#southern-poverty-law-center

#southern-poverty-law-center

A Florida English teacher who is pushing a ban on nearly 150 books from school libraries has a history of making racist and anti-LGBTQ+ statements, according to former students.And she just got an innocuous book on gay penguins - And Tango Makes Three - banned from county schools for "indoctrination."
Vickie Baggett, a high school English teacher at Northview High School in Escambia County, Florida, has submitted 148 of the 150 book challenges being reviewed by the Escambia School District this year.

Controversial radio host Alex Jones tried and failed to secure a spot for Andrew Tate on Joe Rogan's popular podcast.According to Southern Poverty Law Center, the exchange took place back in 2019.SPLC and their group, Hatewatch, obtained the text messages from a phone belonging to Jones as part of their research into extremist networks and then prepared them for publication after they were made part of the public record during one of the trials in the various defamation lawsuits filed against Jones.

A Christian baker who has spent years fighting for the right to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people has lost his appeal in a case about his refusal to make a cake for someone celebrating their gender transition.In 2021, a Colorado judge in Denver ruled that Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop illegally discriminated against Autumn Scardina when he refused to make her a birthday cake because she's transgender, arguing that baking the cake violates his religious beliefs.

For the second time, a Trump-appointed judge has upheld the legality of Florida's Don't Say Gay law.Lambda Legal, the Southern Legal Counsel, and the Southern Poverty Law Center joined together with a group of LGBTQ students and their families to advocate for a preliminary injunction on H.B. 1557 - which prohibits K-3 teachers from talking about sexual orientation and gender identity issues with their students.

The United States Military Academy at West Point will start removing Confederate symbols from its campus, including taking down a portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee dressed in his Confederate uniform from the academy's library, officials said.Over the next year, West Point will also remove, relocate, modify or rename busts, memorials, streets and buildings named after Confederate figures as part of a directive from the Department of Defense.

Ye attending the Balenciaga Womenswear show in October as part of Paris Fashion Week.Since then, he's made a string of increasingly brazen extremist comments.Jacopo M. Raule/Getty Images For Balenciaga In an appearance on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' show, Ye  the rapper formerly known as Kanye West  doubled down on a series of antisemitic comments he's made in recent months.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed on Monday that the Club Q shooting suspect was a member of their church.The shooter killed five people and injured nearly two dozen more at the LGBTQ club, which was celebrating Transgender Day of Remembrance - a day devoted to those lost in the trans community to violence.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images  Nets guard Kyrie Irving returned to the floor for the first time in 19 days on Sunday, putting up 14 points and five rebounds in Brooklyn's 127-115 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.While Irving met with reporters after the game and attempted to stay on message about basketball, he also expressed frustration with the criticism he's received since posting a link to an antisemitic film on his social media pages last month.

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving again avoided apologizing for promoting an antisemitic film on social media.Irving spoke with reporters Thursday and was asked directly whether he was "sorry for the hurt that your posts caused people.""I take my responsibility for posting that," he responded.

Civil rights leader Julian Bond's former home is for sale in Chevy Chase DC.The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath Colonial was originally built in 1939, and is on the market for $1,665,000.The home also comes with a finished basement, a patio, and gardens.Bond, who died in 2015, was one of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and went on to serve as the chair of the NAACP.