Jeff Roush Profile picture
Apr 28 15 tweets 4 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
A bit of local democracy in action to share. Last night I attended a school board meeting—something I don’t do often enough. The topics included a series of proposed policy changes, two of which in particular seem troubling. (Thread)
#ResistancePride
#LiveBlue ImageImage
The proposals were put out to address changing federal and state definitions/interpretations of “sex” in Title VII and Title IX. Specifically, they were deleting the parenthetical that defines prohibited discrimination to include the bases of gender identity and sexuality.
The problem in a nutshell: Ohio is challenging the federal definition as applied to Title IX. But with the definition in flux, the board chose to eliminate the language in question—and leave LGBTQ students feeling unsupported, written off.
When I first read these, I was angry. It was late Tuesday night, and it had been a long couple of weeks. Seeing this woke me right up; I emailed the board members that night expressing my concern. I wasn’t sure yet whether I could be at the meeting, given a track meet that night.
But this is important to me. I have a trans daughter who graduated from that school last year, and a cis-het son who attends now. (Note: no grooming in either case; my kids are who they are.) How this district sees and treats its students matters to me.
I was able to watch both of my son’s races and still make it for the public comment portion of the meeting. And wow, did the public have comments. Teens, parents, grandparents, allies—all out to support the school district’s LGBTQ kids.
When it was my turn, around 11:40 at night, all the statistics had been covered, and so many brave kids and parents talked about their struggles in a world and school that doesn’t always support them. It was powerful and rich and deep.
So I talked about seeing. About recognizing when our vision of the world is obstructed, and being willing to move to see more. (A metaphor that arose after my late arrival.) I spoke about learning and recognizing my own limitations in knowing my daughter’s mind and experience.
And I talked about the need for leaders to not only support those under their care, but to show it, to be visible for those who need a reason to trust and believe. To not just oppose bullying, but to show the marginalized that you’re behind them.
The board had some discussion, and was close to tabling the anti-harassment policy change. They ultimately approved the policy change, much to the chagrin and anger of most of those present.
But, I see two glimmers of hope in the moment. One is that there is a companion discrimination/harassment policy the Board voted, in a unanimous motion and approval, to amend to expressly protect LGBTQ students. We need to see it—but it’s a small step forward again.
More importantly, I saw a big group of students out in force to participate and make their voices heard. They did not win the day, but even if they had, this was never going to be a one-night effort. This is a protracted battle for a right to exist openly.
These kids spoke out, some through tears and some through rage, but they spoke clearly. They spoke their minds and hearts. And they spoke with voices that are only going to grow into the future. For all the suppression and repression we see, this generation won’t shrink away.
This fight will continue locally, just as it is in so many places in this country. Whether you’re @ZoAndBehold, @brotherjones_, @Justinjpearson, or a high school kid in small-town Ohio, getting your voice shut down isn’t the end; it’s a beginning.
We have so many battles ahead of us: for the LGBTQ community, for women, for black and brown people, for the poor, for everyone being crammed into the margins today. Those margins are full, and are about to burst wide open. Stand up and speak where you are. Onward and forward.

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More from @JeffRoushPoetry

Apr 30
There are good reasons Americans don’t trust our government institutions. We’ve moved from a “trust, but verify” model to a “just trust us and shut up” model. And this may feel pie-in-the-sky right now, but we could change that.(Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#LiveBlue
1. Congress. We need a new Voting Rights Act—in part because the Supreme Court gutted the one we have, but also in part because some of the threats have changed. The way districts are drawn has turned the ideas of democracy and representation into punchlines.
We should demand fair districts in every state. This doesn’t just mean balancing democratic and Republican districts against each other, but creating more competitive districts. Representatives aren’t accountable to their districts because they are designed to go to one party.
Read 8 tweets
Apr 29
There are many problems with conflating religion and politics, but one of the biggest is it covers up all matters of nuance and, at times, reality. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#LiveBlue
I was raised in a Christian, Republican home. And at the time, I learned and bought into the idea that those two terms were virtually synonyms. Republicans were “good,” and Democrats must therefore be evil.
This covered all manner of sins, so to speak. The notion that a Jimmy Carter was somehow immoral or evil, and Reagan a beacon of goodness, seems almost laughable when you look into the lives, actions, and policies of the two.
Read 9 tweets
Apr 29
Tonight’s #FridayLimericks go to Samuel Alito, with all due respect—and no more. #LimerickRhyme
Judge Alito is claiming to know
The Dobbs leaker, the source of his woe.
This conspiracy game
Will work best with no name,
While he celebrates killing off Roe.
wapo.st/3HnkSg1
This guy never thought much of our rights;
We all knew well before Senate fights.
It was never that hard
To see Sam’s disregard
For the gains he’d soon put in his sights.
civilrights.org/resource/oppos…
“Please respect us,” we heard him beseech—
During a naked political speech,
Where the man bared his clause
For conservatives’ cause
At the Heritage folks spend and leech.

afj.org/article/justic…
Read 8 tweets
Apr 21
The trend of silencing elected representatives seems to be spreading. The @TNGOP and @MTGOP have acted with callous disregard not only for the representatives they silence, but for all the citizens whose representation they are cutting off. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#LiveBlue
The complaints about “decorum” are simply bogus. State Congress should not be using Pleasantville as the model for their operation, letting those with more power decide whether they want to hear unpleasant truths about their actions or biases.
Whether you call this nation a democracy or a republic, that is not how it is supposed to work. If you are a citizen of these or other states where a GOP majority is using these kinds of shenanigans to cut off voters from representation in government, this should wake you up.
Read 4 tweets
Apr 19
Like many, I’m disappointed that Dominion settled. But I don’t think it’s a terrible thing for America. Rather, we should treat this as a starting point for a new front in the war against disinformation. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#LiveBlue
The Dominion lawsuit felt incredibly strong—but there is no guarantee they would have won. Actual malice is a high bar. I think they had enough evidence to clear it, but it wasn’t a slam dunk with a jury.
And if it had gone all the way through, this was a case specifically about lies about, and damage to, Dominion. Any required on-air statements would have related to Dominion voting systems, rather than Fox’s general attacks on information and democracy.
Read 7 tweets
Apr 16
Like many here, I got much more involved in politics in 2015-16. But while fear and frustration were certainly part of my motivation, what keeps me going isn’t what I’m against; it’s what I’m for. (Thread)
#ResistanceUnited
#LiveBlue
The two can look and even feel similar. At times they cross over. But I find if all I am doing is opposing the worst of what I see in politics, I lose sight of what really matters to me. I’m not aiming for the struggle; I’m aiming for something more.
The Constitution of the United States provides that it exists “in order to form a more perfect Union.” It’s aspirational, yes, but it is motivational too. It speaks to a nation that should aim to grow, to progress toward becoming a nation that works for everyone.
Read 10 tweets

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