Iowa school district sued anti lgbtq bullying
Lambda Legal, ACLU Sue to Block Iowa Anti-LGBTQ Book Banning Regulation
Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Iowa, together with a number of named plaintiffs, have filed a federal lawsuit to block key provisions of SF 496, Iowa’s sweeping new law that critics say seeks to silence Gay students and bans books with sexual or LGBTQ+ content.
Signed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds in May, SF 496 took effect this fall. Specifically, the law bans books with depictions of sex, written or visual, from educational facility libraries, and prohibits instruction and materials involving “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” for students through sixth grade. In response, various Iowa school districts hold already reportedly pulled hundreds of titles from their shelves, including books that contain LGBTQ+ characters, historical figures, or themes.
Furthermore, the commandment requires school officials, including teachers and counselors, to describe to parents if their child requests to use a different name or pronouns. Under the law, staff who violate this provision will face disciplinary action, including occupation loss license revocation, as of January 1, 2024, re
Out Nation: Lawsuit Seeks to Block Anti-LGBTQ Regulation in Iowa; Students Mail Pro-LGBTQ Cards to Moms for Liberty
A lawsuit in Iowa seeks to block an anti-LGBTQ commandment, and students in Washington mail pro-LGBTQ cards to Moms for Liberty.
Federal Lawsuit Seeks To Block Anti-LGBTQ Law
According to the Linked Press, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Lambda Legal are representing several families who are suing to block a new Iowa statute that restricts teachers from discussing LGBTQ issues and removes books depicting sex acts from school libraries, excluding religious texts.
The organizations announced the federal legal action on Nov. 28. They filed the lawsuit on behalf of Iowa Safe Schools, a collective supporting LGBTQ+ youth, alongside seven Iowa students and their families.
“The First Amendment does not allow our state or our schools to remove books or issue blanket bans on discussion and materials simply because a group of politicians or parents detect them offensive,” ACLU attorney Thomas Story told the AP.
Students Mail Pro-LGBTQ Cards to Moms for Liberty
Photo via Moms for Liberty, X.
Seattle middle school students mailed handmade cards to Moms for Lib
Southeast Polk schools accused in lawsuit of ignoring homophobic bullying, biting
Southeast Polk teachers and administrators failed to protect an elementary university student from repeated and violent homophobic bullying and assaults, his parents allege in a new lawsuit.
The complaint, filed by Benjamin and Amanda Fogle, accuses Clay Elementary teacher Carla Rivas, principal Andrea Bruns and district superintendent Dirk Halupnik of negligence, sex discrimination and aiding and abetting bullying and harassment against their son, identified by initials in court filings.
The parents allege that their son was "relentlessly bullied" by other students for his perceived sexual orientation, and that one student in particular assaulted their son on at least four occasions between January and April 2023.
Those attacks include the other boy allegedly biting their son in the genital area hard enough to make him cry out, grabbing at his genitals and making sexual gestures behind their son while he was bending forward.
Teachers at the school reportedly witnessed several of the assaults, including the biting incident, but described them as "accidents" and told their son to "stop yelling," or
Scared of School: Even in States With Protective Laws, LGBTQ Students Are Reporting Attacks from Other Kids — and Teachers
By Beth Hawkins
Over the last three years, hundreds of bills seeking to strip protections from LGBTQ youth contain rolled through statehouses.
It’s no surprise that queer students in Republican-dominated states where these laws have passed are profoundly impacted. But less visible is the dramatic effect the constant drumbeat of headlines has had on youth in places with even tough anti-discrimination laws. Newly released data from the support groups GLSEN and The Trevor Project show increases in hostility, victimization and discrimination experienced by students in blue states as well as red.
The effects are devastating. Nearly half of LGBTQ 13- to 17-year-olds considered suicide last year, as opposed to some 19% of elevated school students overall, according to The Trevor Undertaking. Eighteen percent actually attempted it. Seventy percent inform anxiety, and 57% experienced depression.
Strong in-school relationships are a well-known protective factor. LGBTQ students who exclaim their teachers care a lot about them are 37% less likely to conside
Iowa lawmakers thrust bill to exclude teaching gender culture before high educational facility
Republican lawmakers in the Iowa Property and Senate are pushing forward multiple bills that supporters said reaffirm parents’ rights in K-12 schools. But opponents said the measures would violate the rights of trans students and pit families against the educators that perform daily with their children.
Here are details on bills that advanced Tuesday.
Restricting lessons on gender identity
Republicans on a Senate panel advanced a bill Tuesday (SF 83) that would prohibit Iowa schools from including gender identity in kindergarten through eighth grade curriculum and instruction.
Pam Gronau of Urbandale, who supports the bill, said her school district’s strategy for professional training related to LGBTQ issues may incorporate information about the history of gender.
“As a Christian family, our belief is that God created man and gal. The Bible is the only history my family needs when discussing God’s creation,” Gronau said. “The opposition will try to portray us as existence anti-LGBTQ, but that simply is not true. I just want to be able to argue these matters at home with my children in the way that I