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Anti-LGBT Parents Force Tennessee School Board To Consider Shutting Down Gay-Straight Alliance

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Anti-LGBT Parents Have Compared GSAs to ISIS, Anti-LGBT Students Have Worn ‘Straight Pride’ T-Shirts

The school board in Franklin County, Tennessee, is set to discuss polices related to student clubs Monday following weeks of controversy over a newly formed Gay-Straight Alliance. 

After years of requests from LGBTQ students, administrators finally approved the GSA at Franklin County High School (FCHS) last month pursuant to the Federal Equal Access Act, which effectively gives them a choice between allowing the club or banning all non-curricular organizations.

The decision to approve the GSA led to intense backlash in the remote town of Winchester, population 8,500, with opponents comparing the club to the terror group ISIS on social media, and anti-LGBT bullies vandalizing its posters and wearing “Straight Pride” signs, as first reported by The New Civil Rights Movement. 

RELATED: Tennessee Parents Wage War On Gay-Straight Alliance, Compare Club To ISIS

GSA opponents launched a Facebook page calling for people to speak against the club at Monday’s school board meeting, but officials initially indicated they wouldn’t be discussing the issue because the decision to approve the club had already been made. However, last week, three of the district’s policies related to student clubs and organizations were added to the board’s agenda. 

“I am very concerned that the issue of ‘Student Clubs and Organizations’ has been added as an ACTION item to the Agenda for the BOE [Board of Education] meeting on Monday,” the GSA’s faculty sponsor wrote on the group’s Facebook page. 

Two supporters of the GSA told The New Civil Rights Movement they’re unsure what action school board members intend to take regarding the policies. GSA supporters are planning a rally prior to the school board meeting, which has been moved from its normal location to Franklin County High School. 

Meanwhile, bullying of the club’s supporters has continued — both online and inside the high school. One GSA member reported last week that another student threw water on him in the cafeteria, but school officials refused to do anything about it. The GSA member said he’s considering filing a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, which — under the Obama administration — has cracked down on districts that fail to protect LGBT students against bullying and harassment. 

Meanwhile, on the Facebook page opposing the GSA, which is open for anyone, including LGBTQ students of all ages to read,  opponents have continued their hateful cyber-attacks on LGBTQ students and all those involved in the student group:

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On the bright side, the GSA has received support from all over the world, and organizers haven’t lost their sense of humor: 

 

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If the school board shuts down the GSA, the district would almost certainly face an immediate lawsuit from civil rights groups such as the ACLU or Lambda Legal. 

It’s difficult to imagine school board members would be wiling to expose the district to this type of liability in the name of anti-LGBT bigotry, and it’s doubtful a federal court would take kindly to such a move given that officials have already acknowledged they’re required to allow the club under the Equal Access Act — unless, of course, they also want to get rid of organizations like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and P7, both of which have chapters at Franklin County High School. 

Another possibility is that school board members want to add language to the policies to appease GSA opponents, who’ve said they feel the club is promoting an “agenda.” In fact, sources say the school has already implemented a new rule requiring all club posters to be placed in one location, in response to controversy over the GSA’s posters. School officials have also been accused of failing to discipline those students who wore “Straight Pride” posters in response to the GSA. 

In any case, Monday’s meeting should be interesting. Stay tuned to The New Civil Rights Movement for updates.   

 

 

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Fox News Host Suggests Trump ‘Force’ Court to Throw Him in Jail – by Quoting Him

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April 19, 2024

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The Fox News host who targeted a juror serving on Donald Trump’s criminal New York trial is now suggesting the ex-president should violate his gag order and “force” the court to throw him in jail, by quoting the Fox News host.

Jesse Watters came under fire earlier this week for profiling juror number two, sharing possibly identifying information published by a myriad of reporters but then using that information to pass judgment on her ability to serve.

“I’m not so sure about juror number two,” Watters concluded on Fox News.

Jurors, at the judge’s direction, were to remain anonymous, for their protection and the protection of the trial.

The judge excused her, after she said she felt she was not able to be impartial because friends and family were calling her asking if she had been chosen to serve on the Trump trial, after the media blitz.

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan admonished the press for reporting the information, but some news outlets appeared to ignore his warning.

Watters on Wednesday “did a segment with a jury consultant, revealing details about people who had been seated on the jury and questioning whether some were ‘stealth liberals’ who would be out to convict Trump,” the Associated Press reported.

READ MORE: Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

Trump later posted Watters’ quote on his Truth Social platform, leading some, including New York prosecutors, to ask the judge to cite him for allegedly breaking his gag order.

Judge Merchan ordered Trump to not mention witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, or the family members of prosecutors and court staff, CNN has reported.

New York prosecutors told Juge Merchan Trump has violated the gag order at least ten times.

“Prosecutor Christopher Conroy described the ‘most disturbing’ example as a social media message Trump posted on Wednesday evening quoting a Fox News host as saying, ‘They are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the Judge in order to get on the Trump Jury,'” Politico reports.

That host was Jesse Watters.

RELATED: ‘Afraid and Intimidated’: Trump Trial Juror Targeted by Fox News Dismissed

Friday afternoon, Watters appeared to egg Trump on, urging the ex-president to violate the gag order.

“I would make them put me in jail,” Watters said on Fox News. “I would have a tweet about something perhaps I said on ‘The Five’ or ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,’ and I would force them to throw me in jail.”

Watch Watters’ remark below or at this link.

 

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Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

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16 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says some of his fellow House Republicans would “take a bribe” to throw the razor-thin GOP majority to the Democrats if a far-right faction calls up a motion to oust Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, allowing Democrats to hand the gavel to the Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. he warned if that happens, Democrats would immediately declare Trump ineligible to be President, pack the U.S. Supreme Court, and pass numerous laws like the American Rescue Plan.

“I do believe in a one seat majority there could be one or two or three of my colleagues who would take a bribe in one form or another in order to deprive the Republicans of a majority at all,” Gaetz said Friday on his podcast (video below.)

He added, “the risk that one or two of my corrupt Republican colleagues might take a bribe, take a walk, feign an ailment and flip this thing to the Democrats is a risk that is too high for me at this time.”

Gaetz’s fellow far-right Florida Republican member of Congress, Anna Paulina Luna, told listeners, “I heard that when, if and when the motion vacate is introduced, that there will be immediate resignations of a couple of more moderate members of Congress. And in the event that that happens, that ultimately means it does go to a Democrat speaker.”

RELATED: Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) last month filed a “motion to vacate,” which she can use at any time to force a vote to oust the GOP Speaker, Mike Johnson. U.S. Rep. Tim Massie (R-KY) and just today, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has signed on as co-sponsors.

Congressman Gaetz told listeners if Democrats do take the House through a force vote to remove Johnson, Democrats would “be declaring Donald Trump an insurrectionist and setting up a barrier to him being able to become the president United States.”

“That’ll be their leadoff hitter, and then the chaser to that shot will be a massive spending package that looks a lot more like the American Rescue Plan. They will blow past every concept of every cap ever imagined. You’ll be looking at Universal Basic Income, you could be looking at packing the Supreme Court.”

Watch a short clip of Gaetz’s remarks below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

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Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

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19 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed Friday the majority of Democrats will support Republicans’ Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and Gaza foreign aid legislation as Republican Speaker Mike Johnson lost support of another member of his conference to a faction determined to oust him.

“Democrats will provide a majority of our majority as it relates to funding Israel, humanitarian assistance, Ukraine, and our allies in the Indo Pacific,” Minority Leader Jeffries said. “It remains to be seen what Republicans will do in terms of meeting the national security needs of the American people, but it was important for House Democrats to ensure that the national security bills are going to be considered.”

Despite Republicans having a one-vote majority, more Democrats on Friday voted to move the critical and long-awaited foreign aid bills forward than did Republicans.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

The 316-94 vote included 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans voting yes, and 55 Republicans and 39 Democrats voting no.

Axios’ Juliegrace Brufke posted the list of Republicans voting against their party’s legislation.

Calling it a “rare” moment in modern congressional history to have to rely on opposition party votes to pass legislation, BBC News reports Speaker Johnson’s “hold on power is tenuous, and the legislators who oppose him – and his bid to provide aid to Ukraine – occupy some key positions within the House’s power structure.”

Amid the procedural vote to move the foreign aid funding bills forward, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, a far-right Republican of Arizona, announced he is joining Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Congressman Tim Massie (R-KY) in formally announcing their will vote to oust Speaker Johnson.

Gosar, like Greene, is reportedly a Christian nationalist. In 2022 CNN reported his “lengthy ties to White nationalists, [a] pro-Nazi blogger and far-right fringe received little pushback for years.”

RELATED: ‘Repercussions’: Democrats and Republicans Stand Against ‘Pro-Putin’ House GOP Faction

“We’ve been very honest in our assessment of the situation from the beginning,” Jeffries on Friday also declared. “At the appropriate time as House Democrats, we will have a conversation about how to deal with any hypothetical motion to vacate.”

“Moscow Marjorie Taylor Greene, Massie, and Gosar are quite a group. But central to our conversation is to make sure that the national security legislation in totality is passed by the House of Representatives.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

 

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