A DeSantis ally’s anti-LGBTQ+ rant hints at the GOP game plan
There’s some good news in the fight for economic justice, though
Welcome to a Friday evening edition of Progress Report.
This is an updated edition of the newsletter that I intended to send out this morning, before the passing of Sen. Dianne Feinstein inspired the piece I wound up publishing instead. That story elicited a lot of feedback, most of which has been very positive, which I appreciate. At the same time, a few readers reached out to suggest that I had been too critical of the senator so soon after her death.
I should have made it more explicit, but the piece wasn’t at all about Sen. Feinstein or her place in history. Instead, I wanted to examine how other Democratic Party leaders were irresponsible in their handling of her obvious physical and cognitive decline. Their refusal to be decisive denied a trailblazing figure a dignified final few years, reflected their own refusal to pass the torch to new generations, and caused a serious setback in the defense of democracy.
Hopefully that’s clarifying, but I’m very happy to continue the dialogue, whether in the comment section or in emails (just reply to the newsletter in your inbox, I’ll get it!).
Now, let’s get to the previously scheduled news, which includes a vicious and outrageous right-wing attack on education and children, big updates on voting rights, and some great news in the ongoing battle for for economic justice.
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A day before Ron DeSantis fumed and fussed on the debate stage at the Ronald Reagan Library, one of his closest allies back home invoked the Gipper’s legacy by trying to bury the LGBTQ+ community and dismantle public education.
Alicia Farrant, a militantly homophobic Moms for Liberty member who was recently elected to the Orange County Board of Education, unleashed a tirade at a Tuesday evening board meeting over the board’s vote to proclaim October LGBTQ+ Awareness and History Month. In her prepared remarks, Farrant outlined two major objections against what had been a routine proclamation over the prior three years, both of which embody the idiocy and danger of the far-right’s imprint on public education.
You can watch it all here…
First, she went from semantical to fanatical by questioning the meaning of the plus sign in LGBTQ+, then immediately offering the dumbest and most insulting answers possible.
You can watch the measured ridiculousness above; for those of you who aren’t gluttons for punishment, here’s a transcription of some of the top moments:
We as a board must define the boundaries of the ‘plus.’ From simple research it is evident that the ‘plus’ is all-encompassing, and is open for anyone who sees their sexuality differently than the societal norms, or anyone who would like to come under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.
According to my research, there are more than 50 different flags represented in the flag, including Leather Pride, Puppy Pride, and their allies the BDSM community. BDSM stands for bondage and discipline, domination and submission, sadism… other flags represented by the ‘plus’ is polyamory, which is having multiple sexual partners at one time, and many other sexual ideologies and perversions.
This is a perfect example of conservatives’ strategy of choosing an extreme and unrelated example as a red-herring to bolster its bad-faith, unconvincing, and rhetorically rotten arguments.
The idea that the Orange County school system is intentionally foisting BDSM — an activity also enjoyed by straight people, by the way — on children is utterly absurd. In fact, it’s not even supposed to be particularly convincing — the goal really is to sow just enough doubt in people’s minds to get them to question their points of view and pull back from their decisions.
Farrant’s second objection was meant to smear LGBTQ+ people with age-old false accusations as well as to isolate the community and pit against the rest of society. June being Pride Month is more than enough recognition for LGBTQ+ folks in Orlando, none of the Pulse Nightclub massacre, who she implies are greedy and hurting others by having two separate months named in their honor.
This proclamation for many parents and community members is a push to normalize sexual promiscuity and sexual ideations at a young age. If this is LGBTQ+ Awareness and History Month, what exactly are we bringing awareness to?
Rather than being inclusive of all of our students and families in this very large district, this board has chosen to be exclusive and recognize a group who sees their sexuality different than the societal norms.
If this board chooses to continue with this proclamation, which has an open ended ‘plus’ encompassing any and all sexual ideations, you are clearly pushing an agenda on our children, our staff and our families. If this board chooses to continue with this proclamation, you are making it abundantly clear that you are more focused on being politically correct than protecting our children who are the most impressionable and easily influenced.
Again, really gross stuff here, from a truly malicious figure. It’s also worth examining, from both rhetorical and legal points of view — I’m not just highlighting this stuff because Farrant is toxic and mendacious (though she is both of those things for sure).
Rhetorically, Farrant continued to hammer away at the gross false equivalence of LGBTQ+ people as agents of perversion that set upon innocent children. Enough repetition can make almost anything stick, especially when it comes to othering minority populations. By equating them to a threat, Farrant is able to use the conservative movement’s “protect our children” line at protests and demonstrations, which in turn allows It to seep through to public perception.
What’s new here is the effort to portray the LGBTQ+ community as receiving special treatment and deference that others do not receive. This fits in with the far-right tactic of entirely subverting the intent of the First Amendment and Establishment Clause, which were instituted to ensure that religious minorities could practice freely.
In their twisted worldview, they see Christians as under attack because they are not allowed to impose their religious beliefs on everyone, which has been their primary beef with public schools. This is the argument they’re riding all the way to the Supreme Court in their legal fight to win vouchers everywhere. If that happens, Farrant won’t have to think at all about LGBTQ+ Awareness Month.
Ohio
The Buckeye State is a perfect case study for the disconnect between partisanship and issue-based polling. A new poll find that 60% of voters in Ohio support the legalization of recreational marijuana, which will be on the ballot in November.
Reproductive rights will also be on the ballot, and based on August’s special election results, exceedingly likely to pass. Yet for some reason, GOP legislators are backing an effort to reinstate the state’s extreme anti-abortion law, which would take effect for a few months before being overturned again.
Then again, most lawmakers in Ohio will continue to have little reason to fear voters, as the state’s redistricting commission just voted to cement a GOP gerrymander until 2030. The vote was unanimous — including the Democratic members.
Voting Rights
On the subject of fair elections, there is some good news, some bad news, and some curious news.
Michigan: Let’s start with the good news. Michigan Democrats, who took power after voters demanded an independent redistricting process that ended Republican gerrymanders, moved forward on several bills that would expand access to the polls and end some of the state’s more arcane and restrictive policies.
One bill would end the imbalance in how ballots from voters who register close to election day are handled. Right now, clerks are required treat ballots submitted by voters who registered within 14 days of an election as if they were challenged ballots, subjecting them to extra scrutiny and slowing down the counting process.
Another bill would permit military spouses who are living abroad to vote electronically. This comes a year after Michigan made it legal for service members themselves to vote online.
Voters back home can’t vote online, obviously, but a third bill would finally create a system for online absentee ballot requests. A fourth would end the prohibition on hiring rides to get people to the voting booth.
North Dakota: OK, now for the weird. Right-wing activists in North Dakota just got the green light to collect petitions for a ballot initiative that aims to make voting machines illegal and greatly reduce access to mail-in voting.
Would people really vote to end the use of voting machines? Are they that QAnon-pilled? It all feels very 2021.
Louisiana: And now for the bad news. The good people of Louisiana will have to wait a bit longer for fair maps and competitive elections. For some odd reason, a conservative judge found it appropriate to pause the redrawing of the egregious gerrymander that had been tossed out. Where it goes from here is still be determined.
Economic Justice
California: Despite attempts by the powerful fast food lobby, workers at fast food restaurants in California will earn a starting wage of at least $20 per hour thanks to a new law signed this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
It took over 100 hours of negotiating between the lobby and labor unions in California to reach the deal. Right now, the average fast food worker in California makes $16.60 per hour, so the jump to $20 per hour next spring will be very significant. It applies to restaurants that have over 60 locations nationwide and do not make their own bread (see: Panera and other fast-casual eateries).
Arizona: In what would mark a remarkable shift from the state’s long history as a libertarian stronghold, activists in Arizona — home to Barry Goldwater and school vouchers! — have started an organized effort to qualify a ballot initiative to end the “right to work” policy that has been law of the land there for the past 77 years.
There’s a long way to go, and a lot of signatures to collect, but the existence of the effort itself is a massive statement on how the state has transformed in recent years and how much public support there is at this moment for labor unions.
Arkansas: In a bit of good news amid student loan payments turning back on (even if the government shuts down) and the cost of living continuing to climb in most places, Arkansas State University is introducing a scholarship that will make tuition free for most in-state students. Public colleges have become very expensive in many states, and poverty is very high in Arkansas, so this is a very welcomed development.
The Washington Post published a nice feature on More Perfect Union, the nonprofit, pro-worker media outlet where I’ve worked as a producer/reporter since April 2021. I’ve been lucky to play a role in many of the stories and campaigns that the Post mentions, but the entire story could have simply been a list of the great work being done by our growing team.
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