Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

Washington’s Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who claims to be a Democrat, once again sided with Republicans and helped push forward the “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act,” a harmful bill that targets elementary and middle-school LGBTQ+ students. Her recent decision-making has pushed constituents towards their breaking point, eager to vote her out in the August primaries.

Under the Act, H.R. 2616, any elementary or middle school that receives federal funds is prohibited from teaching “concepts related to gender ideology.” These school must also receive parental permission prior to changing a student’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on school forms. It would also require parental approval for sex-based accommodations, such as bathrooms and locker rooms.

“Every child in this country deserves the same opportunity to thrive as their peers, and that includes transgender students,” Mike Zamore, National Director for Policy & Government Affairs for the ACLU, said. “Instead of strengthening that basic promise for all students, a narrow majority of the House opted to single out and endanger some of the most vulnerable youth in our schools today. This bill doesn’t create a safe learning environment for anyone – quite the opposite — but it does inject politics into every classroom across the country, which harms education for all students.”

Now, the ACLU is calling on the Senate to reject this bill— which has no exceptions. Teachers and school staff would be forced to out Queer students by the parental contact requirement, even if they knew the child was at risk for abuse or violence at home.

The representative of Southern Western Washington’s Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Clark Counties has been compared to a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and she continues to pull back her democrat mask. Also this week, she posted a picture of herself in a light blue suit matching the color of a cop car, with a caption that’s a play-off of the Trump MAGA slogan: “Make Cop Cars Cool Again.”

This comes one month after she announced plans to euthanize sea lions for “driving up food costs,” fat shaming the creatures in the process. Residents in her area have been so frustrated and disturbed by her voting record and priorities, that back in February, the auto-shop she co-owns with her husband was vandalized. Dean’s Car Care is located in Portland, and it was spray painted with “Dean’s Wife Funds ICE,” done as a result of her January 22 vote to continue funding ICE.

With the help of Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act now heads to the Senate where it has yet to be assigned to a committee.

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