Millions of federal dollars are at risk because of Dysart's vote against queer kids

Millions of dollars: The Dysart Unified School District serves 26,000 students across 140 square miles of land in Northwest Phoenix.

Last week, the district voted to not adopt new Title IX regulations aimed to protect LGBTQ+ students and teachers. The new rule also makes it easier to investigate sexual assaults.

Though unlikely, that decision could put taxpayers on the line, as schools that don't abide by Title IX regulations are at risk to lose their funding.

For Dysart, that's a $21 million gamble.

There are 14 states across the nation that have been successful in postponing the rule changes, which go into effect on Aug. 1. Arizona is still not one of them, but Dysart's decision could lead to a legal challenge that results in the state (and some others in the region) joining the pack.

Read our full story below.

Suburban Phoenix School District Votes to Ignore Federal Title IX Expansions

The move doesn’t eliminate students or teachers from filing civil rights complaints, but could cost millions in federal funding for the district.

LOOKOUTFitzwilliam Anderson (he/him)

LOOKOUT'S TAKE: There are 14 states that have been able to put a hold on the new Title IX rules from going into effect. And though there could be legitimate resource questions for some school districts, the organization leading the charge against implementing the changes is the Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group Moms for Liberty.

We've been tracking a number of different events locally that Moms for Liberty puts on, and they all essentially make the same case (without any evidence): trans girls (never trans boys) threaten girls sports, and are predators to teenage cisgender girls in bathrooms.

What evidence they do provide has either been debunked or doesn't actually comport with what happens in reality.

For example, trans students are four times more likely than their straight peers to be assaulted, raped, or the victim of a violent crime. And members of the far-right, notably, have been the ones most reported causing violence in bathrooms in recent years.

🌵 LOCAL NEWS

• DANGEROUS THREAT: Ariz. Sen. Kirsten Sinema, the only openly bisexual in the Senate, repeated far-right arguments that claim calling out threats to democracy was, in itself, a threat to democracy. KJZZ News
• KARI LAKE: The election-conspiracist and anti-trans candidate for U.S. Senate called the media "fake" at the RNC, and promoted herself as a mother. She is the only woman nominated by the GOP in a competitive race. The 19th*
• CHURCH FIRES: A Southern Arizona man was charged with arson for setting fire to churches that had women or gay men in leadership. AZ Family

🇺🇸 NATIONAL NEWS

• J.D. VANCE'S LEGACY: The Ohio junior senator has a long wrap sheet of promoting anti-LGBTQ+ policies and ideas, including saying "two-spirit" was a made-up term, voting against the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, and calling LGBTQ+ people "groomers." them
• THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM: This year, for the first time, the 2024 Republican Platform doesn't denounce same-sex marriage as one of its goals. However, it doesn't shift away from queer people, altogether. Instead of same-sex marriage, it shifts its focus to eliminating trans individuals' rights. Washington Blade
• ELON LEAVES CALI: In protest of California's ban on teachers "outing" students to their families, Elon Musk pledged to leave the state and take his companies with him. Politico

Last week's question: What is the 2023 percentage rate of American adults who identify as LGBTQ+?

Last week's answer: 7.6%