Equality Act about fairness, not boys playing girls sports
Woman booked into Montgomery County jail on child endangering.
Religious conservatives are clearly confused and agitated.
After all, they gave it their best effort, endlessly admonishing about “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” They were insistent that love is only love when it occurs between a man and a woman.
But despite decades of political campaigns, pulpit pounding and other fervent attempts to portray gays and lesbians as less deserving of God’s love, those battles have largely been lost. Thank God.
Now, they’re circling back to old tropes and doubling down on a new target — transgender people — in a new attempt to torpedo the Equality Act.
A mishmash of state laws currently governs LGBTQ protections. The result is that in about half of the states, LGBTQ people can lose employment, or be denied an apartment, or the right to be in a public space, due to their sexual identity or gender orientation. But they’d need a state-bystate guidebook to know where they have right and where they don’t.
The Equality Act would end that.
It passed in the House last month 224-206. But in the Senate, gaining enough votes to override a filibuster is threatened. The Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
The current attempt to gut the legislation and muddy the waters is for statehouses to proclaim that their efforts are to protect vulnerable children, usually little girls. Little girls who want to use a girls’ only bathroom. Little girls who want to run track or play high school volleyball.
Indeed, a lot of the push back is framed around protecting girls’ participation in sports. Unfortunately, that argument is further stirred by some high-profile athletes who weighed in via a campaign that sought to protect Title IX, the federal law that has been used to guarantee equal access to sports for girls and women.
The Women’s Sports Policy Working Group supported the Equality Act, but with asterisks to reaffirm Title IX. Others argue that the distinctions they made are completely unnecessary.
The controversy only fueled other, less well-meaning campaigns. States are considering bills that would completely ban trans children from sports other than their assignedat-birth gender, would limit the type of medical attention they could gain as minors and prohibit people from updating their birth certificates by name and gender.
It’s a lot of effort to fight what science and the med- ical profession knows about gender dysphoria, the emotional distress of a person whose gender identity doesn’t conform with the sex they were assigned at birth.
It’s real and society can inflict suffering by pretending otherwise.
The general public needs to catch up and not be misled by politicians or religious leaders spouting bad science.
There is no rush of boys claiming to be trans, just so they can swoop in and dominate girls sports. The NCAA and the organizations governing international competitions have standards to monitor for fairness.
And criminals like pedophiles are not swarming to claim transgender status so they can lurk and attack girls in bathrooms.
Religious conservatives, just like religious liberals, can believe whatever they wish to uphold under the banner of faith.
But no one should be able to discriminate against someone in a public space and call it their faith, their religious right to do so. The Equality Act simply seeks to codify this fairness into law.
A 2-year-old boy who reportedly shot himself Saturday night is still in serious but stable condition and his mother has been arrested in connection to the shooting.
The woman arrested, identified by Montgomery County authorities as the boy’s mother, was booked into Montgomery County Jail on a complaint of child endangering. Formal charges against the woman have not been filed as of Monday afternoon, but she was incarcerated at the jail without a bond.
Authorities began their investigation when they were called to the 1900 block of Gant Drive in Harriston Twp at around 10:30 p.m. In the 9-1-1 call that was released to the Dayton Daily News, a different woman says that her nephew had shot himself and was in need of emergency responders.
“My sister, I guess she had a gun ... and my nephew just shot himself, he just shot himself. Please,” the caller can be heard frantically saying while asking for help.
The caller said the boy shot himself in the stomach upstairs.
The report from the sheriff ’s office says the boy suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. Exactly what type of gun wasn’t mentioned in either a sheriff’s office incident report nor a news release from the office.
The caller told the dispatcher that the boy was laying on the floor and was in pain, but was awake and breathing.
“He’s very hurt,” the woman says.
According to the phone call, authorities responded to the house within three minutes of the emergency phone call. The sheriff ’s office said in the release that the child was taken to Children’s Hospital, and detectives responded to the scene to investigate.
The incident remains under investigation and the Montgomery County Sheriff ’s Office asks anyone with information to contact the office at 937-225-HELP.
Cincinnati Reds infielder Jonathan India takes a throw to second base during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the Cleveland Indians last week in Goodyear, Ariz. The former first-round draft pick hopes to make his case for a spot on the Reds Opening Day roster this spring.
Jonathan India showed his power Friday in his fifth Catcus League appearance of spring training for the Cincinnati Reds.
India, the No. 5 overall draft pick in 2018, hit a line-drive home run to right field against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He hit 11 home runs in his first two seasons in the minors but knows that’s not his game.
“I feel more like a gap hitter,” India said. “The power will be there, but I’m not trying to be a home run hitter.”
This will be India’s fourth season in pro baseball. He spent last season training at the Reds’ alternate site in Mason. This season, he was one of the minor-league prospects invited to train with the big-league players in Goodyear, Ariz. Baseball America ranks India as the Reds’ thirdbest prospect behind shortstop Jose Garcia and outfielder Austin Hendrick, the team’s firstround pick in 2020.
India hit .227 in 15 Cactus League games with the Reds before spring training was suspended last March. This spring, he hit .250 in his first six appearances.
“I feel very comfortable out there,” India said. “It’s a lot different this year with COVID and the protocols we’ve got. We’re spread out a lot. But I’m excited to be here. I’m ready for this year. I feel really strong. I’m healthy. I’m ready to go.”
India has spent the majority of his professional career playing third base but also has seen action at shortstop and second base. The shortstop position is one of the focuses for the Reds this spring with Dee Strange-Gordon, Kyle Farmer and Garcia the most likely players to win the job.
“I played shortstop my whole
life before college,” India said. “I was a shortstop in high school and even when I was young. I played a little in college. I’m always ready for shortstop. That’s my favorite position. I’m going to play where they tell me.”
India started his pro career with the Greeneville Reds at the rookie level in 2018 and was promoted to the Single-A Dayton Dragons later that season. In 2019, he started the season with the Single-A Daytona Tortugas and earned a promotion to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts in July.
India said he’s ready for the big leagues in 2021.
“I was ready last year, but I got hurt,” he said. “It’s really not my decision. I’ve got to play to the best of my abilities. I know what I can do. I believe I’m a big leaguer.”
Even though there wasn’t a minor league season in 2020 because of the pandemic, India benefited from his experience in Mason.
“I grew a lot as a player,” he said. “I perfected some things in my game that weren’t there yet. It was a good place for me. I was happy I had an opportunity to be there. I worked my butt off there.”
Notes: Reds first baseman Joey Votto has four hits in his first nine at-bats in spring training. Manager David Bell said Monday Votto just looks different at the plate this spring.
“I know he’s made some changes, and I think it’s shown up,” Bell said. “You look at the results. He’s had some hits, which is always nice even if you’ve had the career he’s had. To get off to a good start is great.”