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 THEMSELVES 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 SAID 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.