% THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.
% SCHOOL BOARDS ACROSS WISCONSIN
% BECAME THE NEW BATTLEGROUND FOR
% CULTURE WAR POLITICS IN THE LAST
% FEW YEARS HEIGHTENED IN THE
% RUN-UP TO THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
% BUT WHAT KIND OF HUMAN DAMAGE IS
% DONE WITH PUBLIC SMEAR CAMPAIGNS
% ABOUT EVERYTHING TEACHING ABOUT
% RACE TO ALLOWING STUDENTS AND
% STAFF TO USE GENDER-AFFIRMING
% PRONOUNS TO POLICIES ON
% TRANSGENDER STUDENTS?
% WE ASK OUR NEXT GUEST, A CURRENT
% COLLEGE PROFESSOR AND FORMER
% MEMBER OF THE RICE LAKE SCHOOL
% BOARD UNTIL SHE RESIGNED LAST
% MONTH.
% THAT WAS AFTER A GROUP CALLED
% THE BARRON COUNTY PATRIOTS
% RAISED THEIR VOICE AND RHETORIC
% IN THE DISTRICT.
% ABBEY FISCHER JOINS US NOW AND
% THANKS VERY MUCH FOR DOING SO.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO YOU TOLD US THAT THINGS
% GOT UGLY WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT.
% HOW SO?
% >> AS THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, PEOPLE
% IN TOWN BEGAN VOICING THEIR
% OPPOSITION TO CONTINUING TO STAY
% AT HOME, WHICH WE UNDERSTOOD.
% WE WANTED THE STUDENTS BACK IN
% THE BUILDINGS.
% BUT THE RHETORIC GOT LOUD IN
% TOWN.
% PEOPLE BEGAN EMAILING BOARD
% MEMBERS FREQUENTLY AND THEY
% BEGAN TO ATTEND OUR BOARD
% MEETINGS, WHICH WE ENCOURAGE IT
% BUT IT WAS OFTEN NOT FOUNDED IN
% SCIENTIFIC PROOF.
% IT WAS A LOT OF WHAT I WOULD SAY
% NON-SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS.
% LANGUAGE BEING USED ON A
% NATIONAL SCALE THAT FOUND ITS
% WAY TO RICE LAKE.
% AND SO PEOPLE WERE ANTI-MASK,
% ANTI-VACCINE, THEY WERE
% ANTI-KEEPING STUDENTS SIX FEET
% AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.
% THEY WANTED TO GET BACK TO
% NORMAL WHEN SCIENCE AT THAT
% POINT WAS TELLING US NOT TO DO
% SO.%>> THEN THIS FALL THERE
WAS
% SCHOOL BOARD DEBATE AROUND A
% LESS INCLUSIVE POLICY FOR
% TRANSGENDER STUDENT IN RICE LAKE
% SCHOOLS, POLICIES THAT YOU
% DESCRIBE AS PREVIOUSLY
% SUPPORTIVE OF LGBTQ STUDENTS.
% HOW DID THAT MAKE STUDENTS AND
% STAFF FEEL, THESE NEW KIND OF
% POLICIES?%>> THE STUDENTS TH
EMSELVES AT
% OUR OCTOBER 12TH BOARD MEETING
% SAID THAT THE PREVIOUS POLICY
% SAVED THEIR LIVES.
% THEY WERE ABLE TO BE THEMSELVES
% IN OUR BUILDINGS.
% THEY WERE ABLE TO BE THEMSELVES
% WITH THEIR INSTRUCTORS AND PEERS
% AS THEY WERE READY TO BE.
% THE NEW POLICY, THE CURRENT
% POLICY, DOES NOT ALLOW STUDENTS
% TO USE THE NAMES THAT THEY WISH
% TO OR THE PRONOUNS THEY WISH TO
% UNTIL THEY HAVE COME OUT TO
% THEIR PARENTS.
% AS A LESBIANS, I KNOW HOW
% CHALLENGES IT IS TO COME OUT TO
% YOUR OWN PARENTS AND TO ASK
% STUDENT TO COME OUT TO THEIR
% PARENTS BEFORE THEY'RE READY
% PUTS THEM AT RISK FOR POTENTIAL
% COMPLICATIONS AT HOME AND ALSO
% POTENTIAL MENTAL HEALTH
% COMPLICATIONS.
% >> SO HOW DID A GROUP CALLED THE
% BARRON COUNTY PATRIOTS AND THEIR
% SUPPORTERS RESPOND TO THIS
% ISSUE?
% >> THE PATRIOTS AND OTHERS FOR
% WELL OVER A YEAR, THIS STARTED
% PROBABLY IN SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER
% OF 2021.
% THEY WERE LOUD IN THEIR
% OPPOSITION TO THE INCLUSIVE
% CLASSROOMS AND THE INCLUSIVE
% CURRICULUM THAT THE RICE LAKE
% SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS OFFERING.
% THEY CAME TO SCHOOL BOARD
% MEETINGS AND SPOKE DURING PUBLIC
% APPEARANCES.
% THEY SPOKE HORRENDOUS
% STATEMENTS, UNTRUE, HARMFUL,
% HURTFUL STATEMENTS ABOUT LGBTQ
% PLUS PEOPLE AND CONTINUED THAT
% UP UNTIL THIS POLICY WAS PASSED
% AND THEY BELIEVE THAT -- A LOT
% OF THEM SEEM TO BELIEVE THAT WE
% SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWING STUDENTS
% TO BE THEMSELVES WITHIN THE
% CLASSROOM.
% >> WHAT ARE SOME OF THEIR
% BELIEFS THAT THEY EXPRESSED?
% >> WE HEARD THINGS THAT
% TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS ARE
% MENTALLY ILL.
% WE HEARD THAT TRANSGENDER
% INDIVIDUALS REALLY DON'T EXIST
% AND WE ARE NEED TO BE
% COMFORTABLE WITH OUR GENDER.
% WE HEARD MANY STATEMENTS THAT
% BEING LGBTQ QI PLUS IS AGAINST
% THE BIBLE AND THAT WE NEED TO
% SPEND MORE TIME IN CHURCH.
% >> HOW DID THAT AFFECT YOU
% PERSONALLY?
% >> AS A LESBIAN, IT WAS HARD TO
% HEAR MY COMMUNITY TALKED ABOUT
% LIKE THAT.
% IT STARTED A YEAR PRIOR AND AS A
% BOARD MEMBER, WE SIT QUIETLY AND
% OUR TABLE AND DON'T CONVERSE
% WITH THE PUBLIC APPEARANCE
% SPEAKERS, THAT'S OUR POLICY.
% SO TO HAVE TO SIT AND LISTEN TO
% THESE UNTRUE STATEMENTS AND TO
% THE HARMFUL RHETORIC WAS
% WEIGHING ON ME HEAVILY TO THE
% POINT WHERE MY MENTAL HEALTH WAS
% NOT GOOD.
% AND SO I CHOSE TO RESIGN AND MY
% MENTAL HEALTH HAS SIGNIFICANTLY
% IMPROVED WITHOUT HAVING TO
% LISTEN TO THOSE COMMENTS AND NOT
% BE ABLE TO RESPOND.
% >> IN YOUR MIND, WAS THIS AN
% EXAMPLE YOU SPOKE TO JUST A
% LITTLE BIT EARLIER, AN EXAMPLE
% OF NATIONAL RHETORIC REACHING
% INTO LOCAL COMMUNITIES?
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% THE LANGUAGE THAT WE SAW AGAINST
% THE MASKS, THE LANGUAGE WE SAW
% AGAINST THE VACCINES AND THE
% LANGUAGE THAT WE SAW AGAINST
% LGBTQ STUDENTS AND CURRICULUM IS
% THE SAME LANGUAGE THAT OTHER
% SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE SEEING AND
% WE'RE SEEING IT BOTH HERE IN
% WISCONSIN AND ACROSS THE
% COUNTRY.%>> SO EARLIER YOU SA
ID THAT THE
% MORE SUPPORTIVE POLICIES,
% STUDENTS HAD TOLD YOU THAT IT
% SAVED THEIR LIVES.
% WHAT ABOUT THESE NEW POLICIES?
% >> WE DON'T YET KNOW THEIR
% EFFECTS.
% AT THE OCTOBER 12TH DISTRICT
% WHEN THEY WERE ADOPTED THE
% DISTRICT DIDN'T HAVE A WAY TO
% ENACT THEM.
% I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE A WAY
% TOO MAKE IT HAPPEN YET.
% WHAT WILL LIKELY HAPPEN IS THAT
% STUDENTS WILL PROBABLY NOT COME
% OUT TO THEIR -- NOT FEEL SAFE
% EXPRESSING WHO THEY ARE TO STAFF
% AND THAT MAKES THE LEARNING
% ENVIRONMENT A LESS SUPPORTIVE
% PLACE AND A PLACE THEY DON'T
% WANT TO BE AT.
% OFTEN FOR LGBTQ I PLUS
% INDIVIDUALS PEOPLE COME OUT
% FIRST AS A PLACE TO TRY ET AND
% SEE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.
% NOW WE'VE TAKEN THAT AWAY FROM
% STUDENTS.
% THEY HAVE TO COME OUT AT HOME.
% OFTEN THE SCARIEST PLACE TO COME
% OUT AND EVEN WITH SUPPORTIVE
% PARENTS.
% MY PARENTS WERE SUPPORTIVE BUT
% IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO COME
% OUT TO THEM.
% WE'VE TAKEN THE PLACE WHERE
% STUDENTS OFTEN EXPLORE AND
% FIGURE OUT WHO THEY ARE.
% WE'VE TAKEN THAT AWAY FROM YOU.
% >> DOES IT STRIKE YOU THAT IT
% WILL END HERE ON THIS ISSUE?
% >> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
% THE PATRIOTS AND OTHERS IN TOWN
% HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO FIGHT
% AGAINST THE INCLUSIVE HUMAN
% GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
% CURRICULUM THAT THE RICE LAKE
% SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFERS.
% I DON'T THINK THAT WILL STOP.
% AND THEN ALSO THEY HAVE MADE
% COMMENTS ABOUT OUR SOCIAL
% STUDIES CURRICULUM.
% I THINK THAT WILL ALSO CONTINUE.
% >> ABBEY FISCHER, WE APPRECIATE
% YOU SPEAKING WITH US ON THIS AND
% BRINGING US THE PERSPECTIVE FROM
% WHAT IS HAPPENING IN RICE LAKE.