Chop Wood, Carry Water 11/15
A win we should all celebrate!
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!
First of all, I wanted to share some incredible news. Remember last week when we signed a petition and sent emails to a school board in Texas demanding they reverse a decision that required kids in their schools to play roles that “corresponded with their assigned gender at birth?” This had led to 20 kids being told they no longer had roles in their high school production of “Oklahoma!”— including a trans boy named Max (pictured above).
Well, the School Board had an emergency meeting on Monday night, and they have reversed their decision! The play is back on, Max and the other kids have regained their roles, and the Board issued a full apology!
Make no mistake: this incredible result is because of the folks who showed up in person to the Board meeting, to those who protested and waved Pride flags outside, to local parents who raised a ruckus…and to all of you! I couldn’t be more proud. Between this list and my TikTok followers we sent thousands of emails and made God knows how many calls. It worked!
Public outcry is powerful. It can move the needle where little else can. Never forget it!
Speaking of using your voice, I got an email from a new reader yesterday. She asked this question:
I wanted to know if calling was better than sending an email. Also wanted to know if I should do both. When I get a person on the line at my senators or representative office I keep it short and to the point but wanted to know if a follow up email would help. When I get voicemail I leave a longer message.
I get a version of this question a lot. So often, in fact, that I put the answer to it and a few other commonly asked questions into a Chop Wood, Carry Water FAQs doc, which you can find here. But in case you don’t feel like clicking through I’ll drop an excerpt from my answer here, too:
What I've always heard is "the more uncomfortable it makes you, the more effective it is." So in-person visits to offices have top effectiveness—or showing up at Town Halls. Next would be phone calls, followed by emails through your rep’s "contact me" form or via Resistbot. Last is petitions--those are sometimes effective depending on who they target, but many are designed chiefly to capture email addresses and/or raise money, so use sparingly.
Having said that, if phone calls are just too anxiety-provoking for you, an email is a very close second–especially if it is unique. And one easy way to handle phone anxiety is to call after hours--leaving a VM counts every bit as much as speaking to a staffer, provided you make sure to leave your full name and zip code.
Hope that helps, and hope you all have a terrific day! You’ve certainly earned it!
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I understand that Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, are hoping to launch a “debt commission” with the goal of cutting Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. I want to be clear that I strongly, strongly oppose this and will work to vote out any lawmaker who goes along with this plan. We can easily fix the funding shortfalls in these programs by getting rid of income caps and/or raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Cuts are not an option. Please don’t let it happen. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Let’s call the Senate Judiciary Committee at (202) 224-7703:
My name is ____ and I’m a voter calling from _____. I know that this Thursday the Committee could vote to subpoena Clarence Thomas’s billionaire benefactors Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo. I also know the Republicans are trying desperately to block these subpoenas. Don’t let them win! With new revelations virtually every month about more undisclosed cash payments and other lavish gifts to justices, and with the court set to hear a case next month that could have major implications on our ability to tax corporations and billionaires, we must hold conflicted justices accountable. Issue the subpoenas! Thanks. [H/T]
Get Smart! 📚
Join SPLC this Thursday, November 16, at 12 p.m. CT/1 p.m. ET for a conversation about Alabama’s new congressional district and the important races ahead of the 2024 elections.
Chief Strategy Officer Seth Levi and Alabama State Director Tafeni English-Relf will provide valuable insights on the chance for Alabama to build a better future for Black and Brown residents.
Give 💰!
In exactly one year, all votes will have been cast to elect the President of the United States. What we do between now and then can help determine that outcome.
So please join Focus For Democracy on Thursday, Nov. 16th at 5PM Pacific/8PM Eastern to hear another key recommendation for where to give money. They'll also spend some time catching you up on their first recommendation -- Courier Newsroom -- a groundbreaking organization focused on delivering true and accurate news to combat right-wing misinformation.
Come learn how to secure 2024 votes by taking proactive steps now. Early investment magnifies our impact and influence!
Thursday, Nov. 16th at 5PM Pacific/8PM Eastern.
Click here to register
Win Races! 🗳
The Environmental Voter Project has one more phone bank planned before the polls close in Louisiana! Join me tomorrow to mobilize environmentalists together! It’ll be fun!
Call LA voters on Thurs, Nov 16, at 6pm EST / 3pm PST
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
This book looks great, and it was recommended by the folks at Story of Stuff—an amazing organization. If you want to order a copy you can do so here or wherever you like to buy (or borrow) books.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[to Chief Justice Roberts] [H/T] [Text SIGN PIGLGG to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]
I’m writing regarding the new Code of Conduct for Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States published on November 13, 2023.
While many of us have called on the Supreme Court to promulgate a binding ethics code, the new Code falls short of what we and the public expect from the nation’s highest court. Specifically, the Code is inherently flawed because it lacks a dedicated internal ethics enforcement body to advise Justices about their ethics obligations and investigate alleged misconduct. The Code is meaningless without a compliance mechanism.
I ask Chief Justice Roberts to commit to establishing an internal ethics office that provides detailed interpretations of the Code’s provisions and ensures enforcement. Only then will the Court assuage public concern with the numerous allegations of unethical conduct of Justices over recent years.
Until then, we’re not buying what you’re selling, at all. Please do better. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
You are a rock star!!! (Have I said that at least once before??!!) What a fabulous story that touches my heart!! There are so many more of us out there whose hearts haven't frozen over and who can respond with compassion to all manner of human suffering, especially for our young people.
Thank you so much for all you do, for encouraging us to join in, and for modeling how we can make a difference. With love and blessings, Terry PS posted to TwitX and FB
In response to the previous post about the high school student being denied the role in Oklahoma!, I wrote the following email to the school board:
SISD:
My name is Gary Stewart. I am an internal medicine physician and therefore specialize in the care of all adults for the full range of medical and emotional problems they have.
One of the fundamentals of medical care is to be non-judgmental and accepting of the full range of human expression. Failure in that is fatal to being able to provide the best medical care for every patient, without bias.
Gender includes a complex set of behaviors that an individual expresses based upon internalized thoughts and feelings that make sense to them as a unique individual, and the person they understand themselves to be.
It is a totally distinct issue from chromosomal sex and related physical manifestations based upon that.
It is my understanding that Max Hightower is a trans child in your school district who has been informed that he cannot play the starring role in his high school's production of Oklahoma!, because of a policy limiting students to playing roles that conform to their chromosomal make-up.
This rule is an anachronism based upon unwarranted fears and/or narrow morals that are, in my professional, medical opinion, emotionally harmful and constitute a form of bigotry (bigotry: "prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group"), in this case directed to all persons who elect to conform to a gender distinct from their set of chromosomes.
Medicine is a secular pursuit, and whenever moral beliefs, faith-based or otherwise, are invoked, and then applied to direct the medical decision-making of those who do not share those beliefs, it is emotionally traumatic.
In addition to these considerations, the playing of roles that require portrayal of a character distinct from the actor's own gender or chromosomal make-up, is an integral part of being an actor on the stage or in the cinema.
I encourage SISD to revisit the district's policy and invite expert opinion on the medical understanding of gender. If that were to be undertaken with an open mind and a dedication to do what medical science would advise is best for the students, I am confident that Max would be allowed to play the role best-suited to him and his talents, according to the judgment of the musical production's director.
Respectfully,
Gary M. Stewart, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Medical Board of California License #: G-37183
**********************************************************
I would like to think that respectful emails such as this played at least some tiny role is helping to correct this cruel and misguided policy sufficiently to allow this high school student to just be the best person they can be. I advise greater reliance upon ethics (society-based, involves reasoning, seeks universals) as opposed to morals (individually-based, demand obedience to hard and fast rules, and not in search of universals). So, there are medical ethics, but not medical morality.
Gary