Author: Edward Bartlett

To End ‘Kangaroo Courts,’ Lawmakers Need to Remove Qualified Immunity from Corrupt Title IX Officials

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date January 8, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

Rebecca Hain: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

To End ‘Kangaroo Courts,’ Lawmakers Need to Remove Qualified Immunity from Corrupt Title IX Officials

WASHINGTON / January 9, 2024 – Recent incidents reveal that many campus Title IX offices are ignoring fundamental due process protections for the falsely accused, resulting in college disciplinary committees being dubbed “Kangaroo Courts.” Given that these biases are so egregious and likely intentional, lawmakers need to enact laws to remove qualified immunity from campus Title IX personnel.

These are three recent examples of egregious due process violations:

Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia: After he was sexually assaulted by a female resident, physician John Abraham reported the incident to his supervisor at the university. But inexplicably, his complaint was not forwarded to the Title IX office and never investigated (1). Abraham was forced from his faculty position before any investigation could be conducted.

In December, a jury decided in favor of Abraham, awarding him $11 million in compensation for financial losses and $4 million in punitive damages for the university’s “outrageous conduct.” (2)

University of Maryland, College Park: A UMD student recently sued the University of Maryland, accusing the institution of a biased disciplinary proceeding (3). The lead investigator in the case was Jamie Brennan, who had previously posted on her Facebook page a quote stating, “I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men, they are far superior and always have been.”

The man’s lawsuit notes, “Investigators are supposed to ‘identify discrepancies’ in the stories and ‘ask the hard questions.’…In this case there were several discrepancies for which there was no follow-up and certainly no ‘hard questions’… When asked to explain her conduct, Brennan retorted, ‘that was not something we sought to obtain.’” (4)

University of Tulsa, Oklahoma: Impartiality is the foundation of due process. But at the University of Tulsa, the Title IX coordinator made a video promising accusers that they “will be believed.” (5) A similar promise was not made to falsely accused students.

No surprise, a sex discrimination lawsuit alleged the same Title IX coordinator had restricted an accused student’s access to evidence and treated him as guilty throughout the process. In August, the case was remanded to the Tulsa County District Court for final resolution (6).

These three incidents are not the exception to the rule. An analysis of 175 lawsuits decided in favor of the falsely accused student concluded that in most cases, the judicial decisions were based on the fact that colleges were failing to observe the most fundamental notions of fairness, often so gross as to suggest that sex bias was the motivating factor (7).

Indeed, recent actions by the federal Department of Education that flout basic requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act have been denounced as a “contempt of court” and “contempt of law.” (8)

Given the continuing lack of good faith on the part of the Title IX personnel, lawmakers must consider the removal of qualified immunity. Qualified immunity is the legal doctrine that shields officials from personal accountability when they violate a citizen’s constitutional rights.

The drive to end qualified immunity for unscrupulous police officers now enjoys broad support, including from U.S. senator Mike Lee (9), Americans Against Qualified Immunity (10), and the National Police Accountability Project (11). An online petition, “End Qualified Immunity!” has garnered nearly 130,000 signatures (12).

It’s time to eliminate qualified immunity for corrupt Title IX officials and bring an end to the campus Kangaroo Courts.

Links:

Domestic Violence Gender Agenda United Nations

Petition to Defund the United Nations

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date January 3, 2024

Petition to Defund the United Nations

Organized by the Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance[1]

If you are signing as an individual, go directly to: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/petition-to-defund-the-united-nations and enter your name.
If you are signing as an organization, email your organization’s name, city, state, and country to: DAVIAWorldWide@endtodv.org

Whereas, the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms the “dignity and worth of the human person” and the “equal rights of men and women.”[2]

Whereas, the United Nations has been strongly criticized for ignoring the mass rapes of Israeli women on October 7, 2023.[3]

Whereas, the United Nations is a strong advocate of transgender ideology, which serves to violate the dignity and worth of women.[4]

Whereas, the United Nations has yet to acknowledge the global problem of female abusers or the existence of male victims.[5]

Whereas, the United Nations seeks to weaken the family by promoting controversial comprehensive sexuality education, diminishing parental authority, and seeking to redefine the very concept of “family.”[6]

Whereas, numerous countries have expressed dissatisfaction with the use of pressure tactics to approve controversial UN resolutions.[7]

Whereas, S. 3428 recently was introduced in Congress calling for the United States to disengage from the United Nations.[8]

Whereas, Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan recently called for the defunding of key UN agencies.[9]

Therefore, the undersigned persons and groups call for nations and donor organizations to suspend their funding of the United Nations until all UN agencies fulfill their pledge to respect the “dignity and worth” of all persons and assure the “equal rights of men and women.”

Signed:

Name of individual or organization

City, State, Country

Links:

[1] https://endtodv.org/coalitions/davia/

[2] https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

[3] https://endtodv.org/pr/why-the-feminist-silence-about-mass-rapes-of-israeli-women/

[4] https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2022/06/lgbtiq-equality-and-rights-internal-resource-guide

[5]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261543769_References_Examining_Assaults_by_Women_on_Their_Spouses_or_Male_Partners_An_Updated_Annotated_Bibliography

[6] https://familywatch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/10/SDG_Analysis1_22_16_000.pdf

[7] https://c-fam.org/friday_fax/u-s-angry-that-traditional-countries-blocked-consensus-on-lgbt-issues/

[8] https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3428

[9] https://www.aol.com/israeli-ambassador-un-calls-defunding-174355291.html

#MeToo Believe the Victim Campus Due Process False Allegations Investigations Rape-Culture Hysteria Sexual Assault Title IX

$15 Million Verdict Against Thomas Jefferson Univ. Signals Fall of ‘Believe Women’ Movement

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date December 13, 2023

PRESS RELEASE

Rebecca Hain: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

$15 Million Verdict Against Thomas Jefferson Univ. Signals Fall of ‘Believe Women’ Movement

WASHINGTON / December 13, 2023 – On September 28, 2018, a full-page advertisement appeared in the New York Times that stated simply, “Believe women” (1). These words would be repeated countless times over the years, eviscerating the presumption of innocence and tilting the outcome of sexual assault cases against the accused. But a sexual assault allegation that recently ended with a $15 million jury verdict reveals the days of the vacuous “Believe women” phrase may be numbered.

The former Soviet Union was famous for its notorious Show Trials in which innocence or guilt was decided not by the evidence presented, but rather by whether the accused person came from a favored social group. If an investigation was conducted, it only was intended to create a façade of impartiality for the bogus trial with a predetermined outcome.

Which is exactly what happened in Thomas Jefferson University’s adjudication of medical resident Jessica Phillips’ accusation of rape against attending orthopedic surgeon John Abraham.

The saga began at an alcohol-fueled party on June 23, 2018 in Philadelphia. As the party began to wind down, Phillips forced whiskey into Abraham’s mouth and began to aggressively kiss him, according to the man. She pulled him to the floor, where they had sex. Abraham promptly reported the incident to his supervisor at the university. But inexplicably, his complaint was not forwarded to the Title IX office and never investigated (2).

In the meantime, the woman informed her husband of the incident and filed a complaint with her residency director. Four days after the sexual liaison occurred, Abraham received a Notice of Concern from Jefferson’s Title IX coordinator, alleging that he had engaged in “non-consensual sexual intercourse” with Phillips.

The university Chief Medical Officer also warned Abraham that if he did not immediately take a leave of absence, he would be suspended and reported to the Medical Staff and National Practitioner Database (3). Abraham believed he had choice but to capitulate.

All this happened before the University had completed its investigation.

On January 8, 2019, the University concluded its probe, with no finding of responsibility against the man. A police investigation of the incident likewise did not result in any charges being filed.

But the damage had been done. Abraham had been forced out of his position, his reputation destroyed, his career in tatters. The acclaimed surgeon was the latest victim of a campus Kangaroo Court.

A year later, Abraham filed a Title IX lawsuit against the University, accusing the institution of sex bias for failing to investigate his original complaint of sexual assault. At the trial, attorneys invoked the damsel-in-distress argument, claiming that Abraham “was in a powerful hierarchy position” relative to Phillips, as if a high-achieving woman in a medical residency somehow had lost her ability to utter the word, “no.”

On December 3, the jury met to decide on the case. Appalled at the university’s failure to investigate the surgeon’s complaint, the jury decided in favor of Abraham, awarding him $11 million in compensation for his financial losses, and $4 million in punitive damages for the university’s “outrageous conduct.” (4)

After five years of legal wrangling, a jury of five women and three men unanimously decided to not believe the woman. And the millions of falsely accused Americans could give a sigh of relief (5).

Links:

Feminism

Self-Styled ‘Feminist Barrister’ Confronts Army Veteran Academic in Court

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date December 9, 2023

Self-Styled ‘Feminist Barrister’ Confronts Army Veteran Academic in Court

Sean Bw Parker

December 9, 2023

In late 2023 the Twitter/X culture wars leapt off the screen and into the UK court system. Outspoken family court barrister Charlotte Proudman had form for pursuing those of whom she disapproved: her fame – or notoriety, depending on whom is asked – sprang from her outing of a fellow legal professional for ‘liking’ a photo she had posted on LinkedIn, back in pre-#MeToo 2015.

Proudman – who changed her surname from her father’s Bailye – has recently had an Inspector Philip Grimwade, formerly of Nottinghamshire Police, dismissed for gross misconduct for sending malicious tweets. This might have been a bellwether in how these types of cases were now going. Proudman has also allegedly run conferences designed to teach you about how to bring about a ‘cultural revolution’.

Now David Mottershead, a 42-year-old independent researcher from Machynlleth, Powys, was accused of sending harassing tweets in November 2022 (as well as being in possession of a bladed article – which he claims he had forgotten was in his possession). He pleaded not guilty to the two charges at Mold Crown Court, on July 28^th 2023.

Mottershead had been a Lance Corporal in the Royal Logistic Corps between 1999 and 2002 and served in Kosovo, Norway, Oman and Cyprus. He served again from 2008 to 2012 as a Household Cavalry soldier. His defence accepted that he was responsible for the messages but maintained that he had not directed them at the lawyer. The Court heard that Mottershead, who has post-traumatic stress and partial autism, ‘took great issue’ with Proudman’s views.

An equal rights writer and advocate, Mottershead was given a restraining order. He had said that he had not intended to threaten Proudman, who in turn claimed in the court case to not support cultural revolution or the deconstruction of family, and denied the harassment allegation.

The judge said that both parties held very different views in relation to gender equality and violence between the sexes, but that both also sought to amplify them on social media. The photo that Mottershead sent Proudman of a soldier in fatigues, pointing a gun towards the viewer, could be seen as the pointing out of the difference between an actual warrior serving on the front line and a ‘keyboard warrior’ with their memes (as a Daily Mail writer said of Mottershead following the trial).

There is allegedly a list drawn up by political feminists of 200 figures speaking out for equal rights. This includes family attachment specialists, child psychologists, and those who have reunited numerous families on behalf of the family courts. It is claimed that Proudman and Claire Waxman, the domestic violence commissioner for London, England and Wales, have come up with this list of professionals who campaign over or make Parental Alienation (PA) diagnoses they deem ‘dangerous’.

Mottershead, who has himself had death threats sent to him (he had been sent pictures of dead bodies by activists with the message ‘you have no idea who we are, but answer me now or this is how you’ll end up’ ) was accused of being a ‘keyboard warrior’ on Remembrance night, as a result of what he saw as Proudman’s provocation in the form of the promotion of activist violence. After having been stalked, harassed and doxxed by many of the accounts in her feed for years, he confronted them. It seems Mottershead’s intent was to interrupt Proudman’s process by offering himself up to those who were harassing him, hoping that they would take the bait and leave everyone else alone.

Charlotte Proudman, who was revealed by a former client as sometimes earning £20,000 per day for her work, was reported as saying in The Daily Mail: ‘I have never seen another feminist make death threats’.

In 1968, feminist writer Valerie Solanas entered world-famous Pop artist Andy Warhol’s New York office. Carrying two loaded guns, she shot Warhol in the stomach and chest, due to what she saw as his treatment of women. Although he almost died, the shots weren’t fatal. Instead, Warhol suffered severe health complications for the rest of his life, which according to some led to his death some years later. Solanos belonged to S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men).

Department of Education Due Process Free Speech Office for Civil Rights Press Release Sexual Harassment Title IX

Department of Education Must Renounce Its Reckless Title IX Plan

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date December 6, 2023

PRESS RELEASE

Rebecca Hain: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

Department of Education Must Renounce Its Reckless Title IX Plan

WASHINGTON / December 7, 2023 – On March 8, 2021 President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Education (DOE) to draft a new regulation redefining the meaning of sex to include “gender identity.” (1) The DOE issued a draft regulation on June 23, 2022 (2), but without explanation, missed two self-imposed deadlines to release the final version in May and October of 2023. (3)

In the meantime, attorneys general filed several lawsuits, and dozens of federal and state lawmakers voiced strong opposition to the Biden proposal (4).

The new regulation is feared to have far-reaching and harmful effects on due process for the falsely accused, free speech, gender transitioning of children, and parental rights (5).

In particular, the policy’s impact on women’s sports has sparked considerable debate. Over the past two years, public opinion has shifted away from support for transgender participation in women’s sports. The most recent Gallup poll found that 69% of Americans say that persons should only be allowed to play on sports teams that match their birth sex. These numbers include pluralities of Republicans (93%), Independents (67%), and Democrats (48%). (6)

Opposition to the Title IX regulation has further accelerated in recent months.

First, presidential candidates Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Donald Trump issued calls for the abolition of the Department of Education (7).

In September, 59 organizations signed a letter calling for the resignation of Office for Civil Rights director Catherine Lhamon for repeated and willful violations of the U.S. Constitution: Article 1 regarding the legislative powers of Congress, the First Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment (8).

In November, Rep. Lisa McClain, chairwoman of the Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Care, along with House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, sent a letter of concern to DOE Secretary Miguel Cardona. They wrote,

“The Committees are concerned that your efforts to gut due process protections for accused and accusing students, redefine ‘sex discrimination’ to include ‘gender identity,’ and otherwise abandon established regulations protecting women and girls are improperly motivated and destructive to American students.” (9)

On December 5, the House Oversight Committee convened a hearing on “The Importance of Protecting Female Athletics and Title IX.” The hearing highlighted cases in which female athletes had been injured by their male-bodied competitors (10).

“Reckless” can be defined as actions taken without thinking or caring about the consequences. Accordingly, the Biden Administration’s proposal to revamp the Title IX law must be seen as reckless in the eyes of political candidates, federal and state lawmakers, and the American public.

Links:

Domestic Violence

MEN TOO Documentary Exposes Inconvenient Truths About Domestic Violence

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date November 24, 2023

MEN TOO Documentary Exposes Inconvenient Truths About Domestic Violence

By Sean Bw Parker

November 24, 2023

Odette Van Rensburg is a South African documentary filmmaker, whose last two pieces have been Disconnected (about suicide) and The Bonfire of Agreed Terms (false allegations) released by Dogs On The Run films. In MENTOO – Domestic Violence Against Men, Rensburg turns her laser focus to this most egregiously under-reported of subjects.

Odette often prefers her work to speak for itself, and in the words of its own subjects. MEN TOO opens with Erin Pizzey, founder of the Women’s Refuge movement in the UK. Pizzey was discredited and disowned by the wider political-feminism movement when she dared suggest that as many men were coming for her help as women. Pizzey speaks in a non-partisan and direct way throughout, pointing out uncomfortable realities relating to how sexual politics has unfolded over time.

She is echoed by Phil Mitchell, an academic researcher and public communicator on the theme of violence against men; and from across the pond by John Davis, the man behind the Gender Studies for Men group. There is a golden thread of pain through MEN TOO, and that is the blithe deafness of the mainstream media to the plight of abused men. The stats are 50/50, weighted to women often being the main instigators when psychological abuse and coercive control are taken into account.

But this statistical reality is inconvenient for heavily-funded VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls) charity programmes around the world, be they Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis or UN Women. ‘Positive Conclusions’ gives his heartbreaking testimony in disguise; Australian wokeist’s nightmare Bettina Arndt clearly hasn’t read the Sisterhood memo, and is having none of it.

The golden thread running through Rensburg’s own work is ‘stigma’, whether that be of suicide (often in the family) or living through the injustice of false allegations. These false allegations are the low-hanging fruit of VAWG, and believe the victims policies across the world (notably chronic in India, Spain, Argentina and Australia of late) have weaponised them to the hilt. Though VAWG policies are now firmly embedded in the mainstream, their shills on television and social media are acting as if they’re still in the first wave of feminism, flinging themselves in front of racehorses no matter how many Equality Acts are passed.

The reality is that reality itself is seen as obstreperous to the cause, as unnecessary as the men themselves in this deliberately concocted mirror-world. Released on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men, MEN TOO is a tight, snappily edited and compelling piece of visual education – and seeing Erin Pizzey keeping it brutally real after all these years is genuinely empowering.

Sean Bw Parker is a an artist and writer on cultural theory and justice reform.

Domestic Violence

Britney Spears & Sam Ashgari: Never Waste a Crisis when There’s an Autobiography to Sell

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date November 15, 2023

Britney Spears & Sam Ashgari:

Never Waste a Crisis when There’s an Autobiography to Sell

Sean Bw Parker

November 15, 2023

Spare a thought for a Princess of Pop. It can’t be easy being an object of desire for a quarter of a century, selling over 60 million records and having a similar number of followers on X/Instagram. She gets through the husbands too, like a true 20^th century diva – three at last count, not bad for a sprightly 41. And sprightly Ms Spears remains, doing regular dark-eyed dances for the goggling hordes, with or without (apparently fake) knives, semi-naked to the background of what looks like a Mulholland Drive mansion.

Still, this summer Brit defenestrated husband number three; unfortunate Iranian fitness instructor Sam Ashgari, only a few months into wedded bliss but after having already been ‘together’ for six years. Publicity for this new development Spears deigns not to want: ‘As everyone knows, Hesam and I are no longer together … six years is a long time to be with someone so, I’m a little shocked but … I’m not here to explain why because it’s honestly nobody’s business. But, I couldn’t take the pain any more, honestly … In some sort of telepathic way, I have been receiving so many messages that melt my heart from friends and I thank you’.

Happily however this new adieu comes hot on the heels of her autobiography ‘The Woman In Me’ becoming the fastest selling auto by a celeb ever: ‘My book is the highest selling celebrity memoir in history and it’s only day 1 !!! Thank you to the fans who have been so supportive !!! Love you all’. Don’t you just love those triple exclamation marks??? And fancy giving Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ such a spanking at Nielsen! PR team heads will surely roll.

This being ‘post-#MeToo’ – not to mention post-Depp/Heard – no Hollywood breakup is complete without its own abuse miscellanea; the twist in the tail being that celeb muckraker TMZ claims Ashgari is the victim this time: ‘During one fateful encounter earlier in 2023, Asghari claimed Spears flew into a fit of rage while he was asleep, subjecting him to a barrage of punches. This incident reportedly coincides with a widely circulated photograph of Asghari sporting a black eye and bite marks on his forearm, which he initially attempted to downplay when questioned by the press‘.

Just to make sure the public didn’t suspect predictable overreaction to yet another abuse narrative, the marginally more respectable Entertainment Today chimed in with the ominous ‘Recently, things took a bad turn and their arguments became more serious and real’. The sheer, relentless superfluity of the media ensured that the news was instant, international, and re-postable – whatever its veracity.

Cue British family court barrister and radical feminist Charlotte Proudman, rocking up to save the day in customary fashion: ‘In case you were wondering what the world thinks of a woman’s trauma after being controlled, abused and harassed then look no further. I stand with Britney Spears’. Of course she does, despite both Spears and Ashgari remaining silent on the subject. What the world does now know, thanks to some superlative and necessary counter-discourse from trusted reality-sources (John Barry, Janice Fiamengo, Bettina Arndt et al) is that domestic violence is 50/50, rather than the VAWG-compelled ‘full responsibility on men, all the time’ narrative.

Whether TMZ, Entertainment Today, Ashgari or Spears – or more importantly, their lawyers – care about such realities remains to be seen. Best of luck to the ever-entertaining Britney Spears – and even more to husband 4.

Department of Education Free Speech Gender Agenda Office for Civil Rights Press Release Title IX

Arrogant and Corrupt: Presidential Candidates and Others Call for Abolition of U.S. Department of Education

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date November 12, 2023

PRESS RELEASE

Rebecca Hain: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

Arrogant and Corrupt: Presidential Candidates and Others Call for Abolition of U.S. Department of Education

WASHINGTON / November 13, 2023 – Based on revelations of wasteful and ideologically driven policies (1), three Republican presidential candidates are now calling for the abolition of the U.S. Department of Education:

Ron DeSantis: In response to the question, Are you in favor of eliminating any agencies: “We would do education, commerce, energy, and the IRS….With the Department of Education, we reverse all the transgender sports stuff. Women’s sports should be protected.” (2)
Vivek Ramaswamy: “I would shut down the U.S. Department of Education…Do I favor 6-year-olds being educated on sexuality and gender ideology? No, I don’t.” (3)
Donald Trump: “We’re going to end education coming out of Washington, DC. We’re going to close it up – all those buildings all over the place and people that in many cases hate our children. We’re going to send it all back to the states.” (4)

Earlier this year, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced H.R. 899 that states simply, “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2023.” (5)

In addition, 55 state lawmakers are now calling to abolish the Department of Education (6).

In September, 59 organizations signed a letter calling for the resignation of Office for Civil Rights director Catherine Lhamon for repeated violations of the U.S. Constitution: Article 1 regarding the legislative powers of Congress, the First Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment (7).

During the past month alone, SAVE has identified two instances of serious misconduct by DOE officials:

In 2021 the Department of Education issued a Title IX regulation that disregarded the Administrative Procedure Act requirements for public review and comment (8).
An attorney representing the Department of Education repeatedly made false statements to federal judges in a hearing about its 2021 Title IX regulation (9).

The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights also is seeking to overturn a milestone Supreme Court decision, Davis v. Monroe, which defined “sexual harassment” as actions that are pervasive, severe, and objectively offensive (10). Now, the DOE is attempting to expand the definition of sexual harassment as to dramatically infringe upon free speech rights.

The Heritage Foundation has developed a plan to implement the agency’s abolition. The plan calls for block grants to the states, transfer of selected functions to other federal departments, and a discontinuation of the remaining functions (11).

Citations:

Posted: https://www.saveservices.org/2023/11/arrogant-and-corrupt-presidential-candidates-and-others-call-for-abolition-of-u-s-department-of-education/

Uncategorized

Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the House, and Title IX

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date November 8, 2023

Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the House, and Title IX

Elected by the House of Representatives on October 25, 2023,

by a party-line vote of 220 Republicans to 209 Democrats [1]

By Betsy Armstrong,[2] November 8, 2023

Speaker Johnson takes over at a contentious time in American politics, especially for the Republican party, but not a whole lot is known about him by the general public. However, reviewing his legislative bills gives us a good idea of his outlook regarding our six Title IX Network areas of concern, which are gender transitioning, parental rights, women’s sports, due process, domestic violence, and free speech.[3] He has been very consistent in his voting record for conservative causes. That is due to his strong personal and publicly professed Christian faith and decades-long conservative public stand on social issues.

Speaker Johnson is “a Christian, a husband, a father, a life-long conservative, constitutional law attorney and a small business owner in that order.”[4]. He is best known for his defense of former President Donald Trump’s challenging the results of the 2020 election.[5] In his acceptance speech he listed a number of his priorities, including border security, cutting federal spending and establishing a bipartisan debt commission “immediately.” Right now, he is absorbed in avoiding a possible November 17 government shutdown and securing funding for Israel in its battle with Hamas. So, there isn’t much time at present for him to be involved in our Title IX issues, but I feel confident we have an ally in the Title IX fight.

Here is a little more background information about him: Mike Johnson, 51, first served in the Louisiana State Legislature in 2015 and was then elected to represent the 4^th Congressional District of Louisiana in 2016. Prior to his political career, he was an attorney in private practice, and also worked as senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) where he advocated for anti-sodomy laws and criminalizing homosexuality. His staunchly conservative views are verified by his chairmanship of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservatives in Congress, from 2019 to 2021; he was vice chair of the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2023; he was also a deputy whip for House Republicans, and a member of the Judiciary and Armed Services Committees. He has worked closely with the Christian groups Answers in Genesis, Louisiana Family Forum, and Focus on the Family.

In 2004, he defended Amendment 1 to the Louisiana Constitution, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman, against legal challenges. From 2004 to 2012 he served on the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. In September 2016, he summarized his legal career as “defending religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and biblical values, including the defense of traditional marriage, and other ideals like these when they’ve been under assault”.[6]

The Equality Act (H.R.5) was introduced in Congress in March 2019. It sought to update the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed race discrimination, to add sexual orientation and gender identity.[7] In May 2019, Johnson proposed an amendment to the bill to neutralize “poison pills” that it contained which threatened to undermine parental and conscience rights. He told National Review,

. . . the so-called ‘Equality’ Act would actually eliminate sex-based protections for women by forcing rape crisis centers, lady’s locker rooms, female prisons, women’s sports leagues and other sex-based organizations to admit biological males. Additionally, this bill would eviscerate constitutionally protected rights by empowering the federal government to force employers, medical professionals, parents, business owners and all Americans to act in violation of their conscience. The federal government should not be able to dictate a belief system.[8]

The legislation passed the House in 2019 but not the Senate. It was previously introduced in 2015 and 2017, then again in 2021.[9] The Equality Act was introduced as S. 5 on June 21, 2023, as a bill to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes, but is considered to have less than a 1% chance of being enacted.[10]

In March 2023, Johnson co-sponsored, along with many Republican colleagues, H.R. 734, the ‘‘Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023.’’ This seeks to prohibit transgender women and girls from participating in female athletic programs by recognizing sex which is “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” This is the first standalone bill to restrict the rights of transgender people considered in the House.[11]

On July 27, 2023, House Republicans on a panel for limited federal government argued that parents should not be allowed to let their transgender children have access to gender-affirming care.

At a hearing on transgender youth, Johnson, the chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government, said that “A parent has no right to sexually transition a young child … Our American legal system recognizes the important public interest in protecting children from abuse and physical harm. No parent has a constitutional right to injure their children.”

Johnson, and several other Republicans, floated the idea that the federal government should get involved, but did not offer specifics on potential legislation. They argued that gender-affirming surgery should not be allowed for transgender minors.[12]

Johnson’s advocacy for The Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act and limitations on transgender affirmative care for minors demonstrate his views on human dignity, as set out on his Congressional website, show him to be a man we can count on to help lead the way against the US Dept. of Education’s Title IX revisions.

Additional 2023 sponsored legislation corresponding to the six areas of interest for the Title IX Network [13] include;

· H.R. 5, Parents Bill of Rights Act, March 2023, to ensure the rights of parents are honored and protected in the Nation’s public schools (Crossed over 3/27/23 and received in the Senate, read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on 03/27/2023) [14];

· H.R. 1399, Protect Children’s Innocence Act, March 2023, to amend chapter 110 of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit gender-affirming care on minors, and for other purposes (Referred to the Subcommittee on Health on 03/17/2023)[15];

· H.R. 4776, Protecting Free Speech Act, July 2023, to terminate the Disinformation Governance Board of the Department of Homeland Security and to prohibit the use of Federal funds to establish any other similar Board, and for other purposes (Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability on 07/20/2023)[16];

· H.R. 4791, Free Speech Protection Act, July 2023, to prohibit Federal employees and contractors from directing online platforms to censor any speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes (Referred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection on 07/20/2023) [17] and

· H.R. 5636, September 2023, a second Protect Children’s Innocence Act, September 2023, to amend chapter 110 of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit gender affirming care on minors (Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary on 09/21/2023). [18]

I feel confident we can count on our new Speaker to support the goals of our Network.

[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/house-speaker-vote-live-updates-10-25-2023/

[2] betsy.armstrong@gmail.com, aka, Elizabeth J. Oyster, Esq., also affiliated with Child Protection League of Minnesota

[3] https://www.saveservices.org/2022-policy/network/

[4] https://www.baptistmessage.com/mike-johnson-faith-family-freedom-motivate-run-seat-u-s-congress/

[5] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/who-is-mike-johnson-new-republican-us-house-speaker-2023-10-25/

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Johnson_(politician)

[7] https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr5

[8] https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-equality-act-is-a-time-bomb/

[9] https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4060836-democrats-reintroduce-equality-act-amid-pride-month/

[10] https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/s5

[11] https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3960635-house-republicans-pass-bill-to-ban-transgender-women-girls-from-school-sports-teams/

[12] https://lailluminator.com/2023/07/27/parents-have-no-right-to-allow-their-childrens-gender-transition-republicans-say/

[13] Gender Transitioning; Parental Rights; Women’s Sports; Due Process; Domestic Violence; Free Speech

[14] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1589261

[15] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1594136

[16] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1639381

[17] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1639291

[18] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1642916

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Addendum

Title IX Legislation Co-sponsored by House Speaker Mike Johnson in 2023

By Betsy Armstrong,[1] November 8, 2023

Title IX Network areas of concern: gender transitioning, parental rights, women’s sports, due process, domestic violence, and free speech.[2]

• H.R. 734: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023,[3] March 2023, to prohibit transgender women and girls from participating in female athletic programs by recognizing sex “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” This is the first standalone bill to restrict the claimed rights of transgender people introduced in the House.[4]

• H.R. 5: Parents Bill of Rights Act,[5] March 2023, to ensure the rights of parents are honored and protected in the Nation’s public schools.

• H.R. 1399: Protect Children’s Innocence Act,[6] March 2023, to amend chapter 110 of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit gender-affirming care on minors, and for other purposes.

• H.R. 4776: Protecting Free Speech Act,[7] July 2023, to terminate the Disinformation Governance Board of the Department of Homeland Security and to prohibit the use of Federal funds to establish any other similar Board, and for other purposes.

• H.R. 4791: Free Speech Protection Act,[8] July 2023, to prohibit Federal employees and contractors from directing online platforms to censor any speech that is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes.

• H.R. 5636: Protect Children’s Innocence Act,[9] September 2023, to amend chapter 110 of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit gender affirming care on minors.

Note: The Equality Act (H.R.5) was introduced in Congress in March, 2019. It sought to update the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed race discrimination, to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics.[10] In May 2019, Johnson proposed an amendment to neutralize “poison pills” that it contained which threatened to undermine parental and conscience rights. He told National Review,

The legislation passed the House in 2019 but not the Senate. It had been previously introduced in the House in 2015 and 2017 and was reintroduced in 2021.[12] It was introduced in the Senate as S.5 on June 21, 2023, but is considered to have less than a 1% chance of being enacted.[13]

On July 27, 2023, House Republicans on a panel for limited federal government argued that parents should not be allowed to let their transgender children have access to gender-affirming care. [14]

At a hearing on transgender youth, Johnson, chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government, said “A parent has no right to sexually transition a young child … Our American legal system recognizes the important public interest in protecting children from abuse and physical harm. No parent has a constitutional right to injure their children.”

[1] betsy.armstrong@gmail.com, aka, Elizabeth J. Oyster, Esq., also affiliated with Child Protection League of Minnesota

[2] https://www.saveservices.org/2022-policy/network/

[3] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1555895

[4] https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3960635-house-republicans-pass-bill-to-ban-transgender-women-girls-from-school-sports-teams/

[5] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1589261

[6] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1594136

[7] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1639381

[8] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1639291

[9] https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1642916

[10] https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr5

[11] https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-equality-act-is-a-time-bomb/

[12] https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4060836-democrats-reintroduce-equality-act-amid-pride-month/

[13] https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/s5

[14] https://lailluminator.com/2023/07/27/parents-have-no-right-to-allow-their-childrens-gender-transition-republicans-say/

[15] Id.

Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Title IX

Department of Education Attorney Lied, Repeatedly, to Federal Judges about Title IX Rule

Post author By Edward Bartlett
Post date November 7, 2023

PRESS RELEASE

Rebecca Hain: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

Department of Education Attorney Lied, Repeatedly, to Federal Judges about Title IX Rule

WASHINGTON / November 8, 2023 – On June 22, 2021, without advance warning or notice, the OCR issued a new Title IX Rule that changed the definition of sex to include “gender identity.” (1). The regulation warned schools that OCR intended to “fully enforce Title IX to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in education programs and activities.”

In response, the Attorneys General from 20 states — AL, AK, AZ, AR, GA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MS, MO, MT, NE, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, and WV — brought a lawsuit against the DOE, alleging the Title IX Rule was unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act (2). Nearly one year later, on July 15, 2022, the District Court of Tennessee issued a Temporary Injunction against the directive (3).

Not surprisingly, the U.S. Department of Education appealed the ruling to the Sixth Circuit Court. The Court heard oral arguments on April 26, 2023. A recording of the hearing reveals that David Peters, the trial attorney representing the Department of Education, 10 times made the claim that the Rule was not binding and did not impose any new requirements on schools (4).

The attorney’s mention of “these documents” refers to the contested 2021 Rule:

2:00 minutes: “They don’t address what constitutes prohibited sex discrimination”
3:08: The Department of Education is “not enforcing these documents.”
4:20: “These documents are not what’s being enforced.”
5:50: “These documents don’t address regulated entitles’ obligations.”
7:00: “The Department has vowed to enforce Title IX, not these documents”
9:15: “These documents would be entitled to no deference at all.”
9:45: “These documents do not impose any obligations on the states because they are not enforceable in any way.”
14:00: “They don’t create any legal rights or obligations and they wouldn’t be accorded any weight in any adjudication.”
14:55: “The duty is to comply with Title IX, not these documents.”
18:00: “These documents do not create legal obligations.”

Subsequent to the hearing, the Department of Education opened three enforcement actions that are based on the disputed 2021 Rule:

Forsyth County Schools, Georgia (5).
New College, Florida (6).
Taft College, California (7).

The fact that these enforcement actions were initiated based on the contested 2021 Rule, reveals the Department of Education attorney repeatedly misrepresented the truth to the panel of federal judges.

The federal Code of Ethics states, “An employee shall not engage in criminal, infamous, dishonest, immoral or disgraceful conduct, or other conduct prejudicial to the government” (8). Overt dishonesty by an attorney representing the federal government cannot be tolerated or condoned in the United States legal system.

Citations: