Education Briefs
International sports authorities are banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports if they transitioned after the age of 12. The International Swimming Federation, known by its French acronym FINA, has moved to officially ban transgender athletes such as U.S. swimmer Lia Thomas from competing in women's sports on the world stage.
Similar bans have also been adopted by the International Cycling Union and the International Rugby League, which appear to recognize that post-pubescent men have an undeniable physical advantage over post-pubescent women. This obvious biological fact has evidently been lost on the NCAA, which has permitted transgender athletes to dominate women's sports in the U.S. While female athletes are generally pleased with these new bans as a necessary first step, Phyllis Schlafly Eagles President Ed Martin believes "it leaves the door wide open for the radical transgender ideologists to push hormone therapies and surgical procedures for younger and younger kids. Martin wrote in a June 21 press release: "We need total bans, not exceptions only for those who are prepubescent." James Pearce, spokesperson for FINA president Husain Al-Musallam, told The Associated Press that the transition by age 12 rule "does not mean that FINA supports early childhood transitioning." According to Pearce, "It's what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair." But Martin's perspective is more apropos: "Let us take this victory and keep running with it, not rest on our laurels and call the issue closed. This battle is far from over to save girls' sports!" Also unclear is what impact, if any, these international rulings may have on the Biden Administration's new attack on Title IX. The Western Journal, 6-21-22
Disney slaps itself in the face with woke "Lightyear" movie, the prequel to and latest in the otherwise successful Toy Story series, which was a box office flop in its opening weekend. The film came up short by nearly $20 million from the $70 million it was anticipated to earn,
ostensibly due to a gratuitous lesbian kissing scene Disney put in to spite Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his Parental Rights in Education law. The movie also introduced a new voice for the Buzz Lightyear character which turned off Toy Story fans, presumably because Tim Allen, who previously voiced the animated character, is now considered too conservative for Disney. Instead, the character is played by Chris Evans, an actor who is "very vocal" about his far-left politics. In fact, Evans insulted parents and others who dissed the movie because of the same-sex scene, calling them "idiots," who will "die off like dinosaurs." BlazeMedia cleverly described the film as "Woke = Broke," and said some critics "pointed out that the 'Lightyear' character is not the same as the toy figure character of the prior Toy Story films." The Western Journal reported that "fourteen foreign markets had already banned the picture and it seems unlikely the largest foreign market for U.S. films, China, will allow it to be released there without edits," which Disney has reportedly refused to allow. But as the Journal notes, the mainstream media just doesn't get it. They blamed all sorts of factors for the movie's box office failure; "literally anything but controversy surrounding the lesbian kiss." It's a hopeful sign, however, that parents and others concerned with the rot infesting all areas of American life, including children's entertainment, may continue to avoid exposing their kids to anti-Christian, LGBTQ-obsessed propaganda.
A North Carolina preschool teacher was caught using flash cards portraying LGBTQ themes, including a card depicting a pregnant man, to teach young children about colors. According to The Western Journal and Fox News, the objectionable cards came to light after a "worried parent" contacted Republican State Representative Erin Paré, who brought it to the attention of Tim Moore,
the Republican Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Moore issued a press release calling out the preschool class at Ballentine Elementary School, which is part of the Wake County public school system. According to Moore, Rep. Paré contacted the principal's office immediately after receiving the tip from the concerned parent, and the principal reportedly "took swift action to investigate and respond" to the information. "The principal found the stack of cards in a preschool classroom and verified with the teacher that they had been used by the teacher in the classroom to teach colors," Moore wrote. "The principal confirmed that the flash cards were not part of approved curriculum and that she was unaware that they were being used." It's an all-too familiar theme; that school leadership is allegedly in the dark about inappropriate curricula and has no idea it's going on. Also unclear is what if any action will be taken against the teacher, other than "notifying HR." But the good news here is that the North Carolina General Assembly is now "reviewing legislation that would make parents the primary decision-makers regarding their child's health and medical decisions and provide parents with opt-out options regarding controversial surveys or age-inappropriate classroom materials." A new poll cited in Moore's press release shows that 57 percent of North Carolina voters support such legislation.
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