Hey there, Secular FAM, how are we holding up? I’ll be straight with y’all.
I’m struggling.
This past week, F(elon)OTUS defied SCOTUS, and now apparently our first amendment rights no longer exist or something?
Also, a prominent Arizona activist publicly announced that she and her family have moved out of the country to keep their trans child safe. You know, totally normal stuff.
Also, this past week, a teacher and coach in the Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) was fired because she was trying to protect a student from being bullied by his peers.
This teacher and cheer coach, Alyssa Plaza, allowed a male cheer athlete to change in the girls’ locker room when it was empty because the boys’ locker room wasn’t safe for him. His homophobic classmates bully this kid because he’s gay. According to the student, he filed several complaints about the bullying he experienced, but nothing happened (his testimony at the meeting is pretty heartbreaking, so you’ve been warned).
He also shared that Coach Plaza knew about the bullying he experienced and had been a great source of strength and support for him. She was worried for his mental health and well being because he expressed that he experienced suicidal ideations (or if you’re Sister Fratelli, “suicidal ideologies” - DON’T GET ME STARTED ON PUSD). So, monster that she is, Coach Plaza allowed him to use the girls’ locker room when it was empty so she could shield him from abuse from his peers.
At the April board meeting in YUHSD, several students and a parent spoke to show support for Coach Plaza, but the board voted to fire her and go after her teaching certificate so that she’ll be ineligible to teach for five years.
Are we great yet, ‘Murica?
Is everyone relieved that a safe and caring adult has been fired and facing financial hardship?
Well, I’m sure some folks are.
This is just the beginning for Coach Plaza. The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) will meet on April 28th to decide her fate, so please take a moment to sign in to support her. In the meantime, there is an online fundraiser. If you’re able to, please show her some love.
That’s not the only fuckery happening in the Grand Canyon State. Sadly, there’s so much more.
This past week, the Arizona House of Representatives debated some pretty terrible bills. On Monday, SB1269, the “chaplain bill,” was heard, and the evangelical extremists in the House mostly decided to send that RIGHT to the Governor’s desk for a veto.
So much efficiency, amirite?
Bad bills are debated every day in Arizona, so it’s hard to keep up, but Secular AZ is here to help!
[If you are signed up for Secular AZ’s newsletters and action alerts, you’re already well-informed about all this fuckery.]
To recap, protecting children from actual bullies is BAD and allowing religious chaplains to potentially bully children is GOOD. Got it?
Social workers who can connect kids with needed resources and support are BAD, and cultist school board members that create separate-but-equal bathroom policies is GOOD.
Parental rights for cult members is GOOD, but parental rights for anyone they disagree with is BAD.
Know-nothing evangelical extremists are discarding every single best practice I learned about as a teacher and school board member. Why? Because they’re racist, bigoted fascists.
It’s just that simple.
There’s no more sugar-coating this stuff, folks. It’s up to all of us to call them out every damn time. If we normalize their behaviors, policies, or speech, we lose. None of this is OK.
Experts on fascism have fled the United States because, well, they’re experts on fascism.
People who have been critical of FOTUS are being disappeared in broad daylight and shipped off to faraway states or countries without due process and fascist school board members are firing and decertifying teachers without due process.
You know, I have nightmares about this stuff. I write this Substack that is VERY critical of the fascists running our state and country. Sometimes people ask me if I worry about my safety. I don’t.
Yet.
But you better believe that I’ve discussed with friends and loved ones where we’ll meet if things really go south. Extreme times call for extreme measures, and all of us should probably consider worst-case scenarios.
In the meantime, Secular AZ is the ONLY advocacy organization in Arizona fighting evangelical extremism at every level of government. We don’t just defend people’s ability to worship (or not) how they wish, we defend all first amendment freedoms: speech, expression, assembly, and press.
If democracy matters to you, please support the work we do.
Until next time, Secular FAM.
