Catholic HS Student Suspended and Arrested for Believing The Bible and Catholic Doctrine

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It causes a great upset to the woke generation in the Catholic Church when someone emerges who actually believes the Bible and Catholic doctrine. Josh Alexander is a hero who deserves our prayers and support. God bless him.

 

Canada: Catholic student who was suspended for

‘opposing gender ideology’ is now arrested by police

FEB 7, 2023 1:00 PM 

BY CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS

In a sickening update that should shake the conscience of every defender of human rights and Constitutional rights in Canada, Ontario police arrest Josh Alexander, who protested boys in girls’ bathrooms, for attending class.

I have been following this story from the beginning. See HERE and HERE for background. To sum it up: 16-year-old Ontario resident Josh Alexander was penalized with a 20-day suspension last year by his Catholic school “after he organized a walkout in protest of male students being permitted into the girls’ washroom.” In an interview around the time of Alexander’s initial suspension, the teen told LifeSiteNews that he believes, in accordance with Catholic teaching and the Bible, that there are only two sexes. Under the freedom of religion, Alexander has the guaranteed right to affirm this. Or so we thought.

Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC) took up Josh’s case and sent a “Notice of Intention to Appeal Suspension” to Mary-Lise Rowat, Superintendent of Educational Services at Renfrew County Catholic District School Board. But Josh’s situation deteriorated, and fast. LifeSite news wrote in an update February 1:

Alexander’s lawyer, James Kitchen, the chief litigator for Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC), told LifeSiteNews today that Renfrew County Catholic District School Board won’t “permit him (Alexander) to attend school for the rest of the year because, according to them, Josh’s beliefs constitute ‘bullying of trans students.’”

What nonsense. Mind you, the school is bullying Josh over his religious rights and freedoms, while doing severe damage to what the school proclaims about honoring Catholic teachings.

I previously wrote to the Diocese of Pembroke, of which Josh’s school, St. Joseph’s Catholic High School, and the Renfrew County Catholic District are a part. See the full correspondence HERE. Below is an excerpt from that correspondence, where you’ll notice immediately how institutions are able to hide (unintentionally or not) behind red tape, even when in violation of their own stated values.

On Jan 16, 2023, at 8:13 PM,

Vicar General / Vicaire général <vg@pembrokediocese.com> wrote:

Dear Ms. Williams,

Thank you very much for your email, to which Bishop Desrochers has asked me to reply on his behalf.

The Renfrew County District Catholic School Board is a separate corporation from the Diocese of Pembroke, and it is under the direction of a Board of Trustees. The diocese does not have jurisdiction over the internal life of the Board, nor does the Bishop have the authority to intervene in internal matters. He can, however, exercise moral suasion, and he is in regular contact with the Board’s leadership.

I thank you again for writing.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Michael Smith

Vicar General

and more….

On Jan 17, 2023, at 6:31 PM,

Vicar General / Vicaire général <vg@pembrokediocese.com> wrote:

Thank you for your reply, Ms. Williams.

I am not party to Bishop Desrochers’ conversations with the Board’s leadership, but it can safely be said that the Bishop can be trusted to uphold Catholic teaching in a manner that is both clear and sensitive to others, especially the vulnerable.

In Christ,

Fr. Michael Smith

From all appearances, the influence of Bishop Desrochers is questionable in a hierarchy that also appears to be corrupted at the highest levels and will only change with public opposition. Without any pushback, Canadians will lose more of their rights. So far, the Catholic faith, to all appearances, is of no importance at Josh’s school or within the diocese. Ethically, therefore, why is it even being funded by taxpayers as a Separate School system, categorized as religious? The news broke this month that the Ontario government faces a legal challenge for funding Catholic schools; St. Joseph’s Catholic High School and the Renfrew District School Board makes the challenge easy.

Far too many people’s rights are being trampled unconstitutionally in the rush to adhere to the woke ideology. In Josh’s case, he is a whipping boy for the intolerant in a country that boasts of its “tolerance” and “diversity.” His persecution is in a Catholic school which is apparently operating without any concern for the Catholic faith that the school professes to uphold.

St. Joseph’s Catholic School boasts about its faith and its “atmosphere of trust” on its website:

After the appalling suspension of Josh until the end of the year, Josh showed up to class, in accordance with his rights and in defiance of the woke gods of his Catholic school. The result: the school called in police to arrest him, fascist style. Josh tweeted:

The cowards tried to hide the impact of the school’s actions:

“The entire class was dismissed while the staff handled my situation,” the boy continued. “Shortly after, Ontario Provincial Police arrived and asked me to leave. Once again, I respectfully declined and they arrested me.”

Josh is a youngster who is bearing the burden for the rights of all believers, a burden that adults should be carrying. His attorney, James Kitchen, chief litigator for Liberty Coalition Canada (LCC), “told LifeSiteNews that Alexander’s decision to go back to school today was ‘an intelligent choice of a young man who knows what he is doing.’” 

In a society that claims to abhor bullying, it is criminal that institutional bullying is now at play in the case of Josh and in full violation of Canada’s constitution.

Approaching Sodom > Backlash Against Biden's Law on Xgenders in Sports; Scotland's Non-Sensical Census; Readings' Apologizes for Apology

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As LGBTQ lobbies get ever stronger, normal life will continue to recede further and further into #PCMadness

It's time for sane people to stand up against this lunacy

‘It will DESTROY women’s sports’: Tennessee governor Bill Lee wades into transgender athletes row

11 Feb, 2021 12:46

Governor of Tennessee Bill Lee. © AFP

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced this week that allowing transgender female athletes to compete against women in schools sports would "destroy women's sports" as controversial legislation deeming the practice "unfair" advances.

Lee made the statement after a bill gained steam which would mean that middle and high school athletes must only compete against athletes under the gender which had been assigned to them at birth, arguing that the boys are often physically more advanced than girls and that allowing the athletic mixing of people of different biological sexes could lead to avoidable injuries. 

The legislation would in effect ban middle and high schoolers in the state under assumed genders from taking part in sports. 

The debate is the latest in a string controversial legislative moves, some of which met a dead end last year in both of Tennessee's chambers amid criticism that it discriminates against transgender children.

Proponents of the bill say, however, say that it is ultimately designed to promote fairness and gender equality in sports. 

"The bill is discriminatory in and of itself, but it's also misleading," said Chris Sanders, Tennessee Equality Project Executive Director. "They are not providing a path for everyone to play, they are picking a group of people and trying to find a way to sit them out."

Debate amped up early in the Joe Biden administration after the United States president issued an executive order which bars gender discrimination on the basis of gender identity, essentially mandating that children be allowed to compete athletically under any chosen gender. 

"Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports," the Biden administration said in part.

However, Governor Lee is among those who have pushed back against the executive order, describing it as another example of federal overreach. 

"Transgenders participating in women's sports will destroy women's sports," Lee said. "It will ruin the opportunity for girls to earn scholarships. It will put a glass ceiling back over women that hasn't been there."

Sanders, though, isn't buying it and described the legislation as being "demeaning" to Tennessee's transgender community.

"How a small group of transgender students are going to destroy women's sports is baffling," he said. "The governor needs to learn more about transgender people and engage directly with the community."

The debate places both sides of the discussion, according to them at least, on similar ground of wanting to safeguard sports - with Gov. Lee backing the bill on the grounds of fairness and equality of opportunity for female athletes while, on the other side of the coin, its detractors bemoan the lack of opportunity for children who identify as being transgender. 

"It's a scientific fact males are much stronger (in their) upper body and in the big muscles of the body than the females are," Tennessee Rep. Glen Casada said, adding that the bill is "based in science."

"What we are doing here is attempting to protect the females who would compete as males in field hockey and wrestling and these other sports."

Precedent shows, though, that the legislation might face federal opposition. In August, a similar debate was struck down when a federal judge in Idaho ruled that the state cannot disallow transgender girls from playing on female sports teams.

Academics bash draft plan to SWAP biological sex for gender identity in upcoming Scottish census

11 Feb, 2021 12:32

Pedestrians walk in Princes Street in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain March 4, 2020.

©  REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

A group of academics has protested against a draft proposal by the Scottish authorities to replace biological sex with gender identity when collecting census data, arguing the change would spell disaster for researchers.

In a letter published by the Times, several professors from across the UK said they had deep concerns about how data will be collected for the nation’s upcoming census. 

When the UK census kicks off in March, the Office for National Statistics will ask if a person’s gender identity is the same as their legal sex, and, if not, will invite them to clarify what it is. Scotland, however, has postponed its own census until 2022, due to the Covid-19 crisis. 

Although hailed as a victory for the trans community, the group of academics, from the universities of Edinburgh, Essex and Manchester, sees things rather differently. The voluntary questionnaire is “conflating two distinct variables, of biological sex and gender identity”, they wrote, adding that information about gender identities is welcome, but can only be “properly understood” in combination with data on sex. 

Even more troubling, according to the professors, is that Scotland plans to do away with collecting data on biological sex altogether.

The academics pointed to a draft proposal by Roger Halliday, the Scottish government’s chief statistician, who has called for the practice of all data collection on biological sex to be ended except in certain “exceptional circumstances”. The government should focus instead on “gender identity”, Halliday suggested in his recommendation. 

Condemning the policy, the letter argued that “no robust evidence or argument has been provided to support such a fundamental change”.

The Scottish government pushed back against the criticism, arguing that the allegations are “not true”, because no formal guidance on the matter has been published yet.  

Although some details about data collection have yet to be finalised, the upcoming census will mark the first time that people in Scotland can identify themselves as transgender in their responses to the questionnaire. 

The professors ended their letter by warning that researchers would be deprived of the valuable data used to study the “full spectrum of public policy areas”, should biological sex be replaced by self-identified gender. 

We are on the brink of losing robust, high-quality data on sex in the UK. Once gone, we may never get it back.

The letter received accolades from the Campaign for Common Sense, which advocates for civil discourse on a range of hot-button issues facing the UK. 

The group warned that “self-ID will be introduced [through] the back door,” should the proposed changes to the census be made. 

Others suggested that opponents to the changes were dabbling in transphobia. The Equality Network, an organisation that campaigns for trans rights, claimed that “insisting” the question related to sex refers only to biological sex at birth would “deny” trans people their lived identity. 

I'm sure it will be extremely traumatic for them to check that box.

The controversy comes amid efforts to make public services more inclusive for trans people in the UK, sparking debate about whether some initiatives go too far. Earlier this week, the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust told its maternity-unit staff it was launching language guidelines to show support for “trans and non-binary birthing people”. The new policy means that doctors, nurses and midwives will heretofore refer to a “birthing parent” rather than “mother”. In addition, references to “breast milk” will be replaced with “human milk”.

Backstep:

‘I regret the apology’: Australian bookstore backtracks after apologizing for hosting ‘transphobic’ writer in 2018

11 Feb, 2021 18:22

Melbourne bookshop Readings has backtracked after being pressured into making an apology (4th story on link) over a 2018 appearance by feminist author Julie Bindel. The apology was demanded by a non-binary author before a Zoom reading.

Readings managing director Mark Rubbo acknowledged he’d made a mistake in hurrying to apologize for Bindel’s event three years ago, telling the UK Times that “bookshops should be homes to all ideas.”

While he admitted that “Julie Bindel has done amazing work for the women’s movement particularly in the area of violence against women,” he nevertheless insisted that “her views on transgender people are particularly controversial and have caused distress in that community.” 

He blamed the store’s rush to apologize on “the fact that we programmed an event with [trans author] Juno Dawson” and called the apology “an ill-considered attempt to acknowledge the distress that our event with Julie Bindel may have caused even though it occurred some time ago.”

However, it wasn’t Dawson who had impatiently (and publicly) demanded the apology. Alison Evans, a self-identified non-binary writer of “queer sci-fi for young adults,” was the one who’d threatened to back out of a February 25 Zoom event with Dawson if Readings did not “publicly apologize for hosting Julie Bindel.”

“Where is this apology?” Evans tweeted on Monday. Readings apologized for taking too long to put up the apology before posting it later that day.

Evans eventually made their tweets private, while Dawson did not appear to weigh in on the discussion at all, other than retweeting a post from Readings about the event.

Bindel herself was dumbfounded that a bookstore that had no problem stocking Hitler’s Mein Kampf and other more traditionally disturbing works would cave to such a “ludicrous” demand. 

While she was used to being “no-platformed,” and “this [was] not the nastiest example,” it nevertheless “made [her] jaw drop” – especially because she’d been so warmly welcomed at the shop in 2018, before it became politically incorrect to hold her views.

“I’ve been attacked twice now by trans activists but apparently it is the feminists who are dangerous and make everyone feel unsafe,” she explained, declaring the dustup was “about extreme misogyny and bullying.”

If we don’t all stand up against this – as businesses, individuals, political activists or just as decent people – then we’ve had it.

Those following the controversy on social media noted Readings was not broadcasting their “apology for the apology” with nearly as much volume as they had the original post.

Bindel herself weighed in on the controversy with a sarcastic tweet, noting that Rubbo owed her a more personal apology in a way that suggested she didn’t expect to get one. 

While Rubbo did not explain why he had opted to apologize for the initial apology – and not contact Bindel – the reaction to it on social media had been harsh, with many followers vowing to avoid the bookshop in the future and questioning why Dawson and Evans’ “misogynist and homophobic” views should be privileged while Bindel’s should be exiled. Dawson herself had once commented that many gay men are gay “as a consolation prize, because they couldn't be women.”

Juno Dawson's views on women & their rights are particularly controversial & have caused distress across the globe. The fact that you programmed an event with Juno Dawson, then intentionally trashing Julie Bindel AND retroactively, brought that back to the surface.

— Michael_A (@Michael_AW77) February 11, 2021

“I hope destroying your reputation was worth it,” one commenter snarked.  

Positive Stories in the War on Child Sexual Abuse - Episode XXIV

Court: Methodist Bishops Must Testify

in Child Sex Abuse Case

By The Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Two United Methodist bishops must testify in a lawsuit filed by a one-time church member who claimed he was sexually abused, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled Friday, turning away the church leaders' efforts to stay out of the case.

The all-Republican court, in a 7-2 decision, rejected attempts by the current bishop for north Alabama, Debra Wallace-Padgett, and her predecessor, Will Willimon, to avoid sworn testimony.

Both Wallace-Padgett and Willimon, who now teaches at Duke University, claimed they didn't know anything personally about the complaints of a male who claimed he was sexually abused as a minor by a United Methodist youth pastor. Wallace-Padgett also argued it would be “unduly burdensome” for her to provide documents.

The justices rejected their arguments, saying neither was protected by a rule that shields high-ranking corporate or government officials from testifying about cases in which they have no direct knowledge.

The decision came as courts nationwide grapple with lawsuits and legal questions raised by complaints of sexual abuse within multiple religious denominations.

Gregory Zarzaur, an attorney representing the person who filed suit, said churches need to do more to protect their most vulnerable members.

"Today's decision puts church leadership on notice that when children are alleged to have been harmed through the church, church officials will be called upon to answer for what steps they took to investigate allegations of child sex abuse and what they have done and are doing to prevent child sex abuse," he said in a statement.

Terry McElheny, an attorney for the bishops, said they likely would move forward with scheduling times to testify. “I'm disappointed in the result and I wish they had ruled differently, but that's why we have courts,” McElheny said.

Identified in court records only as “J.N.,” Zarzaur's client filed suit in state court in 2015 alleging he was sexually abused as a minor by Charles Terrell, who was identified as a one-time youth minister at First United Methodist Church of Sylacauga, according to the Supreme Court decision.

The suit named Terrell and his wife, the church, regional church officials and others as defendants, records show, but not the United Methodist conference which governs north Alabama or the bishops. Wallace-Padgett took over as bishop from Willimon in 2012 around the time of the alleged abuse, McElheny said.

Terrell has denied the abuse allegations, and church organizations have denied being responsible for anything that might have happened.

The lawsuit requested an unspecified amount of money to compensate “J.N.” and to punish the defendants.

Sometimes it's difficult deciding whether a story is good news or bad. This story is included in the 'Positive' column, for now, but may have to be moved to the 'Negative' column if nothing serious comes of it.

Child sexual abuse claims to be raised at Stormont

The Impartial Reporter

The new Stormont Health and Justice Committees will consider examining the fallout over Fermanagh’s historical child sexual abuse claims at its first meetings, due to take place today (January 23).

Colm Gildernew

Responding to The Impartial Reporter’s query this week as to when the historical abuse claims would be raised in the chamber, a spokeswoman on behalf of the Chairman of the Health Committee Sinn Fein MLA Colm Gildernew said: “The Chair believes that the most effective way to deal with the health aspects of the issues you raise, would be for the Committee to consider it collectively.” She went on to say that the series of questions posed by The Impartial Reporter will be added to the list of correspondence for discussion as part of the Committee’s proposed work plan for the coming months.

Justice Committee member DUP MLA Pamela Cameron told The Impartial Reporter that the sexual abuse allegations must be “fully investigated” and needs to be “part of a wider strategic approach rather than an attempt at a quick fix”.

She said: “These are grave and disturbing allegations. The shock as more and more has been revealed by The Impartial Reporter has travelled well beyond County Fermanagh.”

Ms. Cameron continued: “All allegations must be fully investigated, and I support the forces of law and order as they pursue this course of action. Due process must be followed. I know my colleague Lord Morrow has been pressing this issue for many months and we support his efforts.

“I am always in favour of more funding for frontline services. This needs to be part of a wider strategic approach rather than an attempt at a quick fix.”

“I will certainly use my platform to press for justice and support for victims,” Ms. Cameron told this newspaper.

Meanwhile, Ulster Unionist MLA and Justice Committee member Doug Beattie MC said: “I am aware of media reports regarding historical child sexual abuse cases in Fermanagh. This is obviously an extremely worrying and serious matter and I welcome the fact that there is an active police investigation which must be allowed to run its course.

“I understand that this matter is likely to be raised at the meeting of the Justice Committee,” he said.

The matter will be raised today (Thursday) after Justice Chairman and Democratic Unionist MLA Paul Givan included queries sent by this newspaper in correspondence for consideration.

More than 70 alleged victims have been in touch with The Impartial Reporter to make allegations against more than 70 people. Many of these alleged victims have spoken out for the first time. Many of them have never got justice and many of them are critical of the way in which their allegations have been handled by Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and other statutory bodies.

The issue, which was first reported last March, has been discussed at Westminster and now Stormont, but has yet to be discussed at length at Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

Another story where it is difficult to decide whether it is good news or bad. The more than doubling of police in the online CSA squad is very good, but the dramatic increase in child sex abuse that made it necessary is most unfortunate.

Met Police doubles online child sex abuse investigators after offences soar

ANTHONY FRANCE 
The Evening Standard

Scotland Yard has more than doubled the number of officers tackling online child sex abuse following a huge increase in offences.

On average 182 crimes of possessing, making or distributing indecent images and videos were recorded by the Met each month last year, compared with 79 a month in 2016. 

Police said one of the causes of the 130 per cent rise in offences was internet child abuse being discovered on phones and devices belonging to suspects initially arrested for other crimes. 

Hundreds of referrals also come into the Met from the National Crime Agency when abuse images are shared via US-based social media platforms. Other UK police forces, charities and the public also spark investigations.

Often a suspect can be caught with thousands of images and clips across multiple devices. Each needs to be examined and graded, and enquiries made to trace victims.

All 12 of the Met’s borough commands will now have dedicated teams investigating paedophiles, taking the number of officers and staff from 90 to 208.

A detective sergeant and eight detective constables or Pcs will work alongside borough colleagues, and the unit’s central team will be in West Brompton. 

Detective Superintendent Zena Marshall, the Met lead for online child sexual exploitation and abuse, said: “Online offenders can consider themselves less responsible than a ‘real-life’ abuser as they hide behind a screen — but a child being sexually abused is at the heart of every image or video.” 

She said there was “no clear profile” for offenders: “Although the vast majority are male, they are of all ages and walks of life including teachers, doctors and vicars.”

She added: “The scale of these offences, and need to adapt to the advancement of technology, is challenging for all forces including the Met.”

Officers viewing the images  are given psychological screening before joining the unit and support once on it. 

The Met works closely with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a UK-wide child protection charity deterring people from viewing under-age sexual images. Their new campaign video, The Fear, shows a wife walking in on her husband looking at disturbing images.

LFF chief executive Donald Findlater said: “This is not a victimless crime and the illegal behaviour has huge consequences for people including job loss and prison, but families also often break up as a result. I’d urge anyone who wants help to stop their damaging behaviour to get in touch with us in confidence.”

Germany has a program where the offer free counseling for paedophiles who are attracted by children. The program is widely advertised. Such should be available everywhere.

There may be hope for humanity yet!

Florida House panel to debate bill criminalizing sex-change surgeries & puberty blockers for kids, as 5 other states consider bans

FILE PHOTO © Global Look Press \ZUMA Press \Watchara Phomicinda

A bill that could make it a felony to perform sex-change surgeries on minors as well as inject them with drugs to delay puberty is set to go before a Florida House subcommittee next week, as more states eyeing similar motions.

The ‘Vulnerable Child Protection Act’ will be on the agenda of the Florida House Quality subcommittee as it meets on Monday.

The bill is sponsored by Republican Rep. Anthony Sabatini, who has long opposed the practice that permits a doctor to treat underage patients suffering from ‘gender dysphoria’ with medicine that slows the onset of puberty and to perform sex-change surgeries on them, providing their parents OK the procedure.

“Common sense,” the lawmaker tweeted on Saturday, welcoming the news of his proposal moving forward.

Anthony Sabatini

@AnthonySabatini

Common sense https://twitter.com/giancarlosopo/status/1223688923706249216 …

Giancarlo Sopo✔

@GiancarloSopo

Exclusive at @TheBlaze: On Monday, Florida lawmakers will begin debating a bill by Rep. @AnthonySabatini that would make it a felony to perform sex-change surgeries on minors in the state. Sabatini says his Democratic colleagues opposed the measure. https://www.theblaze.com/news/florida_sex_change_surgeries_ban …

If passed, the law would make it a second-degree felony for any health care provider to engage in the activity aimed at altering a minor’s sex.

When he filed the bill back in January, the lawmaker compared the sex-changing treatment to maiming, tweeting that “no parent should be allowed to sterilize or permanently disfigure a child.”

Anthony Sabatini

@AnthonySabatini

Today I filed HB 1365, the Vulnerable Child Protection Act.  This Bill makes it a felony for a health care practitioner to surgically or medically change the sex of a minor.  No parent should be allowed to sterilize or permanently disfigure a child. https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=69696 …

The proposed law has drawn swift pushback from Democrats, arguing that the bill outlaws “life-saving healthcare treatment” to teenagers that have not yet come of age. The critics of the ban argue that children that are not able to receive such treatment are at a higher risk of depression and suicide.

In fact, the highest rates of suicide attempts among children are those who have already transitioned. The rates for transgenders are exponentially higher than the rest of the population.

Astonishing Transgender Adolescent Suicide Behavior - A National Emergency! - Female to male adolescents transgenders reported the highest rate of attempted suicide (50.8% - 150 times normal)

Speaking to the Blaze on Saturday, Sabatini accused Democrats in the Republican-controlled legislature, who attempt to shoot down his proposal, of “furthering a political agenda” at the expense of children’s health. Citing medical findings on the issue, the lawmaker said that about 80 percent of children tend to “outgrow” their body dysphoria.

South Dakota Bill Sparking Furious Backlash

While the Florida bill has yet many hoops to go through before it can become a law, a similar bill already cleared the House of Representatives in South Dakota. Approved on Wednesday, it bans doctors from prescribing puberty blockers to anyone under 16 as well as outlaws sex reassignment surgery.

The bill, that still has to receive the green light from the state’s senate, sparked major backlash among liberals and LGTBQ advocacy groups. The Human Rights Campaign, largest LGBTQ lobbying and advocacy group in the US, eviscerated the motion, accusing the bill’s sponsor Rep. Fred Deutsch of “spreading misinformation and using vicious, harmful rhetoric while doing so.”

A host of similar bills have been at different stages of progress at least in four other US states. The list includes Colorado, Oklahoma, South Carolina and  Missouri, where it would not only penalize doctors, but also label parents giving nod to the sex-altering treatment child abusers.

Altering a child's gender before puberty is one of the worst kinds of child sexual abuse. Those who practice it, and those who push for it are child abusers of the worst kind. I pray these bills would all pass and many more states would follow. We need to stop this #PCMadness!

Every delay in child rights cases, a moment of triumph for abusers: Maldives President Solih

The good news here is that the bad news is getting attention at the highest level of government in the Maldives. There's a determination to do something about it. Excellent, Mr President!

Rae Munavvar, The Edition

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Monday, amounted the time lost in negligence on part of the authorities tasked with protecting the rights of children as being a win for perpetrators of abuse.

The statement was made during the presidential address delivered at the parliament's 2020 inaugural session, which commenced at 0900 hours.

Ten minutes into his speech, the President addressed the most discussed topic during the first month of 2020 stating aptly, “We have all spent the last month in mourning following the inhumane violation of an innocent girl, not even 2 years of age, subjected to sexual abuse by her most trusted guardians.“

Four shocking stories from the Maldives - Maldives imaam suspended over gang-rape of a toddler
(8th story on link)

“Responsibility for this incident falls primarily on the systematic failure of the judiciary to hold perpetrators accountable, and the negligence of other state administrative bodies", said the President, acknowledging the culpability of the government in allowing the tragedy to take place and adding there were cases concerning child sexual abuse lodged as far back as 2012, still awaiting a conclusion.

“For these cases, every passing moment of delay, due to the dereliction of duty within the justice system or that of government institutions, is a moment of victory for those that violate the rights of children and subject them to abuse", said the President.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih delivers his presidential address at 2020's first sitting of the new session of Parliament. PHOTO: NISHAN ALI

However, President Solih assured that after the newly amended Child Rights Protection Act comes into force on the February 20, it will "ensure the protection of all children from having to experience any form of sexual abuse - more so than ever before.”

The President further remarked that the Child Rights Act was passed after previous administrations had stalled the legislation in discussions for 28 years.

And how many children were sexually abused in that time frame, who might not have been? There is blood on the hands of some legislators.

On the same note, the President highlighted the rising issue of unregistered births, which he attributed to parents attempting to evade the state’s mandatory vaccination policies. Referring to the aforementioned Act he declared that, “parents do not possess the choice to deprive children of vaccination” adding that under his administration, the government would “identify and vaccinate” children in such situations, as well as “monitor their education”.

Nevertheless, authorities have reported a significant increase in arrests made over accusations of child sexual abuse, thus far no convictions have been confirmed. With respect to the 21-month toddler referenced in the President's address, only an extension of remand periods for primary suspects was reported on February 1.

Culture of Abuse

Prior to public outrage sparked over the toddler's sexual abuse, the incumbent government earned considerable ire over delayed action in the case of the 13-year-old child 'bride', which drew attention to the ongoing, unchecked existence of a 'culture of abuse' across Maldives.

Yet the current government's initial draw of critique with respect to child rights, occurred 20 days after President Ibrahim Solih took office after he commuted the sentence of Ibrahim (Hoara Ibbe) Rasheed. Three months later, the president expressed remorse over freeing an unnamed individual in a decision he described as being "hasty" and "one thing I wish I had not done; I feel remorse over it.”

This Monday's hour-long parliamentary session concluded at 1000 hours, with the address spanning a duration of approximately 42 minutes.

Maldives' constitution stipulates that the president shall deliver his address during the initial sitting of the parliament's first term, which must be held within the first week of February. In addition to the above, during the address, the president outlined various government priorities and key plans for the year 2020.

NHS scrutinizes puberty blockers amid complaints,

lawsuit against Tavistock clinic

By Brandon Showalter, CP Reporter

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust building in London, England. | YouTube/Sky News

Amid an ongoing legal challenge against the United Kingdom's lone gender clinic, The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, the National Health Service is now giving greater scrutiny to experimental puberty-blocking drugs prescribed to gender-confused children.

The NHS announced that it has examined the use of experimental hormone drugs in children who say they desire to undergo a medicalized gender transition. The findings of this official review, conducted by a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and her team, will be published later this year, The Guardian reported Sunday. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) is also involved in the formal review and will advise Dr. Hilary Cass' team.

“This is a fast-developing area of medicine with emerging evidence and high public interest. I look forward to chairing this independent group, bringing together medical and non-medical experts with a range of perspectives, to make evidence-based recommendations about the future use of these drugs,” Cass said.

She will lead a team of 20 experts.

The Tavistock clinic maintains their approach is "evidence-based" and that they work with each patient on a "case-by-case basis." A clinic spokeswoman said they welcome the review.

The increased scrutiny of these practices is in part due to the testimony of Keira Bell, 23, who underwent a medical gender-transition during her teens and is a claimant in a lawsuit against the Tavistock clinic, brought by former NHS psychiatric nurse Sue Evans.

Bell, who is now known as what is called a "detransitioner" — someone who once lived and identified as the opposite sex but no longer does and in many cases regrets their transition — said in a statement last week that she does not believe minors are capable of giving informed consent to using experimental hormone drugs.

I believe that perhaps a majority of transgenders regret their transition at some time in their lives. It is why suicide attempts by transgenders are exponentially higher than the rest of society.

It may also have to do with the fact that the vast majority of transgenders are mentally ill, whether they are like that going in, or become mentally ill because of transitioning, is a good question. But in either case, they should not be allowed to transition. It's complete madness!

"The treatment needs to change so that it does not put young people, like me, on a torturous and unnecessary path that is permanent and life-changing,” Bell said.

Bell's lawyer noted during court proceedings that she "seriously regrets the process and feels that the way it was handled and her involvement in it was not appropriate.”

Evans and others, such as former Gender Identity Development Service-Leeds clinical psychologist Kirsty Entwistle, have in recent months gone public with their concerns about the internal practices within the Tavistock clinic, particularly the speed with which young people were being referred for hormone blockers.

And the spectacular increase in the number of transitioners, especially girls transitioning to boys, in the past several years, of which 51% have attempted suicide. See link above.

I present this story in the 'positive' column of this blog as I hope, and pray, that some degree of sanity will prevail when the truth comes out. Otherwise, I may have to move it to the 'negative' column which would be hardly believable.

It's hard to imagine they could see what is happening to children and not do something about it. But it is disappointing that the NHS did not begin action on this file until a lawsuit was filed. It seems they are far more concerned about money than about kids.

UK High Court to Rule if Clinic can Carry Out Gender Reassignment on Children as Concerns over Methods Mount

Please God, let sanity rule in the High Court rather than #PCMadness

FILE PHOTO. ©  Global Look Press / EIBNER /EXPA /Juergen_Feichter

The High Court in London is to start hearing proceedings in a case against the UK’s only NHS ‘gender identity development service’ treating children, amid growing concerns about the clinic’s methods.

This week, the court will hear a case brought by the mother of a 15-year-old patient at the Tavistock Clinic in Leeds  – identified only as “Mrs. A” – and Sue Evans, who worked there as a mental health nurse between 2003 and 2007. Both accuse the state-sponsored child gender reassignment center of providing an “inaccurate and potentially misleading” picture about the risks of such life-changing treatment to their young patients and their parents.

Gender reassignment should not be ‘general approach’ 

The plaintiffs argue that such medical intervention cannot be performed with only a child’s consent, claiming that the clinic’s patients cannot fully comprehend the consequences of such life-changing decisions.

“We are essentially seeking to say that the provision at the Tavistock for young people up to the age of 18 is illegal because there isn’t valid consent,” said Paul Conrathe, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs. Such treatment should not be delivered “as a matter of general approach,” but instead should require a court order in each case, he told the Guardian.

The Tavistock Clinic’s methods have already attracted controversy, particularly due to the criticism of its Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) by former employees, who accuse it of “over-diagnosing” children with gender dysphoria to subject them to what some are calling risky and experimental treatment.

Children might be ‘over-diagnosed’

As many as 35 psychologists have resigned from GIDS over the last three years, with some of them raising concerns about the clinic’s practices. “Our fears are that young people are being over-diagnosed and then over-medicalized,” one of them told Sky News in mid-December.

“We are extremely concerned about the consequences for young people… For those of us who previously worked in the service, we fear that we have had front row seats to a medical scandal.”

The clinic generally treats children and teenagers under the age of 18. At least half of them are subjected to therapy that can have severe adverse health effects, according to the Telegraph.

First, they are prescribed hormone-blockers that halt puberty and could generally slow normal physical development to supposedly give children “time to consider” if they really want to go through the transition process. The next stage is hormone therapy, which leads to irreversible changes in the human body and eventually makes those taking hormones infertile while interfering with normal hormone production. Finally, when patients reach the age of 18, they can go through gender reassignment surgery.

The number of children going through GIDS has risen by a whopping 30 times over the last decade, from 77 patients a year in 2008 to almost 3,000 in 2018, according to the Tavistock Clinic’s own figures.

Yet, psychologists who used to work at the clinic warn that the center may be too eager to force a certain agenda, instead of really dealing with the problems its patients have. “At the moment, there’s only one pathway through the service, which is a medical pathway, not a psychological one,” one of them told Sky News.

Pushing an agenda? 

Medical specialists, who have left the clinic, added that psychologists working there were kept under constant pressure because of fear of being called “transphobic.”

“I didn’t feel able to voice my concerns, or when I did I was often shut down by other affirmative clinicians,” one of them told Sky. “Looking back there are young people who I now wouldn’t necessarily put on medication.”

The GIDS, which is controlled by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, brushed off concerns voiced by its former employees by saying that it supports every young person on a case-by-case basis, as well as allows its specialists to discuss any case and “to engage openly and supportively with patients and parents.”

Frightening stats in Glasgow

The issues, however, may not be limited to just one clinic across the UK. In late December, the Times reported that the number of children referred to a gender reassignment clinic in Glasgow, Scotland has soared recently, with referrals of patients aged between four and 10 skyrocketing by 80 percent in just over one year. 

Trina Budge, co-founder of local NGO forwomen.scot, expressed alarm that children in Scotland might not receive sufficient support before being presented with the surgical option. 

“Very vulnerable children who may be confused about their sexuality, be autistic, suffered trauma or have other co-morbid mental health conditions are at risk of being sent down an irreversible and experimental medical pathway, when psychological support and talking therapy may be more appropriate,” she said.

There is good reason to believe that a majority of  transgenders are mentally ill. The question is how many are mentally ill before they become transgendered, and how many become mentally ill because of transitioning? What we do know is that a staggering number of transgendered people attempt suicide - exponentially more than in the rest of society. We also know that 51% of teen girls or young women who transition, attempt suicide. #PCMadness is fueling this insanity! There is something seriously wrong with this picture.

Huge Rise in School-Age Girls Seeking Gender Reassignment Prompts UK Govt Research

51% of adolescent f to m transgenders attempt suicide in teens

- 150 times normal

This is an international emergency of the highest order

''Protect Trans lives '' placard, Leeds, West Yorkshire. August 5, 2018 © Joel Goodman / Global Look Press

A huge rise in the number of school-age girls seeking gender reassignment, which has seen an increase from 40 to 1,806 referrals in eight years, has prompted the UK government to request a study into the reasons behind the surge.

Minister for Women and Equalities Penny Mordaunt has ordered research into the reasons behind the sharp rise in gender reassignment referrals among all children, but particularly girls, the Times reports.

The Tavistock and Portman Trust, the only place in England and Wales to offer a gender identity service in the NHS for 18 year-olds, has witnessed a big surge in girls referred to its gender identity development service for children.

According to the Trust, total referrals for boys and girls has risen from 97 cases in 2009-10 to 2,519 last year. Referrals of girls has seen a particularly large increase where eight years ago it saw 40 cases, but by 2017-18 that number had grown to 1,806 - more than double that of boys.

The Times report a source in the government equalities office as saying: “There is evidence that this trend is happening in other countries as well. Little is known, however, about why this is and what the long-term impacts are of the assessment and support young people receive through this NHS service.”

The source added that the government was finalising the parameters of the study and would make public the details in due course.

Good grief! Here's a hint: Dramatic Increase in Teen Girls Suddenly Becoming Transgender. It has much to do with social media and the dramatic increase in popularity many girls experience when they begin to explore the idea.

But this is the worst possible situation as another study that just came out reported that 51% girls transitioning to boys between the ages of 11-19 will attempt suicide by the time they are 19. If the study had been able to follow these girls for another 10 or 20 or 30 years, I expect the attempted suicide rate would be much higher. 

Doesn't that make it obvious that there is something extremely wrong with gender fluidity? Sex reassignment surgery, in the case of girls to boys at least, should be outlawed, and those who encourage it should be prosecuted for child endangerment. 

This is incredibly serious - 51% is astonishing and 150 times the maximum rate of attempted suicide in the general teen population.

Wake-up people! Transgenderism is a death warrant!

South Dakota Lawmakers - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Pornography Declared Health Crisis by South Dakota

Good! The third state to realize the extraordinary harm the easy availability of pornography is doing to children. It is responsible, I believe, for the growing Culture of Rape and for the increasing numbers of children being sexually assaulted by other children. Something must be done to make pornography 100% inaccessible by children.

Senators in South Dakota have passed a resolution declaring pornography a public health crisis, joining Virginia and Utah among that states stepping up efforts to highlight the dangers of x-rated adult material.

According to resolution SCR4, passed in South Dakota, porn leads to risky sexual activity, low-self esteem and sometimes eating disorders.

Advances in technology are exposing young children to pornography “at an alarming rate,” and pornography is “linked to a lessening desire in young persons to marry,” the resolution states.

Republican Senator Jenna Netherton from Sioux Falls sponsored the resolution along with 51 other Republicans, stating that pornography increasingly causes harm to “men, women and children,” thanks to its availability on the internet and smartphones.

The Republican Party’s 2016 Party Platform also targeted pornography as a “public health crisis” that is “destroying the lives of millions.”  

An ugly subject better dealt with quietly and locally

S.D. lawmakers file bill barring transgender students from shower, locker rooms

Dana Ferguson

PIERRE -- A pair of South Dakota lawmakers filed a bill Wednesday aimed at barring transgender students from locker rooms, shower rooms and changing changing rooms that don't match their biological sex at birth.

The measure, which is similar to a bill vetoed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard in 2016, would allow separate accommodations for transgender students who don't wish to use facilities that don't correspond with their gender identity. The 2016 bill would have expanded that ban to include restrooms.

Sen. Lance Russell, R-Hot Springs, and Rep. Thomas Brunner, R-Nisland, sponsored the measure, which had not yet been assigned to a committee Wednesday afternoon.

Russell said he brought the measure in hopes of addressing lingering concerns about privacy in public school locker room, shower room and changing facilities and to provide additional support to small school districts.

“I believe the public was bewildered by the veto last year and that the Legislature’s failure to protect the school districts in their efforts to protect all of the students,” Russell said.

The legislation was drafted by the conservative advocacy group Family Heritage Alliance Action, that also backed the 2016 bill aimed at restricting access to bathrooms for transgender students. The group's executive director, Dale Barstcher, said he was hopeful that the new language would help it gain traction in the Legislature and with the governor.

Opponents of the bill including civil rights advocates and allies of the LGBT community said they would fight the bill at the Capitol as they did with House Bill 1008.

Libby Skarin, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, said the measure was discriminatory and could isolate transgender students.

“Transgender children are already some of the most vulnerable in our state, so it’s especially shameful that some South Dakota politicians are once again focused on singling them out for discrimination," Skarin said in a statement. "All this bill does is send the message that it’s okay for their peers – and state politicians – to target and bully transgender children."

The Sioux Falls School Board, as well as state public education groups, have opposed the measure and asked last year that the Legislature not take it up. Sioux Falls School Board President Todd Thoelke said that the district hasn't had any problems dealing with transgender students' needs on a case-by-case basis.

Daugaard earlier this year said he viewed similar bills as a "solution in search of a problem" and said situations of bathroom or locker room use in schools were best dealt with at the local level.

Bad man, messing with two interns while engaged to someone else

South Dakota Lawmaker Quits Over Sexual Contact With Interns

By JAMES NORD, ASSOCIATED PRESS

 In this Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017 photo, Republican Rep. Mathew Wollmann sits on the House floor in Pierre, S.D. The House decided to investigate Wollmann, who told reporters that he had sexual contact with interns during the past two legislative sessions. (AP Photo/James Nord)

A South Dakota legislator who admitted having sexual contact with two interns resigned on Monday, saying he regretted his actions during the past two legislative sessions.

Republican Rep. Mathew Wollmann, 26, said last week that both interns were over age 21 and that the contact during the 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions was consensual. But his colleagues voted to set up a committee to investigate his actions, and they were scheduled to meet Tuesday.

Wollmann announced his resignation in a letter first reported by the Mitchell Daily Republic newspaper. The former Marine didn't immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press, but the Legislative Research Council provided a copy of his letter.

The meeting on Wollmann's conduct is still planned, said Republican Rep. Timothy Johns, chairman of the House Select Committee on Discipline and Expulsion.

In South Dakota, legislative interns are college students, some 21 or older. Legislative rules don't explicitly ban sexual contact or relationships between lawmakers and interns, although they do prohibit sexual harassment and call on lawmakers to maintain "the highest of moral and ethical standards."

Wollmann, from the eastern South Dakota city of Madison, first won the seat in 2014. In the letter, Wollmann expressed his regret, writing that he hoped to return to the Legislature in the future.

"I have nothing but the greatest respect for those that I have grown so close to these past two years, and even in these early days of the 92nd legislative session," Wollmann wrote. "Those that read this should know that it is my wrongdoing that has put this institution in a sour light. Those responsible for me have displayed nothing but the highest honor for this establishment."

House Majority Leader Lee Qualm, House Speaker Mark Mickelson and Minority Leader Spencer Hawley said in a statement that Wollmann decided "this was best for him, his fiance, his family and the young ladies involved."

"Every legislator has an obligation to refrain from behavior unbecoming to the Legislature and inconsistent with maintaining the public's trust," the House leaders said.

Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard said in a statement that he thinks Wollmann made the right decision. Daugaard said he will act quickly to name a replacement.

Wollmann's public admission came shortly after a legislative committee voted down a new rule to explicitly bar legislators from sexual contact with interns and pages. One lawmaker who spoke against the change said he felt the current rules were sufficient.

The House leaders said they will meet with lawmakers, interns and staff to discuss potential improvements that could be made to legislator and employee training and any updates to legislative rules. Hawley told the AP that he supports discussing new rules.

Wollmann is the second South Dakota lawmaker in roughly a decade to be investigated by lawmakers for alleged misconduct involving interns or pages. In 2007, the state Senate censured Democrat Dan Sutton after he was accused of fondling an 18-year-old page when they shared a motel room during the 2006 legislative session. Sutton denied the allegation and was re-elected.