THIS WEEK IN SECULAR NEWS

Erasing trans citizens. In the latest attack equal rights, the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to reinstate its ban on transgender people changing gender markers on passports. Lower courts had blocked the policy, finding it discriminatory and a violation of US law. The administration argues the harm is "speculative" and the policy applies equally to all sexes, but lower court judges have rejected this, stating the policy puts transgender individuals at risk of violence and harassment. The case has been filed on the "shadow docket," which is typically reserved for emergencies, and a decision from the Supreme Court is expected soon. Read more. 

More of this, please.  The Hawai’i Supreme Court has ruled that a century-old land deed restriction, which required a property to be used "for Church purposes only," is unconstitutional. The unanimous decision stated that the restriction violated the state's Establishment Clause by explicitly favoring religion. In a scathing concurring opinion, Justice Todd Eddins condemned the U.S. Supreme Court's recent rulings, arguing they have eroded the separation of church and state. He claimed the Roberts Court's decisions are based on "pretend facts" and partisan values, and that Hawai'i's legal system should not follow this trend. This is what it looks like when the courts stand up for secular democracy. Read more. 

Kinder, Küche, Kirche:  Fascist regimes always push narratives of domestic bliss, yet rely on women’s unpaid labor. We're seeing it in the U.S. today, where ‘womanosphere’ influencers promote the same fantasies. One example: the  Nazi women's bureau, that promoted "the cradle and the ladle," or traditional domestic roles, to millions of women. The movement focused on home life and family, helping to make the party ideals of female subordination and reproductive duties feel prestigious rather than compulsory. This approach enabled the regime to implement its ideology and rely on women's unpaid labor, concealing the state's failures and ultimately reinforcing a fascist, patriarchal social order. See any parallels today?? We sure do. Read more. 

"Ethics for thee, but not for me" - AZGOP: House Ethics Committee Chairman Rep. Lupe Diaz (R-Benson) has decided not to take up a complaint against Rep. John Gillette, R-Kingman, who recently made several anti-Muslim comments on social media, including  referring to Muslims as “savages” and “terrorists.” Democrats say Gillette's comments dehumanize an entire religious group and that they no longer feel safe in his presence; Dem calls for unity were met with a hate-filled response. Diaz says it's a free speech issue and won't investigate. Read more. 

Always read Ta-Nahisi Coates: By ignoring the rhetoric and actions of the Turning Point USA founder, pundits and politicians are sanitizing Kirk's legacy. Kirk left many, many words —a helpful compendium if you will— that should make it very easy to understand his legacy. As Coates writes, though, It is difficult to match these words with the manner in which Kirk is presently being memorialized in mainstream discourse. In reality, Kirk's "politics amounted to little more than a loathing of those whose mere existence provoked his ire" rather than someone who "did politics the right way." Read more.

Kirk's impact on LGBTQ Students in AZ. After Charlie Kirk's death, students at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona are concerned about a potential increase in hostility and violence against the LGBTQ+ community. While some politicians have condemned the act, many students feel this is disingenuous given Kirk/TPUSA's past actions and rhetoric. Lookout notes that many students are experiencing fear for their safety and that of their friends, anticipating further anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the wake of the assassination. Read more. 

Shocker: Kirk's funeral this weekend obliterated the line between church and state. The Phoenix New Times describes the event as "a more than five-hour marathon of unapologetic Christian nationalism" that "perhaps not since the Reagan administration has the nation seen its highest government officials embracing evangelical Christianity to such a degree" Sooooo not surprised. Read more.