Tom Sayers

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‘Girl Scouts but Indoctrination’: A Christian Extremist Alternative

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Growing up, Kenzie remembers dragging her feet as her mom sent her to American Heritage Girls (AHG) programs. “I describe it as Girl Scouts but indoctrination,” says Kenzie, a 20-year-old dance major from Oklahoma.  “Ever since I was little, I always knew I was queer; different from the people around me. … [In the eyes of AHG staff] it felt wrong to be feminine, but also wrong to be masculine.” AHG and Trail Life USA—a similar organization for boys—have troops in all 50 states and more than 110,000 members. They teach kids that homosexuality is sinful and that anything outside the gender […]

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Meet the Conservative Think Tank Leading America’s Anti-DEI Movement

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Over the past five years, corporate America has abandoned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices en masse, with the crusade to roll back these efforts only ramping up since Trump’s reelection. A key factor fueling these rollbacks is shareholder proposals. Over the last year, Apple, Alphabet, Netflix, JPMorganChase, PayPal, Costco, Goldman Sachs, Berkshire Hathaway, Walmart, Kroger and Coca-Cola have all received proposals to review or report on DEI policies, cut connections with LGBTQ advocacy organizations or cease DEI efforts altogether. While it may seem like there are many forces behind these proposals, they were all submitted by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank commonly referred to as the National […]

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How LifeWise Academy grooms kids to hate through Bible study in public schools

When you think about Bible study, images might pop into your head of kids learning principles like forgiveness or loving thy neighbor, and that’s just what LifeWise Academy advertises on its website: “A supportive and inclusive atmosphere where everyone feels valued.” But for many parents and LGBTQ kids in at least 591 American public schools with LifeWise programs, that’s far from the truth. One parent says their daughter was “mercilessly bullied by LifeWise kids for ‘looking like a Lesbian who is going to burn in hell.’” Another had to remove their transgender son from school after he was bullied following the presidential election, […]