California Mom Urges Supreme Court Review After Child Lost to Suicide
A California mother who lost her daughter to suicide after transitioning and was removed from her custody for not supporting her gender identity filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case from another mother in Indiana facing the loss of custody for not supporting her daughter’s gender transition.
Abigail Martinez is a Salvadoran immigrant who raised four children in California, one of whom began questioning her sexuality amid a struggle with depression in high school.
School staff told her daughter to join the school’s LGBTQ club, where the mother claims in her amicus brief the school club “persuaded that the only way to be happy was to change her gender,” and that the school psychologist encouraged her daughter to do the same.
With a new policy at the school requiring staff to use students’ pronouns and preferred names for students without parental notification or permission, Martinez was not informed of her daughter’s new identity, and feels “the school staff should have helped me, but they became my worst enemy.”
After Martinez’ daughter was hospitalized for attempting suicide, Martinez says the school psychologist told her daughter to accuse her mother of abuse so “she would lose custody and the state would pay for gender-transition treatments without parental consent.”
As a result, the California Department of Child and Family Services took her daughter and placed her in a group home, after which a judge ordered Martinez’ daughter be allowed to receive cross-sex hormones to further her transition.
While Martinez fought against the allegations of abuse and ultimately was exonerated and removed from the child abuse registry, soon after the court found her to be a fit parent her daughter committed suicide by lying down on tracks in front of an oncoming train.
Martinez had sought that her daughter be treated for her underlying depression instead of receiving cross-sex hormones, a lack of treatment that she blames for her daughter’s suicide.
In Indiana, the case of M.C. and J.C. v. Indiana Department of Child Services follows a similar contour: A child was removed from custody of parents nonetheless found “fit” by the state for the parents’ religious beliefs about gender identity and decision not to support the child’s transition.
In their case, the parents allege Indiana failed to follow the free exercise clause of the First Amendment by preventing them from raising their child according to their faith, and that the Indiana Department of Child Services censored the parents’ First Amendment speech rights by limiting what they were allowed to speak about with their child during their limited visitations.
“When governments usurp the essential role of parents in the lives of their children, tragedy ensues,” said Kayla Toney, associate counsel for First Liberty Institute, who is representing Martinez and filed the amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to take the Indiana case.
“The Constitution ensures that states cannot target parents because of their religious beliefs, interfere with the religious upbringing of their children, or impose prior restraints on speech in their own homes. We hope the Supreme Court will act to prevent state officials from committing any more violations of parental constitutional rights with impunity.”
With Indiana courts upholding the Department of Child Services’ decisions, the writ of certiorari filed by the parents seeks review by the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court hears the case and rules against Indiana, the result would be to overturn state laws in California, Washington, and Oregon, and court decisions in Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois that lead to parents losing custody if they do not seek or affirm gender-transition treatments for their child.
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One Blue State Will Fine Stores That Do Not Offer ‘Gender-Neutral’ Products for Children
This week, Townhall covered how a slew of students in one Democrat-leaning state have began identifying as “non-binary.” This year showed an increase for the fourth year in a row, and an almost 57 percent increase from the previous year.
Additionally, Townhall has reported how some schools have pushed the LGBTQ+ agenda on children as young as preschool.
A California law slated to go into effect in the coming weeks will require some stores that sell children’s items to implement a gender-neutral section.
According to the California government’s website, the law will “require a retail department store that is physically located in California that has a total of 500 or more employees across all California retail department store locations that sells childcare items or toys to maintain a gender neutral section or area, to be labeled at the discretion of the retailer, in which a reasonable selection of the items and toys for children that it sells shall be displayed, regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys.”
Beginning January 1, 2024, stores that do not comply with the law will be subject to a “civil penalty not to exceed $250 for the first violation or $500 for a subsequent violation.”
The law defines “children” as a person 12 years of age or younger. A “childcare item” includes “any product designed or intended by the manufacturer to facilitate sleep, relaxation, or the feeding of children, or to help children with sucking or teething.”
Earlier this year, Target faced intense backlash after unveiling its Pride collection, which included “gender neutral” and “transgender”items, including “tuck friendly” bathing suits for men to appear more feminine. As a result, Target held an “emergency meeting” over the collection. Some stores moved their Pride sections as a result. Matt covered how Target lost billions of dollars due to boycotts over the products.
In addition, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law that will fine schools that ban textbooks based on their teachings on race, sexual orientation and gender identity. In a statement about the legislation, Newsom attacked states like Florida, where parental rights are protected.
“From Temecula to Tallahassee, fringe ideologues across the country are attempting to whitewash history and ban books from schools. With this new law, we’re cementing California’s role as the true freedom state: a place where families — not political fanatics — have the freedom to decide what’s right for them,” Newsom said in a statement.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Newsom said that Republicans are pushing “extremist book bans” and described it as “discriminatory.”
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2023/12/05/california-gender-neutral-toys-n2632036
*************************************************105 House Democrats Refuse to Condemn Antisemitism
Illustrating Democrats' very real problem supporting Israel and condemning antisemitism, 13 members of President Joe Biden's party in the U.S. House of Representatives voted "no" and another 92 voted "present" on a resolution "[s]trongly condemning and denouncing the drastic rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world."
The 105 Democrats (plus one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky who objected to the resolution on semantic grounds) couldn't bring themselves to agree with the following resolution:
Whereas acts of hate, intimidation, discrimination, and violence based on ethnicity or religion have no place in our country nor in the global community;
Whereas the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism is widely accepted and serves as a critical tool to help individuals comprehend and identify the various manifestations of antisemitism;
Whereas, since the massacre of innocent Israelis by Hamas, an Iran-backed terrorist organization, on October 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents of harassment, vandalism, and assault in the United States have spiked 388 percent over the same period last year, according to reports from the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism;
Whereas drastic increases in antisemitic activity has also been seen in Jewish communities around the world since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks;
Whereas the slogan “From the River to the Sea”, which is a rallying cry for the eradication of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, has been used by anti-Israel protesters in the United States and globally;
Whereas, on October 8, 2023, a car with individuals holding Palestinian flags appeared to intentionally swerve out of its lane, nearly hitting a visibly Jewish family in Clifton, New Jersey;
Whereas, on October 15, 2023, an individual in New York, New York, punched a Jewish woman in the face at Grand Central Terminal solely because she was Jewish;
Whereas, on October 28, 2023, a Jewish man in Sydney, Australia, was severely injured by 3 anti-Israel rioters, in which he was punched in the head at least 12 times, suffered a concussion, 2 black eyes, and 4 spinal fractures;
Whereas, on November 3, 2023, a Jewish woman’s store in New York City was attacked by a mob of anti-Israel protesters all because she hung posters of Israeli hostages in the store window;
Whereas, on November 3, 2023, 4 masked men walked into a restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and proceeded to tear down an Israeli flag and yelled “Free Palestine”;
Whereas, on November 4, 2023, an Arizona man was arrested by Federal authorities for threatening to execute a local Rabbi and “every other JEW I can find tonight at midnight of your Sabbath”;
Whereas, on November 4, 2023, during an anti-Israel protest in Washington, DC, rioters shouted their support for Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, and other acts of terror targeting Israel, called for the end of the State of Israel, and spewed hateful and vile language amplifying antisemitic themes;
Whereas, during that same protest in Washington, DC, rioters stormed and tried to scale the White House fence, vandalized property by staining blood-red handprints onto the side of the White House pillars, and spray painted “Death to Israel” and “Glory to our Martyrs” on buildings in DC;
Whereas, on November 6, 2023, Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, tragically died due to injuries sustained when an anti-Israel protester struck him in the head with a megaphone in Los Angeles, California;
Whereas, on November 11, 2023, as part of a massive anti-Israel protest, rioters set off smokebombs in front of a synagogue in London, England;
Whereas, on November 12, 2023, police found several headstones at the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Brooklyn, Ohio, were desecrated with swastikas;
Whereas, on November 13, 2023, a mezuzah was torn off the doorpost of a Jewish person’s apartment and a knife was stuck into the wood in its place in Milan, Italy;
Whereas, on November 13, 2023, the evening before the March for Israel in Washington, DC, anti-Israel rioters vandalized a Jewish medical tent by spray painting “Free Gaza”, “Palestine Will Be Free”, and “Gaza Will Win”; and
Whereas, on November 15, 2023, anti-Israel protesters illegally blocked and violently attacked the Democratic National Committee headquarters, endangering the lives of individuals inside, including Members of Congress, and injuring 6 Capitol Police Officers; Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) strongly condemns and denounces all instances of antisemitism occurring in the United States and globally;
(2) reaffirms and reiterates its strong support for the Jewish community at home and abroad;
(3) calls on elected officials and world leaders to condemn and fight all forms of domestic and global antisemitism;
(4) clearly and firmly states that anti-Zionism is antisemitism; and
(5) rejects all forms of terror, hate, discrimination, and harassment of members of the Jewish community.
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How Private Is Private?
The Fourth Amendment secures our right to be secure against unreasonable searches, right? Not anymore, explains Naomi Brockwell on her popular YouTube channel.
In my new video, she explains how tech companies spy on us and then sell our information to the government.
But some of us actually find that tech companies prying can be a good thing.
Neil Chilson of the Charles Koch Institute says, "It's not only good for the companies; it's good for the user because it makes for a much more seamless experience."
Apps can recommend places to eat, stores to shop at and much more. These apps "make my life easier," I tell Brockwell. "Convenience matters."
"Convenience absolutely matters," Brockwell agrees, "but privacy is important. ... The U.S. government knows what color underwear you like to buy and what kinds of videos make you scroll a little bit slower."
"So, what?" I say.
"That data is forever," she points out. "Stored in permanent records associated with your identity in databases in Utah."
Brockwell says, "You have no control over what regime might come to power tomorrow, over which hacker might get access to that data. You have no control over what societal norms might change in the next 10 years and that data suddenly becomes incriminating. You're basically making a bet that you and the people with the guns (the government) will always stay on good terms."
"What if they made cryptocurrency illegal? Made guns illegal? Everyone who partakes in that suddenly becomes a criminal," she says, adding, "Look at what happened in China. Hong Kong used to be a bastion of freedom."
When China crushed that freedom, they used people's phones to track and punish protesters.
"Think about all the apps on your phone you've given permission to access your camera, location permission, microphone permission."
"So they work better," I reply.
"You are happy with these obscure apps, where you know nothing about the developers, to be able to look through your private photos?" she asks, incredulously.
I tell her, "I don't think they want to look at my private photos."
"That's a presumption," she replies.
"If they know where I am," I push back, "They can recommend a 'car repair shop near me' or 'restaurant near me.' I like that."
"I think it's creepy, personally, but it goes further than that." She replies, "These companies have a whole business model of selling that data. You have no idea where it ends up. ... It could be ending up in the hands of hackers on the dark web who want to target you with phishing scams, in the hands of political regimes who want to target you with specific content to get you to think in a certain way. ... And you're probably oblivious that any of this stuff is going on."
I'm oblivious unless I notice how specifically they market to me. I get creeped out when I'm talking about something and suddenly see an ad promoting something that addresses exactly what I was talking about. I think, "Oh, my God, were they just listening to me? How did they know to send me this?'"
"They know," says Brockwell. "Did you give them permission to access your microphone?" she asks.
"Probably," I say.
"They might be listening to you," she says. More likely, they just know because they know where I've been, what I do, and who my friends are.
Brockwell then looks at my phone and tells me to delete most of my apps.
"But I like them," I say.
"I know you like them," She says, "but you are taking your phone around with you everywhere you go. ... The government is purchasing all this data about us, creating records about all of us. That's a really scary thing."
https://townhall.com/columnists/johnstossel/2023/12/06/how-private-is-private-n2632048
****************************************My other blogs. Main ones below:
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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Kristina Pimenova, once said to be the most beautiful girl in the world. Note blue eyes and blonde hair
Bliss: What every woman wants: to feel safe and secure in the arms of her man. Robert Irwin and Rorie Buckey. See
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