Blog#152-3/29/23
THE CULTURE WARS ESCALATE
By Richard Davis
When the composition of the Supreme Court moved to the right religious fundamentalists and all kinds of right wing zealots felt empowered to reshape the world into their image of correctness. Abortion is now more difficult to obtain and all kinds of personal assaults on freedom, mostly on women, are taking place.
It would seem reasonable to think that humans would evolve in a more enlightened direction as time passes. But there is a significant segment of the population that has gained control of the political agenda and figured out how to give an inordinate amount of power to the minority.
One of the more deadly attacks by the right has been on the LGBTQ community. According to an NBC news report, “More than 100 bills targeting LGBTQ rights and queer life — from transgender health care to drag shows — have been filed in 22 states for 2023 so far, leading advocates to expect this year will set a new record for anti-LGBTQ legislation.
So far, Texas has taken the lead with 36 such bills, according to Equality Texas, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy group. Missouri is next with 26, then North Dakota with eight and Oklahoma with six. The majority of these approximately 120 bills focus on transgender young people, continuing a trend that began about two years ago.”
And then there is Rick DeSantis and the state of Florida. Republicans in that state have decided that teaching about sexual orientation in schools is a threat to the American way of life. I am trying to understand why there is a wave of rejection of anything related to sex whether it is education, the freedom to be a transgender person and access to abortion.
What are these right wing zealots so afraid of? Do they think that allowing abortion and accepting transgender people will ignite the fires of hell? Do they think that we will all be subjected to eternal damnation? Do they think that the entire world should abide by their twisted moral code?
Just when you think that the situation could get any more crazy Florida Republicans are now trying to pass legislation that would make it illegal for teachers to talk to a girl about menstruation if she is not in the 7th grade or above. Consider that girls start their periods anywhere from 10 to 16 years old and the average age is 12.
What harm will come from providing girls with access to information that will educate them about their own bodies? Why do these knuckleheads want to make sure that girls suffer in ignorance?
The anti-education forces are not offering arguments that make any sense. But you don’t have to make sense when you can stir up ignorant people and pass laws based on hateful philosophies.
A Time magazine piece put the matter into perspective stating, “Public officials’ own ignorance about periods—including the reality that many girls already have had started having them by or before sixth grade—should be proof enough of the foolishness of the Florida bill. But its folly is eclipsed by the clear danger posed by such ignorance.’
They go on to note that, “Political leaders like Gov. Abbott and Rep. McClain, who are either woefully misinformed about the mechanics of menstruation or willfully peddling murky math and outright lies, know that limiting knowledge advances their agenda. Which is why it is increasingly vital that the rest of us—especially anyone capable of becoming pregnant—be fully engaged in understanding the ebbs and flows of the menstrual cycle. The current Florida bill aside, it is alarmingly clear we can’t rely solely on schools to impart these lessons. Not only is sex education highly polarized and partisan, only 17 states even require that it be medically accurate.”
How far will these zealots go to ruin people’s lives? A Florida school principal was forced to resign this week because a teacher planning to show pictures of Michelangelo’s David did not warn parents three days in advance. What’s next?
We must use all of the political clout we can muster to prevent our world from becoming one of exclusion and stigmatization.
