ReportWire

Tag: Don’t Say Gay

  • This Florida GOP Throuple Scandal Is INSANE!!! – Perez Hilton

    This Florida GOP Throuple Scandal Is INSANE!!! – Perez Hilton

    [ad_1]

    [Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

    Man, we’ve seen some politician sex scandals over the years, but this one is WILD!

    Christian Ziegler is the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. As the GOP chair in a state run by Republicans, he’s a powerful guy in the MAGA movement. And his wife is even more influential with conservatives on a national level. See, Bridget Ziegler is the co-founder of Moms for Liberty. They’re the group that have been trying to ban books at school libraries across the country — you know, pretty much anything to do with African American history or positive depictions of gay folks. Really gross, fascist s**t.

    So according to a wild new report from a local paper called the Florida Trident, these two family values leaders have, for the past three years, been part of… a throuple. Yep, a woman has come forward to the police saying she was in a consensual three-way sexual relationship with the Zieglers. That of course is in no way a crime — we’ll get to the criminal accusations in a moment.

    Related: Ivanka Trump Skipped Thanksgiving With Donald & Watched A Movie Instead?!

    As always with this kind of scandal, we must say, we aren’t about shaming consenting adults for their lifestyles. If a married couple decide they want to spice things up and invite a third into their lives, who are we to judge? But these are people who are FIRMLY and VOCALLY anti-LGBT. Hell, Bridget is credited with being instrumental in creating Governor Ron DeSantis‘ infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill! And the last we checked, a throuple — even a MFF one — ain’t exactly that whole Bible-thumping idea of straightitude. It’s not Adam and Eve and Bianca, you what we mean? That makes the Zieglers a pretty foul sort of hypocrites, if true. They’re trying to make it harder and harder for LGBT kids, meanwhile they secretly get to do whatever they want in the bedroom? Get bent.

    Anti-LGBT MAGA stars Christian and Bridget Ziegler. / (c) Bridget Ziegler/X

    The thing is, we haven’t even gotten to the real scandal…

    The reason this woman has come forward is because she’s accusing the ironically named Christian of rape! In a police report obtained by the Trident, the woman claims that while she and Christian were alone at her home on October 2 — with no Bridget — he committed sexual battery against her.

    Details are scant in the heavily redacted report, which was filed way back on October 4, but it’s explicitly a “sexual assault complaint.” The woman also claims Christian filmed the three-way sexual encounters with her and his wife, and the sources told the outlet that a search warrant was executed on the politician’s phone.

    No charges have been filed yet, and the Zieglers have not commented publicly. However, Christian’s attorney Derek Byrd confirmed the investigation in a statement. He assures his client has been “fully cooperative with the Sarasota Police Department” and will be “completely exonerated.” He goes on to imply the alleged victim is doing this for money or maybe even politics:

    “Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of acts that they did not commit whether it be for political purposes or financial gain. I would caution anyone to rush to judgment until the investigation is concluded. Out of respect for the investigation, this is all Mr. Ziegler or myself can say at this time.”

    We’ll have to see how this plays out, but now that the accusation is public, we’re guessing it’s going to be a lot harder to keep the Zieglers’ real “family values” out of the spotlight.

    If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources. 

    [Image via Christian Ziegler/Bridget Ziegler/Facebook.]

    [ad_2]

    Perez Hilton

    Source link

  • This Gay Teacher Quit After 8.5 Years — And One Thing Pushed Her Over The Edge

    This Gay Teacher Quit After 8.5 Years — And One Thing Pushed Her Over The Edge

    [ad_1]

    Weeks after stepping down from her job as a high school math teacher, Alyssa Marano arrived at a contentious school board meeting in Hernando County, Florida.

    “No one is teaching your kids to be gay!” Marano said Tuesday. “Sometimes they just are gay. I have math to teach. I literally don’t have time to teach your kids to be gay.”

    “This gay teacher, who accepts her students exactly as they are, outscored the county by 15% in geometry and outscored the state by 10%,” she added. “And now a sub will take my spot in my cold, bare classroom.”

    Hundreds of people had shown up for the meeting, largely due to an ongoing controversy over a fifth-grade teacher who had shown her students a Disney movie that included a gay character. Armed law enforcement officers were present. The public comment portion of the evening stretched on for hours. Many parents, teachers and students stood up and defended educators, but there were still plenty of other speakers who complained about “wokeness” in schools.

    For Marano, the frenzy over culture wars instead of focusing on education and students was the nail in the coffin.

    “There’s been a fire in me for a year now,” Marano told HuffPost. “I love teaching, I love my students and I love my colleagues, but I know they’re on a witch hunt.”

    And Marano felt like she had a target on her back.

    “I’m accepting of people for who they are,” she said. “I believe all students deserve access to education and resources. And I’m gay.”

    “I believe so much in education that I’m willing to leave it right now in hopes of it becoming better in the future.”

    – Alyssa Marano, high school math teacher

    Resigning after more than eight years of teaching was partly a method of self-preservation, since she hopes to work in a classroom in the future. Marano was worried about getting fired for violating Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, which limits what teachers can say about gender identity and sexual orientation in the classroom and allows for a teacher’s license to be revoked if they break the law.

    “I believe so much in education that I’m willing to leave it right now in hopes of it becoming better in the future,” she said.

    She is far from the only educator leaving her post in the district, which has about 24,000 students and 3,100 staff members. Thirty-three teachers are resigning and 15 more are retiring, a Hernando County Public Schools spokesperson told HuffPost. Jenna Barbee, the teacher who showed her class “Strange World,” a movie about climate change that has a gay character, has also recently resigned.

    Under the guise of “parental rights,” elected officials and talking heads across the U.S. have worked to restrict what teachers can tell students about gender, sexuality and race. Meanwhile, school boards have banned books by claiming that materials with LGBTQ+ or racial justice themes indoctrinate children.

    This is especially true in Florida, which, under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has announced a 2024 White House bid and is holding up the state’s policies as an example of what he’d do as president — has become ground zero for enacting and enforcing strict educational policies. Hernando County is a deep-red pocket of the state approximately 50 miles north of Tampa, where Donald Trump and DeSantis dominated their most recent races by large margins.

    There’s a culture of fear among teachers, Marano said, especially after they saw how quickly the Florida Department of Education began investigating Barbee. Shannon Rodriguez, a parent in the district and a member of the school board who is backed by the ultraconservative group Moms 4 Liberty, reported Barbee to the department after she learned about students seeing the movie last month.

    Marano said she’s worried that small gestures, like displaying a Pride flag, and teachers talking to students about their lives outside of school could be grounds for disciplinary action under the Don’t Say Gay law.

    “Providing students with a rainbow flag doesn’t mean you’re teaching kids to be gay,” Marano said. “The American flag has been used as a tool for the GOP, and I have that up in my classroom. Am I a Republican now?”

    “I’m in the happiest and healthiest relationship I’ve been in, better than when I was closeted and dating men, and I can’t share that,” she added.

    It’s a lot for teachers to have to worry about, in addition to educating their students.

    “You cannot teach kids to be gay or straight,” Marano said. “I just want my kids to be able to solve for X.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Florida’s tussle with Disney wouldn’t have happened ‘if Bob Iger had been CEO,’ says top DeSantis ally

    Florida’s tussle with Disney wouldn’t have happened ‘if Bob Iger had been CEO,’ says top DeSantis ally

    [ad_1]

    Florida lawmakers are reviewing ways to restore some of the privileges that the state stripped from Walt Disney Co., still reducing the company’s benefits dramatically without going as far as ending them all, a key legislator said.

    Earlier this year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that in 2023 would dissolve a special government district that’s granted sweeping benefits to Disney for half a century, called Reedy Creek, unless it’s reinstated by the legislature. The move was triggered by what the Republican governor saw as Disney’s criticism of a law he signed that limits elementary school teachings about gender identity.

    The sponsor of the law axing the entertainment giant’s Florida perks, state Representative Randy Fine, said he’s encouraged by last month’s ouster of Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek, who led opposition to DeSantis’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. Fine said discussions were helped by signs that Disney’s returning CEO Bob Iger will steer clear of Florida politics. 

    “I think Mr. Iger has already said it probably was a misstep on the company’s part and how they handled it,” Fine said in an interview.  “I don’t think we’d be in this situation if Bob Iger had been CEO.” 

    The move pitted DeSantis against one of Florida’s largest and most powerful employers, known for several iconic theme parks in Orlando. DeSantis, who’s widely believed to be plotting a run for president in 2024, has made the blow against Disney a key part of his so-called “anti-woke” agenda. The Florida governor has vowed repeatedly to go after corporations that side against him on culture-war fights over race, gender identity and abortion. Fighting what he called “the woke” was the foundation of a reelection campaign that gave DeSantis one of the largest landslide victories of any Republican in the US midterm elections in November.

    DeSantis won’t make any “U-turns” from the law he signed this year, his chief spokesman said. The governor will not reverse pledges to remove “the extraordinary benefit given to one company,” Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said in an emailed statement.  “A plan is in the works and will be released soon.”

    Iger to ‘quiet things down’ in Florida

    One goal would be to ensure that Disney would be responsible for paying back the nearly $1 billion in municipal bonds issued by the special district, DeSantis has said. “We will have an even playing field for businesses in Florida, and the state certainly owes no special favors to one company,” Griffin said. “Disney’s debts will not fall on the taxpayers of Florida.”

    A Disney spokesperson declined comment. In a recent hall meeting with Disney employees, Iger, said: “Do I like the company being embroiled in controversy? Of course not.” 

    “It can be distracting and have a negative impact on the company. To the extent I can quiet things down, I’m going to do that,” he said, adding that he’s still getting “up to speed” on the situation with Reedy Creek and that he doesn’t have all the details about the ramifications of Florida’s decision.

    Legislation to replace Reedy Creek will seek to strip away benefits that no other company except Disney enjoys, said Fine, who said he’s involved in discussions among lawmakers and the governor. Fine declined to comment on details of the discussions or what privileges might be on the chopping block once a new law is proposed in the legislature. 

    But he cited perks Disney has enjoyed such as government-like powers to seize land via eminent domain and to sell bonds. The Reedy Creek tax district was created by the legislature in 1967 in a deal that led to the construction of Disney World. It gave Disney self-governing power over 25,000 acres, including overseeing its own building code and permits, which helped the company build faster. 

    “I think what you’ll likely see is some of the things that just made no sense,” said Fine. “You know, it isn’t going to be, ‘Oops, let’s go back to the way it was.’ You’re gonna see something substantially different.”

    Iger, in the wide-ranging meeting with employees, said he’s not going to back down on having Disney be a “good citizen of the world,” which is sometimes mistakenly branded as political. 

    “I think there’s a misperception here about what politics is,” he explained. “I think that some of the subjects that have proven to be controversial as it relates to Disney have been branded political, and I don’t necessarily believe they are.” 

    —With assistance from Thomas Buckley

    Our new weekly Impact Report newsletter will examine how ESG news and trends are shaping the roles and responsibilities of today’s executives—and how they can best navigate those challenges. Subscribe here.

    [ad_2]

    Michael Smith, Bloomberg

    Source link