Kentucky’s State Senate just passed Senate Bill 150, which, among other things, “keeps the Kentucky Board of Education and Department of Education from requiring teachers to use certain pronouns that don’t adhere to a student’s biological sex or birth certificate.”
The “controversial” bill also requires “parental notification of issues regarding…human sexuality”, essentially giving school administrators carte blanche to out vulnerable children to potentially homophobic parents.
Senate Bill 150 is just part of what Kentucky’s Fairness Campaign calls the “Slate of Hate“, a basket of nine pieces of proposed legislation that place a target on the head of LGBTQ rights in Kentucky. Kentucky’s Senate Bill 102, for instance, is actually more than just a “don’t say gay” bill — it is a far-reaching piece of legislation which does everything from “require that public schools…prohibit matters and performances harmful to minors, [including] drag performances” to “prohibit[ing] compelling school personnel to advocate for or against anything in opposition to sincerely held beliefs and convictions” to stopping public schools from being able to “force the use of…facial coverings”. Kentucky’s Senate Bill 115 would classify a drag show like porn.
My heart goes out to the LGBTQ Kenutckians and allies who protested yesterday at the Kentucky State Capitol. I think that even many of them knew that what they were doing was an exercise in futility, practically. But at least they made their voices heard. In the words of 17-year-old high school junior June Wagner:
“I’m human. We’re human. Why would you want to do this to another human being, when we’re literally just kids trying to be ourselves? We’re just like you.”
June Wagner, 17 year old junior, speaking at KY State Capitol
I agree with most of what June said. It’s unconscionable for sure. And LGBTQ people are definitely human.
But unlike us, these bigoted hatemongers are not human. Their humanity was sacrificed at the golden Trump calf long ago. These people are fueled by a delusional vision of hetero-exclusive morality, based in a Scripture that they’ve never read in its original language. These people are absolutely intoxicated by their own hate; no amount of appeal to “humanity” will work with inhuman bigots. What empathy can be expected of someone who doesn’t think you, or your child, exists?
Absolutely devoid of anything which would connect them to humanity, the hatemongers in the Kentucky legislature continue on their goose-stepping march, hell bent on taking out our rights, hell bent on erasing the next generation of us.
These people are not your friends.
