Until recently, I didn’t realize just how scared people are, or at least say they are. The people I’m speaking of are not the kind you’d think should be scared. I’m not talking about Black men, who suffer a far higher rate of homicide victimization than their white counterparts, according to the Council on Criminal Justice. Nor am I referring to women, who suffer more domestic abuse than men. Or children, who may have nowhere to sleep tonight or who could be the next school shooting victims. Nor am I talking about marginalized groups like LGBTQ youth and non-Hispanic Native people, who have relatively high suicide rates.
Opinion
No. I heard fear from white, middle-class witnesses attending two House Judiciary Committee hearings on March 4. The panel was considering one “pro-gun” bill and one “anti-trans” bill. The Legislature ultimately passed both bills, which will become law absent unlikely vetoes from Gov. Mark Gordon.
Senate File 105 – Wyoming Second Amendment financial privacy act prohibits “disclosure or use of protected information relating to firearms and ammunition sales.” Senate File 99 – Children gender change prohibition bans most forms of gender-affirming care for minors.
The hearing room was packed at 7:30 a.m. Advocates were out in force, both for and against. Committee Chairman Art Washut (R-Casper) ran things well, treating everyone courteously. For the most part, committee members asked witnesses questions seemingly designed to elicit needed information. What floored me was how impassioned both bills’ proponents were. They claim they’re scared.
On the gun bill, the Second Amendment was spoken of reverently. (Nobody mentioned its preamble, about how the people’s right to bear arms is connected to participation in “A well regulated militia.”) Lobbyists worried aloud about what “the government” might do with data collected by merchants when people buy guns and ammunition. The specter of some agency making a list of privately owned guns and owners was invoked. Witnesses expressed belief that many are just waiting to take away guns from law-abiding citizens. Who? Unspecified.
Things were less muted with SF 99. There, legislator witnesses talked about a “big push from the left” … “which wants to sterilize children” and how providing children with gender-affirming care is only “setting up kids for misery.” The father of a transgender teenager currently undergoing transition testified eloquently against the ban. The mother of a nonbinary adult child testified she was offended by the implication that parents aren’t already doing the right things for their children. Neither their testimony nor that of medical experts even slowed the bill.
What strikes me is that the proponents of both bills, like the Moms for Liberty, an advocacy group that likes banning books, seem to see all those who don’t endorse their views as sworn enemies. Whether it’s guns, reproductive freedom or LGBTQ matters, if you’re not in rigid lockstep, you’re part of a very organized and big problem. What problem? The future of America. The left, the Democrats, the academics, the fill-in-the-blank: all very dangerous and “only in it for the money.”
As if.
Where is the logic to this?
Mom’s for liberty want to ban books? I thought they wanted age appropriate books. Why does a first grader need access to books of a sexual nature? Perhaps it is because many on the left have been trying to take away Dr. Seuss. Why can’t those first graders handle Dr. Seuss? What else would they read, if Dr. Seuss is off the list. I am sure there would be plenty to read, but it still should be part of age appropriate selection. Instead we have the left wanting to ban books, and saying the right wants to ban books. Or is it the other way around. Nope, it is ideological rhetoric.
Fear of the government digging into data of a private nature? I think that is a rational fear. There is no reason for the government to investigate citizens purchases and personal transactions. I thought I saw the left questioning the citizen’s right to privacy in the Abortion case in Teton County. Many on the left opposed Article 1 section 38 when it was put to a vote on the ballot. Why? Because it was against Obama Care. Now, they embrace the constitutional amendment when it suits their position.
We need to have puberty blockers for gender affirming care say the left. And the UK says “Ban puberty blockers except for the purposes of research”. I am fairly sure that the reason is that the “science” is not settled. If I child is harmed, is it irreparable harm? Isn’t that the point of SF-99? Shouldn’t we be careful here. Did you not hear Chloe speak? Did you not hear the harm done to her? You heard only the father of a transgendered child and an offended mother? Listen past the ideology you hold.
I don’t think these bills are driven either by fear or hate. I would rather the merits of these bills be discussed in this forum without the vibrant smell of hypocrisy but rather rational arguments.
I am sorry you heard fear, Marion. I only heard conviction.
Calling people dumb, fear based, supremacist and “all kinds of mean nasty things” (Arlo Guthrie, while playing with the paper and pencils on the Group W bench) makes the opinion piece mute and nonsensical. The sponsors of those bills have real concerns, and the opponents have real concerns. Learn how to present your rationale without the hypocrisy and all the insults.
For the record, I support both bills. I don’t support banning books, government watching all of your transactions, or giving unapproved and untested drugs to minors. I think surgery to change a gender should be done with adults for many reasons. I think we should seek to minimize harm and the potential for harm. I am not fear driven, nor am I a supremacist. I am not dumb. I am not filled with hate. I am 100% in on reading, mathematics and learning. I am against zones that infringe on fundamental rights. I am for the fundamental rights of human beings that should not be wrongfully infringed.
You forgot their fear of kindergartners, they want to take guns into schools. Call Governor Gordon, 777-7434, and urge him to veto HB125.
Yes Veto HB125
Its super frustrating to be in the same room as the bunch from ‘Moms for Liberty’ and their out-of-state friends from ‘Mass Resistance’. At a recent library board meeting for Fremont County, two of the library board members and about 5 members of the audience expressed their ‘fear’ of children being exposed to ‘pornograghy’. Many others in the room suggested that they not allow their children to read books they find offensive.
Fell on deaf ears.
Yikes.
One of our library board members, who is appointed to support and defend the library was caught on camera wearing a tshirt that said ‘Get your porn at the Fremont County Library.’ Resonable people will not change the minds of these folks, they are being groomed.
Another stab at regular folks like myself, a 67 year old gay man who has been with his husband for 43 years! The FreeDUMB caucus strikes again.
I sat in on a senate committee hearing for education bills Feb. 19 along with other school board members from all over the state. One senator seemed to be annoyed by our mere presence and appeared to have a negative view of public education in general. Some of the bills that eventually passed, such as the bill eliminating gun free zones, are very concerning.
True enough. No one wants to heed the people who really know what they’re talking about, such as educators. I might add, it seemed that our district Senator wasn’t interested in our educators At All.
Welcome to the (f)Right Wing of America, afraid of everything, all the time.
Thank you. Fear driven by hate towards those supremists view as lesser is the biggest threat to reasonable legislation addressing problems.
Wait, what?! There’s money in being an educator? There’s financial gain in being a parent? Shoot! Missed out on that pot of gold.
You hit the nail on the head, Marion. This is not being driven by anything but fear based upon a nostalgic belief in ‘how it used to be.’ Bravo
As is typical…you miss the actual point “The militia” is not the state, the militia is you,is me. You’re in trouble, be it from another individual or from “the state”, We being free individuals Do not have to wait for the state too intervene, we may arm ourselves accordingly to act in defense of each other’s freedom. You speak of fear yet, express fear.
That is not the definition of a militia. Read Article 17 of the Wyoming State Constitution: https://ballotpedia.org/Article_17,_Wyoming_Constitution#:~:text=The%20militia%20of%20the%20state,States%20or%20of%20the%20state.
The freedumb caucus is comprised of Facebook educated clowns who think the echo chamber they reside in is actually reality.
Willfully ignorant and confidently wrong are not qualities that should garner votes from ANY electorate. But, it’s wyoming, and here we are…