What's The Point Of It All If We Can't Oppress And Abuse Transgenders?

You're going to rob Idaho residents of what little joy they get from life?

When people freak out because you propose being kind and civil to LGBTQ kids, you must be in Idaho. That’s because the entire state’s legal and moral infrastructure is predicated upon making the lives of LGBTQ kids as challenging and unbearably miserable as possible. It’s one of the few joys the Idaho chapter of the American Taliban gets from life. Teenage suicides? It’s just God’s way of sorting out the weak and unfit, don’tchaknow?

And it’s what Jesus would do, yeah?

Then, one school district decides to buck the trend, and git yer umbrellas, y’all, ‘cuz here comes the shit storm.

The monthly meeting of the school board in Caldwell, Idaho, about 30 miles west of Boise, ended in fracas and affray Monday night as a brand-new member of the state Legislature berated the board and threatened the the members with lawsuits if it passed a proposed policy to protect LGBTQ kids.

The proposed Policy 3281 was the focus of the usual anger and moral panic by the far Right, because it would allow transgender students to use school restrooms and changing rooms appropriate to the gender identity kids express at school, as long as a parent requests it. It would also require teachers to use a trans kid's preferred name and pronouns, and would let same-sex couples dance together at school dances, which would surely bring God's wrath on Idaho. (I mean, just the dancing, never mind the gay part.)

Oh, and to freak out all the rightwing Fox News watchers, the policy would provide confidentiality to students who prefer their parents not be notified they're out at school, meaning parents would be denied their sacred right to thrash the demon-possessed stranger they no longer recognize as the child they once had, in the spirit of Christian love.

Everyone knows that parents in Idaho are expected to raise their children to be good, God-fearing White Conservative Christian heterosexuals. Whether they are is entirely beside the point because the Gem State only acknowledges the validity of White Conservative Christian heterosexuals. All others need not apply.

That’s what Oregon, Washington, and California are for.

In most other states, most notably here in Oregon, an initiative like Policy 3281 would hardly seem necessary. In Portland, most of us assume that we’d treat LGBTQ students with respect and dignity. Of course, we’d respect their humanity and right to be who they are. They’re human beings and thus worthy of being treated with kindness and compassion, yeah? That’s our baseline.

Idaho, however, is a different animal. It’s a place where schools still harass LGBTQ students, and parents still beat their LGBTQ offspring out of “Christian love.” Most everything about Idaho is still oriented towards not providing a safe space for students who don’t identify as White Conservative Christian heterosexuals.

Then again, most of the Idaho Taliban are Christians in the same way I’m the love child of Joe Burrow.

But the school board in Caldwell wanted to try a different tack. Full credit to them for endeavoring to ensure that transgender students in their district aren’t abused and mistreated because of their gender identity.

The board had already taken some steps to keep the meeting minimally civil, limiting public comment to an hour, giving preference to actual residents of Caldwell, and limiting speakers to three minutes each. Even so, there were several moments when the audience grew so loud and aggressive that the board nearly adjourned, including when three Caldwell High School students gave a joint statement in favor of the rule change, because why the hell would you let THEM speak all together, it's madness!

Yep, they grumbled about the children, because the children weren't afraid of imaginary scary LGBTQ monsters. The hell with the children if they don't appreciate being protected.

Also, a middle school girl said she would feel very uncomfortable changing in the same locker room as a boy and everyone would be uncomfortable sharing a bathroom with a boy too, so she got applause.

The truth is that, even in Idaho, plenty of good people don’t want to see students harassed for trying to live their truth. Instead, they believe children should be treated with compassion and kindness regardless of their identity. After all, getting an education can be difficult when your days are spent fearing for your safety.

Kindness and compassion. Wow, what a novel concept, eh?

Except, to no one’s surprise, that’s not exactly how things played out.

Many people were willing to cite “God,” who miraculously happens to conveniently fall in line with their prejudice and hatred, in support of their argument against being kind and compassionate. And they were willing to shout down anyone with the temerity to disagree with them.

Yes, Virginia- sometimes the line between “class” and “ass” can be perilously thin.

The board meeting quickly descended into chaos because, as we’ve seen far too often, fundies cannot sustain a reasonable and rational discussion for any length of time. In most cases, they have neither facts nor patience on their side. And so they quickly default to the nuclear option.

If they can’t get their way, NO ONE gets their way.

After running through their usual pathetic (and short) argument (“GOD!”), they resorted to shouting, disrupting, and making sure no one else had a chance to voice their opinion.

In the end, it resembled monkeys flinging feces at one another, and before long it shut the meeting down. So, nothing was accomplished, which in this case, is what the fundies set out to do- prevent the policy they oppose from moving forward. All because they’re willing to continue tossing feces for as long as they need to.

It’s what Jesus would do, don’tchaknow??

Because it’s not as if they have a sound, reasonable, well-thought-out argument against the proposed policy of being decent to LGBTQ students.

No, they’re sinful! Therefore we must treat them like shit, as our God commands!!

Caldwell Police came in to protect the board members until the room was cleared, and happily no one was assaulted (yeah, only the CONSTITUTION AND GOD).

As Idaho Ed News notes, the draft policy is still in the early stages of being adopted; if the board decides to continue on with it, it will need a first and second reading in future board meetings before the board votes. Sounds like fun! I'll have to find some cardboard and a marker and make a sign saying "TRANSPHOBES ARE WEAK SAD POOP."

Don’tcha LOVE it when “Christians” can’t discern “Christian love” from prejudice, hatred, arrogance, and sheer, unmitigated dumbassery? These folks think their faith (and ignorance) is the Be All and End All, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Most of these folks probably haven’t cracked a Bible since their Sunday School teacher was playing “Warm Up My Wiener” with them.

They’re too angry and repressed to have any real idea of what the faith they claim to follow stands for, except that it firmly buttresses their fear and prejudice.

Pretty convenient, eh?

Yes, Virginia, there’s no hypocrisy quite like Christian hypocrisy.

Don’tcha LOVE Idaho and its good, God-fearing White Conservative Christian heterosexuals??

And people wonder why I’m an atheist.