Initiative 2081 is a good bill in my opinion.

This is conservative politics virtue signaling. Very thin on substance.

And as a male homosexual, I am by default an LBGTQ+ advocate.

The far right extremist white natiionalist GQP is not conservative, only reactionary and anti-American, depending on Fear and Hate to achieve their goals.

@3 - Completely unsurprising that you are wrong about this. Please read one book. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B6hm_scandal

The TL;DR: "Hitler had Röhm and his friends murdered in 1934, citing both his homosexuality and alleged treachery. After the purge, the Nazi government systematically persecuted homosexual men."

Keep up the good work!

@1 what a coincidence, it's a shit bill and you have shitty opinions

@3 wrong. your mere existence is not default proof of being an advocate for anything. That's like saying Tim Scott is an advocate for Black people.

parents should have to do book reports in front of the school board on the books they want banned, complete with citations and adherence to the rules of grammar

someone stop the insanity. please.

Who the hell do these parents think they are that they should have access to their child’s counseling records?
Don’t they realize that teachers and counselors like literally attended college and achieved at least a C in their core classes? Who better than that to be entrusted with important information about a child’s health and wellbeing?
This is the Brave New World of the 21st century. Parents are so 20th century.

@5: Exactly, sexual orientation/identity is orthogonal to good/bad politics.

@1 a good bill shouldn’t be mostly / completely a restatement of existing law - 2081 is redundant garbage, straight up virtue signaling (“Parents Bill of Rights” - what a crock).

Unfortunately the good people of this state will need to ensure nut jobs don’t try to stretch it beyond what’s stated (good news, I’m confident the legislature can address any attempted abuse).

Remember when we let priests counsel kids about their innermost thoughts and feelings with the understanding that anything shared in confidence would never be told to parents? Remember how creating that culture of "this will be our little secret" didn't lead to any bad outcomes or abuse of authority ever?

Why would anybody have the slightest reservations about imbuing school counselors with the same authority?

@3 No, as a gay man you are automatically a member of the larger LGBTQ+ community, but one is only an LGBTQ+ advocate when one supports and advances the interests of the whole community. Someone who opposes discrimination against someone for being gay, while not opposing discrimination against the non-binary, is not an LGBTQ+ advocate. For example, a lesbian who rejects that trans women are women, or who looks down on bisexual women as only greedy, can never be an advocate for the community as a whole.

@10 Funny how you use the key word here, authority, and still don't have a rational thought. Priests are, and always have been, powerful members of the community and were often seen as agents of God Almighty. We were raised to obey them fear their displeasure. That's why they were able to rape kids with impunity for so long, and blame the victim when caught. No child or young adult who is looking for help with their sexuality when they know they can't have that discussion with a parent should ever have to fear a teacher or counselor betraying them to said parent.

Children are citizens with rights of their own, and not the property of their parents.

THIS BILL LITERALLY JUST RESTATES EXISTING STATE LAW.

Go ahead and compare them with existing law. I'll wait.

The whole point is that it's a very simple sanity check. If you immediately get triggered by it, you literally don't know what you're talking out and are an easily manipulated idiot.

The current law reads like this:

https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28A.300.475

RCW 28A.300.475

Comprehensive sexual health education.

(7)(a) Any parent or legal guardian who wishes to have his or her child excused from any planned instruction in comprehensive sexual health education may do so upon filing a written request with the school district board of directors or its designee, or the principal of the school his or her child attends, or the principal's designee. The person or entity to whom the request is directed must grant the written request to have the student excused from this instruction in accordance with this subsection. In addition, any parent or legal guardian may review the comprehensive sexual health education curriculum provided in his or her child's school by filing a written request with the school district board of directors, the principal of the school his or her child attends, or the principal's designee.

(Last updated 2020)

https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=26.09.225

RCW 26.09.225

Access to child's education and health care records.

(1) Each parent shall have full and equal access to the education and health care records of the child absent a court order to the contrary. Neither parent may veto the access requested by the other parent. (2) Educational records are limited to academic, attendance, and disciplinary records of public and private schools in all grades kindergarten through twelve and any form of alternative school for all periods for which child support is paid or the child is the dependent in fact of the parent requesting access to the records. (3) Educational records of postsecondary educational institutions are limited to enrollment and academic records necessary to determine, establish, or continue support ordered pursuant to RCW 26.19.090.

@11: "can never be an advocate for the community as a whole" - I've always found that those who proclaim which individuals can or cannot be an advocate of the glbt community, or any community, to whom they identify with as illiberal.

Yes, children are not property of their parents in the same way as a wife is not property of her husband. Parents are responsible for their children are essential for care and well being. But what I hope we can agree on is that children are not property of the state.

@10 Urlo wins for the best comment on this article.

Just as the Catholic Church was given the authority to keep secrets from parents, the Washington State legislatives want public schools to have that same authority. It's creepy.

And, why is everyone attacking Raindrop? Geez, the dude is entitled to his own opinion.
Senator Jaime Pedersen is a very smart and manipulative man. He's willing to through what the LGBTQ+ Community wants under the bus, so that voters can't vote on all 6 popular initiatives. If voters approved all 6 it would be a TOTAL failure and rejection of WA Dems policies.

If there are only 3 then it looks better for WA Dems.

Plus, recognize, Sen. Pedersen left all the $$$ Money $$$ initiatives in play, so WA dems are fight harder to keep Taxes high and Gas Taxes this highest in the nation.

@13 Given that some of the most obnoxious, misogynistic, racists I have known were white, male homosexuals with big Nazi fetishes, I can see why you would think of them as LGBTQ+ advocates. Is Milo Y. your idol?