International
German parliament passes law allowing minors to change their legal gender once a year
Olaf Scholz
From LifeSiteNews
“An exception to the unrestricted change of gender entry applies to men if the request for change is obviously in connection with an impending conscription in case of national defense,” the NZZ article states. “In such a case, the gender entry cannot be changed. Men must then remain men.”
The German parliament has passed the so-called “self-identification law,” which allows people confused about their sex, including minors, to change their legal gender once per year.
A vote in the Bundestag (German federal parliament) on April 12 saw the law passed as 374 MPs voted in favor, 251 voted against, and eleven MPs abstained.
The new legislation, proposed by Germany’s left-wing government coalition, will allow anyone to change his or her legal gender entry once per year by simply stating their desire to do so to the registry office. Parents can decide to change the legal gender of their children under the age of 14 with their offspring’s “consent.”
Minors between the ages of 14 and 18 can apply to change their gender entry themselves but will need their parents’ consent. However, in the case of a disagreement between parents and their children, a family court can make a decision based on the “best interests of the child.”
Leaked communications of top pro-LGBT doctors have shown that so-called “gender-affirming care” can cause severe mental and physical disease and that it is impossible for minors to give “informed consent” to it.
These doctors “indicate repeatedly that they know that many children and their parents don’t understand the effects that puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries will have on their bodies,” journalist Michael Shellenberger wrote in his summary of the leaked files. “And yet, they continue to perform and advocate for gender medicine.”
While the “self-identification law” does not include any provisions on medical interventions such as gender surgeries or puberty blockers, a website established by the German government has promoted blockers and hormone injections for gender-confused children.
The head and co-founder of the German pro-family organization DemoFürAlle, Hedwig von Beverfoerde, criticized the new law and pointed out that “socially transitioning” by changing one’s name and legal gender increases the likelihood that minors will go down the path of medical “transition,” even though most children and adolescents grow out of their gender-confusion once they hit adulthood.
“With the passing of the Self-Determination Act, thousands of children and young people with identity conflicts will be at the mercy of the lure of the trans lobby,” von Beverfoerde warned.
“Even if the [German] government claims that the SBGG [self-determination law] has nothing to do with trans-medical measures, this law removes all protective barriers.”
“This is happening at a time when more and more countries are banning the use of puberty blockers, and the evidence from studies is becoming increasingly clear. Most recently, for example, a comprehensive study commissioned by the British Health Service (‘Cass Review’) shows that social transition with name and pronoun changes fuels medical transition and that most young people reconcile with their biological gender if they are given sufficient time to think about it,” she continued.
Von Beverfoerde concluded by calling on the German government to ban puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone injections, and surgical interventions for minors.
READ: UK’s National Health Service to stop prescribing puberty blockers to gender-confused children
Chancellor Olaf Scholz from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) welcomed the law: “We show respect for transgender, intersex and non-binary people – without taking anything away from others.”
“This is how we continue to drive forward the modernization of our country,” he added.
The law was criticized by the politicians from the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), the Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the Bünsdnis Sarah Wagenknect (BSW).
AfD MP Martin Reichardt said the law was “ideological nonsense” promoted by “trans-extremists” and that his party rejected the “ludicrous law” in its entirety.
Under the new law, anyone who reveals the former name or true gender of someone who changed their legal registry can be fined up to € 10,000 ($ 10,672) if they share this information “with the intent to harm.”
However, as a report by the newspaper NZZ points out, in the case of war, gender ideology has to take a back seat.
“An exception to the unrestricted change of gender entry applies to men if the request for change is obviously in connection with an impending conscription in case of national defense,” the NZZ article states. “In such a case, the gender entry cannot be changed. Men must then remain men.”
The Self-Determination law is due to come into force on November 1, 2024.
Great Reset
Middle school girls who refused to compete against male banned from next track meet
From LifeSiteNews
Four of the five girls filed a lawsuit against the Harrison County Board of Education protesting the ban while Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said, ‘I will do everything in my power to defend these brave young girls. ‘This is just wrong.’
Five West Virginia female middle school athletes who refused to throw the shot put against a boy after a circuit court exempted him from a state law that prevents males from competing on female sports’ teams have been banned from participating in their next competition.
On April 18, the five girls attended the 2024 Harrison County Middle School Championships track and field meet where they were scheduled to compete in shot put.
The five students stepped out of the shot-put circle without throwing, forfeiting in protest of the participation of an eighth-grade male student presenting himself as a girl during the competition.
After four of the five girls filed a lawsuit against the Harrison County Board of Education protesting the ban, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey stepped in and wrote an amicus brief on their behalf.
“I will do everything in my power to defend these brave young girls,” Morrisey wrote Monday on X. “This is just wrong. We must stand for what’s right and oppose these radical trans policies.”
“The only thing this decision does is teach these children to keep their mouths shut and not disagree with what they saw as unfairness,” said Morrisey, according to a statement from his office. “That is outrageous and it tramples these students’ rights to freedom of speech and expression.”
“Their actions at the earlier track meet were not disruptive or aggrandizing. They were the quiet demonstration of the student-athletes’ evident unhappiness with the competitive consequences of a federal appellate court’s decision,” said Morrisey, a Republican candidate for governor.
“Rather than being punished for their conduct or being sidelined in an effort to score points, all should commend these young athletes for putting their personal performances aside to demonstrate their discontent with an unjust result that affects them personally and within that event,” he said.
Other conservatives took to X to express support for the banned girls.
“How many young girls are losing opportunities because cowardly liberal and RINO politicians are caving to mental illness?” the Travis Media Group asked.
JUST IN: The 5 girls from Lincoln Middle School in West Virginia who protested a trans student participating in shot put by refusing to participate, have been banned from school sports.
Harrison County Board of Education made the decision, and now they’re being sued by the… pic.twitter.com/t6dannzqhg
— 🇺🇸Travis Media Group🇺🇸 (@TM1Politics) April 30, 2024
“Girls banned from girls’ sports instead of a male being banned from girls’ sports,” wrote Greg Scott, vice president of policy for the Center for Arizona Policy’s, noting, “and this isn’t California or New York. This is Wild and Abominable West Virginia.”
Girls banned from girls' sports instead of a male being banned from girls' sports.
And this isn't California or New York.
This is Wild and Abominable West Virginia. https://t.co/oTB0xwovh7
— Greg Scott (@GScottSays) April 30, 2024
“You can’t participate in this meet until you admit girls don’t exist,” said the Redheaded Libertarian, “unless you want abortions, because it’s your rights as girls.”
NEW: Five middle schoolers who refused to compete against a biological male in the shot put have been banned from future competitions.
Where are all the outraged feminists?
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is now filing a lawsuit against the Harrison County… pic.twitter.com/CntWcdJMJf
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 30, 2024
illegal immigration
Oklahoma Just Became The Latest State To Take Immigration Enforcement Into Its Own Hands
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
Oklahoma’s Republican governor signed a sweeping immigration enforcement bill into law, making the Sooner State the latest to confront the border crisis through legislative action.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 4156 into law on Tuesday, one week after the Republican-controlled legislature sent it to his desk. The law, which is set to take effect on July 1, makes it illegal to reside in Oklahoma without legal authorization to be in the U.S.
Those in violation of the law for the first time will be subject to a misdemeanor charge, punishable by up to a year in jail or a $500 fine, according to the text of the legislation. A second or subsequent offense would be a felony, punishable by as much as two years in jail or a fine of up to $1,000.
All violators would be mandated to leave Oklahoma within 72 hours of being released from custody.
Stitt made clear why he felt the law was necessary, putting the blame squarely on President Joe Biden.
“We cannot sit idle as threats to our safety are on the rise due to the Biden administration’s complete failure to offer even minimal protections. We have an obligation to keep our communities safe,” the governor said in a press release. “And this bill will decentivize thugs from choosing Oklahoma as a place to operate criminal enterprises after having illegally come to our country through the southern border.”
The governor’s public statement also pushed back against accusations that the law would unfairly target the state’s Hispanic community, saying that Oklahoma is not a “stop and identify” state.
Stitt’s signature marks the latest in a growing wave of Republican states that are taking on immigration enforcement, a responsibility typically exclusive to the federal government.
Oklahoma lawmakers largely followed legislation signed into law last year by Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, which would’ve allowed the state to arrest and deport those living in the country unlawfully. However, that Texas law is currently on hold after Biden’s Department of Justice filed a lawsuit, arguing such responsibility is reserved for federal immigration authorities only.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in March signed a bill that increases jail sentences for those living illegally in the U.S. and convicted of felonies or driving without a license. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill in April that largely reflects the Texas law.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in April signed a bill that mandates local law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Beyond passing legislation, a slate of GOP-led states have deployed their national guard troops to the southern border in solidarity with Texas.
Since 2021, at least 14 states have deployed troops to the southern border: Florida, Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Wyoming, and West Virginia. The deployment is largely assisting Texas’ Operation Lone Star, a campaign launched by Abbott to address the border crisis.
The wave of Republican-led immigration legislation follows an ongoing border crisis, with at least six million encounters taking place at the southern border since Biden took office.
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