Iowa school district sued anti lgbtq bullying
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 own 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 powerful anti-discrimination laws. Newly released data from the lobbying 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 upper school students overall, according to The Trevor Undertaking. Eighteen percent actually attempted it. Seventy percent notify anxiety, and 57% experienced depression.
Strong in-school relationships are a well-known protective factor. LGBTQ students who state their teachers care a lot about them are 37% less likely to conside
Southeast Polk schools accused in lawsuit of ignoring homophobic bullying, biting
Southeast Polk teachers and administrators failed to protect an elementary school pupil 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 contain the other lad allegedly biting their son in the genital area unyielding enough to form 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
Iowa lawmakers push bill to bar teaching gender identity before high academy
Republican lawmakers in the Iowa House 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 transgender students and pit families against the educators that work 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 persona in kindergarten through eighth grade curriculum and instruction.
Pam Gronau of Urbandale, who supports the bill, said her school district’s schedule for professional development comparable to LGBTQ issues may include information about the history of gender.
“As a Christian family, our faith is that God created man and woman. The Bible is the only history my family needs when discussing God’s creation,” Gronau said. “The disagreement will try to portray us as being anti-LGBTQ, but that simply is not true. I just want to be proficient to discuss these matters at home with my children in the way that I
Out Nation: Lawsuit Seeks to Block Anti-LGBTQ Law in Iowa; Students Mail Pro-LGBTQ Cards to Moms for Liberty
A lawsuit in Iowa seeks to block an anti-LGBTQ law, and students in Washington mail pro-LGBTQ cards to Moms for Liberty.
Federal Lawsuit Seeks To Block Anti-LGBTQ Law
According to the Connected 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 educational facility 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 group supporting Diverse youth, alongside seven Iowa students and their families.
“The First Amendment does not allow our mention or our schools to remove books or issue blanket bans on discussion and materials simply because a collective of politicians or parents find 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
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 regulation that critics say seeks to silence LGBTQ+ 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 rule bans books with depictions of sex, written or visual, from school libraries, and prohibits instruction and materials involving “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” for students through sixth grade. In response, various Iowa school districts have already reportedly pulled hundreds of titles from their shelves, including books that consist of LGBTQ+ characters, historical figures, or themes.
Furthermore, the rule requires school officials, including teachers and counselors, to report to parents if their child requests to use a different call or pronouns. Under the law, staff who violate this provision will meet disciplinary action, including position loss license revocation, as of January 1, 2024, re