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Welcome back to the Abstract! Here are the studies that caught my eye this week.First up, a bummer! NASA is facing devastating cuts to Earth science, and science in general, which is pretty important for an agency tasked with understanding the universe. I try to keep this newsletter relatively downer-free, but current events are not cooperating with this aim.Then: the early bird gets the comet, a donkey destined for decapitation, a grand universal theory of coolness, and the case of the stolen exomoons.Knowing about the planet we live on is good, actuallyMillet, Dylan et al. NASA Earth Science Division provides key data. Science.This may sound obvious for the esteemed readers of this newsletter, but it apparently bears repeating: Earth, our home planet and the only known life-bearing world in the vast expanse of spacetime, is worthy of some passing interest.This is true becauseand I cant stress this enoughwe live on planet Earth. All our bones and guts and snacks are here, so its probably wise to get the lay of the land. But as a bonus, Earth is wildly interesting, a restless substrate unlike anything we have seen in our own solar system or beyond it.Despite these considerations, the Trump administration plans to gut NASAs Earth Science Division (ESD), the world leader in world-watching. In a letter published in Science, researchers from the recently dissolved NASA Earth Science Advisory Committee lamented the administrations proposed budget cut of more than 50 percent to ESD, warning that it would come at a profound cost to US society and scientific leadership.NASA ESD accounted for just 0.03 percent of US spending in 2024, said researchers led by Dylan Millet of the University of Minnesota. This investment returns its value many times over by improving predictions, by spurring technological innovation and high-tech jobs, and by forging the knowledge of the planet that is needed for short- and long-term planning.The budget cuts proposed for ESD would cancel crucial satellites that observe Earth and its atmosphere, gut US science and engineering expertise, and potentially lead to the closure of NASA research centers, the team said. Given that the cuts would prevent the US from training and preparing the next generation of the scientific and technical workforce, the consequences would be long-lasting.This is just the latest appeal from scientists on behalf of NASA, which is also facing catastrophic cuts to its overall Science Mission Directorate (SMD), the arm that oversees ESD. Last week, every past administrator of the SMD, the agency's top job for science leadership, signed a letter urging Congress to reject the cuts of about 47 percent to the directorate.Each one of us knows what its like to shepherd an ambitious project forward, knowing that its payoff will come years after we have left the agency, the administrators said. This proposed budget ends nearly all future investments for both new missions and advanced technology for science. It walks away from dozens of current, extraordinarily successful and productive science missions in extended operations on a combined budget that is only about three percent of NASAs annual funding.Fortunately, the US Senate appropriations committee has voted in favor of a bill rejecting the science cuts, but it has a long road to go down before taking effect, with plenty of opportunity to fall apart.Needless to say, turning a blind eye to Earth at a time when our activities are reshaping its climate and biosphere, would be a huge loss. As one last twist of the knife, Trump just gave the top job at NASA to the guy from The Real Worldall while ignoring the actual real world.In other newsMark your calendars for July 2061Barbieri, Cesare et al. Preparing for the 2061 return of Halleys comet. A rendezvous mission with an innovative imaging system. Planetary and Space Science.Prepare for the return of everyones favorite space iceball: Comet Halley. Scientists have flagged the comets next visit as arriving in the summer of 2061 and proposed an audacious space rendezvous with Halley on its wild ride toward the Sun.Although the crucial phases of the comets ingress in the inner Solar System are still more than 30 years in the future, we started to examine the feasibility of a space mission using present-day rockets and technologies, said researchers led by Cesare Barbieri of the University of Padova.Comet Halley in 1986. Image: NASA/W. Liller - NSSDC's Photo Gallery (NASA)God bless the astro-preppers. Sure, this event will occur decades into the future, in the twilight of the millennials. But they make a pretty good case that we should get moving if we want to take full advantage of the iconic visitor, which will be better positioned for observation from terrestrial observers than during the 19851986 apparition, as it will be on the same side of the Sun as the Earth.We stress that a concerted effort is needed in the current decade to plan and approve a rendezvous mission to [Comet Halley], the team concluded. Indeed, the scenario here described needs launches before 2040, less than 15 years from now.The last days of a sacrificial assArnold, Elizabeth et al. An isotopic perspective on equid selection in cult at Tell e-fi/Gath, Israel. PLOS ONE.Who would have guessed that a study about a Bronze Age donkey corpse would be a tear-jerker? Researchers have shed new light on female donkeys (or jennies), which were imported from Egypt to the Tell es-Safi/Gath site in Israel some 5,000 years ago for ritual purposes.One specimen, called EQ1, is particularly noteworthy because it was decapitated and had its limbs tied together, unlike all the other donkeys buried at the site. "It is evident the animal was sacrificed, the head entirely cut off and carefully placed on the abdomen facing in the opposite direction, said researchers led by Elizabeth Arnold of Grand Valley State University.The four donkey burials at Tell e-fi/Gath. Image: Arnold et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)It can be deduced that even though EQ1 was grazed locally toward the end of her life, she was treated slightly differently from the other local equids, the team continued. This imported donkey was kept penned and foddered with hay that was harvested in the valley, a product of dry farmed cereals. This donkey was never herded with other livestock east of the site.The unique treatment of EQ1 suggests that the Egyptian donkey might have been seen as an exotic and special animal, worthy of specific ritual use, the study concluded. While its truly impressive that so much about this jenny can be inferred from her bones, theres also an eerie pathos to imagining the animal hanging out for months, receiving preferential treatment, unaware of the sand flowing through the hourglass.Its a real cool club, and youre not part of itPezzuti, Todd and Warren Caleb et al. Cool People, Journal of Experimental Psychology.Science has invested its prodigious powers into the ultimate social mystery: What makes a person cool? Is it putting cool in scare quotes? (No!). Researchers have now developed a working theory of coolness by asking nearly 6,000 people in Australia, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States to define this much-coveted attribute.The results revealed six main traits associated with cool people, which were distinct from traits linked with good people. Cool people are perceived to be more extraverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open, and autonomous, whereas good people are more conforming, traditional, secure, warm, agreeable, universalistic, conscientious, and calm, said authors Todd Pezzuti of Universidad Adolfo Ibaez, Caleb Warren of the University of Arizona, and Jinjie Chen of the University of Georgia.This pattern is stable across countries, which suggests that the meaning of cool has crystallized on a similar set of values and traits around the globe, the team said.There you go, the cheat code to coolness. Im exhausted just reading it.Grand Theft MoonsDencs, Zoltn et al. Grand theft moons: Formation of habitable moons around giant planets. Astronomy & Astrophysics.The winner of Best Study Title this week goes to Grand theft moons, which explores how stars might steal moons from their own planets, and whether these exomoons could be habitable. The study models the formation of exomoons around giant gas worlds at various distances from their stars, measured in astronomical units (au), where one au is the distance between Earth and the Sun.Planets with orbits of one or two au are more likely to sport exomoons in the habitable zone, but they are also at risk of stars yanking the exomoons away in brazen acts of stellar theft, according to the study.Our simulations show that moons with masses between Mars and Earth could form around planets with masses about ten times that of Jupiter, and many of these moons could potentially be habitable at 1 2 au stellar distances, said researchers led by Zoltn Dencs of the Gothard Astrophysical Observatory, These findings suggest that it is worth investigating not only rocky planets but also gas giants for Earth-like habitable environments.In addition to raising some fascinating questions, lets hope this study inspires Rockstar to take the GTA franchise to outer space. I want to throw an astronaut off a lunar buggy and take it for a joyride across the Moon.Thanks for reading! See you next week.

Photo by MIT Philosophy / Gage Skidmore. Design by Sam Donndelinger.Subscribe nowIn a family friends front yard at around 11 years old, Elle Setiya remembers listening in on her dads conversation with Alex Byrne, a philosophy professor at MIT. She recalls Byrne airing his grievances to her dadwho heads up the philosophy departmentabout the growing trans rights movement.Can someone really just say theyre a woman and thats it? Whatever happened to biological sex? she remembers Byrne saying.I felt it personally in a way that I wasnt expecting to, because it brought up the feelings of discomfort around my presentation, Setiya, now 18, told Uncloseted Media. It did make [transitioning] a little bit harder.At the time, Setiya, who would come out to her parents at 14 years old, had no idea that Byrne would go on to apply his perspective in his work with the Trump administration.In May, Trumps Department of Health and Human Services released a 409-page report titled Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices, which criticizes gender-affirming care for minors and argues for the benefits of Gender-Exploratory Therapy, a model which many experts have compared to conversion therapy because the practice encourages patients to attribute feelings of gender dysphoria to other causes. The report suggests that gender dysphoria could be the result of undiagnosed autism, borderline personality disorder or childhood trauma.Gender Dysphoria Report6.97MB PDF fileDownloadDownloadThe report, prompted by an executive order that cracks down on gender-affirming care for minors, was fast-tracked to the public before it finished peer review and kept its nine authors anonymous to protect them from intimidation tactics and undue pressure campaigns. After its release, it was criticized by numerous leading medical organizations.Ashleys post (via Bluesky).After the report was published, bioethicist and University of Alberta law professor Florence Ashley posted a thread noting that names matching those of Byrne and two consultants employed by the consulting firm Guidehouse appeared in the report files metadata.While Byrne initially declined to comment about his role in the report, he wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post last month in which he identifies himself as one of the authors and accuses critics of the report of shaming [and] ostracizing.We all stand to benefit from free and open inquiry, in medicine. That does not mean elevating crackpots or taking wild conspiracy theories seriously. It means that objections should be made using arguments and data, Byrne wrote.Since Byrnes name first appeared, students and colleagues at MIT have expressed concern that Byrne, who claims to support the right of transgender people to live free from discrimination, would work with an administration that opposes trans rights.But beyond that, Ashley told Uncloseted Media that the fact that Alex Byrne is not somebody who has relevant expertise is certainly concerning when it comes to the reports legitimacy.Who Is Alex Byrne?Byrne has worked as a professor in MITs philosophy department since 1995 and specializes in the philosophy of mind, metaphysics and epistemology. He wouldnt take up the philosophy of gender until a 2018 article where he argues that sex should be understood as binary.From there, Byrnes focus on gender would increase. In 2023, he published Trouble with Gender: Sex Facts, Gender Fictions. The book was rejected by Oxford University Press because peer reviewers felt it did not cover its subject in a sufficiently serious and respectful way.Despite this, Byrne often spoke in support of trans rights. A philosopher of genderwho spoke with Uncloseted Media on backgrounddoesnt think Byrne is out to get anyone. They say, [This] is why its so sad. I do think that hes trying to speak the truth, but his perspective on the truth is somewhat limited, adding that Byrnes initial work was not well-informed, though this would improve over time.While Byrnes knowledge may be lacking, his work has had impact. His 2019 critique of gender identity was referenced in an amicus brief supporting Floridas ban on trans health care for minors. An expert witness for the Womens Liberation Front referenced Byrne at the end of a declaration attempting to force trans women into mens prisons. And Byrne has given talks at conferences held by Genspect, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has classified as an anti-LGBTQ hate group.Subscribe for accountability journalism. While many wonder why a philosopher would contribute to a report on trans health care, Byrne has argued that philosophy overlaps with medical ethics.Despite this, Ashley says theres still a problem: Byrne is not an ethicist.While it is true that philosophy plays a really central role in bioethics, that is only relevant insofar as the philosopher in question has the relevant expertise and background, they say. Philosophical expertise is not just randomly interchangeable, as much as a lot of philosophers would like to think so.Since Byrnes focus pivoted to gender, Setiya remembers hearing him talk about trans issues at family dinners.He liked to do this thing where he would say I want to speak more about it in terms of theory and ideas rather than more controversial political areas, she says.Setiya remembers reading excerpts of Byrnes book and one line standing out because it went against his apolitical rhetoric: Revolutions devour their own children, and the gender revolution is no exception."It was hurtful, because it felt like it was being done from a very detached perspective, she says. The ideas were being presented in a way that implied that it wasn't impacting people's everyday lives and was just an abstract theory. Even as somebody who did not fully know at the time who [I] was or hadn't fully come to terms with it yet, that rhetoric definitely had a negative effect on how I viewed myself."Critics of the ReportByrne has said that the hostile response to the review by medical groups and practitioners underscores why it was necessary.But experts say their key concerns arent political but rather methodological. Ashley says that the reports public release without the completion of peer review, its anonymous authors and its five-month turnaround are all unusual.By comparison, the similarly controversial Cass Review took four years to be published, and it identified its primary author from the beginning.It takes way longer than that to do a systematic review of evidence, says Ashley. This indicates that it was probably rushed quite a bit.Beyond the methodological flaws, there are political biases. While the report claims not to be a policy recommendation, it was commissioned by Trumpwho has railed against the trans communityin an effort to ban gender-affirming care for minors nationwide.Even though Byrne has said hes not a fan of the Trump administration, the philosopher of gender says its unwise to work with them in good faith.Being able to [work with people on the other side of the aisle] is, in principle, okay, but in this particular case, when it comes to Trump, it just goes into the misinformation sphere, and its not clear how any of it is going to be used, they say.The reports citations include publications by a number of researchers involved with anti-LGBTQ hate groups who are trying to dismantle gay and trans rights in the U.S. and abroad, including Alliance Defending Freedom-funded psychiatrist James Cantor and Dr. Quentin Van Meter, former president of the American College of Pediatricians.Student Pushback at MITThe Stata Center, which houses MITs Department of Linguistics and Philosophy (Lucy Li).All of this prompted a group of MIT Philosophy students to write an open letter titled Dear Professor Byrne, where they condemned him for working with the Trump administration. The letter had over 200 signatures, including professors and students from MIT and other universities.We have been making an effort to be a place where trans-inclusive thought can flourish, says Katie Zhou, a graduate student at MIT Philosophy who signed the letter. It is disappointing to see this be overshadowed by this one guy.MIT cannot claim to be accepting or friendly to LGBT people while letting its professors collaborate with the Trump administration to kill LGBT kids, another MIT grad student told Uncloseted Media.In an email, MIT wrote that they respect that there is a range of views across our community and as a general practice, [they] do not comment on the individually held and freely expressed views of any particular community member.In a written response, Byrne called the letter inimical to the mission of the university and accused it of attempting to chill dissent against gender-affirming care.But multiple people at MIT Philosophy say that Byrne has had opportunities to engage in dialogue about gender. Zhou says Byrne attended numerous open forums about gender identity, including a 2024 workshop which brought together activists and scholars, though she says he didnt speak. He also attended a queer and trans theory reading group run by Zhou, where he mostly just sat there quietly, occasionally asking a question.Im worried that he could try to push a narrative where we in the department are silencing him, and I just wanted to say for the record that weve worked very hard to have spaces where these issues can be discussed openly, says Zhou.A grad student at MIT told Uncloseted Media that they felt frustrated with the disconnect between Byrnes interactions with trans students on campus and his online rhetoric.Hell go online and post this rant about trans people and trans philosophy, and the next day hell walk past me in the hallway like nothing happened.Subscribe for LGBTQ focused, investigative journalism.Setiya says she never felt comfortable broaching the subject of gender with Byrne. I think that if I did try and get into a conversation with him, he would intellectualize things and he would maneuver the conversation in a way that would make me sound uneducated or not fully prepared, she says. He has a very sarcastic and sardonic way of approaching things and if [he] gets a response, [he] can just use that moment to be like, Wow, look at how unhinged these trans activists are.Another MIT student added that keeping up with people like Byrne who pontificate on theories about trans peoples existence is exhausting.We dont have time to go through every poorly conducted study and rebut the pseudoscience point-by-point, they told Uncloseted Media. He has the time to generate these bad arguments, and theres no stakes in it for him, theres no emotional toll, theres no consequences if hes wrong.Byrne declined to be interviewed for this story and did not respond to a request for comment.Moving ForwardThe reports findings are already having impact. The anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom has begun citing the report to promote their numerous lawsuits supporting anti-trans legislation. The groups president, Kristen Waggoner, stated that the report should lead to the closure of every gender clinic in America and that doctors who perpetrate these experiments on children should lose their medical licenses and be sued.Ashley says the reports publication helps legitimize the Trump administrations ongoing attacks on gender-affirming care under the veneer of science.Theyre not so much seeking to convince people who already disagree with them, as much as try[ing] to make the people that already agree with them feel heard and validated, and theyre telling the moderates who low-key dislike trans people but are having trouble justifying it to themselves, I hear you, and you are correct.The philosopher of gender, who admired Byrnes work prior to his shift to gender politics, expressed disappointment that he had taken this path.Alex is someone who is a very committed person and wants to think hard about hard questions, they say. More than angry, I just feel really sad. Why did he go down this road? Whats at stake for him? I just dont understand.Elle Setiya, who has known Byrne since she was young, says the report has increased her own fear as a young trans woman and her fear for trans and queer youth in the U.S.To feel like their government doesnt value them and is actively working against them. It just takes a toll on you, I think.If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted MediaSubscribe now

Here are this weeks most popular positive stories, with some fun social media posts tossed in too. Like seeing uplifting content like this?Sign up for our Good News email.Pride Month may be over, but were still bursting with Pride here. In fact, we have so much good news that we cant wait to get right to it!Did you hear that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will consider trans discrimination cases after burying them for months? Did you hear that Drag Races production company is helping small-town Prides across the country? And did you hear that hundreds of thousands turned out for Budapest Pride after authoritarian government banned Pride? These Italian disco queens are ready to dance up your weekend! Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today View this post on Instagram A post shared by Giuseppe Savoni (@disco_bambino) Democratic governor vetoes anti-trans measure passed by Republican legislatureMy faith teaches me that we are all children of God, Gov. Josh Stein said as he vetoed the measure.This Pride Parade in an IKEA surprised shoppers & went viralYAAAAASSSSSS, responded Drag Race judge Michelle Visage. Teen dazzles prom in full drag as teachers & peers cheer him on: I love this side of myselfAlfie Smith hopes his Barbie-inspired look can inspire other kids to be themselves. Did you forget dessert? Take the Strawberry Shortcut! View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Lady Bunny Archive (@ladybunnyarchive)Queer runner Caster Semenya wins legal victory against World Athletics sports policyThe sports body tried to make her undergo medication or surgery to reduce her testosterone levels. Democrats used one weird trick to keep an anti-trans bill from advancingState Republicans cried foul as Democrats prevented the bill from even coming up for a vote. Wisconsin Supreme Court rules in favor of conversion therapy banAll major psychological and medical associations have disavowed the widely debunked practice.Bette Midler has a warning for everyone View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fan Page (@bettemidlerstilldivine) California stands up & refuses to kick trans kids out of school sportsThe state said it respectfully disagrees with the presidents stance on trans rights. Chick-feel-Gay restaurant served fried chicken sandwiches & donated proceeds to Black, trans orgThe Pride Month pop-up served an alternative to Chick-fil-A that also supported the community.These 18 pansexual celebrities are expanding queer visibilityThese popular entertainers are blazing trails for increased visibility and acceptance of non-binary and fluid sexualities. And lets conclude with this Broadway classic! View this post on Instagram A post shared by VintageBroadway19 (@vintagebroadway19) From our sibling sites:QUEERTY: Pitch a tent with these 9 queer summer sleepaway camp moviesINTO: Five underrated lesbian movies you need to watch immediatelyGAYCITIES: An Egyptian tomb contains the first gay love story recorded in historyOUTSPORTS: Gay Olympic champ Alice Bellandi wins World Championship

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A resident of theLondon Borough of Camden has threatened to sue the local Borough Council if it does not remove four crosswalks painted in the colors of the transgender flag. Blessing Olubanjo, 57, believes the crosswalks discriminate against her because they send a message that only one viewpoint is welcome. Related Appeals court says trans woman teacher must go by he/him pronouns in Ron DeSantis Florida She went by Ms. Wood for years, but Ron DeSantis new laws made that illegal. Thats not right in a truly democratic society, she said in a statement. Im standing up not just for myself, but for everyone who feels silenced or sidelined by discredited harmful activism forced on the public by ideologically captured local authorities. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Olubanjo is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, which purports to safeguard the freedom of Christians to live and speak for Jesus Christ, and to provide legal support for those taking a stand for Jesus and the truth that flows from him. In a press release, the organization explains Olubanjos beliefs that the crossing infringes on her rights as a Christian and constitutes unlawful political messaging.The group claims the crosswalks violate Section 2 of the Local Government Act 1986, which it says bans councils from publishing material that promotes something politically controversial. Not only is this crossing a matter of public safety and Christian freedom, its about the misuse of public resources for political campaigning, said Christian Legal Centre chief executive Andrea Williams. The crossing is a visual endorsement of a contested ideology, installed by a public authority in breach of its legal duties. This is not the role of local government. Public spaces should be able to be used by everyone, not to advance divisive agendas that alienate people of faith and those who hold to biological reality.The crosswalks were installed in 2021 in honor of Transgender Awareness Week and are situated near the site of the U.K. National Health Services (NHS) former Tavistock Clinic for youth Gender Identity Development Services.The NHS announced in 2022 that it was closing the clinic and instead offering gender-affirming care in a larger number of local clinics. The decision came after interim results were released from the controversial Cass Review, a 400-page review of oft-cited research on gender-affirming care for minors that concluded that theres little reliable evidence showing positive outcomes from such care. The report specifically called out the Tavistock clinic, accusing it of providing care irresponsibly. The entire report was released last year, and trans activists have since repeatedly accused the review of excluding hundreds of studies showing the positive outcomes of gender-affirming care for young people.Following the full release of the Cass Review, the NHS also orderedall adult clinics to deny services to any clients younger than 18 and also told clinics tostop prescribing puberty blockers to minors, leaving many without a way to quickly receive care. The Christian Legal Centre praised the Cass Review, saying it exposed critical flaws to the clinics approach to treating gender dysphoria in young people and revealed evidence that puberty blockers and hormones harm gender dysphoric children.Despite all this, the group lamented, the transgender crossings at Tavistock Place remain in place with thousands of members of the public every day forced to cross them.Olubanjos argument mirrors similar hate campaigns being waged in the U.S. that claim basic messages of inclusion are politically controversial. In May, the mayor of Salisbury, Maryland, announced that three Pride flag crosswalks located in his citys downtown area would be painted over to maintain neutrality in public spaces.And just this week, the attorney general of Idaho issued an opinion telling schools not to allow teachers to post signs that say Everyone is Welcome Here, claiming that the message that public education is for everyone regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or other categories is Democratic in nature and therefore illegally partisan.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

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How have Germany following defeat in WWII and the U.S. south after losing the Civil War taught succeeding generations and commemorated their involvement in perpetrating the atrocities they instigated?The two tragic wars were perpetrated and rationalized on the socially constructed notion of race and racial superiority. They were also tied to issues of economics and land acquisition or maintenance. But some time has passed, and no single strategy has remained fully consistent in time and place to prevent similar conflicts from recurring. Nonetheless, were witnessing certain trends while addressing this important question. Related Why do most of Washington DCs monuments celebrate war? Its about time we honor the peacemakers. After Germanys unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945, the immediate aftermath of Germanys total and humiliating defeat became apparent in the terms set by the Potsdam Conference (July 17 to August 2, 1945). The victorious allies divided Germany into four military zones of occupation: the Soviet Union in the east, the U.S. in the south, Britain in the northwest, and France in the southwest, until the final reunification of the country following the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1991 and the demise of Soviet Union one month later. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today A national constitution serving as the law of the land held together the laws of the unified BRD (German:BundesrepublikDeutschland; English: FRG/FederalRepublic ofGermany), comprising 16 partially sovereign states.From its inception, the BRD has mandated a denazification campaign to eliminate the promotion, production, and nostalgia of a bygone era of German shame, humiliation, and regret.Except for extreme right-wing candidates for elective office, none mimic or paraphrase a motto of Making Germany Great Again, which would be understood immediately as a not-so-subtle return to the divisive and murderous racism of the past. The German constitution outlaws the former Nazi swastika and other remnants as symbols of anti-constitutional organizations. The government also bans their sales and display. Also banned in public are the Nazi salute and statements such as Heil Hitler.Posting pictures with swastikas or Nazi slogans is also illegal on social media. Violators risk prison sentences. The German criminal codegrants exceptions when used for civil education, countering anti-constitutional activities, art and science, research and education, the coverage of historic and current events, or similar purposes.In addition, private citizens may own Nazi memorabilia if only a very limited number of people view them. Displaying a Nazi swastika flag in a window, for example, is generally not protected under this exemption. No monuments celebrating, honoring, or commemorating the racism and unmitigated horrors of Nazi leaders, military personnel, or other perpetrators have been erected in Germany. On May 8 each year, many Germans celebrate Liberation Dayfromthe Nazi regime.Nowhere throughout Germany will one find the equivalent of Adolf Hitler High School, Hermann Gring Military College, Joachim von Ribbentrop School of Diplomacy, Heinrich Himmler Federal Building of Law Enforcement, Reinhard Heydrich University for Multicultural Studies, Kurt Gruber Elementary School, Adolf Eichmann Bridge, Otto Dietrich Central Post Office, Rudolph Hss Medical Center, Joseph Goebbels School of Education, or Leni Riefenstahl School of Film Studies at Martin Bormann University.Instead, for educational purposes, the government supports teaching German students, age appropriately, of Nazi atrocities, war crimes, and Nazi philosophical foundations. Collections exposing war crimes perpetrated by the Wehrmacht (Nazi Germanys unified armed forces), such as the Wehrmacht Exhibit, have traveled throughout Germany. Young people have access to historical exhibits, theater and art productions, and an endless array of books all intended to expose the truth about the brutalities propagated by the Nazi regime.German students read Jewish authors such as Thomas Mann, Hannah Arendt, Kurt Weill, Anne Frank, Elie Wiesel, and others. They watch documentaries and dramatizations, like the celebrated TV miniseries Generation War, portraying young people caught up in the brutalities of war.Students travel to former concentration camps to learn firsthand the loss of all human and civil rights, the enslavement and murder of Jews, homosexuals, Roma, Jehovahs Witnesses, people with disabilities, communists, the so-called work shy vagrants (unemployed and homeless people), and others.Such visits differ significantly from many of the school field trips organized for U.S. students in reminiscence of the glory days of antebellum southern plantations.Though no memorials stand to honor any former Nazis, theGerman Parliamentvoted to dedicate 4.5 acres to a Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (also known as the Holocaust Memorial), plus several smaller monuments located throughout Germany. A beautiful and extensive Jewish Museum has been erected in Berlin, close to the Holocaust Memorial.German schools do not deeply examine the actualmilitary eventsof the war. since to emphasize the war itself may incite positive attitudes of Nazi territorial expansionism. Resistance to Nazism in Germany and throughout its occupied territories is taught widely, and resistors are touted as heroes. The U.S. still reveres its traitorous, slave-owning ConfederatesIn my hometown of South Hadley, Massachusetts, a clear example can be witnessed of the vastly different frame of reference that we in New England reflect on the U.S. Civil War from those in the former Confederate states. If one places in the mind the Civil War monument erected on our town Common next to one in a Southern state, this is what one will see: South Hadley, MassachusettsA high and tall, stepped concrete andgranitepedestal dedicated in 1896 (some 31 years following the war) to the 224 local citizen soldiers. Atop the pedestal stands a Union soldier looking outward into the distance holding a rifle perpendicular to the ground. On the granite pedestal is inscribed: This monument is erected to commemorate the loyalty and patriotism of our citizen soldiers who fought for liberty and the Union in the great rebellion of 1861-1865.Many monuments and commemorations on the Union side term the Civil War the Great Rebellion or Southern Rebellion, while the states of the former Confederacy call it the War of Northern Aggression. Montgomery, AlabamaJefferson Davis was inaugurated as the President of the Confederacy on February 18, 1861 on the steps of the State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.A giantmonumentstanding 88 feet high dedicated in 1898, the Alabama Confederate Monument stands on Montgomerys Capitol Hill to commemorate 122,000 Alabamians who fought in the Confederacy during the Civil War. It was erected by the Historical and Monumental Association of Alabama & Ladies Memorial Association of Alabama.Atop the high granite column stands a bronze statue of a woman representing Patriotism holding a furled flag in her left hand and a sword in her right. Down at the base stands four pedestals on top of each standing granite statuary with bronze relief representing an officer of the four branches of the Confederate military.The monument displays these inscriptions (italics added): North Side/Navy: The seamen of Confederate fame startled the wondering world: for braver fight was never fought, andfairer flagwas never furled.West Side/Cavalry: The knightliest of theknightly racewho since the days of old, have kept the lamp of chivalry alight in the hearts of gold.South Side/Infantry: Fames temple boasts no higher name, no king is grander on his throne: No glory shines with brighter gleam, the name of Patriot stands alone.East Side/Artillery: When this historic shaft shall crumbling lie in ages hence, in womans heart will be, a folded flag, a thrilling page unrolled, a deathless song of Southern chivalry.TheSouthern Poverty Law Centerfound in its updated 2016 report that 114 Confederate symbols have been taken down since the Charlottesville neo-Nazi white supremacist march and murder. However, currently a total of 1,503 Confederate-related symbols remain standing across the United States, including:718 monuments and statues, nearly 300 of which are in Georgia, Virginia, or North Carolina;109 public schools named for Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, or other notable Confederates;80 counties and cities named for Confederates;9 official Confederate holidays in six states; and10 U.S. military bases named for Confederates. Since the brutal killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, an unarmed Black man and the worldwide demonstrations demanding an end to police practices and policies inordinately symbolically and literally crushing the necks of people of color we seem to have entered a watershed moment bringing us to a point of finally owning up to our collective legacy of racism in the United States and elsewhere.Under increasingly intensive pressure, South Carolina led the way in 2015 by removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds where it had hung since 1962. Other cities slowly (and often reluctantly) followed suit. Mississippi has recently become the final state to ban the Confederate symbol from its state flag.Those on the other side of the issue who demand retaining these monuments and symbols argue tradition since they say these as part of their heritage, and they represent an era of American history. The Southern Poverty Law Center wrote, Critics may say removing a flag or monument, renaming a military base or school, or ending a state holiday is tantamount to erasing history.In fact, across the country, Confederate flag supporters have held more than 350 rallies since the Charleston attack.These emblems and personalities do, in fact, represent an era of American history, an era of war fighting for the right to continue the enslavement of other human beings, one in which many Southerners believed they had the God given right to torture, work to death, separate families, rape, and otherwise abuse others for their own economic, social, and cultural benefit.Most certainly, these monuments and symbols represent tradition, but a tradition worth remembering only as one of the leading shameful eras in our national story, and not as one to romanticize or admire. These symbols actually inspire people to violence while for many others, they bring to the surface a legacy of oppression and pain.Under the guise of preserving tradition, proponents of keeping Confederate symbolism fail to realize that most of the monuments were erected well after the Civil War toward the end of the 19th and into the 20th-century. Southerners imposed these monuments primarily as a weapon of intimidation against Black people in the Jim Crow South, during what has come to be known as the Redemption Period.The so-called redeemers included a coalition of the southern faction of the Bourbon Democrats, a very conservative and pro-business arm of the Democratic Party whose stated goal of redemption was to rid the South of liberal Republicans, northern carpetbaggers, and scalawags (poorer non-slaveholding whites).Germany, though, offers a good model to place the past into a truer and proper perspective.Germany initiated its denazification campaign. It is long overdue for the U.S. to initiate its deconfederization campaign.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

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The IRS on Monday declared churches may now endorse political candidates from the pulpit, making explicit an unspoken policy in effect for decades under both Republican and Democratic administrations.Other non-secular tax-exempt nonprofits or 501(3)(c) organizations must still adhere to the ban. Related Marjorie Taylor Greene says Africa should be on their own in preventing HIV Greene wants the US to stop funding HIV prevention: Africans should already know what activities they need to stop doing to stop AIDS. The change came amid a lawsuit filed by two Texas churches and an association of Christian broadcasters, witha court filingby the IRS that carved out the exemption. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The plaintiffs originally sued the IRS in the conservative district court in Texas to create an even broader exemption that would allow all nonprofits, religious and secular, to endorse candidates to their members.That would have nullified the Johnson Amendment, introduced by then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas (D) in 1954 to prevent tax-exempt groups, including churches, from intervening in political campaigns at taxpayers expense.The Johnson Amendment has been a longtime target of Christian Nationalists, who claim its an infringement on their First Amendment rights to free speech. President Trump has called for repeal of the Johnson Amendment, and the Heritage Foundations Project 2025 seeks its demise. For all its good intentions at separating church and state when it comes to political campaigns, the rule has been enforced for churches only laxly by the IRS under successive administrations.Over the past few decades, only two churches have had their tax-exempt status revoked for violating the rule. In 1992, a group called Branch Ministries ran full-page newspaper ads urging people not to vote forBill Clinton; their tax-exempt status was revoked soon after. Another lost its tax exemption in 2012.ProPublicaandThe Texas Tribune reported that just 16 churches were investigated between 2011 and 2022 for violating the rule. At least one was fined. The IRSs new interpretation of the Johnson Amendment, filed jointly in a motion with the plaintiffs in the Texas case, says that if a house of worship endorses a candidate to its congregants, the agency would now view that not as campaigning but as a private matter, like a family discussion concerning candidates. Endorsements, the agency said, must be made through the lens of religious faith.Thus, communications from a house of worship to its congregation in connection with religious services through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith do not run afoul of the Johnson Amendment as properly interpreted, the agency said. The IRS made clear that its revised interpretation still prohibits all non-profits fromparticipatingorinterveningin a political campaign, meaning both active campaigning for a candidate and instances of intervening as Branch Ministries did in the Clinton campaign. Still, critics maintain the change will open the floodgates to dark money used to promote candidates through churches, particularly Christian Nationalist aligned groups.The merger of tax-exempt conservative churches with the MAGA Republican Party is complete, posted Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA), co-founder of the Congressional Freethought Caucus. American taxpayers are now subsidizing both partisan (mainly GOP) politics and religion.This is really bad. The merger of tax-exempt conservative churches with the MAGA Republican Party is complete. It started with endless rightwing attacks on the IRS, leading to partisan political operations like Family Research Council posing as "churches," and now this. https://t.co/QjRGIoSDGb Rep. Jared Huffman (@JaredHuffman) July 8, 2025Another day, another Project 2025 wish list item checked off by Donald Trump, said Nick Fish, President of American Atheists. The Johnson Amendment, imperfectly enforced as it is, is what has kept unaccountable billionaires from funneling their money through phony nonprofits and churches to buy our electionswhile getting a tax deduction subsidized by the American people.Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, agreed, adding, The Trump administrations radical reinterpretation of the Johnson Amendment is a brazen attack on church-state separation that threatens our democracy by favoring houses of worship over other nonprofits and inserting them into partisan politics.Its President Trump and his Christian Nationalist allies signature move: exploiting religion to boost their own political power.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.