Two visions of red state are being offered by Republican elected officials. Ron DeSantis believes a red state’s government institutions, such as public universities, should reflect the values and opinions of the majority of voters in the state. Or at the very least, remain neutral on the cultural war. Many Republicans believe that all government agencies and public institutions in red states should promote the evilest values of the blue state. This latter view has made red states nothing but anti-abortion, pro-gun variants of culturally Marxist blue states. DeSantis is showing that it doesn’t have to be like this, and Wyoming Republicans are showing why we don’t have enough options to escape from tyranny.
DeSantis, who was described by the New York Times as “among Florida’s most progressive colleges”, replaced six trustees and redesigned the college’s curriculum. Chris Ruffo, along with scholars from Hillsdale and Claremont Institute was responsible for transforming the college into a classical educational institution. He also abolished the DEI and CRT curriculums at every public university. This forced the directors of AP African-American Studies to return to him and promise to eliminate objectionable sections from the curriculum.
Imagine if every state in the red was like Florida. It would be an entirely different country. We can’t have all the good things. Nearly every state in red has a state department of education, and the leaders of public universities are poisoning our youth’s minds just as much as they do in blue. Governors and legislators are not interested in making red states’ values more rational. Wyoming seems to be the most problematic. Wyoming’s top Republicans rejected a proposal for defunding “gender studies”. They even used all the talking points and cliches of the left to criticize the plan.
Jeanette Ward, a rising conservative star, proposed Friday an amendment to the budget bill which would have defunded gender studies in Wyoming. These programs are not only a wasteful use of taxpayer funds, but they also violate Wyoming values. The undergraduate program offers courses such as “Introduction To LGBTQ/NS Studies”, “Gender, Race & Social Systems,” and “Queer Theories.” A graduate minor in queer studies also exists that includes courses such as “Intimate Relations, Pop Music & Sexualities” and “Minority Sexual/Gender Identity Problems in Education.”
People will want to pay for this filth, so the market forces of private institutions should take care of it. This is a simple proposition for the GOP-controlled majority of 57-5. Wrong.
Cowboy State Daily reports House Speaker Rep. Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale was so passionate about the debate that he walked out of his chair to debate Ward. He strongly argued that state statutes require liberal art programs. This, in his opinion, means that the university should have the courses they deem necessary and important.
Barry Crago (R. Buffalo), the Republican who killed the bill banning vaccination and mask mandates, said that it was not the legislature’s business. Crago believed that the state constitution gives power to unelected trustees. God forbid elected legislators use the power of money to stop Wyoming from becoming San Francisco.
Chairman of the House Labor Committee Dan Zwonitzer (R, Cheyenne) rebuked that the amendment to defund gender research marginalizes women. He rhetorically asked, “In an Equality State, really?”
Ward supporters cited Article 7, Section 21, of the state constitution which says that the legislature must advance the state’s morality. Rep. Landon Brown (R–Cheyenne), countered that “at one time in time those with a different skin to ours were also deemed immoral.” This is the most daring approach I have ever seen.
You know that opposing queer theory or kinky sexual studies is equivalent to supporting slavery.
These are the GOP leaders for Wyoming. They are completely indistinguishable from San Francisco leftists. They claim that state legislators should allow the state to be consumed in the spirit of the age. This is a sign of the inability of conservatives not to pay attention to their own backyards. They continue to elect Republicans to these chambers, making Mitch McConnell look just like Ron DeSantis.
The amendment was not supported enough, so legislators never requested a recorded vote.
Similar to the Wyoming Republicans, they just killed two bills that would have prevented teachers and librarians from disseminating pornography. Representative Cheri Steinmetz and Senate File 177 would have eliminated an exemption from a state law that prevents educators and librarians from being criminally charged for disseminating obscene material. Last week, Senate Education Committee defeated SF 177 and House Revenue Committee defeated HB 87 by a 6-3 vote.
During her testimony before the House committee, Ward referred to two books in local libraries that “explicitly described male-on-male fellatio, how to work as a sex worker, use sex toys, make porn, polyamory, masturbation, and more.” Bizarrely, during the debate in the Senate Education Committee, Chairman Sen. Charlie Scott complained that this bill would prevent academics in state institutions from studying the mental health effects of porn and that they, therefore, need “access to the actual material so they know what the heck they’re studying.”
This is a ridiculous, random excuse to oppose the bill. If the bill is your only problem, it might be a good idea to make an exception. These are the excuses they will use in order to not hold a vote on issues that the overwhelming majority of red-state voters support.
Conservatives in and out of red state elected offices need to assert their control over their states before the clock runs out. They believe that Joe Biden and national Democrats are the problems, and they can continue to elect Republicans blindly in the general elections. In reality, Democrats can win those states without firing one shot or suffering electoral reprisal. They simply allow Republicans to do the dirty work.
