“They don’t want all children to feel that way. They only seem to want some children to be able to feel that way, and that is evident through their focus on book bans and curriculum and really specifically seeming to be discriminatory against LGBTQ kids.”

Dewey added, “Dave McCormick aligning himself with [Moms for Liberty] tells me that he believes those things too.”

Read More at Keystone News

The post Dave McCormick to attend event with Moms for Liberty and Betsy DeVos appeared first on Red Wine and Blue.

This is a story about reading, but let’s start with some math: 644.That’s the number of book bans in Pennsylvania public school districts between July 2021 and June 2023.Third. That’s where the commonwealth ranks in the nation when it comes to states with the most book bans.

One. That’s how many of those bans it took for Chester County mother Ronna Dewey to get involved.

“In 2021, in my school district, there was a proposed ban of a few books,” Dewey said. “These books all had LGBTQ+ characters or were written by LGBTQ+ authors or had material about the LGBTQ+ community; I have a kid who is part of that community and it felt really, really personal to me. So I got involved. I knew I had to stand up and say something.”

Continue Reading at keystonenewsroom.com

The post The PA mother who’s standing up against book bans—and the Dems standing with her appeared first on Red Wine and Blue.

That October, three trans students sued the district – which serves the northern outskirts of Allegheny County – for barring students from using the school bathroom associated with their gender identity.

Students had long been allowed to choose a restroom according to their gender identity. But the district suspended this policy over one parent’s complaint that “individuals with male genitalia who believe themselves to be girls” entered the girls’ restroom.

The district initially urged a dismissal of the lawsuit, but later settled and allowed students to continue using the restroom aligning with their identity.

Less than a decade later, though, that same district – and that same policy – have come back under legal scrutiny. In January, America First Legal, a conservative group based in Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit alleging the policy violates parental rights.

“They’re trying to kind of intimidate and even turn over some existing policies that way,” said Carrie Wardzinski. Wardzinski serves as a Pittsburgh-area organizer for the progressive political group Red, Wine and Blue, which organizes around women’s issues in suburban swing districts.

Wardzinski described America First’s work as “astroturf” activism — using financial and legal backing to create the illusion of a grassroots effort.

Read more at Publicsource.org

The post Pushback against trans rights in Pittsburgh area coming from D.C. appeared first on Red Wine and Blue.

Ronna Dewey, The Pennsylvania program director for Red Wine & blue, was invited to be the keynote speaker at the rally. She says women’s voices and power are often underestimated in the political world, and rallies like this one serve as a reminder.

Continue reading on wnep.com

The post Woman’s rally held in Schuylkill County appeared first on Red Wine and Blue.

………

Red, Wine and Blue is an organization advocating for educational issues that has been helping district parents organize during the policy controversy.

In a statement, Sherry Luce with Red, Wine and Blue said:

“We are here on the ground year-round to help suburban women fight extremism in their communities. Public schools should be welcoming and inclusive spaces for all. The constituents in PV voted in a commonsense board majority because they don’t stand for politicians using our kids as political pawns. They are here to make sure that the board follows through on their promise to protect kids and I’m here to support them.”

To read the complete article go to cbsnews.com

The post Controversial bathroom policy up for debate again at Perkiomen Valley School District appeared first on Red Wine and Blue.

Localized social media groups on Facebook and other platforms can be a popular starting point for stirring outrage over books or to push for “harmful” policies, according to Ronna Dewey, the Pennsylvania chapter head of Red, Wine & Blue, a kind of national counter group to the conservative Moms For Liberty.

“Maybe they heard something from a friend in another school district or saw something online and they start saying things like, ‘Oh, do we have these books in our school? We need to start looking,’” Dewey said.

Continue Reading at phillyburbs 

The post After fighting ‘extremist’ school boards, PA advocates network to help fight other efforts appeared first on Red Wine and Blue.

Although many of the coalition’s members were first inspired to take action following book bans in their local school districts, they’re also fighting back against other forms of censorship, discriminatory policies — including those targeting trans and other LGBTQ+ students — as well as systemic racism, disinformation and other aspects of extremism.

A group of organizations “came together to form the beginnings of the PA WInS coalition with a goal to unite individuals and organizations that were all working against extremists in school boards and legislation,” said Alex Domingos, an advocacy and policy strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. “Although we are a diverse group of orgs that focus on different issues, we decided to unite in order to help create effective strategies, legislative (i.e. school board) policies, and mostly to support the already ongoing efforts by parents, students and advocates to create equitable and inclusive schools that foster belonging and success for all students.”

Some of the organizations represented at the coalition’s press conference included the ACLU of Pennsylvania, the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania, the Human Rights Campaign, a Pennsylvania chapter of Red Wine & Blue (a grassroots community of suburban parents), the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association, the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association, and Education Voters of PA.

Read the complete article at epgn.com

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This event took place 200 days after the PA House passed two lifesaving, bipartisan gun violence prevention bills. However, no action has been taken by Senate leaders, with more Pennsylvanians dying from firearm violence daily.

“These bills have sat in the Senate Judiciary Committee collecting dust when they could be saving the lives of those we have lost to gun violence,” said Sarah Jones, CeaseFirePA Education Fund organizer. “Every day the Senate waits, Pennsylvanians die preventable deaths to gun violence. People in Bucks County are dying while the Senate waits to act.”

Colleen Campbell, long-term care manager for the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership, urged passage of Extreme Risk Protection Orders: “If someone has expressed or exhibited behavior that would harm themselves or others, then they need not only mental health support, but a way to take a weapon from their reach — immediately!”

This vigil was one of six organized by CeaseFirePA Education Fund with local partners across the commonwealth. It built on the recent launch of a new campaign to put increasing pressure on Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lisa Baker and Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman to schedule a hearing, then a vote, on the pending legislation: House Bill 1018 to establish Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and House Bill 714 to enact universal background checks.

Also in attendance at the vigil was Pennsylvania’s Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Red Wine & Blue and League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania.

Read more at lowerbuckstimes.com

The post Bucks County ‘Not One Day More!’ vigil remembers those lost to gun violence appeared first on Red Wine and Blue.

“We all want to make sure that we are living in a community where all people feel supported and welcomed,” Dewey said. “If kids aren’t feeling that way, they won’t be able to learn and if our kids aren’t learning then we are going to have a lost generation. If they are prevented from learning, then we are all going to lose.”

Dewey should know. The Chester County mother of three fought a proposed book ban in her local school district not too long ago, one that hit very close to home.

“In 2021, in my school district, there was a proposed ban of a few books,” Dewey said. “These books all had LGBTQ+ characters or were written by LGBTQ+ authors or had material about the LGBTQ+ community; I have a kid who is part of that community and it felt really, really personal to me. So I got involved. I knew I had to stand up and say something.”

It was the first time Dewey fought a book ban and it inspired her to join an organization that shared her values. Dewey is now the Pennsylvania state program director of the Red Wine and Blue, a community of over 500,000 suburban women across the country who organize to fight extremism in their communities. Due to the efforts of extremist organizations like Moms for Liberty, best known for pushing book bans, harassing teachers and school board members, and supporting anti-LGBTQ laws, the need for organizations such as Dewey’s is more necessary than ever.

Read more about Red, Wine & Blue’s Ronna Dewey and the complete article at keystonenewsroom.com

The post Defending Free Expression: How to Fight Back Against Book Bans in Pennsylvania appeared first on Red Wine and Blue.

“We believe that the best way to fight book bans is with knowledge and facts,” said Red Wine and Blue Pennsylvania Program Director Ronna Dewey in a statement. “This summer we turned our cars into Bookmobiles and are handing out children’s banned books to families. We are so excited to help fill Central York’s 22 Little Free Libraries.”

Read more at the York Dispatch

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