https://popular.info/p/student-sentenced-to-10-days-in-jail
'Alex Barnett, a junior at the University of Central Arkansas, was sentenced to
10 days behind bars for participating in a peaceful protest of anti-trans
policies imposed by a local school board.
On November 8, 2022, Barnett organized a group of students to attend a meeting
of the Conway School Board. Barnett and his classmates were there to protest
the actions of the school board at their previous meeting in October. At the
October meeting, the school board banned trans students from using restrooms
that matched their gender identity and banned two books that included trans
characters.
The October 11 vote by the Conway School Board came after a series of
incendiary comments during the public comment period. One speaker, Cal Poulsen,
said that LGBTQ people should be killed. "God gave them over to a depraved mind
so that they do what they should not be doing," Paulsen said. "They invent ways
of doing evil. But let me remind you that those who do such things deserve
death."
None of the school board members publicly objected to such comments. Later in
the meeting, they unanimously approved the bathroom restrictions and book bans.
In an interview with
Popular Information, Barnett said he learned about the
issues with the Conway School Board when he saw videos of the October meeting
circulating on social media. He felt compelled to take action. "Ultimately,
when I'm fighting for trans rights, I'm also fighting for my own rights,"
Barnett said. "If you don't show up for… people who are marginalized, the
people who are facing the most severe oppression from the government, if you
don't show up to help them, then you're screwed whenever they come for you."'
Via Sheila Nagig.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
