Florida's Purge Of Gay And Lesbian Teachers Summary

After that instance, they started to listen. Rivera spent her time doing everything to try to get the bill to pass, including getting arrested. Yet over time, a struggle within the group arose when those who were in favor of a class-based agenda, like Rivera, who wanted a movement centered around issues of poverty and oppression, clashed with assimilation-focused leaders who suggested that the only thing wrong with the U.S. culture was that it was antigay (Shepard, 99). Rivera quickly learned that even amongst the most radical gay activist, they weren’t interested in the struggles of trans and gender non-conforming people.

America’s involvement in World War I not only impacted the war front but also the people left on the home front. When America entered World War I in 1917 the government enforced many measures on its citizens, many of which violated constitutional rights. The biggest measure inflicted on the American population was censorship. The formation of the Committee on Public Information (CPI) and the passing of the Espionage Act and Sedition Amendment stole American’s freedom of speech, created an anti-German sentiment, and led to deportation during the post-war Red Scare.

The late 1940′s were a time when much change happened to the American society. As a result to the expanding threat of the Soviet Union, or its Communistic ideals, America took a stand that lead it to the Cold War.  Although the war didn’t involve fighting directly with Russia, it still affected the American society and domestic policy. The war affected America so much that it lead to a fear of livelihood; precisely when Joseph McCarthy began his “witch hunt”. The Cold war lead to an enlarged fear of nuclear war; as well, it affected many of the domestic policies.

Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their

During the early twentieth century the protection of civil liberties gained importance in the American opinion. In contrast to the many casualties of World War I, the Progressivism faith, that had an active federal government, had taken over the national purpose and deepened the enjoyment of freedom in the hearts of Americans. In the eyes of the Progressives, Prohibition, wartime and postwar repression, and the pro-business policies of the 1920’s were all things of how public power could go awry. This created a new appreciation for civil liberties as an essential factor of American freedom. The 1920’s was the birth of the logical concept of civil liberties and the start of important legal protection of freedom of speech against the U.S. government.

[The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) organization at my high school, which meets twice per month, generated a list of concerns that they shared with school administration. The focus was specifically about gender identity, the lack of support from school staff, and the daily scrutiny they face as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Through collaboration with my colleagues it was evident that there had been an increase in teacher and student referrals surrounding gender identity. The feedback from GSA clearly identified that as a school we are not meeting the needs of our LGBT students and those struggling with sexual orientation. Members of the GSA clearly feel that teachers ignore negative comments like “gay” and “faggot” when they hear them in class, that teachers may not clearly understand gender neutral language, and that our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students do not feel safe and protected in school. Students needed support advocating for their right to use a restroom, correct pronoun, etc., requiring district, community, parent, and colleague

In 2004, the student Gay-Straight Alliance at Poway High School in Poway, California held its second annual "Day of Silence" to promote "tolerance of others, particularly those of a different sexual

The topic of queer community has always been a complicated and delicate subject to many conservatives in the state of Texas. In fact, a news article from 2009 discusses how a homosexual teacher in the outskirts of Dallas was ridiculed for assigning an essay to his students about the acceptance of all people, including Homosexuals (PR Newswire Association LLC). Ridiculous accusations started surfacing about the teacher such as him sodomizing one of his students, or he was having an affair with a well-known lawyer. Ivan brings in a quote from the woman she interviews about gay bashing in Midland Texas. The woman states that “there’s not a gay in Midland who would come out of the closet for fear people would think they’re a Democrat” (Ivan 784). People in Texas don’t want others to wrongfully stereotype them into something they are

The American Civil Liberties Union has a long and righteous history of being an interest group. The non-profit group was officially founded in 1920; during the years following World War I, America was engrossed by the fear that the Communist Revolution that had taken place in Russia would spread to the United States. As is often the case when fear outweighs rational debate, civil liberties paid the price (American Civil Liberties Union, n.d.). In November 1919 and January 1920, in what infamously became known as the “Palmer Raids,” Attorney General Mitchell Palmer began rounding up and deporting so-called radicals. Thousands of people were arrested without warrants and without regard to

The final assignment for this course is a Final Paper. The purpose of the Final Paper is to give you an opportunity to apply much of what you have learned about American national government to an examination of civil liberties in the context of the war on terror. The Final Paper represents 20% of the overall course grade.

In reference to the research question “To what extent did the Red Scare create a pseudo “reign of terror” in the United States, ” authors Wendy Wall and Alexander Stafford provide adequate information about the affects of the red scare on society. Wall goes into a detailed description the Federal Loyalty-Security Program and the House Un-American Activities Committees. Both of these programs set up by the government were a form of oppression to the American citizens, inquiring personal information that should have not been public information. The Federal Loyalty-Security Program put regulations on employment agencies and required employers to take loyalty oaths. This can be seen as a violation of the constitution, as it oppresses one’s personal points of view and violates their right to freedom of speech. The House Un-American Activities Committees (HUAC) questioned workers of film in Hollywood and blacklisted those who were seen as untrustworthy. Those blacklisted thus had a difficult time finding employment.

Since the creation of the United States, the meaning of freedom has changed to meet changing attitudes. Throughout our nation’s history, there have been significant periods of racial, economic and civil rights inequalities. There are different meanings for freedoms that have been established throughout the historical period of the United States. During this modern era, the US had certain periods of time that lived up to the ideals of freedom such as the Gilded Age. In opposition, the US has also had periods of time where our ideals of freedom failed to meet the requirements of our nation, a prime example being the late 1940s when the US entered the Cold War and led to the anti-communism period of McCarthyism which ultimately restricted

This has been a common occurrence for the LGBTQIA community as well. Much like women they have been kept silenced. Today it has become a trend of them speaking out against the injustice. They are able to stay true to their societal roles of advocates and be moral members of

I don’t know if we have any gay teachers in my building. I don’t ask about people’s sexual orientation because I believe it’s not a topic for school discussion. If a teacher wanted to tell me that would be fine, but I’m not going to openly ask them. If a teacher was gay in my building I would believe they would be treated the same as any other professional. Audubon has a world class staff who appreciate and encourage students to be themselves no matter what their sexual preference.

On September 13, there was a lecture held in the pottle auditorium about the consequence of World War II in Louisiana. Mr. Jerry P. Sanson of Louisiana State University at Alexandria came to SELU to share his knowledge in this field. According to him, during the second world war, civil liberties was suppressed and even president Roosevelt tried to suppress it. But, Samuel Harpus, a state-senator opposed him and caused the war to resign. The outcome of the war had already affected the political situation, but it was not all. It even effected some schools, mostly those that were violating the Intelligent Patriotism Program.