Transgender legal protections in Iowa, Holocaust education in schools, the dominance of white male heroes, a super LGBTQ Gen Z, and Ohio’s ban on transgender care for youth
Disability protections for transgender people instead of civil rights guarantees under Iowa proposal: Iowans who are transgender would receive legal protections akin to those received by people with physical or mental disabilities, and would not receive protection under the state’s Civil Rights Code, under a proposal being considered by a state House subcommittee. The Gazette reports that the One Iowa activist group labeled the proposal “an insult.”
Americans support public school education about the Holocaust: Providing more education about the Holocaust is supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans, regardless of whether they are Jewish, says a new study. At least three-fourths of Americans, and up to nine in 10 of Jewish Americans, said “yes” to not only Holocaust education, but also teaching about antisemitism and Jewish studies, and assessing the effect of those teachings. The American Jewish Committee is releasing these preliminary survey results a day before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which happens Jan. 27. Illinois is among 23 states that currently require holocaust education in public schools, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Gen Z identifies more strongly as LGBTQ than any other generation: Among Americans ages 18 to 25, 28 percent identify as LGBTQ, according to a new study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). That ratio includes 8 percent of Gen Z Americans who identify as “something else” rather than straight, gay or lesbian, or bisexual, reports NBC News. By contrast, 10 percent of Americans overall identify as LGBTQ+. In both measurements, bisexuals account for the majority of those who identify as LGBTQ. The survey features 6,600 participants nationwide in August and September. In addition, the study showed that people of color Gen Z adults are more than three times as likely as white Gen Zers to “experience discrimination based on their race or ethnicity.”
People of color, women less likely to be chosen as “heroes:” White men are predominantly cited by Americans and Britons when they’re asked to name their heroes, according to a new study. Only 31 percent of Americans, and 15 percent of Britons, chose a person of color when asked to name a hero, whether in personal or public life, reports the University of Exeter about the study. And only 20 percent of Americans, and 25 percent of Britons, mentioned a female. In addition, friends and family members were the most common identity for both countries’ heroes, while celebrities were second-most chosen in Britain, and religious figures were second-most chosen in America.
Ohio legislature bans youth gender transition care, sports participation: Transgender Ohioans under age 18 will soon be banned from puberty blockers and hormone treatments in addition to surgical gender transition steps, after the Ohio State Legislature voted earlier this week to override its governor’s veto of the bans, reports USA Today. The new law is expected to take effect in April and also bars transgender teens from participating in K-12 and collegiate competitive sports. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, had vetoed the law late last year, banning only gender transition surgery for youth through an executive order. The state’s Republican-controlled House voted last week to override that veto, and the Senate did the same Monday.
(photo credit: Dorian Rhea Debussy at a transgender rights rally in Ohio in 2022, and the interior of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center Remembrance Room, both courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Iowa and TikTok, HIV and cancer, challenges of AI and climate change, plant-based protein benefits, and fulfilling global water demand
Iowa sues TikTok for deception: Iowa joined the states of Akansas, Indiana, Montana and Utah on a list of those suing the company that owns TikTok, contending the social media platform is misleading parents about the preponderance of nudity, alcohol and drug references, and sexual content, reports Reuters. Iowa’s lawsuit, filed last Wednesday, accuses the company of consumer fraud, seeks financial penalties, and asks a judge for an order barring TikTok and parent company ByteDance from engaging in deceptive and unfair conduct.
People with HIV have 10-fold higher chance of developing cancer: Cancer is the leading cause of death among people with HIV, says the latest annual report from the American Cancer Society, reported by Poz Magazine. Yet, while people with HIV are 10 times more likely than those without the virus to develop about 10 HIV-related cancers, the overall incidence of cancer among both people with HIV and without has decreased. Among the report’s other key findings: endometrial cancer remains one of the few cancers for which the death rate continues to increase, at a rate of about 2 percent per year. Find the full report here.
Artificial intelligence, climate change causing concern among CEOs: Corporations are urgently in need of “reinvention” to survive changes brought on by AI and climate change, says a new survey of 32,000 CEOs in 28 countries reported by Fast Company. More than a third of those surveyed said their companies would need to change how they operate within the next three years because of climate change. Two-thirds of the CEOS said their workers needed additional training to use developing AI technology. Overall, almost half of the CEOs said their businesses wouldn’t be viable in a decade without reinvention, up from 39% last year.
Plant-based proteins shown to contribute to healthy aging among middle-aged women: A new study of 50,000 middle-aged women found a 46 percent higher likelihood of “healthy aging,” reports Plant-Based News. The study defined healthy aging as “being free from 11 major chronic diseases, having good mental health, and not having impairments in either cognitive or physical function.” Women who had a diet higher in meat consumption showed a 6 percent drop in the likelihood of healthy aging. The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that plant-based proteins like beans and legumes contribute to lower “bad” cholesterol, blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity.
Search to fulfill global water demand aided by artificial intelligence: Seeking to prepare for a 40 increase in demand for fresh water worldwide by 2030, a Barcelona nonprofit is employing artificial intelligence to help find and preserve clean water, writes Nature World News. The program from Earth05 will help identify water contaminants in time to prevent algae blooms and other fall-out from pollution; find the most sustainable irrigation policies; and prepare for weather events more effectively.
(photo credits: TikTok by Solen Feyissa on Flickr, and artificial intelligence by mikemacmarketing on Flickr)
More abortions in 2023, victory against redlining, “Love Your Mind” campaign for mental health, and Iowa’s proposed ban on conversion therapy bans
Number of abortions in 2023 likely to be higher than in 2020: Support networks that help with travel and medical costs, and telehealth access to abortion, are two reasons why the Guttmacher Institute predicts more U.S. abortions will have occurred in 2023 than in 2020, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe V. Wade abortion rights. The nonprofit says most states that protect abortion rights expanded abortion services in 2023. Read more from Guttmacher here.
Ban on conversion therapy bans hits Iowa Legislature: Yes, you read that right: a move is afoot to ban local governments from banning the practice of conversion therapy, which is the use of intimidation or abuse to attempt to change someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation. The clash at hand is actually over First Amendment free speech rights, following court rulings in two Florida communities, and in Atlanta, that declared conversion therapy bans a violation of free speech and forced those bans to be overturned. Nationwide, 22 states including Michigan and Illinois ban conversion therapy. Read more about Iowa’s proposed ban on the ban, and how Iowa’s LGBTQ+ activists are responding to the proposal, in the Quad City Times.
Redlining initiative leads to $1.9 million investment in Tennessee’s People of Color customers: Two years ago, the Biden administration announced a historic effort to investigate and penalize “redlining,” the practice of intentionally impeding the ability of People of Color to obtain mortgages and loans. That effort, the Combating Redlining Initiative, resulted this week in a Tennessee bank agreeing to pay almost $2 million for redlining from 2015 to 2020, reports the Department of Justice. An investigation by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland revealed that Patriot Bank had for five years “avoided providing mortgage services to majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Memphis and discouraged people seeking credit in those communities from obtaining home loans. The settlement is the 11th case of redlining researched through the Initiative since 2021.
“Love Your Mind” campaign focuses on mental health needs of Black, Hispanic men With statistics showing that 64% of Black and 63% of Hispanic adults report having a mental health condition, the “Love Your Mind” campaign is recruiting soccer stars of color to help reduce the stigma of men of color seeking mental health services, reports Healthcare Utah. “People of color in our country face unique challenges, including ongoing experiences of racism that can lead to ‘racial battle fatigue,’ and we’re proud to develop messages and resources that acknowledge and uplift them,” sys Dr. William A. Smith with the Huntsman Mental Health Institute that is leading the campaign.
(photo credit: sign at an April 2022 abortion rights rally at Stanford University, from Suiren2022 on Wikimedia Commons)
Fentanyl concerns in Iowa, Rock Island/Milan’s first female schools leader, Club Q shooter plea, more
Fentanyl seizures in Iowa up 105 percent in 2023: A new report on fentanyl seizures shows that the state of Iowa, plus eight counties along the Illinois/Wisconsin border, had among the nation’s greatest increases this year in seizure of fentanyl, the highly potent opioid that is causing overdoses to spiral nationwide. KCRG reports that 141,000 fentanyl pills were seized in Iowa in 2023, 105 percent the number seized in 2022. In addition, testing by the Drug Enforcement Administration showed that in 2023, seven out of 10 seized pills contained a deadly dose of fentanyl, compared to 4 of 10 seized pills in 2021 and 6 of 10 in 2022.
Rock Island/Milan School District hires first-ever female superintendent: Dr. Sharon Williams, originally from Tennessee, comes to the Rock Island/Milan School district from Cook County, reports WQAD. Williams is the first-ever female to lead the district, located on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, and said she was drawn to lead the district because of its “compelling vision of equity and the diverse student body and Board of Education.”
Historic percentage of Emmy Award-winners this year are People of Color: The five People of Color Emmy Award winners Monday is the greatest number since 1991, says Hollywood Reporter. Those winners include Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Quinta Brinton (Abbott Elementary), Niecy Nash-Betts (Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), and Beef’s Steven Yeun and Ali Wong.
Club Q shooter likely to face decades more in jail for federal hate crimes: Anderson Aldrich, the gunman who killed five and injured 46 at the Club Q LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs in 2022, is expected to plead guilty to federal hate crimes soon, reports USA Today and other media. The 23-year-old on Tuesday pled “not guilty” to the hate crimes charges, but a court filing from Jan. 9 indicates he will soon plead guilty as part of a plea agreement that will save him from the death penalty in return for accepting a sentence of 190-plus years.
Coalition of 250 groups asks USDA to promote plant-based eating to fight climate change: A letter that features not only groups but also experts asks the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take several steps that will increase the focus on plant-based eating as an important part of climate change, reports Plant-Based News. The letter asks the USDA to make reduction of meat and dairy part of its climate strategy; increase access to plant-based foods in school meal programs; and emphasize “plant-forward” eating patterns into the agency’s official dietary guidelines. Read more here.
(photo shows seized real and counterfeit rainbow fentanyl pills, by the Drug Enforcement Administration through Wikimedia Commons)
