Last Friday, the Heard Museum in Phoenix hosted its first-ever drag show, “Pride Night at the Heard” — and children were present to witness it. BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona served as the major sponsor for the event, with Arizona Public Service (APS) as a regular sponsor.
The show featured Native American drag queens. Sam Toledo, the museum’s digital content manager, told the Phoenix New Times that the show was family-friendly.
The event host was a performer named “Pyraddiction.” The other performers were “Tomahawk Martini,” winner of Miss New Mexico Pride 2022; “Té D. DeMornay,” Mx Titos Pride 2022; “K.Yasss Savage”; “Ritavon DeMornay”; and “Felix.”
Negative commentary on the museum’s Facebook posts about their “Pride Night at the Heard” moved the administrators to delete and limit comments on their posts. Many criticisms concerned the disparity between LGBTQ+ ideologies and certain Native American cultures.
In addition to the drag show, the museum had LGBTQ+ Native American poets read their work.
The museum’s event took place a day before the viral drag show brunch in Dallas, Texas. That controversial event, “Drag The Kids to Pride,” was hosted in a 21-and-over bar.
Multiple recordings of the event depicted children giving dollar bills to the drag queen performers, and even performing alongside them. In the background of the stage there was a lit neon sign that read, “It’s Not Going to Lick Itself!”
“Drag The Kids to Pride” protesters were diverse. There were Christians urging repentance to God. There were also LGBTQ+ individuals insisting that children were too young for concepts like drag queens and transgenderism.
Protesters chanted “Christ Is King!” at attendees of the “Drag Your Kids To Pride” event. pic.twitter.com/tfWOQxAcve
Maricopa County will operate 212 vote centers for the August 2022 primary — double what they had in 2020. By the general election, that number will increase up to 225; 14 of which were converted from outside drop boxes into full vote centers. The county promised to mail voters information about the closest vote centers.
The catch-all, “vote anywhere” system allowing voters to cast ballots at any location rather than a designated precinct has sparked controversy, with critics alleging that it makes fraud easier; namely, ballot harvesting. Voters may drop off their early ballots at vote centers.
Legislators made an attempt to prohibit vote centers. One such bill from State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff), SB1338, would’ve reinstated precinct voting as well as paper ballots and hand counting. It advanced out of one committee in the senate, but no further.
Another bill, HB2238 from State Representative Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), sought to eliminate emergency vote centers. It failed in the Senate.
The county adopted vote centers amid the pandemic in 2020. They also released an informational video featuring their $10,000 “Phil the Ballot” mascot.
Pima County decided to follow in Maricopa County’s footsteps this year. They will halve their operations from nearly 280 voting precinct locations to 129 vote centers.
Democracy Docket, the brainchild of Hillary Clinton’s Russiagate hoax lawyer Marc Elias, congratulated Pima County for adopting vote centers.
Pima County, Arizona is making voting easier and more accessible by approving 129 vote centers.👏
Pima voters will be able to cast their ballot at any vote center in the county as opposed to precinct-specific polling locations.🗳https://t.co/LyI1GBtspG
Arizona allowed vote centers to be used rather than precincts beginning in 2011.
With less than a month to go before ballots hit mailboxes, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer issued an announcement on Thursday about their increased number of vote centers.
Maricopa County will have 212 vote centers for the August 2022 primary. These vote centers can be used by any registered county voter.
— Stephen Richer—Maricopa Cnty Recorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) June 2, 2022
Republican National Committee (RNC) leader Tyler Bowyer criticized the county’s decision.
This is awful. Vote centers are terrible for election integrity and should not be implemented without a way for the recorders office to reorganize all ballots physically at the tabulation center. It’s a legitimate issue for hand counting actual precincts. https://t.co/NhIJ7kOeQX
Prior to 2020, contentions with vote centers concerned the fact that there were less of them than there were polling places. Some voter rights watchdog organizations expressed concern that the reduced number of voting sites would pack an adverse, disproportionate impact on minority and low-income voters.
Mailed ballots will be sent out on July 6. A complete list of all vote center locations will be made available on the Maricopa County website approximately 45 days before the election according to the county’s election plan — at some point later this month.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Arizona schools that prohibit students from using bathrooms or locker rooms, or joining sports teams designated for the opposite sex, will likely lose their federal funds for school meals. Federal dollars reimburse schools for qualifying meals, and give low-income students free or reduced-price meals. Throughout the pandemic, schools were able to provide free meals to all students and receive greater reimbursements.
The policy change came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announcement last month, clarifying that protected classes within anti-discrimination policy included sexual orientation and gender identity. Schools that fail to update policies and signage to comply with the USDA policy would result in the loss of FNS funding.
The USDA claimed that the move aligned with President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Preventing and Combatting Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.
Although the USDA notification made no mention of bathrooms, locker rooms, or sports teams, Biden’s executive order did in its first few lines.
“Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports,” read Biden’s order.
According to the latest reports from the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), about half of Arizona’s children rely on free or reduced lunches. It is likely that number increased with the financial stresses due to the pandemic and hiking inflation, as well as the influx of migrant children due to the border crisis.
Children are eligible for free meals if their family income is at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level, while reduced meals are available to children with family incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level.
The Arizona Senate Republican leadership issued a joint press release denouncing the USDA’s latest action. They criticized the Biden administration for prioritizing a political agenda above the wellbeing of children. The leaders contended further that no evidence existed for schools discriminating against children by denying them food over their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“The federal government is literally threatening to stop feeding the poorest of children if schools don’t allow boys in girls’ bathrooms, boys in girls’ showers, or boys on girls’ sports teams,” stated the Senate Republicans.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Extremist Biden Agenda Threatens School Lunches for Arizona's Poorest Kids Unless Boys Are Let into Girls' Bathrooms ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MIOdgjwase
Arizona Senate Democrats responded that the Republicans’ dismay over children’s food supplies was really another opportunity to vilify transgender children. They insinuated that children were more worried about guns than they were their next meal.
“Vilifying trans kids during pride month is very on brand for Republicans but this is just a distraction,” stated the Democrats. “Children are worried about getting shot in their classrooms [sic] not their classmates [sic] gender identity.”
Vilifying trans kids during pride month is very on brand for Republicans but this is just a distraction.
🚨Children are worried about getting shot in their classrooms not their classmates gender identity. https://t.co/HeknfXlQeQ
— Arizona Senate Democrats (@AZSenateDems) June 3, 2022
This is seriously sick and pathetic. Trying to divide and conquer poor and trans kids during #PrideMonth2022. Thank goodness our kids see through this bullsh*t. https://t.co/xQtOBkNsaT
— Sen. Martín Quezada (@SenQuezada29) June 3, 2022
Earlier this year, Arizona banned males from competing in female sports. The law applies to both private and public K-12 schools, colleges, and universities in the state.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
As the fallout from the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion determining the constitutionality of abortion transitions into anticipation for the final, official opinion on the case later in June, pro-life billboards catch the eye of passerby across the Valley.
Those behind the billboards are part of the Arizona Life Coalition (ALC), a nonprofit pro-life organization. They provide direct financial support to pregnancy help centers, crisis shelters for pregnant women, maternity housing, adoption, foster care, post-abortive care, and post-abortive counseling.
ALC established the billboards about eight weeks ago, according to their executive director, Garrett Riley. He told AZ Free News that they’ve received only positive feedback from the community.
The billboards display rotating messages that read, “God Doesn’t Make Mistakes,” “Choose Life!,” and “Unplanned — Maybe, Unwanted — Never.” They appear on the I-17 near Thunderbird Road, the I-10 near Baseline Road, and the I-17 along Camelback Road.
Riley stated in a press release that the billboards serve as a platform to share the truth on abortion.
“Abortion is not a women’s rights issue, it is a human rights issue. And it is not about women’s health care or reproductive health either, because health care aims to heal, preserve, and save life — not end life,” said Riley.
Politico received the leaked draft opinion from someone inside the court, speculated to be one of the justices’ clerks. The outlet reported on the draft at the beginning of last month.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Friday, Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) introduced legislation proposing U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). The “WHO Withdrawal Act” would also prohibit U.S. funds from being given to the WHO or any of its successor organizations.
Biggs’ proposal would continue previous efforts by former President Donald Trump in 2020 over the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden reversed those efforts upon assuming office.
Biggs echoed Trump’s sentiments on the WHO as an unreliable hotbed of “mismanagement, cover-ups, and failures” warranting U.S. secession.
“For years, the WHO has undermined American interests and remains one of the most corrupt and ineffective international institutions,” remarked Biggs.
Today, I introduced the WHO Withdrawal Act.
It requires the President to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), repeals the law that originally authorized the U.S. to join the WHO, and prevents taxpayer money from being spent to participate in it.
Biggs further accused the WHO of doing the bidding of the Chinese government, as well as ruining public health investigations such as the one discerning the origins of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.
The World Health Organization has been compromised by China and has sabotaged many public health investigations – including the COVID investigation in Wuhan.
17 other congressmen signed on as cosponsors to Biggs’ proposal, including Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04).
Gosar responded that the bill was of “America First” caliber, alluding to Trump’s popular presidential slogan.
THREAD:
My WHO Withdrawal Act is necessary more than ever.
The World Health Organization has undermined American interests, remains one of the most corrupt international institutions, and has been compromised by China.
Though Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) was absent from the list of cosponsors on Biggs’ bill, she did sign onto a similar bill introduced by Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX-21) last January. That legislation would prohibit the U.S. from funding the WHO. It hasn’t made it out of committee.
An hour after Biggs announced his WHO Withdrawal Act, Lesko reminded constituents of her support for Roy’s legislation.
I’m proud to cosponsor @RepChipRoy's No Taxpayer Funding for the World Health Organization Act to PROHIBIT our nation from financially supporting the WHO, which promotes the Chinese Communist Party‘s lies about COVID-19.
— Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (@RepDLesko) June 3, 2022
Historically, the U.S. was the largest funder of the WHO. At present, this country ranks as the third-largest contributor. Both Germany and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributed more to the WHO from 2020 to 2021. Germany gave nearly 1.27 billion, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave $751 million, and the U.S. gave $693 million.
WHO was founded in 1948 as an international health work agency within the United Nations (UN).
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
