I have often sat with my older LGBTQ friends and heard their stories of terror and loss during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and ’90s. This disease spread throughout the LGBTQ community like wildfire, while many leaders in both…
Trump issues two orders on education that get swift pushback
Amid the flurry of executive orders coming from the Trump White House, two issued Jan. 29 related to education, and both drew immediate fire from educators and church-state separationists. The first order, “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families,” promotes…
I will not hide
I find myself in a space where I want to write about this moment — about the fear, sadness, disappointment and anger I feel — but I’m struggling to find the words I want to say. I have a lot…
SBC pastor opposes ICE raids in churches and gets labeled ‘woke’ by far right
A Southern Baptist pastor in Tennessee who told his congregation of his concerns about President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging immigration crackdown has been labeled a woke Leftist by a far-right advocacy group. Matt Crawford serves as senior pastor at Trinity Baptist…
Democracy Forward succeeds in blocking Trump’s defunding of federal grants
Fresh on the heels of suing the Trump administration to stop ICE raids at churches, Democracy Forward filed another lawsuit that has led to a temporary hold on the administration’s effort to strip funding for nonprofits and educational institutions receiving…
Trump intends to traumatize his opponents, Perryman explains
The avalanche of Donald Trump’s first-week executive orders was intended to traumatize Americans as much as to implement new policies, according to Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman. In those first days, the president signed more than 35 directives on everything…
Trump world throws tomatoes at Phil Vischer
To understand how viciously MAGA world — including evangelical Christians — has turned against immigrants of all kinds, consider the plight of Phil Vischer. You probably know him as the creator of the “Veggie Tales” videos for kids or maybe…
What is a woman? We all are, according to Trump’s executive order
Years ago, I was teaching a small group of older children about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We were discussing Paul’s statement in Galatians, “There is neither male nor female; for you are all one in…
Willkommen im cabaret: Young people’s thoughts on our political climate
Remember learning about the dictatorial reign of Adolf Hitler during history class and wondering, “What would I have done?” Willkommen, say young Americans whose political radars are flashing red for fascism. In a recent TikTok video, 29-year-old filmmaker Jonah Green…
Reports of school library book bans were a ‘hoax,’ Trump appointees say
All those worries about book bans in public school libraries was just a “hoax,” according to the Trump administration. The acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education made that declaration in a Jan. 24 news…
‘School choice’ expected to grow under Trump
Conservative Christian activists hope President Donald Trump’s pledge to close the Federal Department of Education and “move everything back to the states” will help them expand “school choice” programs that use taxpayer dollars for vouchers students can use to attend…
America needs a new sanctuary movement today
As President Donald Trump categorically bans people from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border and cancels flights for incoming refugees, it’s worth recalling this isn’t the first time the federal government has failed the world’s most vulnerable — nor would it be the first time…