Republicans in the Virginia state legislature have submitted a bill restricting access to abortion, even after a special election earlier this week indicated that the measure has little chance of passing. The bill was submitted by Rep. Kathy Byron, a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and would ban all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy — a time frame that abortion rights… Source Source / Read More: Virginia GOP Introduces Abortion Ban With Almost No Chance of Passage
Glenn Youngkin
Polls Show Republican Attacks on Teaching Racism Are Backfiring
Republicans have been attacking schools that teach the history of racism in the U.S. and provide inclusive environments for LGBTQ students, hoping to capitalize on a tactic that worked in one noteworthy election last year — but a new report suggests that these efforts may ultimately backfire for the party. Researchers and pollsters talking to Politico about GOP candidates running in the 2022 midterms said that campaign promises to restrict discussion of racial or LGBTQ issues in classrooms energize Republicans’ base, but push away centrist voters who view their attacks as being too hard on children. “Their hypothesis was that…
Gov. Youngkin’s Anti-Trans Policies Trigger Massive Student Walkouts in Virginia
Thousands of students across Virginia protested this week, walking out of their classrooms and schools to demonstrate their opposition to policy changes being proposed by the administration of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) toward transgender youth in the state. Youngkin’s state Department of Education issued new model policies last Friday to “provide clear, accurate, and useful guidance to Virginia school boards that align with statutory provisions.” The new document takes a “parental rights” approach when it comes to transgender youth in schools, encouraging districts to enact rules that discriminate against and potentially endanger LGBTQ children. The new policies say that transgender…
Youngkin’s Cabinet Has More Fossil Fuel Ties Beyond Trump’s EPA Chief
Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin’s nomination last week of Andrew Wheeler to be his secretary of natural resources drew backlash from Democratic state lawmakers and climate activists, who expressed concern about the onetime lobbyist’s ties to the coal industry and his environmental record under former President Donald Trump. As secretary of natural resources, Wheeler would occupy the state’s top environmental post. OpenSecrets reported on Wheeler’s industry connections in 2018 before he took charge of the Environmental Protection Agency, where he oversaw the rollback of environmental rules. The nomination is expected to kick off a contentious confirmation fight, with Democratic state lawmakers…