'The governor has cynically terminated Californians’ rights'

America is now almost $35 trillion in debt. That means every American owes $100,000.

'Kings Island’s focus continues to be on the welfare of the guest and his family'

'Egregious noncitizen'

'That's just my thoughts'

A Colorado school district uses a form asking staff whether a student’s parents know their child identifies as transgender and support that decision. St. Vrain Public Schools, in a Denver suburb, developed a so-called Gender Identity Guidance form for “counselors, interventionists, and administrators to support students dealing with issues related to gender identification.” The document, found on the school district’s website and reviewed by The Daily Signal, includes questions about students’ preferred name, birth name, sex at birth, and gender identity. A section asks whether parents are aware of their child’s gender identity and if they support that, as well as who can advocate on behalf of the child if his or her parents won’t.  Gender-Identity-GuideDownload “Do I understand the parent/guardian support and am I able to identify other supports for the student?” the form asks. Follow-up questions on the school district’s form include: — “Do student’s parents/guardians know of the gender identity?” — “Do parents/guardians support the gender identity?” —”Who can advocate or support the student if not the parents/guardians?” —”What are the communication methods/issues/challenges between school and home?” —“Who are the adult contacts at school for support, concerns, etc.?”  Gender policies such as this one at St. Vrain Public Schools, which allows children to hide their gender identity from parents, undermine parental authority and rights, Lori Gimelshteyn, executive director of the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, told The Daily Signal.  “As parents, our priority is our children’s well-being and safety,” Gimelshteyn said. “No institution should intervene between us and our children, especially during critical times like mental health crises.” St. Vrain Public Schools did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment about whether the district conceals students’ gender transitions from parents.  Another section of the Gender Identity Guidance form inquires about others’ awareness of a student’s gender identity.  The school employee who fills out the form must indicate the status of the child, who currently knows about the child’s transition, whether the transition is public or private, and who else needs to know.  The form lays out how schools in the St. Vrain district should handle communication related to the child’s gender, including how to discuss the transition in an “age appropriate” manner with classmates.  The form also tracks a child’s preferred personal pronouns and how to refer to that student in school records. A bill in the Colorado House of Representatives would require educators statewide to call students by their preferred name upon request. The Gender Identity Guidance form reviews a student’s use of facilities to determine whether the child is using restrooms and locker rooms in line with his or her gender identity.  The St. Vrain district also connects students with “outside resources,” such as Rocky Mountain Equality, the Human Rights Campaign, and other LGBTQ activist groups.  Rocky Mountain Equality offers programs for LGBTQ youth ages 11 to 18. Only those under 12 need parental permission to participate. The group provides children with “gender-affirming clothes” such as chest binders. (“Binders are reserved for those ages 11 to 18,” the website says.) The school district’s form considers “the social dynamics with other students/families/staff” and addresses potential challenges with extracurricular activities, such as sports and clubs. The Colorado High School Activities Association reviews students’ requests to play sports in accord with their “gender identity” if it “differs from their sex assigned at birth.” A bill requiring student athletes to play sports in line with their biological sex failed to pass the Colorado House last year.  The post School District Uses Form to Assess Whether Parents Know Child Transitioning appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Shocker: The White House Doesn't Have a Plan for Gaza

The head of the United Nations is pressuring governments to obliterate all online speech that is allegedly “hateful.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement for the June 18 “Day for Countering Hate Speech,” asserting that nations “have an obligation … to prevent and combat incitement to hatred,” especially on “digital platforms.” Guterres totally ignored his own organization’s virulent persecution of Israel and promotion of anti-Semitic jihadi propaganda. Instead, he claimed that anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic speech online illustrates a need for censorship that violates  American Constitutional protections. Guterres insisted on extreme suppression of hate speech without defining his terms. “Hate speech is a marker of discrimination, abuse, violence, conflict and even crimes against humanity,” he declared. “We have seen this play out from Nazi Germany to Rwanda, Bosnia and beyond. There is no acceptable level of hate speech; we must all work to eradicate it completely.” Leftists often label opinions they dislike as “hate speech.”  Guterres fear-mongered about “the power of digital platforms and tools that enable [hate speech] to spread across borders and cultures.” The UN secretary-general went on to use woke terminology in listing groups who can supposedly combat hate speech online, including “minority communities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth.” He promised that the UN “is currently preparing Global Principles for Information Integrity to guide decision makers around these issues.” While paying lip service to freedom of speech, Guterres seemed to argue for oppressive government censorship. “States have an obligation under international law to prevent and combat incitement to hatred and to promote diversity, mutual understanding and solidarity,” he alleged. “They must step up and implement these commitments.”  He later added, “Governments, local authorities, religious, corporate and community leaders have a duty to invest in measures to promote tolerance, diversity and inclusivity, and to challenge hate speech in all its forms.” But the UN certainly is not an objective arbiter and is particularly hypocritical on the topic of anti-Semitism.  The UN came under fire recently for blacklistingthe Israel Defense Forces, using Hamas-issued statistics to smear Israel’s military as “harming children.” The UN has also been deep in scandal after Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accused at least a dozen UN employees of actively participating in the Hamas Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis. Those accused were part of the UN agency UNRWA, which is reportedly “terrorism-infested,” according to international human rights lawyer Hillel Neuer. UN Relief Chief Martin Griffiths even claimed Hamas is “not a terrorist group.” All the evidence points to the fact that that Guterres and the UN are thoroughly hypocritical and cannot be trusted to determine objectively what “hate speech” is and whether it should be censored. Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using MRC Free Speech America’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

The hosts over at CBS Mornings couldn’t seem to decide how they felt about political flags. During the second hour of Thursday morning’s episode, they devoted a segment to an interview with Lynn Segerblom, one of the original creators of the rainbow Pride flag. However, only a few weeks prior, they denounced the Appeal to Heaven flag that flew outside of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s New Jersey home. In a dutiful demonstration of their alliance with the LGBTQ+ movement, co-host Gayle King introduced the interview with an apologetic admittance of the fact that no one in the studio was aware of the rainbow flag’s origin: While the flag is now a celebrated symbol for the LGBTQ+ community, the full story behind its creation has remained largely untold. You know what, I asked everybody in this studio–there's a lot of smart people here, including Klaus who's shooting me right now–none of us know the origin. Nobody knew the answer to this question. That's why we're very glad that Elise Preston sat down with one of the flag's creators who shared her personal story, reflected on how far this symbol has come.     CBS correspondent Elise Preston interviewed Segerblom who described the process of creating the flag and explained her reason for specifically choosing the rainbow which she said was “a beautiful phenomenon of light and color and nature? It’s all the colors. It’s the full spectrum.”  Yes, that phenomenon was a gift from God to humanity that had been subverted by a movement that promotes pedophilia and perverted indoctrination of children.  Segerblom mentioned the fact that credit for the flag’s creation had historically been attributed to Gilbert Baker, which prompted Preston to hilariously suggest that the “lack of inclusion of you had [...] to do with your gender.” The activist pushed back on that, pointing out that even the male contributors received no credit, including James McNamara who taught Gilbert how to sew. The hosts made an ironically weak show of enthusiasm with King densely commenting, “I like what she said, ‘It represents the full spectrum.’ That’s a good thing.” For his part, co-host Nate Burleson insipidly contributed, “Yeah, good history lesson.” Tony Dokoupil said nothing other than a couple mutters in submissive agreement. Just last month, King was clutching her pearls over Alito’s flag and boosting calls for his recusal from critical cases: “This morning, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito faces new calls to remove himself from cases tied to the former president and the assault on the Capitol. The New York Times reports a second flag used by January 6th protestors was seen flying at Alito's vacation home.” Yet, the juxtaposition of this episode and the one concerning Alito a few weeks ago was clear. Both covered the topic of flags but the one that represented perversion was celebrated while the other was decried as an insurrectionist symbol of Christian nationalism.  The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CBS Mornings 6/20/2024 09:48:18 AM EST GAYLE KING: This morning, in honor of Pride Month, we're taking a look at the history and evolution of the rainbow Pride flag that we’ve all come to know. While the flag is now a celebrated symbol for the LGBTQ+ community, the full story behind its creation has remained largely untold.  You know what, I asked everybody in this studio–there's a lot of smart people here, including Klaus who's shooting me right now–none of us know the origin. Nobody knew the answer to this question. That's why we're very glad that Elise Preston sat down with one of the flag's creators who shared her personal story, reflected on how far this symbol has come. [Cuts to video] ELISE PRESTON: For Lynn Segerblom, most mornings look like this… LYNN SEGERBLOM: These are rocks too… PRESTON: …each day treated like a blank canvas, and always starting off with a splash of color. SEGERBLOM: I want yellow. PRESTON: Fitting for a woman who used to go by the nickname “Rainbow”. SEGERBLOM: So, I had a driver's license that said “Fairy Argyle Rainbow” on it since 1976. PRESTON: A simple fusion of colors transformed into something more powerful when Segerblom and friends grafted a piece of rainbow artwork that brought a storm of change to California in the summer of 1978. SEGERBLOM: Well, I did work at the community center. I rented a room there to do my dyes in. It was only the second time there was a Gay Freedom Day parade in San Francisco. And they're like, “Well, we got permission to use the flagpoles at civic center. Do you guys want to go down there and look at them, think of what we could do with the flagpoles?” So we did, we went down. And of course, it gave me ideas. PRESTON: The idea, she says, was a striped rainbow flag that soon became the symbol of the gay rights movement.  You could’ve created anything. Why those colors? SEGERBLOM: I really love color. And what is a rainbow besides a beautiful phenomenon of light and color and nature? It’s all the colors. It’s the full spectrum.  PRESTON: But credit for the flag’s creation has historically gone to Gilbert Baker. SEGERBLOM: Gilbert, myself–this is the stars and stripe flag. PRESTON: A late activist who Segerblom says helped sew and promote the flags. The problem, she says, is that he was just one of several contributors who should be collectively recognized.  How did it feel to not get that credit? SEGERBLOM: At the time, I didn't know I wasn't getting the credit, you know? And this was a labor of love for all of us. Nobody got paid. You're there ‘cause you want to be. PRESTON: Yeah. Do you feel that the lack of inclusion of you had anything to do with your gender? SEGERBLOM: Mmm, maybe, but–James McNamara got no credit and he’s the one that taught Gilbert Baker how to sew. He passed away from AIDS in the '90s.  PRESTON: I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. SEGERBLOM: It’s hard to go through because it's your friends, it's your roommates, it's your hairdresser, it's your–people that you meet on a Friday. And then they're sick and they’re not gonna get any better. And then they're gone. PRESTON: That hurt turned into hope as rainbow flags helped wave in a new chapter in history with additional colors and stripes added over the years to promote the diversity and inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community. TARA RUSSELL SLAVIN: We have a number of flags to represent different elements of our community. PRESTON: The history of the gay rights movement is honored here by Tara Russell Slavin's team at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. SLAVIN: The overall sense, right, was that people were fighting for basic, just basic equality. It was a time of people often living in the closet, not being able to be openly out. And for those who did, they–it took a lot of courage. PRESTON: When the flag was created in 1978, how did it galvanize the movement? SLAVIN: I think it gave people a symbol or imagery to identify with the movement. And I think that is important when you're trying to create visibility, when you're trying to create acceptance. PRESTON: Yet the symbol made out of love has been met with hate. Vlad reports during Pride Month last year alone, there were at least 145 incidents of anti-LGBTQ hate documented nationwide. But at pride parades being held around the world this month, the rainbow flags still wave strong. SEGERBLOM: I love when I'm out and about and I see rainbow flags. I love it. I'm like, yes, please, do it more. PRESTON: An ode to the power some paint and a vision can have, even 46 years later. For CBS Mornings, Elise Preston in Los Angeles. [Cuts back to live] KING: And now we know. I think it’s such a beautiful symbol too. NATE BURLESON: Yeah. KING: I like what she said, “It represents the full spectrum.” That’s a good thing.  BURLESON: Yeah, good history lesson. TONY DOKOUPIL: Yeah, yeah. KING: I think so too! (...)

A private liberal arts school in Boston is blaming anti-Israel protests for a significant decline in new enrollment. When anti-Israel protests erupted at Emerson College this spring, school administrators bent over backward for student protesters who violated laws and ended up in jail. '... we will need to eliminate some staff positions, both vacant and filled, and potentially reduce some faculty positions.' The college not only praised the "immense bravery" of student protesters but promised not to bring Emerson-related disciplinary charges against student protesters, encouraged the district attorney not to press criminal charges on Emerson student protesters, dispatched Emerson staff to post bail for students who were arrested, and provided protesters with student housing so they could stay in town for court appearances. Now, school administrators are planning budget cuts and layoffs. "The size of our projected incoming first-year class for Fall 2024 is significantly below what we had hoped," said Emerson College president Jay Bernhardt in a letter this week. Bernhardt said the enrollment drop requires "immediate spending reductions" — including potential faculty layoffs. "We will limit our staff and faculty searches next year and carefully review existing programs and offerings for future savings," he said. "Finally, we will need to eliminate some staff positions, both vacant and filled, and potentially reduce some faculty positions." The anti-Israel protests, Bernhardt admitted, are partially responsible for the enrollment decline. He explained: We attribute this reduction to multiple factors, including national enrollment trends away from smaller private institutions, an enrollment deposit delay in response to the new FAFSA rollout, student protests targeting our yield events and campus tours, and negative press and social media generated from the demonstrations and arrests. While Beyond Bernhardt admitted to a "significantly" lower enrollment, it's not clear just how bad the figure is. The college's most recent data said that 1,002 first-time students were enrolled for the Fall 2022 school year.Tuition at Emerson College costs more than $50,000 per year.At least one Emerson staffer is already claiming the school's announcement is really an attempt to silence pro-Palestinian voices."It doesn’t make any sense," Illona Yosefov, an instructional technologist and member of Emerson's Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, told the Boston Globe."It feels like exploiting the situation to do whatever you want. It also feels like a way to quiet dissent, to scare people into compliance," she added. "I wonder if [Bernhardt is] trying to signal to all of them to behave come fall, or else."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!