Education Briefs
Disney's Minnie Mouse is ditching her classic red dress with white polka dots for a navy-blue pantsuit with black polka dots. The new attire, which is clearly gender neutral, was designed by famed clothing designer Stella McCartney, daughter of musician and former Beatle Paul McCartney. "Minnie has always had a special place in my heart," McCartney told the New York Post. "We share the same values." Really? "What I love about Minnie," McCartney continued, " is the fact that she embodies happiness, self-expression, authenticity, and that she inspires people of all ages around the world." But Minnie's new outfit conveys neither "happiness" nor "authenticity," but instead suggests darkness and depressing meaninglessness. She could be anything to anybody, which is doubtless the whole point. Disney indicated that Minnie's new style "is in honor of Women's History Month in March and the 30th anniversary of Disneyland Paris," but the new figure of Minnie fails to portray anything womanly. While feminists and the gender identity crowd will likely embrace her new look, it smacks of the Left's relentless effort to destroy everything traditionally American, including the timeless icons of children's entertainment. Rumble.com/Minnie Mouse
Missouri State Rep. Suzie Pollock (R-District 123) has introduced H.B. 2649, the Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act which is intended to protect minor children from physiological gender transition procedures. Pollock appeared on the Family Research Council's (FRC) Washington Watch program, where she explained that the bill makes it illegal to give children life-altering cross-sex hormones,
puberty blockers, or any kind of gender transition surgery. The legislation is timely as the propagation of gender identity ideology is rampant in the schools and on social media, resulting in increased numbers of children undergoing procedures that result in irreversible harm. These destructive treatments have not only ruined lives but failed to reduce the risk of suicide, and FRC says all these factors compelled lawmakers in states like Missouri to seek a legislative solution. Last year, 21 states introduced bills prohibiting gender transition procedures on minors. Arkansas became the first to enact such a bill into law, overriding Gov. Hutchinson's veto by wide margins. Missouri is the fifth state to introduce a SAFE Act this year, and 17 states have already introduced similar legislation. Many of these bills have even stronger protections for minors. The Missouri SAFE Act also defines crucial terms like "sex" and "gender," in order to differentiate a child's biological sex with the self-perceived gender. With rare exceptions, it prohibits public funding, insurance coverage, and referral for sex-altering procedures. Finally, the bill includes a professional penalty for noncompliance (i.e., revocation or suspension of medical licensure) and creates a cause of action for individuals harmed by violations to receive damages. Pollock urged Missouri residents to contact their state senators and representatives. "The faster we move, the better," she said. Family Research Council Washington Watch, Feb. 9, 2022
Tennesee Governor Bill Lee finally said "enough" to efforts by the University of Memphis to push diversity and equity through its "social justice" programs. In response to the governor's concerns, the university canceled a federal grant for its social justice programming, 
which began in 2020 and has "14 groups focused on improving academic outcomes for students of color, retaining faculty of color, and improving pay equity, as well as minority business contracting and creating diverse, equitable and inclusive coursework." The latest initiative would reportedly have awarded 15-20 professors with a $3,000 grant to "support faculty who are interested in redesigning and aligning existing course syllabi with the goals established by the workgroup" of the program focused on coursework, or in other words, to throw thousands of additional taxpayer dollars down the rabbit hole of leftwing politics. The governor explained his decision in a statement: "We welcome robust debate on college campuses, but taxpayer dollars should never be used to fuel a divisive, radical agenda." He added: "The University of Memphis has informed my office that the initiative will not move forward. Ending this program was the right decision, and I thank the university for hearing our concerns." The termination prompted apoplectic attacks on the governor by mainstream media, academia, leftwing organizations, and activists. The local chapter of Turning Point USA, a national conservative group that is represented on many college campuses, supported the grant cancellation. The Left accused this group of fomenting "disinformation campaigns about the pandemic and the 2020 election," and of sending "50 people" to take part in the January 6 insurrection, all of which had nothing to do with the worthiness of the grant program but was consistent with attacks by leftists when their agendas are thwarted. The bottom line: Governor Lee did the right thing and should be commended. MSN.com
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