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Subjective prioritizing

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Subjective prioritizing

Apr 22, 2022 | 8:00 pm ET
By Kate Queram
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News From The States: Evening Wrap

When I attack a to-do list (a daily occurrence), I always triage the tasks in order of importance. That usually means beginning with things I’ve been putting off; tasks that have festered and grown and need to be dealt with before I can move on to the smaller things. Occasionally, I might start with the low-hanging fruit just to feel like I’ve gotten something done, but that’s usually counterproductive. The longer you wait, the more urgent the other stuff becomes.

Prioritizing projects in order of urgency isn’t a revolutionary system — I assume almost everyone does some version of this. But it’s all subjective. For some people, swinging at the low-hanging fruit is the entire point.

The Big Takeaway

There’s arguably nothing more frustrating than watching Actual Crises pile up while lawmakers spend their time — and our money — proposing solutions for things that aren’t problems. It’s especially frustrating when those proposals target groups that are already struggling. And when the bills pass even after those groups have been clear about the harm they’ll face as a result? That’s downright maddening.

It’s also quickly becoming the norm. Lawmakers in 34 states have introduced more than 100 bills targeting transgender individuals, including dozens that take aim at children. They’ve banned more than 1,500 books in school districts across 26 states, most of them addressing topics of sexuality, race or gender. Forty-two states have attempted to restrict classroom discussions of racism and sexism

That list is far from comprehensive, but you get the idea — it’s a storm of discriminatory legislation that targets minorities and LGBTQ+ communities, groups that are already marginalized and more at risk of a host of negative outcomes, from self-harm and substance abuse to severe illness and economic struggle. It’s a toxic environment for them, and it’s damaging for the rest of us, too — because existential crises like climate change, systemic racism and rampant misinformation don’t stop just because lawmakers decide to focus on meaningless bigotry.

The world is literally on fire but by all means go after the trans athletes! (Illustration by Getty Images)
The world is literally on fire but by all means go after the trans athletes! (Illustration by Getty Images)

And that focus is unrelenting. There are increasingly fewer places that feel safe and accommodating for everyone. The tide can turn anywhere, even in states like New Jersey that previously embraced inclusivity and diversity. Just two years ago, the state adopted new health and sex education standards that included lessons on gender identity and expression. They’re now a flashpoint for controversy amid uproar from parents, conservative media and Republican lawmakers, the New Jersey Monitor reported.

Take state Sen. Holly Schepisi, a Bergen Republican who wrote on Facebook that “New Jersey has lost its damn mind” by embracing “totally age-inappropriate and highly sexualized” curriculum. Schepisi told the Monitor that her seemingly transphobic comments were totally not transphobic; she just has concerns about teaching kids that puberty blockers exist (they’re “medical interventions that have low certainty of benefits while carrying a significant potential for medical harm”) or convincing kids they’re “something they’re not” by pushing the idea that “gender doesn’t exist.”

Here’s the reality: Only about 2% of adolescents nationwide identify as something other than cisgender. Transgender kids undergo multiple, rigorous mental health and physical evaluations before receiving gender-affirming health care like puberty or hormone blockers (which are safe and reversible). Most importantly, gender identity — just like sexual orientation — isn’t contagious. Kids won’t change their gender identities simply because they learn that others exist.

I looked at this graphic representing gender fluidity and (wouldn’t you know it!) I still identify as cisgender. (Photo by Anne-Marie Miller/Getty Images)
I looked at this graphic representing gender fluidity and (wouldn’t you know it!) I still identify as cisgender. (Photo by Anne-Marie Miller/Getty Images)

Attempts to quell the outrage have only helped legitimize it. One Democratic lawmaker said he’d introduce legislation to “increase transparency” by giving parents the right to “review and ask questions” about the curriculum before it begins, things parents in New Jersey have been able to do for 40 years. Gov. Phil Murphy, another Democrat, blamed the furor on politicians “seeking to divide and score political points,” but still asked the state’s education department to “clarify” the standards.

“Any proposed educational content that is not age-appropriate should be immediately revised by local officials,” he said.

Those efforts seem like overkill, given the abundance of scientific, peer-reviewed information on transgender kids, gender-affirming care and the importance of representation. Those facts have been repeated ad nauseum by doctors and trans people and advocates across the country during polite opposition to scores of discriminatory pieces of legislation. None of it has really made a difference. The truth isn’t as flashy as the culture war talking points, even when it’s coming from people who live it every day.

Unsurprisingly, some of those people are fed up. In Florida, Black lawmakers staged a protest in the House chamber to halt debate on a proposed redistricting plan that dilutes Black voting power, effectively halving the state’s Black congressional representation. They chanted, and sang, and sat on the floor. Republicans responded by exiting the chamber, per the Florida Phoenix.

They came back eventually — you have to vote on the racist maps if you want to enact the racist maps! — but the Black lawmakers were undeterred. They kept chanting and interrupting, even as Republicans pushed the plans through and then gave themselves a round of applause. One Democrat described it as “clapping as democracy was dying.”

Black lawmakers promised after the session that the protest wouldn’t be a one-time event.

“We’re going to be revved up,” said state Rep. Ramon Alexander. “We’re going on offense, and we’re going to stop playing defense.”

Other offensive maneuvers: (Ohio) In town hall, Renacci embraces culture wars in primary against DeWine(Colorado) Data brokers provide ‘back doors’ for ICE to target immigrants, report says(Ohio) GOP reps introduce bill to expand access to ivermectin, other debunked COVID curesJudge finds birth-certificate changes imposed by Legislature violate Montana’s Constitution(Louisiana) Gov. John Bel Edwards: Some lawmakers focused on ‘non-issues’Advocates, doctor slam Florida health agency’s new guidance on treatment for transgender youth

State of Our Democracy

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has a long list of dislikes, including federal rental aid (there are no words for how much he hates it) and apparently also a voluntary federal conservation plan, which he’s characterizing as a “land grab.” 

Nebraskans should resist President Joe Biden’s “radical environmental agenda,” Ricketts wrote in a column this week. “We conserve without the heavy hand of government.”

Sunflowers in a field in Nebraska, all voluntarily conserved under a federal program. (Photo by Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)
Sunflowers in a field in Nebraska, all voluntarily conserved under a federal program. (Photo by Paul Hammel/Nebraska Examiner)

The “radical” plan in question is the Biden administration’s “America the Beautiful Initiative,” an entirely voluntary plan to enlist farmers and ranchers to conserve more land to benefit wildlife and help fight climate change. It’s not exactly clear what Ricketts finds radical or “heavy-handed” about this (entirely voluntary!) program, but it is clear that he feels strongly about it — so strongly that he’s spending his Friday hosting an all-day summit to stop it.

The event’s agenda includes work sessions for state and county “policy solutions and citizen activists,” a presentation on the “climate agenda” driving the (entirely voluntary) program, and remarks from U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), best known for interrupting Biden’s State of the Union address. Tickets cost $75 apiece (an altogether different sort of grab).

Conservation and agricultural advocates characterized Ricketts’ opposition as “hurtful and irresponsible” as well as out of step with Nebraskans. A recent poll conducted by a GOP-friendly agency found that 95% of registered voters supported voluntary conservation programs. Just 16% of respondents said the Biden plan would be bad for the state.

But the will of the voters is rarely the point. The president of the Nebraska Farmers Union said Ricketts’ rancor seems to be part of a larger strategy to have GOP governors oppose everything Biden does. Another official pointed out that his stance is hypocritical at best, given his recent support for two bills that will likely require the government seizure of private property under eminent domain — a decidedly mandatory process.

From the Newsrooms

One Last Thing

Face/Off is one of the best movies of all time (I do not care if you disagree but I am sad for your sad opinions!!!), so I am thrilled by the existence of this deep dive into its backstory. There was a life-sized robotic replica of Nicolas Cage with its own internal bladder system! It was originally set 100 years into the future, which frankly would have ruined the entire thing! It was written with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in mind! I will be thinking about all of this for the rest of my life!

Stallone and Schwarzenegger could never. (via Giphy)
Stallone and Schwarzenegger could never. (via Giphy)

This edition of the Evening Wrap published on April 22, 2022. Subscribe here.

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