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Tag: Don't Say Gay Law
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Veteran overcoming impact of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Veteran overcoming impact of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – CBS News
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Former Florida lawmaker who penned “Don’t Say Gay” bill sentenced to prison over COVID loan fraud
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A former Florida lawmaker who penned the state’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law has been sentenced to prison for wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements in connection with obtaining $150,000 in COVID-19 relief loans.
Joseph Harding, 36, of Ocala, Florida, will serve four months in federal prison, according to a statement on Thursday from the U.S. attorney’s office in the Northern District of Florida. After his release, Harding will have two years of supervised release.
An attorney for Harding, John Lauro, told CBS MoneyWatch that the $150,000 in loans were repaid to the government prior to the litigation.
“Joe cooperated completely and did everything he could to make things right,” Lauro said. “These events were, needless to say unfortunate, but Joe is focused on rebuilding his life and his career, and moving forward.”
Harding defrauded the Small Business Administration to obtain COVID relief funds including an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), which he submitted in the name of a business he owned that wasn’t active, the U.S. attorney’s office said. After receiving the money, he used the funds to pay off his credit card and transferred money to his joint bank account, as well as to the account of a third-party business.
“Instead of using thousands of dollars in federal funds to help keep struggling businesses afloat and honest workers employed, he selfishly diverted it for his own personal gain,” said Sherri E. Onks, special agent in charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division, in the statement.
The Small Business Administration earlier this year estimated that fraudsters may have received more than $200 billion in federal COVID aid intended for small businesses. Because the agency sought to quickly distribute $1.2 trillion in funds through the EIDL and Paycheck Protection programs, it weakened or removed certain requirements designed to ensure only eligible businesses received funds, the SBA Office of Inspector General found.
Harding drew national attention for penning the 2022 “Parental Rights in Education” bill, known by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which restricts teachers and school districts from discussing gender identity and topics surrounding sexuality in elementary school classrooms.
Asked about the bill in a 2022 interview, Harding defended it by saying the law was “empowering parents” and denied accusations that it was discriminatory. He also condemned protesters, some of whom he said were children, for “cussing at lawmakers” over the bill.
“That should wake us up as parents that that type of behavior … is deemed acceptable for minors to use cuss words,” he said.
Harding resigned from his lawmaker role in December, a day after he was indicted on charges for COVID loan fraud, according to USA Today.
Harding “egregiously betrayed the public trust by stealing from COVID relief funds meant to help the very people who elected him,” said special agent in charge Brian J. Payne of the IRS Criminal Investigation, Tampa Field Office, in a statement.
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Iraq bans the word
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Iraq’s Media and Communications Commission has issued a directive instructing all media and social media platforms in the country to refrain from using the terms “homosexual” or “homosexuality” and instead use “sexual deviancy.”
The decision, reported widely by Iraq’s state and private news outlets, was made to safeguard societal values and public order, the commission said, noting that the terms “homosexuality, homosexual, and Gender” hold undesirable connotations within Iraqi society.
MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty
While no specific penalties have been established for noncompliance with the new directive, a government representative indicated that fines could be introduced.
Iraq’s national penal code does not contain explicit provisions criminalizing homosexuality, though the country’s judiciary authorities often invoke provisions in laws related to the preservation of “public morals” to prosecute people for same-sex acts.
The legal ambiguity has resulted in discrimination, abuse and even fatal attacks against the LGBTQ community in Iraq.
Attitudes toward LGBTQ people across the Arab world are shaped by a combination of cultural and religious factors. Islamic texts, including the Quran and the hadiths, the latter of which are a recollection of quotes attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, denounce same-sex relationships.
Some hadiths advocate for the death penalty in cases of public engagement in homosexual activities.
Many Muslim-majority nations have long resisted efforts to advance LGBTQ rights, including by opposing global initiatives at the United Nations. A coalition of 57 U.N. member states, many of which have Muslim majorities, previously cosponsored a statement opposing LGBTQ rights at the U.N. General Assembly, and in 2016, 51 Muslim-majority states prevented 11 gay and transgender advocacy organizations from participating in a high-level U.N. meeting on combating AIDS.
The degree of punishment for homosexuality varies from country to country. In seven nations, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran, Mauritania, and the United Arab Emirates, homosexual acts are still punishable by death.
Afghanistan reintroduced the death penalty for homosexual acts after the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021.
Even in predominantly Muslim countries where homosexuality is legal, such as Jordan, LGBTQ venues are often targeted and shut down, and patrons are often subjected to violence and hostility.
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“Hateful” laws make travel to Florida “dangerous,” advocacy groups warn
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Two advocacy groups are warning that travelers might be at risk if they visit the state of Florida, citing a flurry of recent legislation that’s hostile toward LGBTQ people as well as other communities.
Equality Florida, an LGBTQ advocacy group, this week warned that “Florida may not be a safe place to move or visit” over the state’s anti-LGBTQ laws, restrictions on access to reproductive health care, its repeal of gun safety laws and racial prejudice.
The Florida Immigrant Coalition also issued a blunt advisory to those considering visiting Florida.
“Reconsider travel to Florida due to unconstitutional laws which abuse civil liberties,” the group said in a travel advisory. Travel to Florida “poses a heightened risk of harassment, possible detainment, and potential family separation based on racial profiling,” the advisory read.
“Unprecedented” advisory
Equality Florida for its part acknowledged the “unprecedented” nature of its decision to issue a travel advisory over what it called assaults on medical and academic freedoms, as well as the “censorship and erasure” of the LGBTQ community and attacks on immigrants.
“As an organization that has spent decades working to improve Florida’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive place to live, work and visit, it is with great sadness that we must respond to those asking if it is safe to travel to Florida or remain in the state as the laws strip away basic rights and freedoms,” Equality Florida executive director Nadine Smith said in a statement this week.
The NAACP’s Florida chapters on March 24 voted unanimously in favor of issuing a similar travel advisory for the state in response to DeSantis administration’s decision to block a high school Advanced Placement course on African American studies. A formal advisory warning, however, has not been released.
Equality Florida’s warnings come in response to legislation including a classroom law dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” that restricts teachings about sexual orientation and gender identity, bans on care for transgender minors and the approval of a bill that lets people carry concealed guns without permits. Gov. Ron DeSantis in February also announced legislation that would crack down on immigration.
Equality Florida highlighted some of the negative effects such legislation has already had. Florida parents have considered relocating, prospective students have crossed local colleges and universities off their lists, and business groups have canceled events and conferences.
“Florida has recently adopted a slate of hateful laws, and is fast-tracking additional measures that directly target the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and basic freedoms broadly,” Equality Florida’s statement continued.
In an email to CBS MoneyWatch, DeSantis’ office called the warnings “political stunts.”
Travel with “extreme caution”
The Florida Immigrant Coalition’s advisory advised that travel to all parts of Florida “should be done with extreme caution,” particularly for people of color and individuals with accents or who are traveling from abroad.
Florida Immigrant Coalition
Every county in Florida poses heightened risks, including family separation and possible detainment, the advisory warned, blaming “unconstitutional legislation supported by Governor Ron DeSantis and introduced by Legislative Leadership.”
The group even urged members of such groups visiting Florida to consult with an attorney prior to travel “to assess the level of danger.”
Finally, the group urged individuals and families traveling to Florida to “make a clear safety plan.” That includes memorizing a civil liberties attorney’s phone number, creating a plan for child custody in the event that families are separated.
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