They both laughed, the sound echoing across the quiet campus as they continued walking. But as they neared her dorm, the playful banter between them started to fade, replaced by something more—something neither of them seemed willing to address head-on.

Jesse slowed his pace as they reached the entrance to her building, turning to face her. “Well, here we are.”

“Here we are,” Y/N echoed, her voice softer now, the teasing edge gone.

There was a brief, awkward pause as they both stood there, neither of them quite sure how to end the night. Jesse shifted on his feet, glancing at her with that same unsure smile he always gave her when he was nervous. “So… goodnight?”

Y/N smirked, taking a step closer to him, her voice dropping to that playful tone she knew always got under his skin. “That’s it? I thought I owed you my eternal gratitude.”

Jesse blinked, caught off guard once again. “Uh, right. I mean, you could—”

She didn’t let him finish. Instead, Y/N reached out, grabbing the collar of his jacket and tugging him closer, her lips hovering just inches from his. “Thanks for walking me,” she whispered, her breath warm against his skin.

Jesse’s brain short-circuited. He could barely think, let alone speak. “Y-you’re welcome.”

Y/N grinned at how flustered he was, enjoying every second of it. But just when it seemed like she might close the distance between them, she let go of his jacket and took a step back, leaving him standing there, dumbfounded.

“Goodnight, Jesse,” she said with a wink before turning on her heel and heading inside, leaving Jesse standing there, still trying to process what had just happened.

As the door closed behind her, Jesse let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Damn it,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head with a small, defeated smile.

She’d won this round. Again. But something told him he wasn’t quite ready to give up the game just yet.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Backstage at Lincoln Center, the buzz of excitement was electric. The Bellas were huddled together, running through last-minute vocal exercises, but Y/N’s mind wasn’t exactly on the task at hand. Sure, she was ready to perform, confident in their setlist and her place in the group, but something else was pulling her focus tonight—Jesse.

He wasn’t being his usual goofy self. Well, not entirely. Y/N had noticed a shift in his behavior over the past couple of days. The playful glances they exchanged weren’t just playful anymore. They were heavier, more intense, and laced with something unspoken.



Aubrey surprisingly found a way to let loose. She apologized to Y/N for her rude behavior and actually gave her ‘blessing’ for their weird relationship. Not that she needed the woman’s blessing, but it was nice to know that she wouldn’t be kicked out of the group for simply playing with the poor boy.

Now, as she stands off to the side, letting out a long breath to calm her nerves, she could feel Jesse’s eyes on her again. When she glanced across the room, there he was—watching her from where he stood with the Treblemakers, leaning against the wall with that stupid grin she’d grown way too fond of.

She raised an eyebrow, and instead of backing down, Jesse pushed himself off the wall and began making his way toward her. The confidence in his stride was new, different from the easy-going, jokey guy she’d spent so much time teasing.

Y/N forced herself to focus on her breathing. It’s fine. He’s just being Jesse. But the closer he got, the more she realized that whatever this thing was between them, it was building to something—and fast.

When he finally reached her, Jesse stopped just in front of her, standing a little closer than usual. He tilted his head, giving her a once-over before meeting her gaze with a grin. “You look ready to kill it out there.”

Y/N smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh, I am. The real question is—are you ready? Because I’ve heard you singing your set, Swanson. And, I mean... it’s cute, but it’s not exactly mind-blowing.”

Jesse’s grin widened. “Oh, it’s cute, huh? Cute enough to beat you?”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, not missing the flicker of determination in his eyes. He wasn’t backing down tonight, and it was... kind of hot. “Not a chance. You forget, I don’t lose.”

Jesse stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. His voice dropped, the playful edge still there but darker, more serious. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Tonight... you are definitely losing.”

Y/N blinked, thrown by the boldness of his words. “Bold move,” she nods. “But let’s be real—you’re all talk.”

Jesse chuckled softly, his hand reaching out to gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The movement was so unexpected, so intimate, that Y/N felt her heart skip a beat. “I’m not all talk, Y/N. Not with you.”

She swallowed hard, trying to keep her cool, but the tension between them was palpable. She’d been in control of their banter for weeks, but tonight, Jesse was flipping the script, and it was starting to get to her.

“Oh yeah?” she said, keeping her voice low as she looked up at him through her lashes. “Then prove it.”

Jesse’s grin turned wicked. He leaned in slowly, his face inches from hers, his breath warm against her skin. “Careful what you wish for,” he whispered, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke.

Y/N felt a shiver run down her spine, but she refused to let him see how much he was affecting her. “I’m not scared of you, Jesse.”

“Good,” he murmured, his hand sliding down to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin with a touch that was both gentle and possessive. “Because I’ve been dying to do this since I met you.”

Before Y/N could respond, Jesse closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a kiss that was anything but playful. It was slow, deliberate, filled with a quiet intensity that made her knees go weak. She wasn’t used to this side of him—the one that took charge, that knew exactly what he wanted and went for it without hesitation.

For a moment, Y/N let herself melt into the kiss, her hands instinctively reaching up to grip the front of his shirt. The world around them seemed to blur, the noise of the backstage chaos fading into the background. It was just them—just this moment.

But then, just as quickly as it started, Jesse pulled back, his forehead resting against hers as he caught his breath. He didn’t move away entirely, though. His hand remained on her cheek, his thumb still tracing lazy circles on her skin.

Y/N blinked, trying to process what had just happened. “That was... unexpected.”

Jesse smirked, his voice low and full of mischief. “I told you. I’m not all talk.”

Y/N narrowed her eyes, though there was a playful glint behind them. “You think one kiss is going to rattle me? Please, I’ve had better.”

Jesse chuckled softly, clearly not buying her bluff. “Sure you have.”

Y/N bit her lip, determined to regain the upper hand. She leaned in, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, “You’ll have to do better than that if you want to win.”

Jesse’s breath hitched, and Y/N knew she’d gotten to him. For a moment, she reveled in the victory, but then Jesse did something she wasn’t expecting—he took a step back, giving her space, but his eyes never left hers.

“You know what the best part about all of this is?” he asked, his voice calm, almost cocky.

“What?” Y/N replied, crossing her arms again, her gaze wary.

Jesse’s grin was slow, confident. “The fact that you’re going to be thinking about that kiss every time you see me. And when we’re out there performing, you won’t be able to stop thinking about it. About me.”

Y/N’s heart raced, but she forced herself to stay cool. “You really think you’ve got that kind of power over me, huh?”

Jesse stepped closer again, his eyes never leaving hers. “I don’t think it—I know it.”

For once, Y/N didn’t have a comeback. He was too confident, too sure of himself, and she hated to admit it, but he was right. That kiss had rattled her more than she’d like to admit.

Jesse’s grin softened as he reached out, his hand brushing against hers briefly before dropping back to his side. “See you out there, L/N. Try not to get too distracted.”

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Y/N standing there, her mind spinning. She watched him go, her eyes narrowing as he disappeared into the crowd of performers.

Damn him.

He was winning, and he knew it.

But Y/N wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. If Jesse thought he had her figured out, he had another thing coming. She’d play along for now, but the next round? That would be hers.

As she rejoined the Bellas, she tried to shake off the lingering heat of the moment, focusing on the competition. But as they prepared to do their group pep talk , she couldn’t help but glance over at Jesse one last time.

He caught her eye as the rest of the Trebles walk out on stage, the music starting. A knowing smirk covers his face, as he gives her a subtle wink.

Y/N rolled her eyes, but there was a smile tugging at her lips.

This wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

[undergroundusa]

There is a lot of disinformation coming out of the Left about a President's authority to nationalize, mobilize and deploy National Guardsmen. Let's clear some things up.

A U.S. president can deploy National Guard troops without a governor's request under specific circumstances defined by federal law, primarily through the Insurrection Act of 1807 (10 USC §§ 251–255) and other legal provisions. Here are the key scenarios:

Insurrection or Rebellion: Under the Insurrection Act, the president can deploy the National Guard (or other federal forces) to suppress an insurrection or rebellion against federal authority if it obstructs the execution of federal laws or threatens the government's stability. This can occur without a governor’s request, as the Act prioritizes federal supremacy (e.g., 10 U.S.C. § 252).

Domestic Violence or Unlawful Obstruction: If a state is unable to maintain order due to domestic violence or other crises, and this prevents the enforcement of federal or state laws, the president can act unilaterally to restore order (10 U.S.C. § 253). This applies when a governor cannot or will not request assistance.

National Emergency or Federalized Situations: The president can federalize the National Guard under Title 10 of the U.S. Code (e.g., 10 U.S.C. § 12406) during a national emergency declared by the president or Congress, such as in response to a major disaster, terrorist attack, or other crisis threatening national security.

Enforcement of Federal Law: If a state’s actions (or inaction) violate federal law or constitutional rights (e.g., civil rights protections), the president can deploy the National Guard to enforce compliance, as seen in historical cases like the desegregation of schools in the 1950s and 1960s (e.g., Little Rock, Arkansas, 1957).

Given these citations, President Trump is well within his right to not only mobilizr National Guardsmen, but active duty US military. So, the protestations by Gavib Newsom and California's AG, along with congressional Democrats is not only in grotesque error, it's disingenuous bullshit.

LARiots #Trump #NationalGuard #USMilitary #IllegalImmigration #ICE #Deportations #UnlawfulAssembly

[yesornopolls]

Did you know Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill into law banning transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that match up with their gender identity? This applies to Kindergarten through university at both public and private schools, and it also bans students from sharing overnight accommodations with people of the opposite sex at K-12 schools.

[some1s-sista]

5fF

Y’all! Sixx was just notified she scored a $10,000 scholarship!!! Holy shit! It’s a tuff one too, both of her older sisters applied when they were seniors and they were passed over. Now we just have to hope her school doesn’t deduct it from the financial aid package they told her they were giving her. They gave her some scholarships and then were directing her towards 2 student loans for the remaining $5500. We’re hoping to at least get her through her freshmen year without having to take out loans. So this would leave us covering $3000 (they divide the 10k over the four years). It sucks to think we have to scramble like this to send this one to school because my cancer treatments took my life savings plus some. She’s got 2 interviews next week for a couple more scholarships, so we will be accepting all thoughts, prayers, and good juju! Whatever you can spare.

I’ve been hosting my first guests of the season in the Airbnb this week. A guy and his father out here fishing on the lake. The nicest guys! So far everything’s gone well. They check out tomorrow. He mentioned coming back 2 or 3 more times this summer/fall. I’ll have a repeat customer, y’all! (And some spare $ to pay my bills and put aside for Sixx for spending money during the semester.)

Yes, Sixx is also going to get a summer job for spending cash so she doesn’t have to work during school. Like her brother, she is on the spectrum, is easily overwhelmed, so trying to attend to her studies and hold down a job just isn’t feasible. I know she’ll be ok being away from home, she did great at Governor’s school last summer. I just hope she can handle the pressure of college and everything it entails. Yeah, worried Mom here.

Hubs was going to take me to an expensive restaurant for dinner tomorrow night. I’d wanted all of us to go to brunch Sunday, but he took too long to get a Mother’s Day rez, so he set up a dinner instead. Asked him today if he’d mind cancelling. Save that for something like our anniversary. I’m perfectly happy picking up another rose bush for the garden and maybe a blizzard! Lol. He was good with that. So ice cream with the kids it is! I’m easy.

Hmmm. 5. Oh! The porch ladies (our outdoor ferals) killed a damn Robin this morning. Left it on the path for me. I guess that’s their Mother’s Day offering for me! There’s feathers all over my porch. :(

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

They’ve lost the narrative on the “Big Beautiful Bill,” and this week they went and jumped the shark with the Trump-Musk bromance break-up, so what does he do?

Oh, look over here! Somebody with brown skin threw a rock at a fed in full combat gear, bullet-proof vest, and helmet, carrying a full-automatic assault rifle, wearing a mask over his face as he went to arrest a brown-skinned seamstress in the garment district! I’m going to call out the National Guard!

He really is the master of distraction, isn’t he? Not a single shot was fired and not a single gun was carried by protesters who showed up to demonstrate against overreach by ICE in L.A., and yet Trump cites Title 10 Section 12406 of the federal law to place the California National Guard under the command of himself as President of the United States.

The last time this was done, folks, was 60 years ago in 1965 when Lyndon Johnson used Title 10 to federalize the Alabama National Guard to protect a civil rights march led by Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery two weeks after the infamous “Bloody Sunday” police riot at the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

A different federal law, Title 32, has been used to call up various National Guard units to serve either state or federal functions. Under Title 32 status, the Guard remains under state control but can be used for federal functions. Trump used Title 32 to deploy National Guard troops during George Floyd protests in Washington D.C. in 2020. The governor of California used the statute to call up the California National Guard during the Watts Riots in August of 1965.

Title 10 allows the call up and federalization of National Guard troops when the United States is “invaded,” or crucially, when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

Trump used language from Title 10 to justify the California call-up, writing in his order that the troops were to be used to “temporarily protect ICE and other United States Government personnel who are performing Federal functions, including the enforcement of Federal law, and to protect Federal property,” justifying the order with this: “To the extent that protests or acts of violence directly inhibit the execution of the laws, they constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

You will of course recognize that language from Title 10 itself.

Interestingly, Trump did not invoke the Insurrection Act in his order last night. Invocation of that law would have allowed the federalized National Guard troops to act in a law enforcement capacity. Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy invoked the Insurrection Act to deploy federal troops to desegregate schools in the Deep South after the passage of Brown v. Board of Education.

The Insurrection Act allows federal troops when requested by the governors of affected states, or under two other provisions of the Act, the President is empowered unilaterally…

“to address an insurrection, in any state, which makes it impracticable to enforce the law,” or

“to address an insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination or conspiracy, in any state, which results in the deprivation of constitutionally secured rights, and where the state is unable, fails, or refuses to protect said rights…”

In all other circumstances, including use of Title 10 to federally activate National Guard troops, the Posse Comitatus Act forbids the U.S. military from acting in a law enforcement capacity.

So, what’s going on here? Trump and his blood-thirsty minions certainly understand the different laws which apply to the federalizing of National Guard troops to suppress riots, or rebellions, or insurrections. In fact, Trump used the word “rebellion” in his order last night, and the odious Stephen Miller followed up by tweeting a video of the protests in Los Angeles, calling it “An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States.” Secretary of Defense Hegseth followed suit by threatening that “If violence continues, active-duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized – they are on high alert.”

The blatherings of Miller and Hegseth sound a lot like jumping on the bandwagon to make certain Trump knows they are right there behind him with their eager tongues out.

It is well known that Trump and his chief immigration attack dog Stephen Miller have been looking for an excuse to call out military troops to put down street protests that they can call an “insurrection.” Trump has even lamented that he did not use the military to put down George Floyd protests in 2020, although he certainly did threaten to.

Well, they’re not threatening to deploy troops any longer. It’s obvious Trump’s calling up of the California National Guard is a provocation. He hates the state’s governor, calling him Governor “Newscum” as he blasted protestors as “radical Left RIOTERS AND LOOTERS.”

“Border czar” Tom Holman told NBC News this morning that Governor Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass could be arrested and prosecuted by the Trump DOJ if they interfere in federal arrests of undocumented immigrants. “If she crossed that line, we’ll ask DOJ to prosecute,” Holman said of Bass. “I don’t think she’s crossed the line yet. But the warning we’re sending is, we’re not going to tolerate people attacking our officers.”

They’re spoiling for a fight. So far this morning, 300 of the 2,000 federalized National Guard troops have arrived in Los Angeles, decked out in their full combat gear, carrying loaded M-4 automatic weapons, at least some of them wearing masks. Looking at the National Guard troops and the federal agents who have been arresting undocumented immigrants around L.A., it’s going to be hard to distinguish between them.

The situation in L.A. is bad, and it’s going to get worse. Neither Newsom nor Bass has any control over the people who have been protesting the arrests, many if not most of whom are undocumented themselves. I saw a story yesterday that said about a third of the population of Los Angeles is immigrant, of which a large number are undocumented. If Trump and Kristi Noem and Holman somehow lined up and arrested everyone in L.A. who is in this country without a valid visa, they’d still be doing it at Christmas, and would have long since overloaded their capacity to hold the arrestees.

Not only that, but the economy of Southern California would be shut down, store shelves in L.A. supermarkets would be emptying out, office buildings would have whole corridors of offices that hadn’t been cleaned or had the trash dumped, lawns and hedges in Beverly Hills would be untrimmed and woolly, restaurants would close for lack of cooks and staff…you get the picture.

Now seems as good a time as any to ask this elemental question: What are Trump and his MAGA henchmen going to do with L.A. once they’ve got their 2,000 National Guard troops fully deployed? The first thing I would point out is what an infinitesimal drop in the proverbial bucket 2,000 soldiers are in a place as enormous as Los Angeles. The city of L.A. is huge – 500 square miles, with a population of about 4 million. L.A. County, which includes the San Fernando Valley and towns to the east and south of downtown, is even more enormous, covering more than 4,700 square miles with a population of almost 10 million. As a quick comparison, the population of L.A. County is greater than 40 of this country’s states. White people became a minority in Los Angeles in 2001, based on the 2000 census. The white population of the city of L.A. now stands at about 30 percent, with the Latino population at 48 percent. Most demographic projections of the U.S. population predict that whites will be a minority nationally in 2045, according to a Brookings Institution study of census data.

That means white people in the rest of the country have about 20 years before they are eclipsed by minorities, whether Trump and Stephen Miller and the rest of them like it or not. The City of Los Angeles is what the rest of this country may look like by the end of the 21st Century.

Two thousand National Guard troops in Los Angeles and all the ICE agents they can muster isn’t enough to remove even a small fraction of the undocumented people living and working there. If Trump invoked the Insurrection Act and deployed the entirety of the 1.4 million uniformed men and women in the U.S. military, he and Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem and Kash Patel and the rest of them couldn’t arrest and deport their way out of the future that is not waiting to happen, but is already here.

Trump’s federalization of the National Guard and deploying 2,000 of them to L.A. isn’t based in any recognizable reality about immigration and the demographics of this country’s future. It’s a tactic meant to intimidate a city that didn’t vote for him in the largest state that didn’t vote for him.

Which makes it all the more important that protests against the excesses of ICE, and now the National Guard, must be peaceful. Disgust and displeasure with Trump and his ilk and what they’re doing in L.A. can be and must be expressed without violence. The best way to respond to Trump’s attempts at oppression is nationally with numbers that dwarf the 2,000 National Guard troops Trump is putting on the streets of L.A.

We need one million people in the streets of L.A., Chicago and New York, and we need hundreds of thousands protesting in the streets of other major cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Denver, Charlotte, and Washington D.C.

There are more of us than them today, and there will be even more of us tomorrow. They aren’t going to be “replaced,” to use the words of the racist conspiracy theory, but they are going to be outnumbered. Put that in your cheek and chew on it, Stephen my boy, and watch out that you don’t choke on your bitter spit.

[Lucian Truscott Newsletter]

[reasonsforhope]

"New Mexico will establish a permanent absentee voter list and remove barriers to voting on tribal lands under sweeping legislation signed into law Thursday [March 30, 2023] by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The measure also will automate voter registration during certain Motor Vehicle Division transactions and more quickly restore the voting rights of people exiting prison after a felony conviction. It was supported this year by Democratic legislative leaders and Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, after a similar measure died in the final moments of the 2022 session amid a GOP filibuster...

Republican lawmakers fiercely opposed the bill this year, too, contending automatic voter registration and other measures aren't necessary in a state that already allows same-day registration. But advocates of the legislation, House Bill 4, celebrated Thursday [March 30, 2023] as Lujan Grisham signed the bill during a ceremony at the Capitol with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver; House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque; and others.

Native American leaders described it as critical step toward protecting the voting rights of people on tribal land, especially those without a traditional mailing address. [More details in/moved to the last key point!]

In a signing ceremony at the Capitol, Lujan Grisham said the legislation would serve as a template for other states. "We want to send a message to the rest of the country — that this is what voting access and protection should look like," the governor said...

Absentee voting: Sign up once

The legislation calls for a permanent absentee voter list to be available in time for the 2024 elections. Voters could sign up once to get absentee ballots mailed to them before every statewide election. People on the list would also get notices mailed to them seven weeks before Election Day. Any election-related mail returned to the county clerk as undeliverable would trigger the voters' removal from the absentee list.

Automated voter registration

Automatic voter registration during some transactions at MVD [DMV] offices — such as when a person presents documents proving citizenship while applying for a driver's license — would begin in July 2025. Newly registered voters would be told they've been added to the voter rolls and that they'll get a postcard in the mail allowing them to decline the registration. For MVD customers already registered to vote, their address would be updated in the voting rolls if they renew their driver's license with a different address.

Restoration of rights

The legislation will restore the voting rights of felons when they leave custody rather than after they complete probation or parole. Inmates would be granted the chance to register or update their registration before release. The Sentencing Project, an advocacy group, estimated the measure will restore the voting rights of more than 11,000 citizens.

New holiday

The bill makes Election Day a school holiday.

Drop boxes

The legislation requires each county to have at least two secured, monitored boxes for people to drop off absentee ballots. State election officials are empowered to waive the requirement or grant requests for additional containers, depending on the circumstances of each county.

Native American voting

The proposal establishes a Native American Voting Rights Act.

[Moved here from earlier in the article]

The measure requires collaboration with pueblos, nations and tribes on establishing polling places, early voting locations and precinct boundaries. It also allows members to register to vote or receive absentee ballots at official tribal buildings — a necessity, supporters said, for residents who don't receive mail at home. "It is truly monumental reform," said Ahtza Chavez, executive director of NM Native Vote and a member of the Kewa Pueblo and Diné Nation. "It requires collaboration with tribes at all levels.""

-via Albuquerque Journal, March 30, 2023

[frankendykes-monster]

When Rosalyn Sandri returned to teach English at her high school alma mater, she never imagined it would end in a forced resignation. Only three years after stepping into her Texas classroom, she walked out of it for the last time. She’d never see her students again.

“They didn’t even let me say goodbye,” she said. The week before her dismissal had been unremarkable—long days spent grading essays and assigning homework. In September 2024, Sandri, 33, had started publicly transitioning as a transgender woman, something she said her fellow teachers and students welcomed kindly. She shared her journey on TikTok, including one video documenting the euphoria of being called “ma’am” for the first time. But while her vlog resonated with trans students, it also attracted the attention of Libs of TikTok, a far-right and anti-LGBT social media account known for spreading transphobic hate. It pinned the video to its profile, asking, “Would you feel comfortable with this person teaching your kid?” Over five million people viewed the video, and the waves of hate rolled in immediately. Some commenters joked about putting a bullet in her head. Her state representative called for her termination.

[...]

Soon afterward, Sandri was handed resignation papers. Her career was over. Her crime? Being herself at the wrong time, in the wrong place, under the wrong administration. Now, she finds herself somewhere she never anticipated: joining a growing wave of educators who are either quitting the profession altogether or leaving the states they once called home behind. “I am broke,” she said. “I don’t have the money to just pick up and move again, so I’m applying for relocation assistance. I’m looking at things like Canada’s visa program for teachers.” “If that doesn’t work out and I stay here, my teaching career is over,” she added. “I’m going to try to find something else to do and transfer out of teaching. And that breaks my heart, because teaching is all I wanted to do since I was five. But now there’s a mark on my teaching certificate that says I’ve been investigated for misconduct. So nobody’s going to hire me here.”

In an increasingly conservative America, more teachers are finding themselves in similar situations. And more school systems are discovering that there are fewer people who want to subject themselves to the capricious nature of right-wing abuse. In the last school year, schools opened with an estimated 55,000 teaching vacancies, up from 36,000 in the year prior. More than 270,000 classrooms were staffed by individuals without full credentials. States like Utah, Nevada, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida were the hardest hit, with Arizona leading at less than 44 teachers per 1,000 students.

[...]

Nationwide, 79 percent of public schools reported difficulty hiring teachers last year. Texas has also borne the brunt of this trend. Between fall 2021 and fall 2022, the state saw a record 13.4 percent attrition rate, and the proportion of newly hired teachers without a state-sanctioned certification or permit in the following school year rose to nearly 30 percent. In May, Governor Greg Abbott signed a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in all classrooms. And while low pay and job burnout remain key factors in their decision to quit the profession, teachers say they’re also simply afraid. Since President Donald Trump’s return to office, the Department of Education has launched an aggressive campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, including targeted attacks on queer teachers. One executive order, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” urges law enforcement to investigate anyone promoting “radical gender ideology.” “Some will leave the profession, others will leave and move elsewhere,” said Sandri. “But I think the bigger danger is that a lot of them are going to get beaten to submission because they don’t want to lose their jobs.” Many are already reaching that point. In a popular Reddit thread r/ELATeachers, dozens of pseudonymous educators expressed their fears. “I’m out. I can’t be in a place where my existence is a political statement,” commented one.

The panic is sweeping the South. “We’ve had several teachers leave over the grooming accusations,” said Sherry East, president of the South Carolina Education Association. “Several librarians have quit their jobs. An English teacher also quit outright. He was like, ‘I’m not going to be accused of doing this kind of stuff. I’m just trying to teach.’” Angry social media users and far-right critics have called these and other teachers groomers and pedophiles. Others have doxed them online. But East said that some of the most concerning reactions come from the politicans themselves. “People are spending millions of dollars to get elected to a school board race so they can ban a book. One teacher’s name and picture ended up on the back of a political mailer: ‘This teacher promotes communism.’”

[...]

Statewide book bans, looming ICE raids, hostile new curriculums, and what she calls “political warfare” have created an atmosphere of terror. “We don’t make enough money to put up with this,” she said. “We don’t make enough money to be accused of the things they’re accusing us of. So we’re out.” In West Virginia, the fear is financial. “There’s a fear among educators … with the suggestion to cut the Department of Education, which could cut funding for West Virginia,” said Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association. “Fifty-three percent of our schools are Title 1 schools, which means low economic schools,” he continued. “For many of our students, the only hot meals that they get are in school.”

[...]

Teacher departures are fundamentally reshaping how kids learn, they say. As educators relocate across state lines or even abroad to find professional environments free from political persecution, it’s the students who suffer the most. For Mary Foster, an early childhood educator and mother of a trans son, the attacks are just growing worse. “We’ve been referred to as porn pushers,” she said of her work with Families Against Book Bans. “We’ve had death threats, threats to our families. It’s unreal, only it’s real. And I’ve seen it firsthand.” Last year, 10,000 books were banned from public schools across America, triple the number compared to 2023. The Pentagon has also issued a list of books to be pulled from Department of Defense schools, including lessons on gender and sexuality and immigration. Actress Julianne Moore’s book, Freckleface Strawberry, is about a young girl learning to “love the skin she’s in.” That, of course, was also banned.

[...]

And many educators are preemptively censoring themselves. “If I were a brand-new teacher right now in this environment, I would be so afraid to say anything,” Foster said. “Unfortunately, a lot of the parents who are pushing back on educators are doing it in a very threatening, menacing way. So what’s happening now is silent censorship. Books and stories just vanish from classrooms before anyone files a complaint. People want to avoid becoming the next target.” Foster said she’s heard it all. “I had a librarian tell me that she was asked to remove a book about the slave trade. It was taking a toll on her health to be so concerned and to be overthinking every book that she placed. She resigned at the end of the year. And she moved out of state,” she said. “It has been really traumatic for a lot of teachers who spend so much time doing all they can to serve every student they teach.”

[...]

Things only got worse after Trump’s win. “Nobody could give me a straight answer,” she said. “What political party is a rainbow heart supposed to represent?” Jones says she’s constantly on edge. “A student might ask a question about LGBTQ issues, and I shut it down like I’m supposed to. But if another kid tells their parent, then suddenly I’m accused of indoctrination. I just wanted to teach. Now it feels like there’s a laundry list of things I can’t say.” For teachers like Jones, it’s no longer a question of if they’ll leave, but when. “I know a lot of teachers are like, ‘I’ll give it one more year.’ But a lot more of us are migrating,” she said. “Especially now.” The decision haunts her. “If I don’t stay and advocate for students, then who will?” she asked. “But that only lasts so long. At some point, you have to take care of yourself.” Jon Bonham, a Black English teacher and coach in Texas, said that this year feels different from Trump’s first win. “Even back then, there was a line people didn’t cross. Now they’ve been emboldened.” He’s had parents complain about him teaching Black poets. Students now wear MAGA hats and say racial slurs in the hallways. “There’s no accountability anymore,” he said. “I come home with trauma every day. I’m pouring from an empty bucket."

[...]

Whether teachers leave the classroom or cross state lines, schools across the country are being hollowed out. The cost of staying is growing higher. And the list of those who can afford to remain is getting shorter. As for Sandri, she isn’t sure what her next step will be. But her future in education feels bleak. “I think another state might provide me refuge momentarily, but I don’t think the way things are currently that anybody can provide permanent protection in any way,” she said. “Sure, I’ll move to Rhode Island, or I’ll move to Boston, where they say they’re a sanctuary city for trans people. She paused. “But for how long?”

[mariacallous]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah became the first state to prohibit flying LGBTQ+ pride flags at schools and all government buildings after the Republican governor announced he was allowing a ban on unsanctioned flag displays to become law without his signature.

Gov. Spencer Cox, who made the announcement late Thursday night, said he continues to have serious concerns with the policy but chose not to reject it because his veto would likely be overridden by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Starting May 7, state or local government buildings will be fined $500 a day for flying any flag other than the United States flag, the Utah state flag, military flags or a short list of others approved by lawmakers. Political flags supporting a certain candidate or party, such as President Donald Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” flags, are not allowed.

The new law could stoke conflict between the state and its largest city. City buildings in liberal Salt Lake City typically honor Pride Month each June by displaying flags that celebrate its large LGBTQ+ population. Local leaders have illuminated the Salt Lake City and County Building in rainbow lights to protest the flag ban each night since the Legislature sent it to Cox’s desk.

Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesperson for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s office, said their attorneys are evaluating the law and the capital city does not yet have information on what it will do once the law takes effect.

The bill’s Republican sponsors, Rep. Trevor Lee and Sen. Dan McCay, said it’s meant to encourage “political neutrality” from teachers and other government employees. Opponents argued it aims to erase LGBTQ+ expression and take authority away from cities and towns that don’t align politically with the Republican Legislature.

In a letter to legislative leaders explaining his decision, Cox said he agreed with the “underlying intent” of the bill to make classrooms politically neutral but thought it went too far in regulating local governments. He also noted that by focusing narrowly on flags, the law does not prevent other political displays such as posters or lighting.

“To our LGBTQ community, I know that recent legislation has been difficult,” Cox said. “Politics can be a bit of a blood sport at times and I know we’ve had our disagreements. I want you to know that I love and appreciate you and I am grateful that you are part of our state. I know these words may ring hollow to many of you, but please know that I mean them sincerely.”

Cox’s decision came hours after the Sundance Film Festival announced it was leaving its home of four decades in Park City, Utah, for Boulder, Colorado. The flag bill created eleventh-hour tensions as some residents worried it would push the nation’s premier independent film festival out of state. Festival leaders said state politics ultimately did not influence their move from conservative Utah to liberal Colorado. They did, however, make “ethos and equity values” one of their criteria in a nationwide search for a new home and referred to Boulder in their announcement as a “welcoming environment.”

Utah’s flag law goes further than one signed last week in Idaho that only applies to schools. But Idaho Republicans are also advancing a separate bill to ban government buildings from displaying certain flags.

Florida lawmakers have advanced a proposal to ban pride flags and others that represent political viewpoints in schools and public buildings after similar measures failed in the past two legislative sessions. Some federal agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, also have limited which flags can fly at their facilities.

Other flags permitted under the Utah law include Olympic and Paralympic flags, official college or university flags, tribal flags and historic versions of other approved flags that might be used for educational purposes.

[project2028]

The Dilemma Bulletin: Friday January 24th, 2025

Keeping you informed about the daily events of the Trump Administration

Trump’s Sec of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth receives a tie confirmation vote in the Senate with Republican Senators Murkowski, Collins, and McConnell joining all Democrats in voting no. This comes after multiple accounts submitted by Hegseth’s family member detail his alcoholic and violent past.

Vice President JD Vance votes to confirm Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense after tie vote in the Senate.

Trump visits Asheville, North Carolina to survey Hurricane Helene efforts after his party sabotaged the federal government response to the recovery efforts.

Trump visits Southern California meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom and elected officials to survey wildfire damage after his party refuses to guarantee California non conditional federal assistance.

Trump threatens to sign an Executive Order completely overhauling or getting rid of FEMA altogether. States such as Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas would pay billions in natural disaster aid from their state budgets alone if FEMA is banished.

Chicago Public Schools confirm Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have tried to enter a Chicago elementary school with teachers and staff refusing them entry. ICE claims that these were not their agents.

Trump removes security detail for Anthony Fauci after him and his followers threatened his safety on a repeated basis as he worked tirelessly to save their lives during the Pandemic.

Target rolls back on their DEI policies as Costco defends their DEI policies.

Trump floats the idea of only sending California federal aid for Wildfires if they implement Voter ID which has nothing to do with wildfires. These same conditions would not be applied to North Carolina.

According to TIME Magazine (who named Trump their Person of the Year 2024) 2/3rds of his Executive Actions so far can be traced to Project 2025 after Trump claimed not to know anything of it.

Trump boasts of his “scientific ability” assessing how California can suck water out of its trees and how he may sign an Executive Order to release valves from Northern California and Canada. This is not how trees work and these valves would not work.

Trump talks about how Democrats use the environment to make themselves “feel good” and claims Dems will be talking about asbestos soon. Asbestos is widely banned from being used in the US due to health risks.

[lboogie1906]

Clennon Washington King Jr. (July 18, 1920 – February 12, 2000) was the second African American man to run for the office of POTUS after George Edwin Taylor, and whose attempts at civil rights actions and running for office as a perennial candidate caused him to be nicknamed “The Black Don Quixote.”

He was the eldest son of seven. His father, Clennon Washington King Sr., was a civil rights activist, a Tuskegee Institute student, and the chauffeur of Booker T. Washington. His mother was Margaret Allegra Slater. His brother, lawyer C. B. King, posthumously had a US Courthouse in Albany, Georgia named after him, his brother Slater King was a successful real estate broker, and his youngest brother Dr. Preston King received a pardon from President Bill Clinton, both actions related to their civil rights activism.

In 1957, he served as a history professor at Alcorn State University, but controversial letters to the editor and articles on the subject of racial integration led to students first boycotting the classes and then threatening to boycott the school. School President J. R. Otis was fired as a consequence.

In 1958, he tried to have one of his children integrate into an all-white elementary school in Mississippi, which would have been a first, but his wife and children fled. That year he applied to the all-white University of Mississippi and was committed to an asylum for trying to attend it; his brother C.B. King was able to help free him. He sought the support of Martin Luther King Jr.; they met and Rev. King wrote Governor James P. Coleman on his behalf. James Meredith became the first African American student at that university. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[loveerran]

Utah Bathroom Ban

In an effort to protect women and children from a problem that does not exist, Utah legislators recently passed, and the governor recently signed into law, HB 257. Among other things, this bill defines criminal penalties for improper use of a binary, sex-designated (male or female) restroom in a government owned or controlled space that does not correspond to one's assigned sex:

"Going into a bathroom that is not consistent with your birth gender, or your birth sex, you are putting yourself at greater risk. I think that’s the best way for everybody to look at it and say, ‘How do I avoid risk? How do I avoid risk of arrest?'" - Senate sponsor of HB 257 Dan McCay

As a trans woman who has been out and about for 20 years, what I hear in this quote is very specifically: "We want you to be scared when you use a bathroom that doesn't align with your assigned sex at birth. You already know someone may report you just for being there and the criminal justice system is horrible for trans women, so maybe you'll think twice before trying to pee when out in public."

And it works. I am reminded I am different and should be scared of what will happen if the wrong person is having a bad day, reports me to the bathroom monitoring authorities, and some cop starts making choices that put me in a difficult or dangerous situation. Stories of abuses suffered by trans women in the system are legion.

But I don't think my situation is the real problem here. In practical terms, this bill means a trans kid can't use a school restroom that aligns with their gender identity and/or presentation. Instead, they have to develop a 'privacy plan' with the school and use separately designated facilities or a faculty restroom, etc. - reinforcing that they are 'other'. This is very dangerous and will create victims and we have actual data and studies to back up that assertion.

Let me restate: There is data demonstrating that bathroom restrictions hurt gender non-conforming kids, with a reported increase in the sexual assault rate of nearly 50% when bathroom restrictions of this type are in place.

My wife points out "I would be safer in a men's restroom than you. Most men will actually try to protect women, but that doesn't apply to trans women. Quite the opposite."

The sponsors of the bill could not name a single instance of trans kids being a problem in spaces aligned with their gender identity. Not one single incident for them to rely on. And they ignored evidence indicating there are actual harmful effects. This bill makes a small, marginalized group of people more likely to be victims of violence.

This issue was so important to the Utah legislature that they devoted a substantial portion of the 1st two weeks of the legislative session to HB 257, including significant changes after the public comment period passed.

When the bill went live on May 1, the Utah State Auditor's office began being flooded with false reporting (I love you all :)!). The Auditor's office responded by publishing what can only be described as a scathing indictment of the situation:

"the Office created the complaint form to comply with a statutory mandate – a role we did not request. Indeed, no auditor sets out to become a bathroom monitor... Like many in the public, we learned about our role under this bill shortly before the bill was rushed to final passage. I recognize that many Utahns feel trampled by an invasive and overly aggressive Legislature that too often fails to seek input from those most affected."

Thank you to everyone who continues to fight for us on this issue. There aren't enough of us to win this on our own. We need your help.

[transformationsproject]

This Week's Legislation Update

Prefiles have begun, and so once more trans rights are under attack in the United States. Please visit our website linked below to learn about your state and contact your reps. Here's a thread of last week’s updates:

Bathroom bills deny access to public restrooms by gender or trans identity. 

They increase danger without making anyone any safer and have even prompted attacks on cis and trans people alike. Many national health and anti-sexual assault organizations oppose these bills.

Ohio SB104 passed the Senate last week and is currently headed to the Governor to be signed. Upon signing, the bill would force all trans people, including students, staff, faculty, or visitors, to use the incorrect bathroom. It also would ban all non-gendered facilities and co-ed housing for schools within the state.

Texas has prefiled several bathroom bills last week, including HB1014, HB1015, HB1016, SB240, and HB239. Broadly, these would apply to school bathroom facilities; however, SB240 and HB239 target all public and private bathrooms, including for those who are incarcerated. 

Healthcare bills go against professional and scientific consensus that gender-affirming care saves lives. Denying access will cause harm.

Providers are faced with criminal charges, parents are threatened with child abuse charges, and intersex children are typically exempted.

Texas prefiled SB116 and SB115 last week. These bills target doctors who provide gender affirming care by extending the statutes of limitations for medical liability. They would allow patients to sue their doctors at any time before their 30th birthday for transition-related care they received as a minor, drastically increasing the risks for doctors who provide care. It could also be used to drive any doctors who have provided care into bankruptcy.

Another prefiled bill from Texas is HB778, a bill that targets insurance plans. The primary aim is to massively increase the cost for covering transition related care so as to either price trans people out of any care or incentivise insurance companies to cease coverage entirely. It does this by requiring any plan that covers any transition care to also cover all possible costs associated with “detransition”, despite not requiring all transition related costs to be covered.

Drag Bans restrict access for folks who are gender non-conforming in any way. 

They loosely define "drag" as any public performance with an “opposite gender expression,” as sexual in nature, and inappropriate for children. 

This also pushes trans individuals out of public spaces.

Texas has prefiled HB938 and HB1075, both of which are out and out drag bans that explicitly call drag performances “lascivious” and allow anybody who promotes or facilitates a drag performance to be sued if a minor was in attendance. This is a massive violation of free speech and a clear attempt to censor queer existence in public and private spaces. 

Educational Censorship and Student Suppression bills force schools to misgender or deadname students, ban instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, and make schools alert parents if they suspect a child is trans.

They remove life-saving affirmation and support for trans youth. 

Texas prefiled several bills prohibiting or restricting education on gender identity and sexuality in schools. These include HB976, HB344, SB86, and SB87. Several of these bills would also potentially require schools to out students to their parents and require schools to give notice if a child has used any mental health services. Both have potentially catastrophic consequences for the health and safety of students.

Texas has additionally prefiled SJR12, a proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine a parent’s right to fully control their children’s health and education, language that has been used many times to target queer minors and strip students of any rights to make their own choices.

Another Texas prefile, SB87, requires parental permission before any education on the subject of human sexuality in schools, regardless of the age or grade of the student.

Trans Erasure bills create legal definitions of terms like “sex” designed to exclude or erase trans identity and insert them into various laws. This can have many different effects, depending on what laws are affected.

They can force a male or female designation based on their sex assigned at birth.

Some target anti-discrimination statutes, legally empowering trans discrimination

Texas has prefiled three explicit Trans Erasure bills, HB229, SB84, and HB843, all of which seek to nullify trans and intersex existence in the eyes of the law, with incredibly far reaching consequences. They specifically claim one’s sex is defined by a person's ability to create ova or sperm. 

Texas has also prefiled three bills restricting the ability for people to amend their birth certificate. These bills, HB477, HB973, HB980, are an attempt to enshrine into law the extralegal actions on the part of the Texas state government to ban trans people from changing their birth certificate.

Censorship Bills describe any legislation that potentially targets Queer and Trans media/material for removal. 

They typically do this by using vague and broad definitions of "Obscene" or "Harmful to Minors" and then banning such content from being accessible to minors, which often either removes the material entirely or requires age verification methods in order to view. 

This includes online censorship bills, library book bans, and other such legislation.

Texas has prefiled SB242 and SB88, both of which allow for criminal prosecution for selling or giving a minor “harmful” material even when done for educational or governmental purposes. This charge would be considered a felony and would apply to things like sex ed in schools or queer education.

Most sports bills force schools to designate teams by their sex assigned at birth. 

They are often one-sided and ban trans girls from playing on teams consistent with their gender identity.

Some egregious bills even force invasive genital examinations on student athletes.

Texas HB370 was prefiled last week. This bill would require any sports event that applies for public funding to ban all trans women from participating as athletes.

Another Texas prefile, HB1123, requires any student athlete suspected of being trans to submit to genetic testing before being allowed to participate. 

In other bills that either fit multiple categories or stand on their own, we have:

Texas HB1106, prefiled last week, defines active misgendering and homophobia on the part of a parent as not being considered child abuse. It has no purpose other than protecting the right of parents to abuse and harm their children. 

Texas prefiles SB240 and HB437 target incarcerated trans minors, forcing them to be placed in detention facilities based solely on the assigned sex at birth, not their identity nor safety.

Texas prefile SB126 targets the ability of schools to survey their students in regards to their gender and sexuality, providing civil and potential criminal consequences. This would blind schools and governments to the queer student population, allowing them to be ignored and massively impacting services designed for queer students

It's not too late to stop these and other hateful anti-trans bills from passing into law. YOU can go to http://transformationsproject.org/ to learn more and contact your representatives!

[stevishabitat]

When Rosalyn Sandri returned to teach English at her high school alma mater, she never imagined it would end in a forced resignation. Only three years after stepping into her Texas classroom, she walked out of it for the last time. She’d never see her students again.

“They didn’t even let me say goodbye,” she said.

The week before her dismissal had been unremarkable—long days spent grading essays and assigning homework. In September 2024, Sandri, 33, had started publicly transitioning as a transgender woman, something she said her fellow teachers and students welcomed kindly. She shared her journey on TikTok, including one video documenting the euphoria of being called “ma’am” for the first time.

But while her vlog resonated with trans students, it also attracted the attention of Libs of TikTok, a far-right and anti-LGBT social media account known for spreading transphobic hate. It pinned the video to its profile, asking, “Would you feel comfortable with this person teaching your kid?” Over five million people viewed the video, and the waves of hate rolled in immediately. Some commenters joked about putting a bullet in her head. Her state representative called for her termination.

“I do not want anybody in a classroom in a position of authority teaching children that boys can be girls and girls can become boys,” Representative Brian Harrison said at the time.

South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace piled on, “Why is it allowed to be around children?”

Soon afterward, Sandri was handed resignation papers. Her career was over. Her crime? Being herself at the wrong time, in the wrong place, under the wrong administration.

Now, she finds herself somewhere she never anticipated: joining a growing wave of educators who are either quitting the profession altogether or leaving the states they once called home behind.

“I am broke,” she said. “I don’t have the money to just pick up and move again, so I’m applying for relocation assistance. I’m looking at things like Canada’s visa program for teachers.”

“If that doesn’t work out and I stay here, my teaching career is over,” she added. “I’m going to try to find something else to do and transfer out of teaching. And that breaks my heart, because teaching is all I wanted to do since I was five. But now there’s a mark on my teaching certificate that says I’ve been investigated for misconduct. So nobody’s going to hire me here.”

In an increasingly conservative America, more teachers are finding themselves in similar situations. And more school systems are discovering that there are fewer people who want to subject themselves to the capricious nature of right-wing abuse. In the last school year, schools opened with an estimated 55,000 teaching vacancies, up from 36,000 in the year prior. More than 270,000 classrooms were staffed by individuals without full credentials. States like Utah, Nevada, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida were the hardest hit, with Arizona leading at less than 44 teachers per 1,000 students.

Gone are the days of eager new recruits, ready to leap into the classroom. Nationwide, 79 percent of public schools reported difficulty hiring teachers last year.

Texas has also borne the brunt of this trend. Between fall 2021 and fall 2022, the state saw a record 13.4 percent attrition rate, and the proportion of newly hired teachers without a state-sanctioned certification or permit in the following school year rose to nearly 30 percent. In May, Governor Greg Abbott signed a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in all classrooms.

And while low pay and job burnout remain key factors in their decision to quit the profession, teachers say they’re also simply afraid. Since President Donald Trump’s return to office, the Department of Education has launched an aggressive campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, including targeted attacks on queer teachers. One executive order, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” urges law enforcement to investigate anyone promoting “radical gender ideology.”

“Some will leave the profession, others will leave and move elsewhere,” said Sandri. “But I think the bigger danger is that a lot of them are going to get beaten to submission because they don’t want to lose their jobs.”

Many are already reaching that point. In a popular Reddit thread r/ELATeachers, dozens of pseudonymous educators expressed their fears. “I’m out. I can’t be in a place where my existence is a political statement,” commented one.

The panic is sweeping the South. “We’ve had several teachers leave over the grooming accusations,” said Sherry East, president of the South Carolina Education Association. “Several librarians have quit their jobs. An English teacher also quit outright. He was like, ‘I’m not going to be accused of doing this kind of stuff. I’m just trying to teach.’”

Angry social media users and far-right critics have called these and other teachers groomers and pedophiles. Others have doxed them online. But East said that some of the most concerning reactions come from the politicans themselves. “People are spending millions of dollars to get elected to a school board race so they can ban a book. One teacher’s name and picture ended up on the back of a political mailer: ‘This teacher promotes communism.’”

All school districts have opt-out forms if parents want to prevent their child from reading something, said East. “But that’s not enough. Instead, they want to enforce their own family’s rules onto other families, which feels like the opposite of freedom and liberty.”

Statewide book bans, looming ICE raids, hostile new curriculums, and what she calls “political warfare” have created an atmosphere of terror.

“We don’t make enough money to put up with this,” she said. “We don’t make enough money to be accused of the things they’re accusing us of. So we’re out.”

In West Virginia, the fear is financial. “There’s a fear among educators … with the suggestion to cut the Department of Education, which could cut funding for West Virginia,” said Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association. “Fifty-three percent of our schools are Title 1 schools, which means low economic schools,” he continued. “For many of our students, the only hot meals that they get are in school.”

But when kids need support most, the teachers that once provided it are gone.

“Some are leaving to the surrounding states for the pay, and some are leaving the profession altogether due to lack of respect,” he said, adding that West Virginia, too, has drastically high shortages. “Teachers are the experts in public education. Every teacher knows what their kids need. Every classroom is different. You can’t do a one-size-fits-all for a better education.”

Teacher departures are fundamentally reshaping how kids learn, they say. As educators relocate across state lines or even abroad to find professional environments free from political persecution, it’s the students who suffer the most.

For Mary Foster, an early childhood educator and mother of a trans son, the attacks are just growing worse. “We’ve been referred to as porn pushers,” she said of her work with Families Against Book Bans. “We’ve had death threats, threats to our families. It’s unreal, only it’s real. And I’ve seen it firsthand.”

Last year, 10,000 books were banned from public schools across America, triple the number compared to 2023. The Pentagon has also issued a list of books to be pulled from Department of Defense schools, including lessons on gender and sexuality and immigration. Actress Julianne Moore’s book, Freckleface Strawberry, is about a young girl learning to “love the skin she’s in.” That, of course, was also banned.

Foster said many of the 21 banned books in South Carolina feature strong female protagonists or address sexual abuse. “The state’s not comfortable with young adults knowing what consent is and isn’t,” she said. “That’s terrifying to me.”

And many educators are preemptively censoring themselves.

“If I were a brand-new teacher right now in this environment, I would be so afraid to say anything,” Foster said. “Unfortunately, a lot of the parents who are pushing back on educators are doing it in a very threatening, menacing way. So what’s happening now is silent censorship. Books and stories just vanish from classrooms before anyone files a complaint. People want to avoid becoming the next target.”

Foster said she’s heard it all. “I had a librarian tell me that she was asked to remove a book about the slave trade. It was taking a toll on her health to be so concerned and to be overthinking every book that she placed. She resigned at the end of the year. And she moved out of state,” she said. “It has been really traumatic for a lot of teachers who spend so much time doing all they can to serve every student they teach.”

While Foster said “courage is required” during trying times, “I absolutely understand that people depend on their income for their livelihood, that not every family has the privilege I have to feel safe.”

The fear, however, is palpable for those still in the classroom. April Jones, a veteran Texas teacher, has worried about her own job stability. She was reprimanded for a classroom sign that read, “Hate Has No Home Here.” She’d had it up for 10 years, but in August 2024, a parent complained. Administrators flagged the rainbow pride heart and multicolored fists on the sign as “political.”

Things only got worse after Trump’s win.

“Nobody could give me a straight answer,” she said. “What political party is a rainbow heart supposed to represent?��

Jones says she’s constantly on edge. “A student might ask a question about LGBTQ issues, and I shut it down like I’m supposed to. But if another kid tells their parent, then suddenly I’m accused of indoctrination. I just wanted to teach. Now it feels like there’s a laundry list of things I can’t say.”

For teachers like Jones, it’s no longer a question of if they’ll leave, but when. “I know a lot of teachers are like, ‘I’ll give it one more year.’ But a lot more of us are migrating,” she said. “Especially now.”

The decision haunts her.

“If I don’t stay and advocate for students, then who will?” she asked. “But that only lasts so long. At some point, you have to take care of yourself.”

Jon Bonham, a Black English teacher and coach in Texas, said that this year feels different from Trump’s first win. “Even back then, there was a line people didn’t cross. Now they’ve been emboldened.”

He’s had parents complain about him teaching Black poets. Students now wear MAGA hats and say racial slurs in the hallways. “There’s no accountability anymore,” he said. “I come home with trauma every day. I’m pouring from an empty bucket.”

Bonham considered leaving the country altogether. “I thought about moving from teaching in this public education system to go abroad,” he said. “I was really thinking about it hard, and then, unfortunately, my spouse had a medical situation that sent them into a coma. That was a month after losing my own son to suicide.”

It was the turning point that kept him from relocating. Now his priority is showing up at home more than the classroom. “I would lay down my life for these kids,” he added. “But should I ever have to be prepared to do that? Hell no.”

Whether teachers leave the classroom or cross state lines, schools across the country are being hollowed out. The cost of staying is growing higher. And the list of those who can afford to remain is getting shorter.

As for Sandri, she isn’t sure what her next step will be. But her future in education feels bleak. “I think another state might provide me refuge momentarily, but I don’t think the way things are currently that anybody can provide permanent protection in any way,” she said. “Sure, I’ll move to Rhode Island, or I’ll move to Boston, where they say they’re a sanctuary city for trans people.

She paused. “But for how long?”