Please join the Network for Public Education from April 15-17 as we convene in Raleigh, North Carolina. Register here.
Come and join us on the front lines of our struggle against legislation that is intended to cripple public education and demoralize teachers. Join us as we battle on behalf of equity and justice for all, and make clear our opposition to legislation that infringes on the rights of LGBT persons.
Join us where YOU are needed.
Meet fellow activists from across the country.
Meet your favorite bloggers.
Hear from the great Rev. William Barber, who is often called the successor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hear from Bob Herbert, former columnist for the New York Times and author of the terrific book “Losing Our Way.”
Choose from many workshops where you can learn about the efforts to restore public education and to push back against failed corporate reforms.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Look forward to seeing, meeting and re-acquainting with the many fine folks affiliated with NPE.
Even at this late date, I would hope Mr. Cody, Ms. Ravitch and all educators would cancel, postpone, or at least relocate a converence with an emphasis on civil rights in the capitol of the very state which JUST DENIED CIVIL RIGHTS to the LGBT community.
“Transgender Law Makes North Carolina Pioneer in Bigotry” I quote: “Officials in Charlotte, N.C., spent more than a year carefully considering and debating an anti-discrimination ordinance that was passed in February to promote the city’s culture of inclusiveness. State lawmakers quashed it on Wednesday by passing an appalling, unconstitutional bill that bars transgender people from using public restrooms that match their gender identity and prohibits cities from passing anti-discrimination ordinances that protect gay and transgender people…”
Ms. Ravitch, please talk to Mr. Cody. At the very least, move the event to Charlotte.
“From American Airlines to Lowe’s, and from Apple to Google, big companies are pushing back against North Carolina’s new law INVALIDATING Charlotte’s protections for LGBT individuals…
The NBA, which is set to host its All-Star Game in Charlotte next year, said it is “deeply concerned that this discriminatory law runs counter to our guiding principles of equality and mutual respect.”
The NCAA, which has men’s basketball tournament games planned in North Carolina in 2017 and 2018, said it is monitoring the situation…”
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article67970287.html#storylink=cpy
Please, Ms. Ravitch. Please.
Randall, come to Raleigh and I will join you in a Gay Pride parade. Don’t run from bullies.
The theme of the conference is civil rights. I can’t think of a better place to be to voice our displeasure with the legislation. As I stated elsewhere, every time we spend money we need to let those who are getting our business know that NC will not be getting our business for future conferences.
I stand by the decision to go forward with the conference. See you all for the Rally in Raleigh!
http://governor.nc.gov/press-release/myths-vs-facts-what-new-york-times-huffington-post-and-other-media-outlets-arent
Thanks, Diane. I do not run from bullies. I also do not financially subsidize them by pouring money into their coffers. I stand with Rob Reiner and a growing list who say, “Boycott!” Educators could have captured (and could still capture) headlines by being the first to pull out of the state, a much more effective “punch” than a parade or brief demonstration which has already been done to no effect. Money is what matters and hitting them in their wallets will hurt the most.
But I will consider your offer, Ms. Ravitch. Perhaps I can stay in Danville, Virginia. But is not about “pride”. It’s about civil rights. I’m not even gay, let alone proud to be gay. This is about basic human rights and a state which has made ILLEGAL the passing of ANY civil rights legislation (including raising the minimum wage) by EVERY legislative body in their entire state. So I still say take away their wages just as they are taking away the wages of the poor and the civil rights of the LGBT community. When someone like Rob Reiner agrees with Dow Chemical on an issue, we should all pay attention and teachers should lead the way. In this case, The Way is out of North Carolina.
Randall, come to NPE and stay in Danville. I promise you won’t be sorry. We will have a panel discussion consisting of local gay teens and their teachers.
This is the entire problem with the law in a nutshell: “This law simply says people must use the bathroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate. Anyone who has undergone a sex change can change their sex on their birth certificate.”
So, what, you need to bring your birth certificate to use the bathroom now? “Papers, please”, doesn’t exactly have an American ring to it (although, I will concede that I have to show my “papers” just to get into my own office building every morning, which isn’t American either).
I’ll tell you a little story. Years ago I trained for the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline. In addition to the nuts and bolts of how to work the line, our training consisted of various issues that would affect our work – gay and lesbian issues, economic diversity, racism, etc. One of the trainings was on transgenderism. When the speaker showed up, I was rather disappointed. He seemed to be a nice enough young man and all, but I really thought a training on transgenderism would be taught by a transgender person.
The enlightened probably already see my ignorance here. Turns out, of course, he was transgender. Identified as a girl at birth, he took hormone blockers as a teen, male hormones starting at age 18 and had the top surgery at 21. He hadn’t yet had the bottom surgery because it was too expensive. I don’t remember if he had changed his birth certificate or not. But there was no mistaking him for a woman – if he tried to use the women’s room, I assure you that people who are sensitive about these things would have a conniption. So you really support making him use the women’s room unless he can prove he’s a man either by birth certificate or genital check (administered by whom?)? And if he would have to be subject to that then all men would because he “looks male” as much as any other man. And the same for women.
I think people who support this law don’t know much about transgenderism or what transgender people look like (hint: they look like other people of their gender).
“This is the entire problem with the law in a nutshell”
In my next book, I write about “spirit of the law” vs “letter of the law,” and argue that a healthy society would subscribe to the former.
This is curious here, as I did not post it today (as shown on the date above).
I am not anti-gay. I just think the conversation for NPE needs to stay focused on education. And the mocking of NC sort of began even before HB2, and now all of the sudden the primary draw for NPE conference is HB2. So, you are right. . .bullying is never right. Even for those who love NC and know we will get through this. When does the bullied become the bully? I wonder what scripture Rev. Barber will base his speaking on. Or his he leaving his pastor hat at the door and only speaking on one interpretation of civil rights?
The issue surely is not simple; but I still don’t understand what it has to do with public schools.
And what about Missouri? Aren’t they having some similar discussions? Maybe next year the conference should be in Kansas City (actually that would be a good location because public schools there have had a very complex history and reform and white flight impact have really made it a tricky teaching landscape).
But anyway I guess I’m too focused on education for the NPE.
When I was 12 my father officiated a wedding at First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh. When we came out of the service, my father was shocked and embarrassed that there was KKK parade going down the street (and this was in 1985)—-I remember being stunned and horrified myself. The custodian who was locking up the sanctuary before we headed over to whatever country club was hosting the reception said (and he was African American), “well, they have their rights to demonstrate too.” I was as impacted by his acquiescence to their rights as I was to their distasteful display of hateful superiority.
I’m happy NPE wants to come to Raleigh and demonstrate. But I don’t understand what that has to do with public schools as far as HB2 goes.
I see a lot of things lumped together and I think such mindsets are dangerous and not honest.
I have seen education policies in NC based on reforms that are not lumped in with anti-gay or anti-LGBT or anti-specific discrimination bills that are not good for our schools. I want to hear more about that in relation to NPE in NC.
VAM. Charters going up everywhere. Cumbersome progress monitoring. Middle-heavy central offices for schools (curriculum coaches and so forth)—–our standard course of study in relation to other states.
The conversation has veered off. A lot.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article67985027.html?fb_action_ids=965462603507056&fb_action_types=og.comments
http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=19006
For the sake of thorough debate, I read this blog too. the bill HB 847 is interesting pertaining to children and youth
http://ladyliberty1885.com/
Wow. My hair is smoking from the hostile tone of that post. Clearly this writer has never actually met a transgender person (that she knows is transgender anyway). She clearly has the wrong idea of what using the appropriate gender bathroom is all about.
Honestly, there is nothing to feel uncomfortable about with transgender men using the men’s room or transgender women using the ladies’. In fact, you’ll probably never know. The problem is in fact exactly the opposite. Someone who is indistinguishable from a man (without a genital check) and, in fact, is a man, should be using the men’s room. Again, trust me, you do *not* want that trainer I mentioned above to be using the ladies’ room if having men in the ladies’ room upsets you.
As I’ve said before, this is by far the weirdest fear I have ever heard of. The people who support this law are functionally insane.
Dienne,
That bill is just a disguised attempt to get hard core xtian right beliefs to be law. Like an xtian sharia law. Can’t have any homos, faggots, and/or queers making their presence known in North Carolina as that would upset the xtian god’s little heart.
“God is Transgender”
God is transgender
Switched at Big Bang
Don’t mean to offend here
But God has no wang