ICYMI + ‘This Modern World’

Bigots celebrate a win in Florida, UCF teachers draw attention to idiotic “Stop WOKE” law, three anti-vax Disney employees claim they were fired unlawfully and other news you may have missed last week.

» Anti-trans bigots celebrate proposed Florida rule to bar genderaffirming care under Medicaid

In what at times appeared more like a tent revival than an agency rule hearing, state health officials last week received public input on a proposal that would deny Medicaid coverage for treatments such as puberty-blocking medication and hormone therapy for transgender people.

The state Agency for Health Care Administration rolled out the proposed rule in June, drawing harsh criticism from national and state legal and LGBTQ-advocacy groups. Friday’s meeting drew more than 150 people, with supporters of the proposed rule — many of them sporting “Let Kids Be Kids” decals and making biblical references — vastly outnumbering opponents. Speakers supporting the proposal included a Baptist minister, members of the Florida Citizens Alliance, the head of the Christian Family Coalition, the founder of the Florida Prayer Network, a representative of the Florida Federation of Republican Women and a man carrying a giant American flag on a pole.

In contrast to typically staid rule hearings, the crowd at last Friday’s session frequently broke out in applause and more than once attempted to shout down opponents of the proposal. The proposed rule centers on treatment for gender dysphoria, which the federal government defines as clinically “significant distress that a person may feel when sex or gender assigned at birth is not the same as their identity.” Under the proposed rule, the Medicaid program would not cover puberty-blocking medication, hormones and hormone “antagonists,” sex-reassignment surgeries and any “other procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics.”

» UCF English Department suspends anti-racism statement following the passage of Stop WOKE Act in Florida

In 2021, University of Central Florida’s English department enacted an anti-racism statement in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, committing to ensuring that BLM wasn’t just a moment but a movement to support all minorities. “We are tasked with developing the next generation of writers, thinkers, and citizens who will carry out this message until there is no longer a need to remind others that Black Lives Matter,” UCF’s English Department said in the statement. Ensuring that writers of color are represented, supporting students of color, and creating opportunities for them were some of the initiatives of the Anti-Racism statement.

The retraction comes after Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act” took effect last Friday. The new law restricts how certain race-related concepts are taught in public schools and workplace training. The legislation prohibits school districts, colleges, and universities from discussing many concepts, all nebulously floating around a right-wing understanding of “critical race theory.”

The legislation bars businesses and schools from teaching that any group is “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously,” that being born in a certain group carries privileges and bars these institutions from inflicting guilt or psychological distress on people. ACLU Interim Director Amy Turkel said the law infringes “on teachers’ and employers’ First Amendment rights and chills their ability to use concepts like systemic racism and gender discrimination to teach about and discuss important American history.”

One such example can be seen in the retraction. The department added a disclaimer to the top of the statement saying, “As of July 1, 2022, the statement is suspended as it violates Florida law.” After the statement began to circulate with the disclaimer, the disclaimer was removed. UCF said that they had no part in the department’s decision. “The department took this action, which was not required by the law, without any direction from the university. … Freedom of speech, civil discourse and academic freedom are at the core of our values,” the college communications department stated.

» Joel Greenberg’s sentencing delayed until December

Joel Greenberg’s sentencing has been pushed back yet again. The former Seminole County Tax Collector is facing a raft of federal charges, including sex trafficking and wire fraud. His sentencing has been delayed several times so that Greenberg can cooperate in federal investigations into his former associates. Greenberg was originally facing 33 charges, but that wall of accusations was dropped in a plea deal that saw him admitting to six felonies and agreeing to share information about other targets of federal probes. One of those targets is widely believed to be Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who ran with the tax collector before his resignation and arrest.

Greenberg has admitted to trafficking a minor. This same minor is thought to be at the heart of the probe into Gaetz. Venmo transactions between the congressman and Greenberg seem to show him arranging escorts for the Chipley legislator. Gaetz has routinely denied any allegations against him. The most recent date for Greenberg’s sentencing hearing was August. The same week that his attorney filed a motion to submit details of Greenberg’s cooperation under seal, U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell signed an order that pushed the hearing to Dec. 1. No justification was given in the order.

» Fired anti-vax Walt Disney World employees sue company claiming discrimination

Three fired Walt Disney World workers are suing the theme park, claiming that their policies around masking and COVID-19 vaccination amounted to religious discrimination. In a lawsuit filed June 30, Barbara Andreas, Stephen Cribb, and Adam Pajer claimed that their religious beliefs were not respected when the company required non-vaccinated employees to mask up.

They were allowed to return to work following the end of blanket masking protocols at the park and were not required to receive the vaccine. Disney at first mandated vaccines for its non-union employees but was forced to walk back that move following the passage of a law that made such mandates illegal in the state of Florida. The three employees were fired for refusing to follow additional requirements for unvaccinated employees between March and June of this year.

While some claimed that the masking protocol was against their religion, others claimed that they were singled out and demeaned by the requirement to wear a face mask. Andreas sought a religious exemption and was denied by park management. “Religious creed includes my dress and my grooming practices, including what I put on my head or face. Wearing a face covering is an affront of my Christian beliefs. Further, participating in a medical experiment, such as COVID testing or vaccines, is also a violation of my religious beliefs,” Andreas claimed in the suit. Pajer claimed that management “treated him as if he were leprous” after he refused to wear a mask. “Managers are starting to discriminate against people who didn’t take the experimental propaganda procedures,” Pajer wrote in a group chat with other employees this February. “I told them it was discriminatory and I will at this time not be complying and asked for them to call HR.”

The lawsuit falls under a Florida law on retaliation for whistleblowing, as the trio claims that they were all terminated after reporting the company to state authorities for violation of laws around COVID-19 and vaccination. They are seeking an unspecified amount in damages over their lost wages and attorney fees.