The Brew: America Is Done with Wokeness. Some Have Gotten the Memo, Some Haven’t
Happy Thursday! There are now only 13 days ’til Christmas.
Today’s Brew starts with a tip of the cup to the Brits.
Britain Bans Puberty Blockers for Kids Under 18
We can’t salute the Brits for much these days, but they certainly got this one right. The United Kingdom has now blocked the use of puberty blockers for kids under 18 because they pose an “unacceptable safety risk” to children.
The decision to indefinitely ban the use of puberty blockers on minors comes after this spring’s bombshell Cass Report, which concluded that the studies used to justify the chemical mutilation of kids were “poor.” Dr. — now Baroness — Hilary Cass particularly singled out a Dutch study that suggested there was some kind of psychological benefit in them for those suffering from gender dysphoria. That flawed Dutch study became the basis for the widespread use of puberty blockers on children.
When will the American medical establishment follow the Brits, get the dollar signs out of their eyes and trans activists off their backs, and do what is best for children?
The presidential election, among other events, has demonstrated that America is completely done with the woke nonsense and assaults on free speech. Some people got the memo, but others still haven’t.
They Got the Memo: Washington State High School Sports Board Floats Proposal to Protect Women’s Sports
The governing body of high school sports in Washington state took a step toward sanity Tuesday, offering a proposal to protect girls’ athletics. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) wants to create an “open division,” whereby athletes could compete regardless of gender identity, while maintaining a girl’s division that would prohibit those born male from competing. The body will decide whether to accept the proposal at the WIAA Winter Coalition virtual meeting on January 27.
In May, a biological male dominated the Washington state girls 400-meter race, powering his team to the state track championship.
She Didn’t Get the Memo: Caitlin Clark Apologizes for Her White Privilege
For one of the rare times in her already illustrious career, basketball star Caitlin Clark has thrown brick. In an interview with TIME after being named the magazine’s “Female Athlete of the Year,” Clark bowed to the woke mobs and apologized for her “white privilege.” She also waxed rhapsodic about how black players had built the WNBA.
I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been black players. This league has kind of been built on them.
The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important.
I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.
Clark doesn’t realize the nation, as a whole, is done with the racial guilt, bowing down to the “antiracist” propaganda that brought such division and rancor. She also doesn’t realize that those who peddle that nonsense will ignore her efforts to play along. No matter what feats she achieves, no matter how much attention and money she brings in for her fellow players, it won’t be enough.
Fellow athlete Riley Gaines was disappointed with Clark’s submission to the woke crowd.
No one was asking for Caitlin Clark to position herself as a right-wing hero. All she needed to do was remain neutral.
She’s a phenom who inspires countless young girls to play & achieve, so I still have great admiration for her, but she missed the mark on this one.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) December 11, 2024
In Clark’s defense, she is going out of her way to be gracious in the face of hate and abuse both on and off the court, particularly from black players, and is attempting to be an ambassador for women’s basketball rather than a player focused on herself and her next championship. As much as one would like her to grumble, “The scoreboard can’t tell your color,” and give an elbow to the jaw of the next jealous opponent who tries to injure her, that’s not how Clark is wired.
They Got the Memo: NY School District Changes Mind, Allows Student Bible Club
Waterville Central School District has reversed course and approved the creation of a student-led, school-sponsored Bible study club.
“We are grateful that the school district now recognizes the constitutional right of this club to meet with equal funding, support, and recognition afforded to all other clubs,” said Keisha Toni Russell, senior counsel for the First Liberty Institute, which is representing the kids. “Schools should always respect the religious beliefs of their students. This is a victory for students of all faiths and a reminder that all people have a constitutional right to express their religious beliefs, pray, and study the Bible — even in a public school setting.”
The district had earlier blocked an effort by eighth-grade student Elijah Nelson to start a Bible study at his school, claiming “We cannot have a school-sponsored club associated with a religion, meaning that we can’t fund the club or provide an advisor.” However, last week, First Liberty Institute sent a letter reminding the district that the Supreme Court has made it clear that if a school allows any student clubs, it must allow religious ones, too.
“The Supreme Court has made clear that the Free Exercise Clause protects religious practices by both students and employees in public school settings,” Russell said.
To its credit, the Waterville Central School District quickly saw the error of its ways — or at least the legal jeopardy — and signed off on the club.
They Didn’t Get the Memo: Georgia State Boots Man Off Campus for Having a Consensual Conversation About Faith
First Liberty Institute is also threatening legal action against Georgia State University for booting a man who was having a friendly conversation with a student about faith. Stephen Atkerson talks to anyone who’s willing to discuss Christianity, and had spoken several times with a particular student. In fact, they arranged to meet for another conversation. No “Buzz off, Bible-thumper” here. It was a totally consensual chat.
When they met in the school’s “free speech” area recently, however, it was raining — and since he was smart enough to come out of the rain, the student invited Atkerson to join him indoors near the dining hall. The two were talking, minding their own business, when a school official and three officers accosted Atkerson for talking about religion outside the “free speech” area. They forced him to leave.
First Liberty is demanding that the school respect Atkerson’s constitutional rights.
“No one needs the government’s permission to carry on a consensual conversation in public,” said Senior Counsel Nate Kellum. “The First Amendment ensures the free exchange of ideas, even if those ideas happen to be religious. The university’s action was threatening, overbearing, and infringed on Stephen’s constitutional rights.”
Along the Stream…
The Stream’s John Z weighs in on the recent acquittal of a New York City subway hero in “Daniel Penny Was the Scapegoat of the New Fanatical Religion.”
We mentioned this on Al’s Christmas Tea yesterday, but Jules Gomes dives deeper with “Pope Francis Prays to ‘Palestinian’ Jesus Lying on Swaddling ‘Terrorism’ Scarf.”
Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.