skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Second federal judge orders temporary reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees fired by the Trump administration; U.S., Canada political tension could affect Maine summer tourism; Report: Incarceration rates rise in MS, U.S. despite efforts at reform; MI study: HBCU students show better mental health, despite challenges.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration faces legal battles on birthright citizenship; the arrest of a Palestinian activist sparks protests over free speech. Conservationists voice concerns about federal job cuts impacting public lands, and Ohio invests in child wellness initiatives.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Farmers worry promised federal reimbursements aren't coming while fears mount that the Trump administration's efforts to raise cash means the sale of public lands, and rural America's shortage of doctors has many physicians skipping retirement.

Group Rallies to Counter Messages Aimed at UT Transgender Students

play audio
Play

Tuesday, June 1, 2021   

SALT LAKE CITY -- As the issues surrounding transgender and LGBTQ students become increasingly politicized in Utah, one group is providing support for those who identify differently from their peers.

Utah FAM, an alliance founded by Utah educators, recently held an inclusion rally at the state Capitol to validate the tens of thousands of LGBTQ teachers, students and families in Utah's public schools.

Allison Martin, co-founder of Utah FAM, said some districts and even the Utah Legislature have taken actions that isolated and shamed transgender kids. In one district, a student asked his teacher to read a book to the class about a boy with transgender issues. Martin was stunned by the reaction.

"The district not only banning the book "Call Me Max," but also pulling every book that had to do with racism, varying abilities, differences in religion or other types of things, and then individually re-approved with the exception of anything LGBTQ," Martin reported.

District officials said the review process was standard procedure. Martin also noted a video of a boy being cheered on while he cut down a Pride flag in front of his school went viral, and state lawmakers considered a bill to deny certain types of health care to transgender kids.

She explained Utah FAM hosted the rally to counter negative messages.

"Our transgender students saw this in the news," Martin observed. "They saw what happened, just even reading a book that included a transgender character was considered so controversial that the book had to be banned, which speaks a lot to whether or not a student's identity is acceptable in school."

Martin, who is also is an assistant principal at a Salt Lake City high school, believes much of the sometimes harsh, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric comes from misunderstandings and the political belief they are challenging the status quo.

"So anything that's disrupting the traditional systems of power, I guess, is coming into question," Martin contended. "And the same people who attack the transgender kids who attack anti-racist work."


get more stories like this via email
more stories
According to Wisconsin's Judicial Code of Conduct, judges are not required to recuse themselves based on an endorsement or campaign contributions. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Early voting for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race starts next week and, although the seat is technically nonpartisan, both candidates have clear …


Environment

play sound

As the warming climate continues to reshape the environment, its impact on people's health is becoming increasingly evident in Florida. Doctors and …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Maryland is facing a $3 billion budget deficit, and planned cuts in 2026 would include millions in disability assistance. But one advocate says those …


A rally for property tax cuts is set for Monday at the Indiana Statehouse. Organizers have encouraged attendees to wear green to signal their opposition to high property taxes. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Indiana lawmakers introduced a third property tax plan this week, aiming to protect local governments from funding cuts while offering minimal relief …

Social Issues

play sound

Nearly half of Americans age 50 and older are using credit cards to pay for basic living expenses, according to a new AARP survey, and a Minnesota …

Expanded oil and gas subsidies, included in current versions of upcoming federal tax legislation, would support a massive expansion of LNG projects to more than double national export capacity by 2030. (Jeeraphun/Adobe Stock)

play sound

Forty religious leaders from different denominations gathered in Texas this week to call for an end to fossil-fuel subsidies and expansion of related …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that Black students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Blac…

Environment

play sound

The Sierra Club's Utah chapter said electric utility PacifiCorp's long-term plan to embrace renewable energy has changed and is now placing more relia…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021