Rachel Ford is a programmer, and since 8:00 to 5:00 doesn't provide enough opportunity to bask in screen glare, she writes in her spare time. She was raised a very fundamentalist Christian, but eventually "saw the light." Rachel's personal blog is Rachel's Hobbit Hole, where she discusses everything from Tolkien to state politics.
Facing a(nother) looming budget showdown, conservatives in Congress wasted no time in steering negotiations toward conservative goals, like so-called “pro-life policy” such as focusing on abortion coverage and promoting abstinence-only sex ed. Nevermind that abstinence-only ed is a monumental failure; nevermind that abstinence educators often mislead and degrade students. It’s part of the Christian conservative social agenda, and legislators are (predictably) pursuing it. Read more
A team captain and two other players on a Mesa, Arizona public school softball team are suing after allegedly being booted from the team for refusing to lead team prayers. The students claim that local Mormon parents and students, as well as coach Joseph Gordman, painted the girls as bullies who were jeopardizing “team morale and unity” over religious issues. The supposed offenses included not conducting and participating in team prayers, playing hip-hop music that “offended [the] religious sensitivities” of one student at a tournament, and one plaintiff’s social media postings. Read more
Earlier this year, Fayetteville, Arkansas passed an anti-discrimination ordinance that “would protect LGBT citizens from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations.” The measure gained attention in large part due to the efforts of Michelle Duggar, who recorded a vicious transphobic robocall, equating trans women with child molesters, in order to get people to vote against it. Despite her efforts, the ordinance passed. Camille Beredjick noted on the blog earlier this month that this “civil rights ordinance has brought out some people’s least civil sides.” At the time, Fayetteville voters were considering a repeal of the ordinance, and opponents of equality were engaging in some hardcore fear-mongering tactics. Well, those tactics seemed to have paid off. Read more
San Marcos Middle School is working on a fundraiser to provide 14,000 meals to children in Tanzania. This worthy goal, however, has attracted the attention of the ACLU for its ties to a Christian organization. The school is partnering with a local nonprofit called Friends and Family Community Connection, with the support of Illinois-based Kids Around the World … Kids Around the World “exists to reach children around the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” according to the group’s website. This is where the difficulty for the school comes in — it runs afoul of California law for a public school (or other branch of the government) to partner with a religious organization. Read more
