The previous post described the latest legislative outrage in North Carolina, permitting discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. This legislation follows on five years of enacting laws to demoralize teachers, to privatize public schools, to authorize charters, vouchers, and cybercharters, and to defund public higher education.
The Network for Public Education is holding its annual meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, from April 15-17. We knew how terrible the politics of the state leadership was when we chose to go to Raleigh. We knew that North Carolina is one of the most regressive states in the nation. That is why we are going to Raleigh. We hope to bring support and encouragement to the educators and parents of North Carolina by holding our meeting there. We will not pull our punches in speaking truth to power.
We oppose the anti-gay legislation just passed. We join with the Human Rights Campaign in denouncing it.
Reverend William Barber, North Carolina’s most eloquent spokesman for civil rights, will be a keynote speaker at our conference. He has been President of the North Carolina NAACP SINCE 2006; it is the largest NAACP in the South and second largest in the nation.
We are going to North Carolina to join in solidarity with those who are under assault and to defend the American values of democracy, equality, and justice: for African-Americans, for Hispanic Americans, for LGBT people, and for everyone whose rights are endangered by this out-of-control, reactionary, mean-spirited legislature.
Come to Raleigh. Join with us. Stand alongside our friends and allies in North Carolina against repression and injustice. We are not afraid. We will not abandon the teachers, principals, and parents of North Carolina. Nor will we abandon the LGBT community of North Carolina. When people’s rights are under fire, it is our duty to stand with them. And we will.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
But why throw them any money?
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We are not throwing NC money. We are going to NC to protest their horrible policies and to show our support for those who resist.
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Oh, so you’ll be bringing your own food and camping out in parks?
You have to understand —
In ALEC-TEA-GOP Bizarro World, money is the only speech.
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Jon, we will use our money to speak back, not to abandon the many teachers and parents who invited us to NC.
As a gay woman, I will watch my back. I am not afraid.
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I never understood most boycotts, like boycotting the Olympics. Why abandon friends just because the politics in their neighborhood is bad?
Punishing bad people is important, but not as important as supporting friends. Imo.
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Jon,
To answer your question at 9:52: Yes, but then again I’m a cheap, penny pinching skinflint, not to mention I prefer parks to hotels.
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Thank you Diane! We need the support of our national partners and friends now more than ever. The NC Gen. Assembly is set to continue their regressive agenda even more starting April 25th when they convene. The conference will help focus on the critical conversation that must be had around teacher pipeline, public education funding, vouchers and the harmful impact of charters.
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And will you be kept safe by NC’s police force? Drive on NC’s roads? Use NC airports? Enjoy clean water in NC? Eat the barbecue raised on the hog farms that get such a bad rap in this state. . .and yet also give us a large part of our identity?
It is easy to boil legislation down to its most poignant political gist. But from talking with attorneys in NC who have dealt with issues leading up to this bill, it was provoked by a dis-satisfaction at businesses putting in “unisex” single bathrooms (and of course the Charlotte legislation) whereby mobilized activists from the LGBT community were not satisfied with that solution. The issues mostly arose from schools—where during the sophomore year a student identified as a boy, but the next year as a girl, and then the next as a boy again. It was more complex, from the viewpoint of those dealing with the laws in action (particularly in protecting the majority of children), and when the unisex solution was not good enough, the reaction was to go to the basic at-birth biological fact.
I don’t see it as anti-anything. I see it as “let’s shut everybody up” and have a law that makes it very clear, which might be an issue in and of itself but is a different issue.
But hey, while in NC to mock NC, why not throw that in for good measure?
I am still waiting to learn the difference between left reform in education and right reform (the conference being the Public Education Network and all). When NC had its supposed heyday for public ed, the accountability and standards based approach had its birth. Right here. In a right to work state. At will. We uphold that. Yet, we protest it. We mock it, yet we lament it.
I do believe in kindness to all humans and fairness. I just do wonder how fair the talking points showing the outrage at conservative politics is. Is it always necessary that support for a strong state be in the liberal style? Or liberal in the context of conservative (such as in the days of Jim Hunt).
When I was 17 I went on an education focused trip to Haiti. Aware of how the chasm between rich and poor there and a lack of good strong infrastructure and years of chaos contributed to a lack of basic needs, we arrived with suitcases of school supplies and we toured schools and built desks. We certainly didn’t show up to protest and mock the country we were visiting, despite how aware we were of its systemic issues. But I guess Haiti is more dangerous than NC.
NCAE pushed Common Core and accountability. Race to the Top is in full force in NC. And yet NCAE is the hero? I don’t get it. I don’t see bridge building going on leading up to the April conference.
I just stay confused about public ed advocacy, except in as much as being an involved mom. Rightly so, I think. To present any of this as easy and clear is silly.
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Have you ever accidentally walked in to the wrong gender bathroom? It’s one of the most mortifying experiences in life, even though rationally it should just be accepted as a mistake like any other. Going into the appropriate bathroom is one of the most socially engrained customs there is.
Imagine, however, being a girl trapped in a boy’s body or vice versa. Every time you go into the bathroom, you have to go into the wrong bathroom. Do you think transgender people don’t experience that mortification of being in the wrong bathroom? It’s not a matter of going into the opposite sex’s bathroom for thrills and giggles. It’a a matter of going where you belong.
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Incidentally, there’s a new book coming out that I highly recommend for anyone who might potentially work with transgender students. It’s called LILY AND DUNKIN by Donna Gephart. Very well written and gives a very good understanding from the perspective of a transgender eighth grade girl who’s still living as a boy. As if eighth grade isn’t the most miserable year of existence even for typical kids.
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I understand what you are saying, and I also sympathize with much of it, but don’t you think, it’s at least silly to create a law based on a single isolated event involving a teenager? Shouldn’t schools handle teenagers the way they see fit instead of micromanaging it from above, Jesse Helms style?
It’s difficult not to mock this law, it’s so silly. Are they going to examine kids’ genitals from now on before they go to pee? Will they start issuing gender IDs for kids? Will they start limiting how many times a person can change her gender identity per year? Per month? Will they make up laws that would specify the punishments for using fake gender IDs in various circumstances?
Maybe something positive will come out of this: NC will be the first state to shorten classes to 45 min and have 15 min breaks to allow time for thorough gender ID and genitalia check before bathrooming.
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Mate,
first of all Jesse Helms just talked big. . .he didn’t really do half the things he talked about doing (he was savvy that way; it kept him in office; same with Reagan). Second, people already have a gender ID card. . .it’s called a birth certificate. And there wouldn’t be a need to check those at bathroom breaks because good teachers in good schools know their students and they would know what gender the child was based on enrollment records. So while I get your humor, you are being a little silly. Finally, I don’t think that was a single student situation. Otherwise, attorneys all over the state wouldn’t be talking about it.
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” Second, people already have a gender ID card. . .it’s called a birth certificate. And there wouldn’t be a need to check those at bathroom breaks because good teachers in good schools know their students and they would know what gender the child was based on enrollment records.”
Well, now that we talk about it: I dunno, who is carrying his or her birth certificate with her. Kids certainly don’t do that. Teachers don’t study every single kids’ birth certificate in schools—at least not until now.
Of course, the law is not restricted to schools, so the NC government may have to hire gender guards to protect toilet and shower customers. There may be heated fights in the legislation over whether these guards should carry guns. I say, they should carry since the offenders are really dangerous people: they conceal their gender.
Let’s face it, the whole thing is embarrassing to the state, and it will cost billions in lost grants, jobs, businesses.
For example, this will automatically takes away federal education grants from NC
http://www.glsen.org/article/dept-ed-title-ix-protects-trans-students
Quotes from NYT.
“Supporters of the measures have been unable to point to a single case that justifies the need to legislate where people should be allowed to use the toilet. North Carolina is the first state to pass such a provision.
North Carolina lawmakers must have recognized that careful scrutiny of the bill would have doomed it. They convened a special session on Wednesday — which cost taxpayers $42,000 — to ram the bill through. The House allowed for 30 minutes of public debate, limiting speakers to two minutes. The Democrats walked out of the Senate in protest.”
“James Parker Sheffield, a transgender man with a beard, exposed the foolishness of the law in a tweet to the governor. “It’s now the law for me to share a restroom with your wife,” he wrote, attaching a photo of himself.” ”
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From what I read, this is not just an attack on transgender teenagers but on gays and same sex couples as well. From what I read, Diane could be refused hotel accommodations, restaurant service, taxi rides. I don’t care if the transgender community rolled on the floor and stamped their feet. Legislators are supposed to be above that.
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2old: “From what I read, this is not just an attack on transgender teenagers but on gays and same sex couples as well. ”
This is actually weird: parts II and III of the law have nothing to with bathrooms. Part II is about wage levels and part III simply (and sweepingly) change the discriminatory law in the state—at least as far as I can tell. Wow.
http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2015E2/Bills/House/HTML/H2v0.html
From part III
“(a) It is the public policy of this State to protect and safeguard the right and opportunity of all persons to seek, obtain and hold employment without discrimination or abridgement on account of race, religion, color, national origin, age, biological sex or handicap by employers which regularly employ 15 or more employees.”
Shouldn’t such a law include “sexual orientation”?
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Mate, the phrase “biological sex” is meant to single out transgendered people, who have no rights.
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I think that when we are in Raleigh, we need to let them know that NC will not be considered for future events due to the legislation. We need to let every place we spend our money know this–the Convention Center, the hotels, the restaurants, the cabbies…everyone who benefits from Raleigh being the location the NPE chose needs to hear from us.
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Absolutely, Liz
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I appreciate your logic. So much money is spent supporting this or that aspect of the larger system which is slowly killing public education.
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well if you really want to make a statement, cancel the conference. or move it.
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Involved Mom, we are not canceling, we are not moving the conference.
We will be in Raleigh, and you are welcome to join us to stand up for justice, equality, and civil rights.
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We make an even bigger statement by going there and standing with parents, teachers, the NAACP, and everyone else who shares our goals and values.
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Dr. Ravitch,
unfortunately I don’t think the folks to make a statement to on this issue really care. They have shown that by passing this law. But I certainly admire sticking to your guns and who you are and so forth.
But as for education, I still think this political alignment is not a complete and thorough look at embracing all people and being accepting. . .that means the ones who go to church on Sunday too and live a life with a more narrow definition etc. Public schools are supposed to be for everyone. And the focus on learning, quite frankly, is easily trumped by social issues such as gender identity.
And again. . .we wonder why folks run off to charters. Hmmm . . .
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I will be there, staying in the hotels, eating the food, and letting my family spend money in Raleigh while I attend the conference. I am a National Board Certified Teacher in Special Education, and I cannot wait to hear the keynote speakers and Diane Ravitch.
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I used to live in North Carolina. I started teaching there in1979, moving from Tennessee. I was amazed at the status the teacher had in the community and the pay they received. When my father needed help and I moved home, it was with a heavy heart, I love the state.
Recently, news of the state on education began to trickle out of there and I called a friend who is a math education professor. What I heard broke my heart: I do not know what else the legislature can do to insult teachers? The worried professor echoed many of the same concerns millions of us have read here.
Has this led to a state of poor education in that state? How could it be otherwise.
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No. Our education quality is good. Social issues doth not an education make.
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http://governor.nc.gov/press-release/myths-vs-facts-what-new-york-times-huffington-post-and-other-media-outlets-arent
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Involved mom, the article you quote has this in it.
2. Does this bill take away existing protections for individuals in North Carolina?
Answer: No. In fact, for the first time in state history, this law establishes a statewide anti-discrimination policy in North Carolina which is tougher than the federal government’s. This also means that the law in North Carolina is not different when you go city to city.
This statement is not true on at least two points and questionable on others. I am quoting from http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/otherprotections.cfm .
First, we can read at the above federal governmental link
The EEOC has held that discrimination against an individual because that person is transgender (also known as gender identity discrimination) is discrimination because of sex and therefore is covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
This clearly means that while the new NC law restricts anti-discrimination to “biological sex’, so birth certificate sex, the federal law doesn’t and it explicitly protects transgenders.
The second issue is that the federal law explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The Commission has also held that discrimination against an individual because of that person’s sexual orientation is discrimination because of sex and therefore prohibited under Title VII.
Since the new NC law is talking about the category “biological sex”, the above explanation doesn’t apply in NC, and, since NC didn’t give further explanation of its new law, its anti-discriminatory law doesn’t apply to homosexuals as it is.
Because of the above observations, statement 11 in your link is also false
11. Will this bill threaten federal funding for public schools under Title IX?
Answer: No, according to a federal court which has looked at a similar issue.
Indeed, here is an official explanation of IX
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2014—The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education today issued official guidance which makes clear that transgender students are protected from discrimination under Title IX. Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs and activities. Specifically, the guidance states that “Title IX’s sex discrimination prohibition extends to claims of discrimination based on gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity and OCR accepts such complaints for investigation.” – See more at: http://www.glsen.org/article/dept-ed-title-ix-protects-trans-students#sthash.6OX3qcjv.dpuf
Since, as we saw, title VII protects transgenders regardless their birthcertificate sex, Title IX mandates reconsideration of federal ed funding to NC.
Finally, item 7 is talking about transgender children’s protection, but not adults’. Aren’t adults’ safety also important?
7. I’m worried about how this new law affects transgender children or students in North Carolina. Does this bill allow bullying against transgender children in schools?
Answer: Absolutely not. North Carolina law specifically prohibits bullying and harassing behavior against children on the basis of sexual identity.
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Well said, Mate Werdi. North Carolina is in serious regression.
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I live in Charlotte. We need NPE in our state. If a progressive group such as this does not come, it plays right into our regressive leadership’s hands. They would be delighted to learn that they had driven some of their sharpest critics away (mainstream entities such as the NBA and the NCAA are a different matter). They rule through gerrymander and on most important issues do not have the support of the majority of North Carolinians. Please come and help strengthen the voices of those of us who have been fighting them for years.
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As I said, I think it’s more important to support our friends than punish our enemies. I think it’s in the Bible somewhere. 🙂
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I completely agree with Ms. Grundy. Having NPE come to the state sends an important message that critics of what the legislature is doing will not be driven away. The content of the conference is just what the NC legislature does not want to hear. We need your help here (I live in Raleigh) to shed more light on what is happening. This conference is unlike a sporting event (which i would support boycotting the state) because its content directly addresses the disgusting things that have been happening.
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So many backward steps in less than 8 years. Please remove Pat McCrory as governor and focus on public education and women’s rights in the next election. Sorry North Carolinian Teachers – I have spoken to many of you across the state.Those of you that botheedr to vote (less then 15%) in 2012 stated that you chose McCrory because “you knew his name. He was a nice mayor for Charlotte”.
So unacceptable! McCrory was completely transparent in his desires to destroy public education in North Carolina. It is your fault if you voted for him, and equally your fault if you neglected to vote at all in 2012. Stand up and love your public education. Otherwise, don’t be in shock and awe if we are staring at a McCrory bid for presidency in 2020.
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Dear Diane, Thank you and your Board for your decision to proceed with the conference in Raleigh despite our ongoing shenanigans from our elected leaders. Citizens here know that HB2 is a political ploy to try to keep incumbents in the General Assembly and Governor’s Mansion by appealing to fear. Leadership did the same thing two years ago with Amendment 1 which was overturned by the Supreme Court. Citizens of NC will sue to overturn this, work to elect new representation and fight for independent redistricting. As those of us who have been in the fight for public education for years understand, bad public education policy knows no partisan lines. North Carolina is unraveling the public education investment that took generations to build. We need a national conversation led by NPE to dream a vision for the schools our students deserve. I believe that is the conversation we all plan to have in Raleigh. Thank y’all for coming!
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As a public school teacher working and fighting for the #SchoolsOurStudentsDeserve, I can understand the conflict about coming to NC. As much as I’d like for NC to not gain one cent from NPE, I also know how much the educators and public school supporters here need support. Not just through emails, blog posts, and social media, but they need to see people, real people, showing up to stand against the regressive, dangerous rhetoric and laws being used in our General Assembly and Governor’s office. I would rather NPE come and everyone in attendance participate in a mass action on our state house or in the streets of Raleigh to show that we ALL stand together against any injustice, to show that we see how ALL of our lives are interconnected, and that if just one student, teacher, parent, or citizen is discriminated against, then we will ALL fight back for those people. Public schools can be a great equalizer, if we also find ways to make our community equitable for students and families when they leave the school door. Come to North Carolina, NPE, and bring your strong spirits, your inspiring words, and maybe even your marching shoes. And if you are worried about supporting this unjust legislature, I’m sure we can gather a list of businesses that have come out with statements against the hateful HB2 so that you know who deserves your presence and your patronization.
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I’m also an educator and NCAE leader committed to the NPE conference coming to Raleigh. I agree with what others have offered above about what NPE can do while we’re all together (have an action, ask for supporters around the country to follow our lead, etc.), and I want to add that there is a huge difference between a grassroots group of educators, parents, students, and our supporters meeting together and the NBA All-Star game.
Those of us fighting school privatization are also fighting for Medicaid expansion, an end to tax cuts for the wealthiest in our state, an end to the attacks on women’s health, an end to the gutting of environmental protections, and all of the attacks on communities of Black and Brown people, immigrants, and LGBTQ people. We’ve been doing it for a long time. Bringing national supporters of the fight to defend and transform our schools helps make us stronger. It allows us to learn and grow from the lessons of our friends in other parts of the country. It allows us to project our fight onto the national landscape more clearly because we have new relationships around the country. It will help us organize and help us build our power. The All-Star game does none of that. And the NBA can afford a venue change on a year’s notice. And the NBA not coming to Charlotte has a much different size of economic impact on this state.
It’s not the same thing.
I’m excited that the NPE conference is coming to North Carolina, and I can’t wait to get more folks from around the country connected to the work that many of us have been doing on the ground here for a long time.
bryan proffitt
President, Durham Association of Educators
Chair, NCAE Organize 2020 Caucus
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Dear Bryan,
We welcome all Raleigh teachers to join us so we can applaud your service
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As a Wake County Commissioner, I welcome you to our county, and ask you to realize that what happens in our Legislature, a gerrymandered mess, is not necessarily indicative of Wake County or Raleigh.
Both Wake County and Raleigh have fully-inclusive hiring and employment policies, and welcome and encourage diversity.
What happened on Jones Street was reprehensible, but it is not reflective of this County or its people.
-John Burns
Wake County Commissioner
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