Schrödinger's Race

For FAIR’s Substack, high school sophomore Maitreya Kershner writes a reflective essay on biracial identity, perception, and the limits of categorization. Her piece explores the tension between social labels and individual identity, questioning whether people can ever truly be reduced to fixed categories.

We long for the binary, for simple categories that can be easily explained. We long to understand one another, so we create an array of boxes to place ourselves in. And still we don’t understand. We just create smaller and smaller, ever more specific boxes, hoping we will one day be able to summarize all the perfect complexities of a human being.

Much of this comes from the dualism that runs through our society. We see things as one or the other — right or left, good or evil, black or white — and we deny the gray areas that are always there. We are slowly learning to escape these patterns, but their hold is hard to release. The issue lives not only in the systems we’ve built but in the way we interpret and express our reality. Most of us can’t pull ourselves out of our day-to-day perceptions long enough to see past them. And even when we glimpse a deeper truth, we struggle to put it into words.

Read the Full Article

Ten Arguments Against Free Speech

For the So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, FAIR Advisor, and former ACLU President, Nadine Strossen joins FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff to discuss their new book, “War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail.” These arguments include: Words are violence; Words are dangerous; Hate speech isn’t free speech; Free speech is outdated; Free speech is right-wing; Misinformation and disinformation; About the Holocaust and Rwandan genocide; and more.

Nadine Strossen: “‘Oh, you defend free speech because you take the ridiculous position that words can cause no harm.’ No, no, no, we acknowledge words can do harm, but you pro-censorship people never acknowledge the greater harm that giving the government greater censorial power will do.”

Watch Here

“The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Does Not Include Whites”

For Man of Steele, FAIR Advisor and filmmaker Eli Steele argues that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 no longer functions as a neutral protection against discrimination, but has instead evolved into a broader system of ideological and institutional enforcement.

I saw an X post by New York Magazine that featured the headline, “The White Man Suing the New York Times for Discriminating Against White Men.” The piece described how the plaintiff, a longtime Times editor, claims that he was passed over for a deputy editor job so the paper could meet its diversity and leadership targets. He alleges that, despite his experience, he was excluded from final‑round interviews because he is a white man and the role went to a less qualified candidate.

I thought, good for him. Discrimination is discrimination. Whether the case has merit or not, he should be allowed to exercise his American rights and have his day in court. Then I thought about why this was a story at all. The headline made news for one reason only: the plaintiff is white. A black man suing for racial discrimination today would not be treated with the same level of curiosity. His case would be seen as routine, not remarkable.

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Many of the Problems AI Creates for Democracy Can Be Solved With This Basic Change

For The Certainty Trap, FAIR Advisor Ilana Redstone writes about the convergence of AI and democracy, arguing that both AI systems and their users gravitate toward answers that appear definitive, even when reality is more uncertain and contested.

When an AI summarizes a policy debate, it makes choices — based on whatever its training data treats as mainstream — about which framings count as reasonable and which count as fringe…

This isn’t a bug in any particular AI platform—it’s a structural feature of how they work. They take in language, which is saturated with contested moral and causal premises, and produce output that inherits those same premises. This means the question isn’t whether AI systems will encode contested commitments as facts. They already do. It is whether we will teach it to make those commitments visible to the people using them.

Right now, they’re not. And that’s devastating for democracy…

Democracy doesn’t require that citizens agree on contested questions. It requires that the institutions mediating public life — including, now, AI systems — remain legible enough that citizens can see what they’re being asked to accept. The danger isn’t that AI takes positions. It’s that AI takes positions invisibly, at scale, in the voice of neutral authority and factual claims.

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Women Terrorized By ‘Trans’ Male Inmate Launch Massive Lawsuit Against Prison System

For the Daily Wire, Megan Brock reports on FAIR’s lawsuit, in partnership with the America First Policy Institute, regarding the Washington State Department of Corrections (WSDC) policy of housing men in women’s single-sex prisons. Our lawsuit asserts that WSDC’s policy violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment and the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.

The lawsuit highlights public data showing that over 50% of males in federal prisons who self-identified as transgender between May 2024 and January 2025 were sex offenders…“The housing of these male inmates with females — including as bunkmates in the same cell — has led to multiple instances of violence and sexual abuse against the female inmates, persistent harassment, and the routine intimidation of female inmates in violation of their fundamental constitutional rights to serve their sentences in safety and without further punishment,” states the lawsuit. “[Washington] DOC’s Transgender Inmate Policy exposes female inmates to a population statistically more likely of having committed a sexual offense, and only females can become pregnant as a result of these offenses.”

The plaintiffs, the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism, Inc. [Fair For All], and Faith Booher-Smith, are suing the Washington DOC and Tim Lang in his official capacity as Secretary of the Department of Corrections.

Read the Full Article

The Fraying Tightrope: When Medicine Abandons the Individual

For her Substack, Dr. Diana Blum reflects on the erosion of trust, judgment, and human connection in modern medicine. Drawing on her experience as a physician, she argues that healthcare systems increasingly prioritize bureaucracy, metrics, liability, and ideological conformity over individualized care and the doctor-patient relationship.

This clinical battle for the individual is a microcosm of the crisis facing the profession itself. Medicine has always required a delicate balance between two distinct poles: the measurable precision of science and the intuitive, often messy, art of human connection. To practice medicine is to walk a tightrope stretched taut between these two anchors, relying on the hard data of biology while never losing sight of the unique human soul it inhabits.

But today, that tightrope is fraying. I find myself fighting a systemic adversary far more insidious than a failing nervous system: a collapse of the moral foundation upon which the healing arts were built. We are witnessing a terrifying disconnection where the individual is being sacrificed to the collective. In our rush toward corporate efficiency and ideological conformity, we have abandoned both the rigorous pursuit of science and the sacred art of the relationship, leaving a hollowed-out system that values the metric more than the human.

Read the Full Article

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these Roundups, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

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Written by Maitreya Kershner

Growing up, my race always felt like a very important part of my identity. And yet that importance always seemed to be projected onto me by outside forces, not born out of my own experience. My family culture feels like a thing on its own, disconnected from racial stereotype or assumed cultural identity. I felt I was being taught, through my community, that being biracial was supposed to mean something. But I could never place what that meaning was supposed to be.

Many people see me as white. This makes sense. I have light skin and hair. I don’t look like the “stereotypical” white person, but I certainly appear to be one. When I was little, being seen as white bugged me. I wanted my skin to be darker. I wanted it to be obvious; to take on my heritage as a kind of birthright, something that would make me stand out, that would let people see I was unique.

Some people see me as black, mostly people of color. I’m undeniably a person of color too. Ironically, calling me black follows the same logic the slave masters used, where “just one drop” turned you into the tragic mulatta of a minstrel play. Even so, I wanted to be seen as black. It connected me to a historical struggle. It made my existence feel like disobedience to racist ideology. We all long to be part of something bigger. I fell so deeply into that longing that I would become defensive whenever I felt “misidentified,” or when attention was drawn to the lightness of my skin.

Looking back, I can see that wanting to be read as black and resenting being read as white were really the same impulse: I was letting other people’s categories tell me who I was.

I’ve tried to put my struggles with racial identity behind me. And yet the questions still come up: Who are you? What are you?

The simplest answer is biracial. The term is accurate enough, but it doesn’t explain my experience as an individual; it doesn’t even specify which races. Mulatto is more specific, but it has, for good reason, fallen out of common speech. And again, it doesn’t really capture the way I experience the world. Why do I feel like I need a word to categorize myself in the first place? In a world with so many words to describe all the things a person can be, it sometimes feels like it isn’t enough to just be a person.

I like to think of my experience as “Schrödinger’s race.” In a famous thought experiment, a cat sealed in a box is imagined to be simultaneously alive and dead until someone opens the box to look, both states existing at once. Like the cat, I am both black and white, a kind of quantum superposition in human form. The box, in this metaphor, isn’t meant to be opened. And yet people keep trying. We long for the binary, for simple categories that can be easily explained. We long to understand one another, so we create an array of boxes to place ourselves in. And still we don’t understand. We just create smaller and smaller, ever more specific boxes, hoping we will one day be able to summarize all the perfect complexities of a human being.

Much of this comes from the dualism that runs through our society. We see things as one or the other — right or left, good or evil, black or white — and we deny the gray areas that are always there. We are slowly learning to escape these patterns, but their hold is hard to release. The issue lives not only in the systems we’ve built but in the way we interpret and express our reality. Most of us can’t pull ourselves out of our day-to-day perceptions long enough to see past them. And even when we glimpse a deeper truth, we struggle to put it into words.

I struggle with this often. The true feeling I’m experiencing doesn’t seem to conform to the words I know. So, I search for more words. I imagine some perfect term: a combination of sounds so self-evident that anyone hearing it would immediately understand. But even when it feels just on the tip of my tongue, the perfect word always reveals itself to be a perfect delusion. Only the feeling remains.

Maybe the feelings hardest to express are the truest ones we have. Maybe identity itself is supposed to be partly indescribable, because so many things shape who we are and how we see the world. Beyond every stereotype lie real experiences, but those experiences are never the whole story. Even people who share the same experience will process it differently, because they’re carrying different experiences of everything else. And deeper than that, there seem to be parts of each of us that don’t stem from any lived experience at all.

Through some combination of life experience and pure happenstance, I’ve found that as a queer woman of color, I don’t feel particularly connected to the identities of “queer” or “woman of color.” I feel more connected to my identity as a person, moving through space. An ever-changing human being who contains multitudes. An individual, just like everyone else. The boxes other people use to read me have never really told the truth about who I am.

When I let go of the imposed binaries, I can finally stop trying to fit myself into them. The individual pieces of an identity will never add up to the whole of a person. The cat in the box stays the cat in the box, regardless of what label gets attached. The surface things matter less than the living of an actual life. And a life, lived honestly, can never be summed up by a category.

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The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Fair For All or its employees.

In keeping with our mission to promote a common culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity, we are committed to including a diverse range of voices and to encouraging compassionate, good-faith discourse.

We are actively seeking perspectives on this topic and others. If you’d like to join the conversation, please send completed drafts to submissions@fairforall.org.

Dear Friends of FAIR,

This week, we are spotlighting an organization asking one of the most consequential questions of our moment: How can libraries remain trusted civic institutions in a polarized world? That organization is the Association of Library Professionals (ALP).

For generations, libraries have functioned as a bedrock of civic life: spaces where anyone, regardless of their background or belief, could access information freely, without being steered toward a particular conclusion or political or social agenda. Yet this principled commitment to open inquiry is increasingly under pressure. ALP was founded to guide librarianship back to its founding principle, centering the needs of individual patrons and communities through institutional neutrality, open inquiry, and respect for intellectual autonomy. At a time when “intellectual freedom” often means different things to different people, ALP offers a clear and consistent vision: libraries exist to serve the reader, not to shape what the reader thinks or believes.

FAIR is inspired by ALP’s focus on viewpoint diversity, the belief that a healthy civic culture depends on exposure to a genuine diversity of viewpoints. ALP’s commitment to excellence and professional integrity, equipping librarians with the tools and community support to uphold freedom of expression in their institutions, reflects the principled, nonpartisan advocacy FAIR admires.

If you share our admiration for ALP’s work, we invite you to join FAIR in Libraries, our professional network for library staff, trustees, and engaged citizens who believe that libraries should be places of discovery, not indoctrination. Members gain access to a supportive network of peers, shared resources for navigating workplace challenges, and a collective voice advocating for neutrality and excellence in our public and academic institutions.

As it works to inspire a new generation of librarians and to return to these timeless values, ALP is proving that neutrality is not a lack of conviction, but a profound commitment to the freedom of the individual. By focusing on how we think rather than what we think, ALP is helping to preserve libraries as sanctuaries for free thought.

Whether you are a seasoned library director or a dedicated patron, your voice matters in preserving these vital spaces. The library has always been one of democracy's best ideas. Help keep it that way. Join FAIR in Libraries & Join the Association of Library Professionals

With Gratitude,
The Fair For All Team

Donate

* Join Our Webinar Tonight * The Body-Mind Connection: Rethinking How Medicine Approaches Adolescent Development

Mood swings, difficulty focusing, disrupted sleep, irregular periods are all hallmarks of adolescence and not necessarily signs of disorder. Yet antidepressant prescriptions for teens have risen 66% in six years, ADHD diagnoses now affect more than 6 million children, and hormonal contraception is routinely prescribed to teenage girls for symptoms that may reflect normal development.

Join FAIR and Dr. Kendra Kautz, DC *TONIGHT* Wednesday, May 6th, 4pm PT / 7pm ET, for a candid conversation about what parents are often not told before a prescription is written and what questions they have every right to ask.

Drawing on real cases and peer-reviewed research, this webinar will explore the physiological context behind adolescent symptoms and ask what informed consent should really mean before a family agrees to a prescription that could change a developing brain.

This webinar will be livestreamed on FAIR’s X, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Zoom.

Register

Need a primer? Here’s the latest article by Dr. Kendra Kautz:

FAIR in Conversation is Back!

FAIR in Conversation has relaunched with a new monthly format built for this moment. We’re leaning away from books and into the issues themselves: the debates, decisions, and developments that are defining what fairness, free speech, and equal dignity mean in America, and beyond, right now.

Each session will center on a pressing topic of the day, drawing on a curated mix of articles, book summaries, short essays, podcasts, films, and other multimedia resources to ground the conversation before opening the floor for discussion. Sessions will be virtual, open to all FAIR members, and designed to be as accessible as they are substantive. You don’t need to have read anything in advance. Just bring your curiosity, your willingness to listen, and your commitment to engage in good faith.

These are exactly the conversations America needs now, and we are committed to modeling them. Sessions will run monthly from April 29th to September 23rd. We hope you’ll join us!

Register Here

FAIR Educators Alliance 2025-2026

Join the FAIR Educators Alliance for the 2025–2026 school year to equip PK–12 educators with the knowledge, strategies, and community support they need to foster schools that are more enriching and free from bias for students and educators.

Each monthly gathering will open with updates and presentations from FAIR staff, fellows, Chapter Leaders, and occasional guest speakers. Together, we’ll explore strategies to support educators, communities, and local chapters—and to advance positive change at the local, regional, and national levels.

Following the presentations, participants will have space for open-forum discussions to connect, seek advice, and coordinate on pressing issues in their schools. Breakout rooms will be divided into PK-6 and 7-12 grade levels with experienced teachers facilitating those conversations.

Meetings: First Thursday of each month at 7 PM ET via Zoom Duration: 1 hour

Join Us!

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these newsletters, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.
  

“Can We Mute the Hate Speech, Please?”

For FAIR’s Substack, recounts a California school board meeting where a parent’s policy concerns were interrupted by a board member labelling her remarks “hate speech.” This incident highlights a broader concern: when policy disagreement is reframed as inherently “hateful,” it can shut down legitimate democratic participation and weaken accountability for elected officials.

Reasonable people will disagree about which path to take, but that is the point of public comment. Yet in that moment, one side of that debate wasn’t treated as a position, but as a voice to be “muted.”

People take note when this happens. Speaking in front of a school board can be daunting — not just for the person speaking, but also for everyone else listening. That was certainly true for me. Whether they are on Zoom, physically in the room, or watching the event later, participants learn which arguments are safe to express and which ones carry a cost.

Some people will choose to keep speaking anyway. But many will not.

Over time, the range of acceptable viewpoints narrows not by formalized rule, but by signal. The meeting still looks “open.” The microphones are still there. But the boundaries have shifted, and that has consequences. You lose the parent who came to ask a budget question and decides it is not worth it next time. You lose the observer who has a similar concern but chooses to stay silent. The community loses the expectation that public officials will engage with criticism rather than deflect it. Once that expectation erodes, effective governance suffers, as well.

Read the Full Article

AFPI Files Suit Challenging Washington Policy That Houses Men in Women’s Prison

For the America First Policy Institute, Leigh Ann O’Neill shares a press release regarding a new lawsuit filed in partnership with FAIR, challenging the Washington State Department of Corrections’ policy of housing male inmates who identify as women in the state’s prison for women, a policy the complaint alleges has led to violence, sexual abuse, intimidation, and ongoing fear among female inmates.

The lawsuit asserts that Washington’s policy violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment and the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection. It argues that female inmates are being subjected to foreseeable and preventable harm while the state prioritizes accommodations for male inmates who identify as women over the safety, privacy, and dignity of the women already housed there.

“Fairness begins with telling the truth,” said Monica Harris, executive director of Fair for All. “Women in custody are wholly dependent on the state for their safety. When officials ignore reality, ignore repeated warnings, and ignore the women living with the consequences, the law has to step in. No woman should be told that her safety, privacy, and dignity matter less because the state prefers ideology to common sense.”

The complaint describes the August 7, 2025, attack on Booher-Smith and alleges that prison officials had advance notice of the risks posed by certain transferred male inmates, including through prior complaints and litigation. It also alleges ongoing harm to additional Fair for All members at the facility; the nonprofit is involved as a plaintiff to advocate for an entire class of women who are threatened.

Read the Full Legal Complaint

Let’s Return to Teaching Students How to Argue

For The Coddling Movie, Gregory Roper argues that education has drifted too far toward emotional protection at the expense of resilience and intellectual growth. He suggests that shielding students from discomfort, such as avoiding challenging ideas, leaves them less prepared for real-world adversity.

We hear all the time that America is hopelessly polarized, that the electronic landscape allows us to stay in our own hermetically-sealed communities, and that no one can speak with anyone across the aisle. For decades now, the Left has believed that those who disagree with it are not just wrong but evil; in the last three election cycles, we have seen those on the right taking on the same position.

What if the problem is not our politics but the way we are taught to argue?

For four decades, American students have been taking misconceived “rhetoric and composition” classes, which now are almost completely under the ideological control of the woke. We need to fix that so we can return to a republic of vigorous, fair, thoughtful, and productive discussion.

Read the Full Article

Is There Life After Being Cancelled?

For his Substack, former Seattle principal Ed Roos reflects on the personal and professional fallout following his cancellation in 2020 amid a public controversy. He describes how his career path has shifted and shares his ongoing struggle with PTSD linked to what he terms “revenge culture.”

It has been almost six grueling, at times hopeless, years since I lost my livelihood due to cancel culture, which I prefer to call revenge culture. In the immediate aftermath, I made a vow to not let this destroy me. I committed to staying as mentally and physically strong and healthy as possible. I embarked on a healthy dose of endorphins through a healthy diet, exercise, ‘live in the moment’ meditation, sun exposure, hikes, snowshoeing, skiing and walks in nature. Even during the isolation of COVID, I forced myself out of bed and into the elements. I wouldn’t allow myself to wallow in the wreckage; I was determined to overcome it.

Read the Full Article

Why Substack Is Right Not to Ban Andrew Tate

For The Overflowings of a Liberal Brain, Helen Pluckrose makes the case that Substack should restrict bans to clear cases of incitement to violence, rather than policing “harmful” or offensive ideas. She warns that expanding moderation based on subjective notions of “acceptability” risks ideological bias and inconsistent enforcement. Instead, Pluckrose defends a “marketplace of ideas” approach, where users — not platforms — decide what to engage with, ignore, or block.

Once a platform begins moderating speech on the basis of content rather than direct incitement to violence, it enters an inherently subjective moral terrain. It must then justify which ideas are “acceptably” horrible and which are unacceptably so. This requires increasingly complex rules of moderation, heightening the risk of political and cultural bias. It also becomes difficult to prevent the boundaries of allowable speech from steadily contracting.

If Substack justified banning ideas on the basis that they are simply too objectionable, it would then have to contend with the implication that it implicitly endorses those that remain. It would voluntarily abandon the principled defence of free speech as a system in which ideas compete and bad ones can be challenged and defeated as the basis for which it declines to moderate content. This gives activists, fuelled by moral outrage, ammunition to make endless demands using the precedent of already banned ideas, and defences against that will necessarily be subjective and give the appearance of ad hoc rationalisations.

Read the Full Article

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these Roundups, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.

Dear Friends of FAIR,

FAIR was founded on the principle that equal protection isn’t a principle that applies only to some people in some settings. It applies to everyone, including women who are incarcerated and wholly dependent on the state for their safety. That is the conviction behind FAIR’s decision to file suit this week against the Washington State Department of Corrections (WSDC).

This is a significant moment for our organization and for the women at the center of this fight. The lawsuit, filed in partnership with the America First Policy Institute, alleges that the WSDC’s policy of housing male inmates who identify as women in the state’s women’s facility has subjected female inmates to violence, sexual abuse, intimidation, and ongoing fear. Fair For All filed alongside co-plaintiff Faith Booher-Smith, a female inmate at the facility who alleges she was violently attacked by a male inmate transferred there under this policy.

Our complaint alleges that Washington officials continued enforcing this policy despite prior incidents, prior litigation, and direct complaints from women in their custody. Female inmates have been forced to share cells, showers, bathrooms, and other intimate living spaces with male inmates — stripped of the sex-based protections a women’s facility is supposed to provide. The lawsuit asserts that WSDC’s policy violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment and the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.

Women in custody have no choice about where they live or who they live with. They depend entirely on the state for their safety. When the state knowingly places women at risk and ignores repeated warnings, the Constitution requires accountability. These women have no voice in the ordinary sense. They can’t organize, they can’t speak to the press, they can’t walk away. What they can do is have an organization stand with them in court, and that’s what FAIR is doing.

This isn’t a debate about policy preferences. A woman was attacked, officials had been warned, but they continued the policy anyway. The only question here is whether the state intends to honor its constitutional obligations. Equal protection under the law is the foundation of FAIR’s work. We believe constitutional rights are not selective. The same Fourteenth Amendment that protects people from race-based discrimination, viewpoint discrimination, and unequal treatment in education protects incarcerated women from being knowingly exposed to foreseeable harm by the state.

Since filing our complaint, we have had direct conversations with attorneys in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) about this case, and those conversations have produced a significant development: the DOJ has invited FAIR to formally request a Statement of Interest in our Washington litigation.

This matters enormously. A Statement of Interest is a formal filing in which the federal government provides a court with its recommended framework for evaluating the constitutional claims at stake. It signals that the federal government has a direct interest in how the law is interpreted, and that signal carries substantial weight with judges.

The DOJ has announced investigations into similar policies at women’s correctional facilities in California and Maine, and FAIR’s Washington case presents the same constitutional questions. A Statement of Interest by the DOJ would extend the government’s constitutional framework to our litigation and strengthen the legal foundation for the women we represent. We are preparing that request now and will keep you informed as this process moves forward.

This case reflects the essence of who we are and what FAIR stands for. Equal protection isn’t a partisan value; it’s an American one, and this litigation is proof of that conviction in action.

Litigation like this is only possible because of the support of people who believe, as we do, that civil rights belong to everyone. If you are able to contribute to FAIR’s advocacy efforts, please consider making a donation today. Every contribution directly supports our ability to defend and protect Americans whose rights are most at risk.

With gratitude,

Monica Harris

Executive Director, FAIR

The Body-Mind Connection: Rethinking How Medicine Approaches Adolescent Development

Mood swings, difficulty focusing, disrupted sleep, irregular periods are all hallmarks of adolescence and not necessarily signs of disorder. Yet antidepressant prescriptions for teens have risen 66% in six years, ADHD diagnoses now affect more than 6 million children, and hormonal contraception is routinely prescribed to teenage girls for symptoms that may reflect normal development. Join FAIR and on Wednesday, May 6th, 4pm PT / 7pm ET, for a candid conversation about what parents are often not told before a prescription is written and what questions they have every right to ask. Drawing on real cases and peer-reviewed research, this webinar will explore the physiological context behind adolescent symptoms and ask what informed consent should really mean before a family agrees to a prescription that could change a developing brain.

Register Here

FAIR in Conversation is Back!

FAIR in Conversation has relaunched with a new monthly format built for this moment. We’re leaning away from books and into the issues themselves: the debates, decisions, and developments that are defining what fairness, free speech, and equal dignity mean in America, and beyond, right now.

Each session will center on a pressing topic of the day, drawing on a curated mix of articles, book summaries, short essays, podcasts, films, and other multimedia resources to ground the conversation before opening the floor for discussion.

Sessions will be virtual, open to all FAIR members, and designed to be as accessible as they are substantive. You don’t need to have read anything in advance. Just bring your curiosity, your willingness to listen, and your commitment to engage in good faith.

These are exactly the conversations America needs now, and we are committed to modeling them. Sessions will run monthly from April 29th to September 23rd. We hope you’ll join us!

Register Here

FAIR Educators Alliance 2025-2026

Join the FAIR Educators Alliance for the 2025–2026 school year to equip PK–12 educators with the knowledge, strategies, and community support they need to foster schools that are more enriching and free from bias for students and educators.

Each monthly gathering will open with updates and presentations from FAIR staff, fellows, Chapter Leaders, and occasional guest speakers. Together, we’ll explore strategies to support educators, communities, and local chapters—and to advance positive change at the local, regional, and national levels.

Following the presentations, participants will have space for open-forum discussions to connect, seek advice, and coordinate on pressing issues in their schools. Breakout rooms will be divided into PK-6 and 7-12 grade levels with experienced teachers facilitating those conversations.

Meetings: First Thursday of each month at 7 PM ET via Zoom Duration: 1 hour

Join Us!

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these newsletters, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.
  

I regularly watch board meetings in Culver City Unified School District (CCUSD), where my daughter is enrolled, and occasionally attend in person. Since the pandemic the district has settled into a hybrid Zoom format, which has become a biweekly ritual for me.

Recently, public commenters on Zoom stopped appearing on camera, leaving me to hear only faceless voices. So, when I heard a somewhat exasperated but genuine parent begin their public comment with: “Please, for the love of God improve your communications…” it got my attention (48:00).

She then turned to the district’s finances and enrollment.

“I will vote no on any parcel tax,” she declared. “I will campaign no for any parcel tax, because until you guys get a handle on our student body… we need a more restrictive process to prove residency, and we need to right-size our district.”

CCUSD, like many California districts, has been losing students, and a recent district-funded study projects that this trend will continue. Payroll for teachers and administrators, however, has not shrunk to match this loss, and the board is asking voters to approve a parcel tax to close the gap.

As her time expired and the parent was finishing her comments, board member Triston Ezidore interjected: “Can we mute the hate speech, please?”

There was a brief pause.

“What hate speech?” the parent asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

But there was no answer. Her audio feed was abruptly cut, and the meeting quickly moved on (50:00).

Bear in mind the parent’s remarks were about fiscal policy, enrollment management, and district budgeting, which are standard topics at any school board meeting. Yet instead of engaging with the substance of her concerns, board member Ezidore’s remark recast them as a moral violation.

I’ve seen this play out before.

Before this incident, I served on several district committees, including the high school Site Council, the Local Control Accountability Plan committee, and the district’s Equity Advisory Council. In all of these forums, disagreement was often handled indirectly.

The Equity Advisory Council operated under a recurring “Norm Setting Agreement” that asked participants to “elevate marginalized voices” and “respect intersectionality”.

I raised a concern about this process at my first meeting and told the group I could not agree to those rules. My point was simple: experience can inform a discussion, but it should not determine who is right before the discussion begins.

No one engaged with my argument.

Instead, the facilitator read aloud a prepared anti-hate statement, the kind now recited before public comment at municipal meetings. The implication was clear enough. What I had said was not just wrong, but out of bounds.

Following that meeting, I sent an email to the facilitator and fellow committee members reiterating my earlier concerns about elevating voices based on identity rather than ideas. The response, both in the meeting and in the silence that followed, largely reaffirmed the existing framework.

The exchange at the board meeting felt so familiar because the mechanism was the same. You don’t have to refute an argument if you can simply relabel it. When a perspective is framed as harmful or hateful, it no longer needs to be addressed.

The parent’s comments were about trade-offs. The district faces a structural budget problem driven by declining enrollment and a cost structure that does not easily adjust. There are only a few options: raise more revenue, reduce costs, or some combination of both.

Reasonable people will disagree about which path to take, but that is the point of public comment. Yet in that moment, one side of that debate wasn’t treated as a position, but as a voice to be “muted.”

People take note when this happens. Speaking in front of a school board can be daunting — not just for the person speaking, but also for everyone else listening. That was certainly true for me. Whether they are on Zoom, physically in the room, or watching the event later, participants learn which arguments are safe to express and which ones carry a cost.

Some people will choose to keep speaking anyway. But many will not.

Over time, the range of acceptable viewpoints narrows not by formalized rule, but by signal. The meeting still looks “open.” The microphones are still there. But the boundaries have shifted, and that has consequences. You lose the parent who came to ask a budget question and decides it is not worth it next time. You lose the observer who has a similar concern but chooses to stay silent. The community loses the expectation that public officials will engage with criticism rather than deflect it. Once that expectation erodes, effective governance suffers, as well.

School boards are one of the few places where ordinary citizens can directly question decisions about taxes, staffing, and policy. When those questions can be dismissed rather than engaged, the community loses something essential — not decorum, but accountability.

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We welcome you to share your thoughts on this piece in the comments below. Click here to view our comment section moderation policy.

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Fair For All or its employees.

In keeping with our mission to promote a common culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity, we are committed to including a diverse range of voices and to encouraging compassionate, good-faith discourse.

We are actively seeking perspectives on this topic and others. If you’d like to join the conversation, please send completed drafts to submissions@fairforall.org.

Rejecting the Rejection of Empathy

For FAIR’s Substack, argues that empathy is being unfairly dismissed in today’s polarized politics. He contends that empathy is not just a feeling, but a practice of understanding those we disagree with, and warns that abandoning it risks dehumanizing our opponents and weakening democratic culture.

[Empathy] requires us to listen across differences, to sit with the discomfort of perspectives that unsettle our own, and to resist the temptation to dismiss what we haven’t yet tried to understand. Empathy, in this sense, is the foundation of deep listening, and deep listening is the foundation of democratic life.

The skills that make this possible — perspective-taking, active attention, the willingness to be changed by what we hear — are not mere instincts. They are practices. They can be learned, and they can be lost. Empathy does not require agreement. But empathy does require our love for our country to be reflected in our concern for our neighbors. Empathy requires us to take seriously the reality of the person across from us — their hopes, their fears, and the experiences that shape their convictions. That seriousness is what transforms a conversation into a community, and a community into a democracy.

Read the Full Article

We invite you to join us on Monday, April 27th, at 4pm PT/ 7pm ET for a webinar discussion with FAIR Advisors and , moderated by FAIR Executive Director .

Documenting a Decade of Academic Meltdowns

For Quillette, FAIR Advisor Jonathan Kay interviews Canadian filmmaker Ric Esther Bienstock about her new documentary Speechless, which explores the past decade of campus culture wars and their impact on free speech and civil discourse.

As I was watching Speechless, I realized that campus “cancel culture”—a term that now seems somewhat antique—has been around long enough that it has a history. And Speechless tells that history thoughtfully and fairly by focusing on a handful of major case studies—no fewer than five of which center on figures who will be well-known to loyal Quillette readers and podcast listeners: former Evergreen State biologist Bret Weinstein; Erec Smith a former professor at York College of Pennsylvania; philosopher Kathleen Stock, formerly of Sussex University; former Harvard evolutionary biologist Carole Hooven; and right-wing warrior Christopher Rufo, whom Ric and her producer accompanied as he was leading the teardown of DEI programs at New College in Florida, on behalf of his political ally, Ron DeSantis.

In our conversation, Ric discusses why she devoted so much of her life to this project—almost a decade in the end; and how she successfully sold her two-part documentary to the CBC, the BBC, and a number of non-English markets in Europe as well.

Watch Here

They Championed D.E.I. Now They’re Divided.

For The New York Times Opinion, FAIR Advisor Erec Smith joins a panel discussion to share his perspective on how DEI is practiced in universities and institutions. He argues that many DEI programs rely on rigid ideological frameworks — especially oppressor/oppressed narratives — that can oversimplify complex realities and discourage open discussion.

In recent years, diversity, equity and inclusion policies have shifted from an internal workplace initiative to a public reckoning. Critics argue that it has strayed from its original purpose, reshaping institutions in ways that are performative at best and discriminatory at worst… In this episode of “Divided,” we bring together four former D.E.I. leaders to reflect on their accomplishments and failures. Bo Young Lee, a tech executive, and Michael Yassa, a university professor, still see D.E.I. as a worthwhile endeavor and a set of ideals to strive for. Desiree Fixler, a finance executive, and Erec Smith, a professor, once shared that view, but have come to believe D.E.I. is counterproductive.

Watch Here

Welcome to the Nebuchadnezzar: Forecasting a human future

For Heterodoxy in the Stacks, Sarah Hartman-Caverly shares the written interview between FAIR board member Heather Shayne Blakeslee and evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein, who share their “thoughts in-progress” on coexisting with AI while carving out a distinctly human niche.

[Blakeslee:] Ultimately, if you want to argue that humans are special, you have to get real religious real quick. You’re talking about a soul, I think—and that’s really uncomfortable for atheists or even rationalists, but I’m not sure how you avoid that path. I supposed that because I don’t think we have souls, that I’m more inclined to give moral status to non-humans, period, whether or not they have a human-type consciousness.

Our cultural norms and ethics are all over the place on whom and what we grant moral or legal status to. Over our history, some people have been given moral status but not others; we’ve granted legal status to some rivers; the Citizens United ruling granted personhood status to corporations. We give very narrow and limited consideration to other mammals, or non-human animals generally, which has never made sense to me: a great ape can be held against its will and basically tortured, but a corporation’s speech is protected by the first amendment? We have to sort this out, because this big AI tsunami is already in motion.

Read the Full Interview

John Tomasi on the Diversity We Don’t Discuss

For Lean Out with Tara Henley, Tara Henley interviews John Tomasi, president of Heterodox Academy, about the new book, Viewpoint Diversity: What It Is, Why We Need It, and How to Get It, which he co-edited along with Bernard Schweizer. Tomasi discusses the importance of institutional openness to ideological disagreement and the role of viewpoint diversity in strengthening academic and civic life.

Listen to the interview or read the transcript here:

Lean Out with Tara Henley

John Tomasi on the Diversity We Don't Discuss

In recent years, viewpoint diversity has become a loaded term. But my guest on the program today says it is vital that we renew our commitment to dialogue, especially across lines of difference. He has edited a new book that brings together prominent professors and journalists to make the case for free speech, intellectual humility, and societal plurali…

Listen now

20 days ago · 24 likes · 2 comments · Tara Henley

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these Roundups, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

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Dear Friends of FAIR,

Last month, FAIR Executive Director Monica Harris joined a distinguished group of scholars, legal experts, and education leaders for “Building a Culture of Dialogue: A Conversation with Harvard’s Intellectual Vitality Initiative,” hosted by Harvard Alumni for Free Speech. Co-sponsored by FAIR and the Council on Academic Freedom, the conversation explored what it actually takes to cultivate intellectual diversity and open inquiry — on Harvard’s campus and beyond.

In addition to Monica, the panel featured Harvard faculty and institutional leaders Professor Danielle Allen, Edward J. Hall, Ari Kohn, and John Evangelakos. Together, they examined the state of free inquiry at universities, the institutional conditions that make genuine dialogue possible, and the challenge of building cultures where disagreement is not just tolerated but genuinely valued.

Watch the full conversation here:

Monica’s contribution to the conversation brought a dimension often missing from discussions about free expression in higher education: what students are bringing with them when they arrive. If universities are serious about intellectual vitality, the work has to start earlier.

FAIR’s Many Stories, One Nation curriculum is designed to give high school students the tools for exactly this kind of intellectual engagement. During the panel, Monica highlighted two key frameworks at the heart of the curriculum.

The first is logical fallacy identification. Students learn to recognize common errors in reasoning such as straw man arguments, false dichotomies, ad hominem attacks, and more. What makes this instruction distinctive is its direction: students are taught to identify these fallacies in their own thinking, not just in the arguments of others. This self-scrutiny is harder, and more important. It asks students to develop a habit of intellectual honesty that most adults have never been formally taught.

The second framework Monica discussed is one she describes as among the most powerful in the curriculum: the Competing Goods framework.

The premise is straightforward, but its implications are profound. Most genuine controversies, the curriculum teaches, don’t pit a good argument against a bad one. Instead, they pit two legitimate values against each other. Safety versus freedom. Individual rights versus community welfare. Tradition versus progress. Equality versus excellence. In each case, both sides are protecting something real, but the disagreement arises because people prioritize those goods differently, and that prioritization reflects deeply held values, not ignorance or malice.

FAIR’s curriculum encourages students to ask: What is the “other side” actually trying to protect or defend? What legitimate concern is driving their position? Can I understand why a reasonable person with different priorities might reach a different conclusion?

This reframing doesn’t require abandoning convictions or pretending that all positions are equally valid; students can still take sides. But the framework changes the nature of the disagreement. Instead of “my side is right and your side is wrong,” the question becomes: “How do we navigate a genuine tension between things we both care about?” This shift from winning to understanding is what makes productive dialogue possible.

As Monica noted during the panel, this disconnect is at the root of much of the divisive public discourse we see today. When people can’t recognize that the “other side” is protecting something legitimate, they default to assuming bad faith. The conversation degrades into combat. The Competing Goods framework gives students a way out of that trap. Instead of avoiding hard questions, they’re taught to approach them with greater intellectual sophistication.

Open inquiry doesn’t begin or end on a college campus. It’s a cultural challenge, and culture is built over time, through practice, and by equipping young people with the skills and dispositions that genuine dialogue requires.

For educators and administrators interested in bringing FAIR’s Many Stories, One Nation curriculum to their students, or for anyone who wants to learn more about our work to strengthen civil discourse in K-12 education, you can explore it here or contact monica@fairforall.org.

The conversation at Harvard was a reminder of what’s possible when we take seriously the work of building a better public square. We’re proud to be part of it.

With gratitude,
The FAIR Team

The Lost Art of Listening: Building Empathy Across Differences

Join FAIR Advisors and for this upcoming webinar, moderated by FAIR Executive Director Monica Harris. We will discuss the need to develop emotional intelligence and perspective-enhancing skills and how deep listening strengthens democratic participation and community bonds. This theme also supports FAIR's commitment to respectful civil discourse, which is a foundational element of our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.

Register Here

Read on the topic of empathy for our Substack this week:

The Body-Mind Connection: Rethinking How Medicine Approaches Adolescent Development

Mood swings, difficulty focusing, disrupted sleep, irregular periods are all hallmarks of adolescence and not necessarily signs of disorder. Yet antidepressant prescriptions for teens have risen 66% in six years, ADHD diagnoses now affect more than 6 million children, and hormonal contraception is routinely prescribed to teenage girls for symptoms that may reflect normal development. Join FAIR and for a candid conversation about what parents are often not told before a prescription is written and what questions they have every right to ask. Drawing on real cases and peer-reviewed research, this webinar will explore the physiological context behind adolescent symptoms and ask what informed consent should really mean before a family agrees to a prescription that could change a developing brain.

Register Here

FAIR Educators Alliance 2025-2026

Join the FAIR Educators Alliance for the 2025–2026 school year to equip PK–12 educators with the knowledge, strategies, and community support they need to foster schools that are more enriching and free from bias for students and educators.

Each monthly gathering will open with updates and presentations from FAIR staff, fellows, Chapter Leaders, and occasional guest speakers. Together, we’ll explore strategies to support educators, communities, and local chapters—and to advance positive change at the local, regional, and national levels.

Following the presentations, participants will have space for open-forum discussions to connect, seek advice, and coordinate on pressing issues in their schools. Breakout rooms will be divided into PK-6 and 7-12 grade levels with experienced teachers facilitating those conversations.

Meetings: First Thursday of each month at 7 PM ET via Zoom Duration: 1 hour

Join Us!

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these newsletters, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.
  

Empathy is an ancient moral instinct that is relatively new to the English language. From the Greek word Empatheia (meaning passion or emotion) and the Greek Pathos (meaning suffering and profound feeling), the German language produced the term Einfühlung somewhere in the late 19th century — a term describing the projection of one’s own feelings onto other human beings and even onto objects. As language evolved, the English term “empathy” came to signify the capacity to understand the feelings of another person as if they were one’s own. Yet this new term reflected a very ancient bit of moral wisdom. It is strange that in today’s polarized discourse we sometimes discard empathy as if it were the product of experimental social science and not something that in substance echoes all the way back to the gospels and beyond.

There is a story that appears in the first book of Kings in the Old Testament about King Solomon, the wisest king of Israel, and the manner in which he dispensed justice. As the story goes, Solomon was confronted with a dispute between two women, each of whom claimed to be the mother of the same infant boy. The women lived with each other and each had recently given birth to a baby, making their children the same age. During the night as they slept, so one of the women claimed, the other woman rolled over and smothered her own child to death. Waking up and realizing what she had done, the mother who had accidentally killed her son went to the bed of the other woman who lay sleeping with her child, and replaced the living child with the dead one. The woman accused of swapping the children denied this charge. Rather than interrogate the women further to rationally deduce the truth, Solomon, in his wisdom, exposed the heart of a true mother:

“Then the king said, ‘Bring me a sword.’ So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.’” (1 Kings 3:23-25)

Solomon’s command was shocking and terrifying to the woman who was the true mother of the surviving child. She pleaded for the child’s life and relinquished her claim to him, while the other woman was willing to let Solomon follow through on his intentions. Thus Solomon declared, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.” By being able to inhabit the feelings of a true mother, Solomon was able to dispense true justice through an act of empathy as much as an act of wisdom.

In the modern moment we don’t usually think about empathy in relation to questions of justice except insofar as it enters the conversation under the heading of social justice. In that context, empathy for the marginalized and downtrodden can translate, in some circles, to a default deference to very liberal policies on immigration, law enforcement, public welfare, national security and DEI — policies that privilege the redistribution of resources while looking askance at the question of accountability for particular groups. It is this tendency that gives rise to a critique of empathy in principle by some on the right, encapsulated by the phrase “toxic empathy.” Criticisms of empathy often focus on the tendency to become so absorbed with the struggle and suffering of others that you lose sight of the interests of people (even in your own country or community) who may be harmed by the policies you support on the basis of empathy. “Open borders” policies are frequent targets: empathy for the developing world has opened up flood waves of migration in Europe and the United States that have resulted in the importation of crime, violence, competition for scarce resources and the uneven application of domestic laws against native-born residents.

These are not trivial concerns, but they have never constituted a good basis for rejecting empathy in principle. “Toxic empathy,” properly understood, does not reveal a destructive excess of empathy so much as a lack of it — a failure to extend compassion to people who exist beyond the groups whose challenges we find it easier to feel. Ethically speaking, it makes all the sense in the world to empathize with the struggles of undocumented immigrants, but a complete sense of empathy would also recognize the suffering of people subject to cartel violence on the southern border or workers in inner cities who have lost job opportunities or whose wages are suppressed on account of lax border enforcement policies. Any feeling heart should grieve for the Palestinians in Gaza, yet a complete sense of empathy would also hold space for the devastating pain of October 7th and how it shaped the perspectives of those who acted in defense of Israel.

This is where empathy meets listening, and where both become civic virtues. In a culture that promotes civil discourse, empathy is more than a feeling; it’s a discipline we must practice to allow ourselves to humanize those who disagree with us. The gospels teach that we are to love each other as ourselves, as if we shared a body together, and as if what you feel, I too in some way feel. That kind of love is not passive. It requires us to listen across differences, to sit with the discomfort of perspectives that unsettle our own, and to resist the temptation to dismiss what we haven’t yet tried to understand. Empathy, in this sense, is the foundation of deep listening, and deep listening is the foundation of democratic life.

The skills that make this possible — perspective-taking, active attention, the willingness to be changed by what we hear — are not mere instincts. They are practices. They can be learned, and they can be lost. Empathy does not require agreement. But empathy does require our love for our country to be reflected in our concern for our neighbors. Empathy requires us to take seriously the reality of the person across from us — their hopes, their fears, and the experiences that shape their convictions. That seriousness is what transforms a conversation into a community, and a community into a democracy.

Let this empathy be the substance of how we practice democracy.

Share

We invite you join our upcoming webinar, The Lost Art of Listening: Building Empathy Across Differences, with FAIR Advisors John Wood Jr. and Ilana Redstone, moderated by FAIR Executive Director Monica Harris, on Monday, April 27th, at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.

Register here

We welcome you to share your thoughts on this piece in the comments below. Click here to view our comment section moderation policy.

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Fair For All or its employees.

In keeping with our mission to promote a common culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity, we are committed to including a diverse range of voices and to encouraging compassionate, good-faith discourse.

We are actively seeking perspectives on this topic and others. If you’d like to join the conversation, please send completed drafts to submissions@fairforall.org.

The Medicalization of Adolescence

For FAIR’s Substack, Dr. Kendra Kautz explores how normal adolescent development is increasingly treated as pathology. Rising diagnoses and prescriptions (especially antidepressants and ADHD medications) suggest clinicians may be moving too quickly, without fully weighing developmental, social, and environmental context or ensuring informed consent.

Adolescence has always been one of the most biologically intense periods of human development. The brain is rapidly reorganizing, hormone systems are activating, and emotional processing pathways are maturing. Mood swings, heightened stress sensitivity, and difficulty regulating internal states are not signs of disorder; rather, they are features of a developing mind and body learning to adapt to their environment.

Yet increasingly, these normal developmental experiences are being pathologized. Antidepressant dispensing among adolescents and young adults ages 12–25 increased by 66.3% between 2016 and 2022, driven largely by rising prescriptions among female adolescents. ADHD diagnoses have surged to approximately 11.4% of U.S. children ages 3–17, more than 6 million children. Hormonal contraception is routinely prescribed to teenage girls not for pregnancy prevention but for acne, painful periods, or mood fluctuations…

Medications can help. The question is whether they are being introduced before other physiological avenues have been explored and whether families are receiving the full picture before they consent.

Read the Full Article

If this topic interests you, please join us on Wednesday, May 6th, at 7pm ET for a webinar discussion with Dr. Kautz.

Jacob Siegel: “The old ruling party is waiting in the wings”

For PUBLIC, FAIR Advisor Michael Shellenberger interviews Jacob Siegel about his new book The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control. They discuss the “Censorship Industrial Complex,” the increasing tendency to label anything that contradicts dominant narratives as “disinformation,” and threat this poses to democracy.

There are good reasons to be concerned about the impact of social media on young people, but Siebel Newsom, despite her attempt not to be political, made clear her problem was with boys “moving to the right,” which is a very different concern from the ones being raised by Jonathan Haidt and others about the impact of social media on childhood. And Siebel Newsom’s remarks come in the context of efforts by her husband to control and even censor information. In 2023, Newsom announced a state initiative for citizens to report disfavored speech (non-criminal “hate incidents”) they see online.

Listen to the Full Interview

The Tragedy of Murdered Indigenous Women is Real. So How Did Activists Turn It Into a Punch Line?

For Quillette, FAIR Advisor Jonathan Kay argues that the crisis of murdered and missing Indigenous women in Canada is real and serious, but is more closely tied to social factors like crime and domestic violence than to a coordinated state effort. He contends that framing it as “genocide” can obscure effective solutions.

In 2015, the government of then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the creation of a public inquiry into the issue—known as the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls—noting that Indigenous women were significantly more likely to be murder victims than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Its mandate was to “look at all underlying causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls including systemic issues.” While Pickton’s crimes were unusually horrific, Canadians learned, his victims represented just a small fraction of the approximately 1,200 Indigenous women who’d been murdered or gone missing over the previous three decades.

Read the Full Article

The New ‘Conversion Therapy’ Is Making Gay Kids Trans

For The Free Press, James Kirchick makes the case that “gender-affirming care” for minors functions as a modern form of “conversion therapy,” steering gender-nonconforming or same-sex-attracted youth toward medical transition.

By grouping sexual orientation and gender identity under the same “LGBTQ” umbrella, many conversion therapy bans conflate two entirely separate concepts. Sexual orientation is other-directed, determined by the sex to which one is physically and emotionally attracted…Gender identity, by contrast, is a subjective feeling of one’s own gender, which may or may not correspond with biological sex…For some, this means adopting gendered ideas about how the opposite sex is supposed to look, dress, and act. Others choose to undergo what used to be called a “sex change,” today euphemistically described as “medically necessary gender-affirming care.” This is utterly foreign to the gay experience, especially the young gay experience. Coming out of the closet does not entail the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or irreversible medical interventions.

Read the Full Article

Yale’s ‘Trust’ Report Affirms HxA’s Reform Agenda — And Our Members Helped

For Free The Inquiry Heterodox Academy writes that Yale’s new “Trust in Higher Education” report independently validates many of HxA’s long-standing reform priorities, including a sharper institutional mission, stronger protections for open inquiry, and greater viewpoint diversity.

On self-censorship, one of HxA’s cornerstone concerns, the report is unsparing. It cites Yale’s own 2025 survey finding that nearly a third of undergraduates do not feel free to express their political beliefs on campus, up from 17% in 2015. “Self-censorship driven by fear of personal attack, academic retaliation, or other political pressure,” the committee writes, “undermines the principles of free speech and academic freedom.”

The committee’s approach to reform is also distinctly HxA’s: change from within. It calls for faculty-led self-studies, joint student-faculty committees on classroom principles, and collaborative governance. This is precisely the model HxA has championed for over a decade: equipping academics inside the institution to drive deep, lasting change.

Read the Full Article

The Decline of Confidence in Higher Ed.

For Expression, Nate Honeycutt unpacks recent data obtained by FIRE which shows that one-third of Americans have no confidence in U.S. colleges and universities.

On their own, these confidence trends reflect an untenable dynamic for higher education leaders. But viewed alongside other indicators, they suggest deeper structural problems… Just as important are signs that many high schoolers — most notably males and Republicans — are less interested in graduating from college, that ideological diversity among professors and administrators is low and still declining, and that highly visible speech controversies continue to pile up.

If colleges and universities want to remain socially relevant and financially stable, they’re going to have to confront the reality that large segments of the public increasingly see them as exclusionary rather than open.

Read the Full Article

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these Roundups, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.

Dear Friends of FAIR,

Since FAIR’s founding, we’ve advocated for pro-human values, civil liberties, and viewpoint diversity in courtrooms, in classrooms, and in workplaces. But these values don’t take root through advocacy alone. They take root when people gather in town halls, school board meetings, and local libraries to have honest conversations about the kind of institutions they want.

April is National Volunteer Month, a reminder that the values we advocate live in the communities you’re building every day. FAIR has a strong and growing Chapter network, and Volunteer Month inspires us to invest in making it even more robust by supporting the leaders who carry our mission into their communities. Every dollar donated to FAIR Chapters this month goes directly toward equipping them to do the work that can only be done at the local level:

Bring expert voices to communities. Fund travel and honorariums to bring speakers and thought leaders directly to local audiences.

Organize civil discourse events. Host town halls, coffee chats and other gatherings where community members can learn to respectfully disagree and find common ground.

Print and distribute curriculum materials. Give parents, educators, and school administrators a firsthand look at what a balanced, rigorous alternative to Liberated Ethnic Studies can look like.

None of this happens without your support. A direct gift this month can transform your local Chapter’s vision into reality.

If you want to see an example of FAIR Chapters in action, look no further than the Twin Cities. This month, supporters in Minnesota are hosting a series of community preview events for FAIR’s curriculum, Many Stories, One Nation, in partnership with the Minnesota Partnership for Achievement:

• White Bear Lake — Monday, April 21, 6:30–8:00 PM

• Anoka Hennepin — Monday, April 28, 7:00–8:30 PM

• Elk River — Wednesday, April 30, 5:30–7:30 PM

If you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and are interested in attending any of these sessions, you can register here.

What’s happening in Minnesota is a model, and it’s one we can replicate nationwide. When chapters are resourced and energized, they become the infrastructure that keeps schools and other institutions balanced and creates communities where honest disagreement and shared humanity can coexist.

That’s what we’re building toward in 2026, and your support is what makes it possible.

If you’re ready to give, donate here. If you’re ready to organize, reach out to your local chapter leader or contact us directly. Whatever your capacity, there’s a place for you in this work.

This April, we hope you’ll move beyond conversation and into your community. The future we’re working toward isn’t built in a single courtroom or a single classroom. It’s built by people like you, showing up where it matters most.

With gratitude,
The FAIR Team

Donate Here

Join Us

The Lost Art of Listening: Building Empathy Across Differences

Join FAIR Advisors and for this upcoming webinar, moderated by FAIR Executive Director Monica Harris. We will discuss the need to develop emotional intelligence and perspective-enhancing skills and how deep listening strengthens democratic participation and community bonds. This theme also supports FAIR's commitment to respectful civil discourse, which is a foundational element of our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.

Register Here

The Body-Mind Connection: Rethinking How Medicine Approaches Adolescent Development

Mood swings, difficulty focusing, disrupted sleep, irregular periods are all hallmarks of adolescence and not necessarily signs of disorder. Yet antidepressant prescriptions for teens have risen 66% in six years, ADHD diagnoses now affect more than 6 million children, and hormonal contraception is routinely prescribed to teenage girls for symptoms that may reflect normal development. Join FAIR and for a candid conversation about what parents are often not told before a prescription is written and what questions they have every right to ask. Drawing on real cases and peer-reviewed research, this webinar will explore the physiological context behind adolescent symptoms and ask what informed consent should really mean before a family agrees to a prescription that could change a developing brain.

Register Here

Read Dr. Kendra Kautz on our Substack this week:

FAIR Educators Alliance 2025-2026

Join the FAIR Educators Alliance for the 2025–2026 school year to equip PK–12 educators with the knowledge, strategies, and community support they need to foster schools that are more enriching and free from bias for students and educators.

Each monthly gathering will open with updates and presentations from FAIR staff, fellows, Chapter Leaders, and occasional guest speakers. Together, we’ll explore strategies to support educators, communities, and local chapters—and to advance positive change at the local, regional, and national levels.

Following the presentations, participants will have space for open-forum discussions to connect, seek advice, and coordinate on pressing issues in their schools. Breakout rooms will be divided into PK-6 and 7-12 grade levels with experienced teachers facilitating those conversations.

Meetings: First Thursday of each month at 7 PM ET via Zoom Duration: 1 hour

Join Us!

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these newsletters, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.
  

Adolescence has always been one of the most biologically intense periods of human development. The brain is rapidly reorganizing, hormone systems are activating, and emotional processing pathways are maturing. Mood swings, heightened stress sensitivity, and difficulty regulating internal states are not signs of disorder; rather, they are features of a developing mind and body learning to adapt to their environment.

Yet increasingly, these normal developmental experiences are being pathologized. Antidepressant dispensing among adolescents and young adults ages 12–25 increased by 66.3% between 2016 and 2022, driven largely by rising prescriptions among female adolescents. ADHD diagnoses have surged to approximately 11.4% of U.S. children ages 3–17, more than 6 million children. Hormonal contraception is routinely prescribed to teenage girls not for pregnancy prevention but for acne, painful periods, or mood fluctuations. Research from the Guttmacher Institute found that about one-third report using it solely to manage these symptoms while 82% of birth control pill users report taking it for at least one non-contraceptive reason.

Medications can help. The question is whether they are being introduced before other physiological avenues have been explored and whether families are receiving the full picture before they consent.

The Developing Brain Needs Context

One reason adolescent symptoms are so easily mistaken for disorder is neurological timing. The limbic system — which processes emotions and reward — becomes highly active during puberty, while the prefrontal cortex — which governs impulse control and emotional regulation — does not fully mature until the mid-twenties. Adolescents are wired to experience strong emotional signals before the regulation systems to manage them are fully online. This is development, not disease, and it should be the starting point of every clinical conversation about adolescent behavioral and emotional symptoms.

Case One: When Treatment Shifts the Problem

A 12-year-old girl presented with severe anxiety and persistent insomnia. After several months, she was prescribed an SSRI. Her sleep improved; physiologically, this makes sense, as SSRIs increase serotonin availability, and serotonin is a biochemical precursor to melatonin, which regulates the sleep–wake cycle.

About a year later, however, her menstrual cycle stopped.

Serotonin signaling interacts closely with the hypothalamic pathways that regulate reproduction, and SSRIs have been associated with elevated prolactin levels, a hormone that can suppress ovulation. In adolescents, whose hormonal systems are still establishing their long-term rhythms, these interactions carry particular weight: disrupted ovulatory cycles can affect progesterone production and the development of peak bone mass, both critical processes during these years.

This case also opens a broader question about hormonal contraception, which is frequently prescribed to teenage girls presenting with these exact symptoms — irregular cycles, mood changes, acne — as a first-line response. Hormonal contraceptives work by suppressing ovulation and disrupting the brain-ovary signaling axis. Research has shown that women using oral contraceptives often exhibit altered cortisol regulation compared to non-users, reflecting changes in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis that governs stress response, energy metabolism, and immune function. When ovulation is suppressed, the presenting symptom may improve while the underlying physiological imbalance continues unaddressed, and families are rarely told this is the trade-off.

For this patient, after addressing nutritional gaps — including B vitamins and magnesium, which play documented roles in neurotransmitter synthesis and hormonal regulation — her menstrual cycle eventually returned. But the original question was never fully answered: what physiological factors drove her anxiety and insomnia in the first place? Sleep quality, nutrient status, blood sugar regulation, and stress physiology all influence how the developing brain responds to its environment. These were not part of the initial clinical conversation.

Case Two: When Environment Is Diagnosed as Disorder

A 12-year-old boy was referred for ADHD evaluation after parents and school staff reported difficulty focusing, high physical energy, and an inability to sit still. Stimulant medication was recommended.

A review of his daily routine told a different story: most of his day was spent sitting in class, in front of a computer, or watching television. He had almost no opportunity for sustained physical movement.

Neurologically, this matters. Movement generates sensory input from muscles, joints, and the inner ear that helps regulate the brain’s attention and stress response systems. Physical activity stimulates dopamine production, increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and improves blood flow to prefrontal regions involved in focus and learning. When children spend most of the day sedentary, the brain receives far less of this regulatory input.

Compounding this, the high-intensity digital stimulation this child experienced through video games, and social media, strongly activates dopamine pathways. Over time, the brain adapts by reducing receptor sensitivity through a process called downregulation. Everyday tasks like reading or sitting in a classroom then feel comparatively under-stimulating. This is not necessarily a disorder. It may be a mismatch between environment and neurology.

Stimulant medications address the symptom by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine signaling, but they also activate the sympathetic nervous system and increase cortisol output. For a developing brain that depends on adequate sleep, nutrition, and movement, the downstream effects of appetite suppression, sleep disruption, and altered reward pathway sensitivity can create new challenges even as they resolve the presenting one. Some patients require dosage escalation as the brain adapts, a pattern that warrants honest conversation with families upfront.

Instead of beginning medication, we increased physical activity, introduced regular movement breaks, improved sleep hygiene, reduced screen exposure, and adjusted nutrition. Within weeks, his focus improved significantly.

Informed Consent Means More Than a Doctor’s Signature

Clinicians have an obligation to give families the full picture before a prescription is written. Medicine calls this informed consent. But in adolescent psychiatry and primary care, the standard is too often applied narrowly, covering immediate benefits and common short-term side effects while leaving out the broader physiological context in which these medications operate.

Families deserve to know that SSRIs interact with reproductive hormone pathways. That stimulant medications alter developing reward systems and may require escalation over time. That hormonal contraception changes cortisol regulation and stress physiology in ways not fully reversible on a predictable timeline. These are not fringe concerns. They are documented in the peer-reviewed literature, and they are relevant to any family weighing a prescription for a child whose brain and endocrine systems are still under construction.

Equally important, families deserve to know what has not been evaluated before a prescription is written. Has this child’s sleep been assessed? Their nutrient status? Their physical activity levels? The degree of chronic stress in their environment? When these factors go unexamined, medication may relieve a symptom while leaving the underlying physiology unchanged or introducing new disruptions into systems that are still developing.

The time constraints of modern clinical practice make these conversations difficult. But that difficulty is a systemic problem that should not be resolved at the patient’s expense, especially when the patient is twelve years old.

Rethinking What We Owe Adolescents

None of this argues against medication when it is genuinely warranted. There are situations where pharmaceutical intervention is appropriate and even necessary for suicidal ideation, severe depression, psychosis, or debilitating anxiety that significantly impairs a young person’s ability to function. That threshold exists for good reason.

But many of the symptoms that bring adolescents into medical offices — difficulty focusing, mood fluctuations, sleep disturbances, menstrual discomfort, irritability — are also features of normal neurological and hormonal development. Adolescence is not a disease. Treating it as one, without first exploring the physiological context, does a disservice to patients and families alike.

Before reaching for a prescription, families deserve the opportunity to ask deeper questions:

• Is their child sleeping well?

• Are they moving their body regularly?

• Are they receiving the nutrients their developing brain requires?

• Are underlying stressors being identified and addressed?

Symptoms are not always signs of disorder. Sometimes they are signals from a developing body that needs support and an invitation for clinicians to look more carefully before writing a prescription.

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We invite you join us for a webinar with Dr. Kendra Kautz on Wednesday, May 6th, at 7pm ET, for Part 2 in our series on The Mind-Body Connection: Rethinking How Medicine Approaches Adolescent Development.

Register Here

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Building a Culture of Dialogue: A Conversation with Harvard’s Intellectual Vitality Initiative

Last week, FAIR Executive Director Monica Harris joined the Harvard Alumni for Free Speech for a conversation with key leaders of the Intellectual Vitality Initiative. Co-sponsored by FAIR and the Council on Academic Freedom, the conversation explored ongoing efforts to strengthen intellectual diversity and open inquiry on campus. The conversation also featured Danielle Allen, Edward J. Hall, Ari Kohn, and John Evangelakos.

Monica Harris: Our curriculum [manystoriesonenation.com] teaches students to identify logical fallacies…and, crucially, they learn to spot these errors in arguments in their own thinking, not just in others…And, this is a framework I’m particularly proud of…it’s one of the most powerful in our curriculum, it’s called the “Competing goods framework,” where students learn that most controversies involve legitimate but conflicting values. And I think this understanding transforms how they approach disagreement, because this disconnect often fuels most of the divisive discourse we see. For example, safety vs. freedom, or, individual rights vs. community welfare; they’re both good, but [which is more important] depends on your values…So, once students internalize this framework, it fundamentally changes how they approach these very difficult conversations…[and] helps shift focus from “winning an argument,” to understanding the values that the other side is protecting…

Listen to the Full Conversation

How to Understand the Well-Being Gap between Liberals and Conservatives

For American Affairs, Musa al-Gharbi does a deep dive into the literature on the relationship between political ideology and subjective well-being.

Liberal girls tended to be significantly more depressed than boys, particularly after 2011. However, ideological differences swamped gender differences. Indeed, liberal boys were significantly more likely to report depression than conservatives of either gender. The authors also found that the more educated a teen’s family was, the more likely the young people were to be depressed, and the more dramatic their rise in depression was after 2012.

Why is it that liberal teens are more consistently depressed than conservatives? Why might familial education correlate with heightened depression for liberal youth? Why was there a spike in depression (and a growing ideological divergence in depressive affect) after 2011, corresponding with the onset of the “Great Awokening”?

Read the Full Article

Mark Milke: DEI has made society more racist

For the National Post, Mark Milke, president of The Aristotle Foundation, argues that so-called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (“DEI”) is an illiberal and divisive ideology which has undone many of the gains made by the civil rights movement.

The twin beliefs — that racism explains much and that we must make up for past discrimination — is what drives the modern DEI movement. It is also why DEI is so anti-merit, illiberal and anti-individual. The “diversity” and “inclusion” movement today is in fact dismissive of intercultural borrowing. It also excludes people in hiring and university admissions if they are the “wrong” skin colour, ethnicity and so forth. DEI is thus anti-diversity and exclusive.

Strip out the social engineering, identity politics and flawed economic analyses from the concept and there’s much that’s right about diversity and acceptance.

Read the Full Article

Why Politics Makes Us Bend Our Own Values

For Psychology Today, Amber Wardell explains how cognitive dissonance can push all of us into uncomfortable contradictions, and how we can learn to recognize those contradictions in ourselves, and seek to resolve them.

Why does hypocrisy—and the dissonance that drives it—feel so pervasive in politics? Three big reasons stand out. First, politics pushes us into a tribal mindset. If our party takes a position that conflicts with our values, we often assimilate rather than risk being cast out (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). Second, politics is emotionally loaded. Because the stakes touch our freedom and quality of life, strong feelings drive quick, inconsistent reactions. We act first and rationalize later, finding post-hoc explanations for behavior that clashes with our principles (Haidt, 2012). Third, social media magnifies both tribalism and emotion. Algorithms prioritize outrage over nuance and partisanship over unity, leaving us feeling more divided than we actually are. Together, these forces make us more likely to act against our values—and more likely to rationalize it after the fact.

Read the Full Article

Social Work is “For Everyone.” Except When It’s Not.

For The Multilevel Mailer, Nathan Gallo and Arnold Cantú write about how tthe CSWE’s definition of "everyone" masks an ideologically exclusive, DEI-driven vision of who belongs in the social work profession. This essay is Part 5 of a five part series uncovering the ideological capture of Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE).

This pull toward ideological conformity rather than professional neutrality, as Alam describes, comes “in ways that impinge on the equal treatment of clients, client autonomy, and respect for the diversity of clients’ values.” …Certainly, we question whether social work will continue to remain the fastest growing profession in the country if the field merely “become[s] a destination for people who want to get paid to be protesters,” as Schafer Riley says. …Social work in the 2020s is indeed for everyone. For everyone with rightthink and rightspeak.

Read the Full Article

The dangers of ‘gender-affirming care’ are now undeniable

For Spiked, Jo Bartosch unpacks a new study from Finland showing that puberty blockers and hormone treatments deepen troubled kids’ distress, rather than helping them.

If this were about macrobiotic diets or juice cleanses, it would be harmless nonsense. But it isn’t. It is about children – distressed, suggestible children who were handed over to an ideology that promised relief and delivered the opposite. To gamble with their bodies for political vanity, and perhaps profit, is not just wrong. It is also contemptible.

Read the Full Article

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these Roundups, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.

Dear Friends of FAIR,

Books are powerful. They invite us to slow down and sit with difficult ideas. They provide a common language for important discussions. Last year FAIR in Conversation gave our community a dedicated forum to explore sensitive issues, engage across differences, and practice respectful civil discourse. And we’re proud of the community we built.

Today, the need for engaged conversation is greater than ever.

From our courts and classrooms to our cultural institutions, the rate of that change has outrun the publication schedule. Legislative battles, viral controversies, and landmark research are reshaping the landscape of civil rights, free expression, and fairness, and our members are hungry to discuss these developments in real time.

That’s why, on April 29th, FAIR in Conversation is relaunching with a new monthly format built for this moment.

We’re leaning away from books and into the issues themselves: the debates, decisions, and developments that are defining what fairness, free speech, and equal dignity mean in America, and beyond, right now. Each session will center on a pressing topic of the day, drawing on a curated mix of articles, book summaries, short essays, podcasts, films, and other multimedia resources to ground the conversation before opening the floor for discussion.

The goal isn’t to reach consensus. The goal is to model the kind of open, honest, good-faith dialogue that is increasingly rare, and to do so across the full range of perspectives that make FAIR’s community so valuable.

What might we discuss? The Supreme Court’s recent wave of First Amendment decisions and their impact on everyday Americans – teachers, students, and doctors. Ethnic studies mandates and the debate over how race and ethnicity are taught in schools. The constitutional rights of parents to direct the upbringing, care, and control of their children. The science of gender medicine and the institutions caught in the middle. Artificial intelligence and what it means for equality, creativity, and human dignity.

There is no shortage of topics that affect all of us, no shortage of FAIR members who want to engage them seriously.

Sessions will be virtual, open to all FAIR members, and designed to be as accessible as they are substantive. You don’t need to have read anything in advance. Just bring your curiosity, your willingness to listen, and your commitment to engage in good faith.

These are exactly the conversations America needs now, and we are committed to modeling them. Sessions will run monthly from April 29th to September 23rd. We hope you’ll join us! Sign up here to join FAIR in Conversation this season.

With gratitude,
The FAIR Team

FAIR in Conversation (FiC) meets virtually from April to September. Registration is free for all FAIR members. Not a member yet? Sign up for FiC and become one here:

Register Here

Culture in Psychotherapy — Without the Corrosion of Identity Politics

Join FAIR in partnership with Dr. Douglas Novotny for this Continuing Education course. Amid today’s culture wars, Identity Politics has corroded the teaching and practice of psychotherapy. Many people on both sides feel distrustful, alienated, and/or demoralized. This course gives a structural model for clinical work that re-enlivens moral depth — without moralism. The goal of this course is to clarify concepts and conflicts that impact both daily life and clinical settings.

Research indicates that ideological diversity — seeing topics from different points of view — improves psychology. This course builds on FAIR Advisor ‘s Moral Foundations Theory, a cultural lens to grasp differences across cultures, within cultures, and the experiences of clients and students encountered by therapists. Specific clinical applications will be explored, and critiques and competing moral models will be considered. This structural model helps to explain interpersonal divisions (and intra-psychic ones) and offers ways to bridge them through deep cultural understanding and relational attunement.

This course is available now: March 18th - April 18th (self-paced Home Study) and TODAY (Wednesday, April 8th). Course fee: $69 (+ $20 if requesting Continuing Ed. Certificate)

Register for TODAY (April 8th)

Register for Home Study

Heterodox Libraries Spring 2026 Symposium: HUMAN AUTHORSHIP

Join FAIR Board Member Heather Blakeslee in conversation with Bret Weinstein at the Heterodox Libraries (HxLibraries) Spring Symposium: HUMAN AUTHORSHIP. This Friday, April 10th, 2026 from 11am - 3pm U.S. CT (convert time zone) via Zoom. Join us for this FREE virtual event to celebrate creativity and the human experience.

Read the full event description and register here.

HxLibraries Spring Symposium

The Lost Art of Listening: Building Empathy Across Differences

Join FAIR Advisors and for this upcoming webinar, moderated by FAIR Executive Director Monica Harris. We will discuss the need to develop emotional intelligence and perspective-enhancing skills and how deep listening strengthens democratic participation and community bonds. This theme also supports FAIR's commitment to respectful civil discourse, which is a foundational element of our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.

Register Here

FAIR Educator Alliance 2025-2026

FAIR has launched the Educators Alliance for the 2025–2026 school year to equip PK–12 educators with the knowledge, strategies, and community support they need to foster schools that are more enriching and free from bias for students and educators.

Each monthly gathering will open with updates and presentations from FAIR staff, fellows, Chapter Leaders, and occasional guest speakers. Together, we’ll explore strategies to support educators, communities, and local chapters—and to advance positive change at the local, regional, and national levels. Following the presentations, participants will have space for open-forum discussions to connect, seek advice, and coordinate on pressing issues in their schools. Breakout rooms will be divided into PK-6 and 7-12 grade levels with experienced teachers facilitating those conversations.

Meetings: First Thursday of each month at 7 PM ET via Zoom
Duration: 1 hour

Join Us!

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these newsletters, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.
  

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: Identity Politics and the Soul of Psychotherapy

For FAIR’s Substack, Dr. Doug Novotny examines how identity‑politics frameworks can distort both clinical judgment and everyday understanding. He argues that reducing “culture” to immutable group traits flattens individuality, fuels polarized thinking, and critically impairs psychotherapy. He advocates a return to nuanced engagement with identity, morality, and human complexity.

Intelligent, well-meaning people with common-sense can be misguided by the rigid framework of “us-against-them;” “oppressor vs. oppressed.” This ideology foments dehumanizing trait categorization, flattens identity, and heightens division.

All of us are vulnerable to collapsing our ideas into ideology, and it appears across the political spectrum. It’s deeply concerning when politicians practice such divisiveness. It’s an abdication of authority when “experts” promote activism. It’s sad when it affects personal relationships. But it’s especially damaging when it enters psychotherapy —a field entrusted with expanding, rather than constricting human understanding. Therapists should be working to simultaneously enhance the better angels of our nature and our culture’s nobler aspects, like the sanctity of individual character.

Read the Full Article

Uncanceling the Canceled

For Free Black Thought, FAIR Advisor Erec Smith writes about the wrongful cancellation of former Seattle principal Ed Roos, the long-term impact of “DEI” on educators, and the dangers of ideology overriding evidence. Roos first shared his story publicly on FAIR’s Substack, which you can read here.

One could say the tenet of “innocent until proven guilty” devolved under DEI into “guilty until proven innocent,” but this is worse than that. It is “guilty until proven guilty.” This is a side effect of a narrative that whiteness is inherently racist (a message Roos received frequently) and the concept of positionality: no white person can truly understand a black person, so anything he does is either dismissed or treated with suspicion. We cannot allow such blatant illiberalism to prevail. When one person’s uncorroborated word is all it takes to ruin a man, we are not staying true to the principle of fairness this country is supposed to uphold.

Read the Full Article

Zion Lights: Green movement is “anti-human at its roots and goes back to Malthusian thinking”

For PUBLIC, FAIR Advisor Michael Shellenberger interviews Zion Lights, a former environmental activist and author (Energy is Life: Why Environmentalism Went Nuclear). They discuss how the green movement, by restricting fossil fuels in the Global South, has prioritized ideology over people, leaving millions without reliable energy.

In a small village in the Punjab, a girl of about eight years old crouches over a clay stove, feeding it patties of dried cow dung. Smoke billows into her face. She coughs while feeding the fire. There is no reliable electricity. When the family gets a little extra money, they buy liquified petroleum gas (LPG), which burns cleanly, as natural gas does in stoves in the wealthy West. Unfortunately, that LPG just got priced out of reach for hundreds of millions like her.

The 2026 Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz were the triggers for the current energy crisis, but the underlying cause is the chronic underinvestment and underdevelopment of oil and gas resources by poor, developing, and rich nations alike over the last ten years. Policymakers diverted that money into green energy, which failed to prevent the crisis.

Listen to the Full Interview

This Post Won’t Save the World

For The Certainty Trap, FAIR Advisor Ilana Redstone reflects on the Iran conflict and the limits of persuasion in a polarized environment. She explores how overconfidence in our own certainty can get in the way of genuine understanding, and why intellectual humility may be a more effective starting point.

Like so many people, I worry that this conflict will escalate to an apocalyptic, existential, World War III event. I fear what the future holds for my teenage kids. What kind of world will they inherit? Could this lead to a draft that affects them? What does real economic destruction look like? I get lost in the sheer number of things I take for granted every single day that could vanish in the blink of an eye. I go to the grocery store and expect that the shelves will be stocked. I flip a light switch and assume the electricity will come on. And if, God forbid, I have to call 911, I assume that someone will answer and someone will come. But what if everything I assume will always be there is actually deeply, heartbreakingly, fragile?

Read the Full Article

Teaching History Without Taking Sides

For Derate the Hate, Wilk Wilkinson sits down with FAIR Executive Director Monica Harris for wide-ranging conversation about FAIR’s Many Stories, One Nation curriculum, the disempowering and discriminatory “oppressor/oppressed” framework, (de)polarization, and much more.

At the center [of the discussion] is Many Stories, One Nation—FAIR’s high school social studies curriculum. What begins as a question about how this differs from traditional ethnic studies quickly opens into something deeper: how we teach history, how we frame identity, and what we’re actually preparing young people to walk into. If the goal is to equip the next generation for a complicated and often divided world, the way we tell these stories matters.

Listen to the Interview

The Psychology of Speech Repression

For The Bedrock Principle, Antoine Marie Ph.D., examines why people across the political spectrum might support restricting speech. He points to perceived social threats, group identity, and the protection of shared narratives, arguing that these dynamics often fuel self-censorship and deepen polarization.

When people underestimate how widespread this self-censorship is, the result can be pluralistic ignorance: a situation in which public discourse becomes grossly misaligned with private beliefs. Everyone hears the same dominant opinions expressed in public, and each person assumes others genuinely believe them. In reality, many individuals privately harbor doubts that no one dares to articulate. Some examples in U.S. contexts: criticism of Trump’s authoritarianism in MAGA bubbles; scepticism towards open border immigration policies or biological sex denialism among strong liberals.

Read the Full Article

Supreme Court sides with therapist in challenge to Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy”

For SCOTUS Blog Amy Howe reports on last week’s Chiles v. Salazar decision. The Supreme Court ruled 8–1 that the First Amendment prohibits states from using their licensing power to limit the topics therapists and other professionals can discuss with their clients.

The court has also acknowledged, Gorsuch continued, “the even greater dangers associated with regulations that discriminate based on the speaker’s point of view. When the government seeks not just to restrict speech based on its subject matter, but also seeks to dictate what particular ‘opinion or perspective’ individuals may express on that subject, ‘the violation of the First Amendment is all the more blatant,’” Gorsuch stressed. “’Viewpoint discrimination,’” Gorsuch said, “represents ‘an egregious form’ of content regulation, and governments in this country must nearly always ‘abstain’ from it.”

Read the Full Article

Anti-Racist Task Force Report in Social Work Confirms Rufo’s CRT Suspicions

For The Multilevel Mailer, Nathan Gallo and Arnold Cantú write about how the CSWE quietly wove critical race theory into national social work standards under the banner of ‘anti-racism.' This essay is Part 4 of a five part series uncovering the ideological capture of Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE).

“By applying CRT,” the report explains, “social work practice can uncover its White supremacy and ensure the multiple realities of people of color/minoritized groups are centered.” Conveniently, “realities” from minority groups—and individuals—that refused to fit with the pre-built White- and racism-blaming CRT narrative didn’t count.

“To advance anti-racist social work education,” they also reasoned, “the profession must examine the White supremacy and ethnocracy that underscores social work as an applied social science that maintains information structures, paradigms, theories, and practices ensconced in academia.” (Imagine if the authors, instead, sought to examine a “Jewish ethnocracy” or “Black ethnocracy” or “Chinese ethnocracy.”)

Read the Full Article

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these Roundups, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.

Dear Friends of FAIR,

Last month, FAIR attended the California Council for the Social Studies (CCSS) conference in Garden Grove, and what we encountered there reinforced our belief that we have created a solution educators genuinely need.

Dr. Adam Seagrave’s presentation, How to Teach the Declaration of Independence and Ethnic Studies Together, drew a standing-room-only crowd. Educators were invited to explore the Declaration’s meaning across diverse American historical experiences and its global resonances, while engaging directly with primary sources, lesson plans, and other materials from Many Stories, One Nation. The interest was visible in real time. While Dr. Seagrave was still speaking, I watched several attendees visit FAIR’s website to examine the curriculum for themselves.

The energy carried over to our exhibitor booth the next day. Teachers stopped by specifically to say they had attended the session, found it compelling and thought-provoking, and wanted to learn more. Many signed up to receive information about bringing Many Stories, One Nation to their schools.

But what struck us more than the number of teachers who stopped by was what they told us. Teachers expressed the kind of urgency that comes when people feel a need acutely and are relieved to discover that a solution exists.

Again and again, educators told us they were drawn to Many Stories, One Nation for reasons that go to the heart of how FAIR’s curriculum was designed. Rather than treating the experiences of ethnic groups in isolation, our approach is chronological and integrated. Students encounter different communities in historical context as participants in a shared American experience, grappling together with the forces that have shaped the nation across time. Teachers told us this felt both more honest and more teachable than curricula that silo groups into separate, disconnected units. One educator described it as the difference between a mosaic and a collage: the pieces in Many Stories, One Nation actually connect.

The civil discourse component generated its own wave of enthusiasm. Teachers described classrooms that have become genuinely difficult to navigate, where students arrive with strong, often opposing convictions about history, identity, and belonging, and where a single discussion can fracture rather than build community. Several told us they had been looking for structured tools to help students engage across those differences with both rigor and respect. The civil discourse exercises woven throughout Many Stories, One Nation gave them exactly what they had been searching for: a pedagogically grounded way to model disagreement without division.

Perhaps the most surprising conversations were with teachers whose schools have already adopted Ethnic Studies curricula. Several educators approached us specifically because they were looking for a balanced alternative that met California’s Ethnic Studies standards while offering a more unifying frame. They were frank about the limitations they have encountered with existing materials and genuinely curious about whether Many Stories, One Nation could serve as a complement or a replacement. That these conversations happened at all is a measure of how much space exists in the market for what Fair For All has built.

The FAIR team left CCSS with something we did not entirely expect: momentum in a state that has led the national push for Ethnic Studies mandates. We are actively following up with the educators we met and are more confident than ever that we will reach our goal of introducing Many Stories, One Nation in five schools this fall. Our conversations in Garden Grove, and the enthusiasm we encountered at the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies conference in February, tell the same story: educators are ready, and the demand is real. To meet it, we need your help.

If you are a California or Minnesota educator interested in learning more, we would love to hear from you: info@manystoriesonenation.com. If you are a supporter who wants to put this curriculum in front of more teachers, here is what we are working to fund right now:

On-the-ground professional development. A curriculum is only as strong as the teachers who deliver it. We are committed to providing in-person training and ongoing support to every school that adopts our curriculum, and we need resources to make that possible.

Expanding the curriculum from one semester to a full year. A full-year course would deepen student engagement and broaden adoption possibilities in schools planning their fall schedules.

Aligning the curriculum with Minnesota’s Ethnic Studies standards. The enthusiasm we encountered in Minnesota was real, and we intend to honor it. Alignment will require an additional review by the Johns Hopkins School of Education, and we are ready to move forward the moment funding is in place.

Fall is closer than it seems. Schools are making curriculum decisions now, and every week matters. If you believe, as we do, that American students deserve an ethnic studies education that unifies rather than divides, please consider making a gift today.

Every gift helps us grow this curriculum, reach new states, and train more educators to teach an American story that includes all of us.

With gratitude,

Monica Harris
Executive Director, FAIR

Make a Gift to FAIR

Culture in Psychotherapy — Without the Corrosion of Identity Politics

Join FAIR in partnership with Dr. Douglas Novotny for this upcoming course: Amid today’s culture wars, Identity Politics has corroded the teaching and practice of psychotherapy. Many people on both sides feel distrustful, alienated, and/or demoralized. This course gives a structural model for clinical work that re-enlivens moral depth — without moralism. The goal of this course is to clarify concepts and conflicts that impact both daily life and clinical settings.

Research indicates that ideological diversity — seeing topics from different points of view — improves psychology. This course builds on FAIR Advisor ‘s Moral Foundations Theory, a cultural lens to grasp differences across cultures, within cultures, and the experiences of clients and students encountered by therapists. Specific clinical applications will be explored, and critiques and competing moral models will be considered. This structural model helps to explain interpersonal divisions (and intra-psychic ones) and offers ways to bridge them through deep cultural understanding and relational attunement.

This course is available now March 18th - April 18th (self-paced Home Study) and April 8th. Course fee: $69 (+ $20 if requesting Continuing Ed. Certificate)

Register for Home Study

Register for Wednesday, April 8th

P.S. Read Dr. this week on our Substack:

The Lost Art of Listening: Building Empathy Across Differences

Join FAIR Advisors and for this upcoming webinar, moderated by FAIR Executive Director Monica Harris. We will discuss the need to develop emotional intelligence and perspective-enhancing skills and how deep listening strengthens democratic participation and community bonds. This theme also supports FAIR's commitment to respectful civil discourse, which is a foundational element of our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.

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The Open Therapy Institute (OTI) is at the forefront of a burgeoning area of mental health care, developing innovative, evidence-based tools to help people, support professionals, and address social issues. Whether you’re a mental health professional, a patient, the leader of an organization, or just a citizen looking for openness and dialogue, OTI is developing solutions to help make things better.

Membership is for professionals in mental health fields including psychologists, counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, pastoral counselors, and researchers. Membership is open to applicants internationally.

Apply

FAIR Educator Alliance 2025-2026

FAIR has launched the Educators Alliance for the 2025–2026 school year to equip PK–12 educators with the knowledge, strategies, and community support they need to foster schools that are more enriching and free from bias for students and educators.

Each monthly gathering will open with updates and presentations from FAIR staff, fellows, Chapter Leaders, and occasional guest speakers. Together, we’ll explore strategies to support educators, communities, and local chapters—and to advance positive change at the local, regional, and national levels. Following the presentations, participants will have space for open-forum discussions to connect, seek advice, and coordinate on pressing issues in their schools. Breakout rooms will be divided into PK-6 and 7-12 grade levels with experienced teachers facilitating those conversations.

Meetings: First Thursday of each month at 7 PM ET via Zoom
Duration: 1 hour

Join Us!

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these newsletters, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.
  

In Invasion of the Body Snatchers, alien pods overtake people one by one. Each person looks the same but something essential is missing: warmth, individuality, and the emotional presence that makes human connection possible.

Identity politics can captivate minds in a similar manner. Intelligent, well-meaning people with common-sense can be misguided by the rigid framework of “us-against-them;” “oppressor vs. oppressed.” This ideology foments dehumanizing trait categorization, flattens identity, and heightens division.

All of us are vulnerable to collapsing our ideas into ideology, and it appears across the political spectrum. It’s deeply concerning when politicians practice such divisiveness. It’s an abdication of authority when “experts” promote activism. It’s sad when it affects personal relationships. But it’s especially damaging when it enters psychotherapy —a field entrusted with expanding, rather than constricting human understanding. Therapists should be working to simultaneously enhance the better angels of our nature and our culture’s nobler aspects, like the sanctity of individual character.

As I’ve written elsewhere, the confusion begins with the misuse of the word “culture.” Properly understood, culture is a rich tableau through which we grasp and express meaning, and transmit it to the next generation. It includes “high-culture” — art, literature, ritual -– but also involves countless everyday practices that express values just as powerfully: how parents teach children right from wrong, how families resolve conflicts, and how disagreements are handled within communities. Attending to such things carefully is central to good clinical work.

However, “culture” is increasingly becoming equated with identity politics and reduced to immutable identity characteristics such as race. When this happens, culture becomes an over simplified, one-dimensional lens that emphasizes group differences while obscuring individual variation. This is not culture in its full sense, but a diminished version of it.

Many clinicians feel that cultural and political tensions have become pervasive and difficult to navigate. Psychologist Jon Haidt says that, since 2012 or so, we’ve been in a period that’s “Uniquely Structurally Stupid.” I agree and propose that identity politics ideology is a structural part of the problem, (mis)guiding all of society and making it difficult to address ideas intelligently, issue by issue. The ideology is a framework, and as long as the framework remains intact, the individual battles are endless and exhausting.

To address the “Structural Stupidity” problem we must build “Structural Intelligence.” Until we have a structure that is flexible, reciprocal, deep and generative, no efforts will make lasting gains. Psychotherapy once placed greater emphasis on “character structure” — exploring personal psychological patterns with nuance, depth, thoughtfulness, and relational awareness. We must revisit this kind of structural thinking in order to help restore balance in how we approach culture, identity, and meaning in clinical work.

People alienated by identity politics and “the culture wars” often feel demoralized, and the field of psychotherapy, like much in the West, has systematically hollowed out its moral sensibilities. People feel demoralized in the ordinary sense: discouraged, exhausted, and unsure how to respond. But they have also been “de-moralized” in a deeper sense; stripped of the moral language and moral confidence they need to push back. And this is particularly an issue in the field of psychotherapy, where clinicians may find themselves hesitant to engage moral questions at all even when they are central to a patient’s experience.

In contrast, identity politics activists are intensely moralistic. Narratives of critical social justice: white supremacy, colonial oppression, patriarchy, and the like, are delivered with intense moral alarm. If clinicians fail to recognize or accept the moralized terms and tone, then any amount of reason, evidence and civic principles risk being blown away in the moralistic bluster. In fact, a calm tone could be received as dismissive, for implicitly failing to acknowledge the fiery heat of the grievances.

Psychotherapy needs to meet the moral moment. Though our field used to be populated by priests and shamans, the spiritual and moral aspects of our work have been largely stripped away. Some of us are religious believers, but one needn’t be religious to remember that “psyche” actually means “soul.” It’s to our detriment that the values-based, soulful, or spirit-aspects of mental life, identity and relationships have been expelled. This is a major error, and one that must be remedied without sinking into moralism, reactivity, or tribalism. Haidt’s Moral Foundations Theory offers one possible framework for rebuilding “structural intelligence” in a balanced and clinically relevant way.

It becomes clear how urgently we must act when we see how identity politics actually distorts clinical work in practice. When politics overrides clinical reality it’s the patients we seek to heal who suffer most.

In one case, a group of colleagues working with Spanish monolingual immigrant families were (at first) clear eyed about the challenges in this community. They spent years decrying clients’ predatory family members who crossed the southern border, often gang members and repeat criminals. They lamented the pattern of those family members being deported only to return again and again, menacing the community and the families we treated. That ended with the 2016 election, when a 180-degree reversal occurred, and those same colleagues suddenly talked in lockstep about how “horrible” it was to enforce immigration laws. Patients suffered as a result, as did the clinical work and thinking required to help these families in truly dangerous, often vexing situations. The ideology had invaded.

In another case, a treatment team struggled to properly engage with a situation involving a mother who repeatedly attempted to murder her young daughter (and who had herself been abused by her mother as a child). People like this woman need their violent tendencies recognized and dealt with properly. However, due to the identity politics framework which views all women as “oppressed” and men as “oppressors,” care-provider attention remained focused on the child’s absent father whose behavior, while relevant, did not represent the most immediate danger. Instead, pre-existing assumptions about gender roles shaped clinical care in ways that limited responsiveness to the actual circumstances.

These examples are not about assigning blame. They illustrate how pre-formed narratives — of any kind — can narrow perception and interfere with careful clinical judgment. Therapists must remain attentive to clinical patterns of emotion and behavior, without relying on oversimplified identity-based narratives.

Developing more structurally intelligent approaches to culture and morality is both possible and necessary. That’s why I have partnered with FAIR to create a Continuing Education course that invites participants to explore frameworks that support deeper understanding, richer clinical thinking, and greater openness to the moral, cultural, and even soulful dimensions of psychotherapy.

Whether you’re a practicing clinician struggling to navigate cultural issues authentically, a trainer concerned about ideological constraints in professional education, or just someone committed to finding a more humane and effective approach to psychological practice, I invite you to join me and other FAIR-minded mental health workers to explore these ideas live on April 8th, or at your convenience through pre-recorded Home Study available now through April 18th.

The task is ambitious and cannot be completed in a single session. But developing a clearer outline and a shared language for these challenges is an important step forward.

Register for Wednesday, April 8th
Register for Home Study

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We welcome you to share your thoughts on this piece in the comments below. Click here to view our comment section moderation policy.

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Fair For All or its employees.

In keeping with our mission to promote a common culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity, we are committed to including a diverse range of voices and to encouraging compassionate, good-faith discourse.

We are actively seeking perspectives on this topic and others. If you’d like to join the conversation, please send drafts to submissions@fairforall.org.

Courage is Contagious: How I Remembered I was a Theatre Artist

For FAIR’s Substack, Artist Grant winner Mary Poindexter McLaughlin shares her journey from ostracization in the theatre world to finding support and community again, including through FAIR in the Arts. She warns that the greatest threat to the arts may be self-censorship, not disagreement, and shows how courage spreads when people speak their minds.

What I’ve discovered is that bravery is contagious. The playwrights of [Playwright’s Think Tank] do not all agree with one another on much of anything, but they speak their minds freely and send their works out into the world, regardless of the reception. And regularly sharing the company of such people has strengthened my resolve to do the same.

My desire to self-censor is all but gone. Now, when fellow theatre artists make political comments that assume consensus on a multitude of topics, I rarely default into, “Why jeopardize these burgeoning relationships?” Instead, I act from, “I’ll bet we can agree on at least some part of this issue.”

Instinctive, preemptive self-muzzling is what I see as the greatest threat to the arts, specifically within the theatre community. Based on my own experience and that of fellow PTT members and other Substackers who left the theatre, I know I’m not alone.

Read the Full Article

The Democratic Case Against the Term "Far-Right"

For The Certainty Trap, FAIR Advisor Ilana Redstone argues that labeling ideas “far-right” shuts down democratic debate. When political disagreement is recast as moral disqualification, she writes, argument gives way to dismissal, undermining the very premise of pluralism.

In the current context, “that’s far right” does the same work as “that’s racist.” Both convert a position that could be argued with into one that can only be condemned. The argument is over before it begins.

And yet, democracy is built on a specific premise: that reasonable people, weighing real and competing goods, will reach different conclusions. Liberty against security. Individual autonomy against collective welfare. Continuity against change. Cultural cohesion against pluralism. There are genuine losses on every side of these contests. The person who weights them differently than you isn’t necessarily confused or malicious. They may be making a different but recognizable human judgment about what matters most.

Read the Full Article

Rosie Kay on Cancel Culture in the Arts

In a conversation with Eric Kaufmann for the Centre for Heterodox Social Science, choreographer Rosie Kay (FAIR in the Arts) discusses how ideological conformity, funding pressures, and cancel culture are reshaping the arts. She reflects on her own experience of being cancelled, the climate of fear now shaping artistic life, and the evidence gathered in recent Freedom in the Arts reports on censorship, self-censorship, and boycotts. This is a wide-ranging discussion on dance, free expression, cultural power, and the future of the arts.

Listen to the Interview

The Inflating Cost of Artistic Freedom

Writing in White Rose Magazine, FAIR in the Arts 2026 Artist Grant winner Kevin Ray chronicles the full cost of dissent in the theatre world. After refusing to adopt certain ideological frameworks, he saw his career collapse, revealing the steep financial, professional, and personal toll of artistic independence.

I am trained as a teaching artist and a theater director. Before voicing my objection to embedding CSJ concepts into K–12 instruction, I had steady employment as a teaching artist. After refusing to comply, my workload was cut to a fraction of what it once was. Teaching theater and directing plays is not just my profession; it is what gives my life meaning. I am not alone in observing that the price of exclusion from the arts is equal parts financial, psychological, and spiritual.

Read the Full Article

The Impact of Cancel (Revenge) Culture

On his Substack, former Seattle principal Ed Roos recounts the long aftermath of a false accusation that forced him out of a career he loved. Years after being exonerated, he remains effectively blacklisted—an account of how reputational damage can outlast the truth.

In the fall of 2020, I was an award-winning principal with seventeen years of exemplary service in the Seattle School District. I was forced out after a vengeful teacher leaked a story to the media that I had caged a student, when in reality, we were playing ball with him in a play court. Today, I am a skeleton of the man who once existed, serving a life sentence in a world that refuses to look past the headlines that reside forever in a Google search…

Cancel culture impacts every aspect of one’s life. In the immediate aftermath, I discovered that I was essentially unemployable. Rejection letters poured in citing the false media reports as the reason for my disqualification and informing me that I had been blacklisted. I went from providing a comfortable life for my family to scraping by at a part-time, nonprofit job.

Read the Full Article

The End of LGBTQIA?

On Longview’s Reflector podcast, Ben Kawaller has launched a series examining the evolution of the gay rights movement into today’s LGBTQ+ framework. He explores shifting cultural definitions of identity, generational trends, and the tensions shaping this transformation.

Of course, the gay rights movement hasn’t been the gay rights movement since…well, gay rights were secured. At some point along the way, gay and lesbian rights became LGBT rights…and then some time after that, a Q started popping up. (Somehow, this has all coincided with everyone having less actual sex, but I digress.)

I watched these trends with great interest, especially as a new way of thinking about gender started gaining popularity in some circles – while incurring an enormous level of wrath in others. The influx of people, particularly young people, identifying out of their own sex (a trend that evidently peaked around 2023) always seemed to me a social phenomenon worth exploring, whatever its cause.

Listen to Episode 1

A Love Letter to the Sane Women Holding It Down

For Beyond Parody, Bridget Phetasy celebrates women quietly resisting cultural extremes—whether dictated by media or ideological trends—and whom algorithms don’t know what to do with because, as she says, “we don’t fit neatly into a box.”

There are millions and millions of us. We’re at the soccer games and the PTA meetings and the office and the grocery store and the school board meetings we never thought we’d attend because not long ago we were dancing on bars. We’re the women who still read books and have real friendships and know how to talk about politics and sports and give great recommendations for podcasts and skin products and restaurants. We’re the moms who let our kids play outside and the wives who actually adore their husbands and the professionals who earned their positions and don’t need to be on a panel about it.

And a criminal number of you are single women, too. You’re my heroes because you’re the ones navigating this alone, without a husband to vent to at the end of the day or kids to distract you from the relentless insanity. You’re out here building a life on your own terms in a culture that either pities you or tells you you’re a girlboss who doesn’t need anyone, and neither of those is true.

Read the Full Article

Social Work Educators Slide into Ideological Irrelevance at National Conference

For The Multilevel Mailer, Nathan Gallo and Arnold Cantú write about how the CSWE’s 2025 “Disability Justice” conference showcases hyper-progressive ideology, instead of professional social work practice. This essay is Part 3 of a five part series uncovering the ideological capture of Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE).

“Independence is a myth,” charged a social work scholar at the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) 71^st Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado this last October. “It’s not about fitting disabled people into the capitalist, ableist structures,” she said, “but dismantling these collective structures of oppression so that all of us can...work towards collective liberation.” This same professor referred to her fellow panelists as “comrades” on at least three occasions.

Despite scattered applause and assuming to have the final progressive say, the overwhelming majority of the American public would sharply disagree, according to reports on hidden political tribes, shared ideals, and personal agency by More in Common—a research organization dedicated to helping the country find common ground.

In normal times, a professional educational conference does not warrant public attention. In normal times—with properly earned public trust—an education conference acts as an incubator for faculty and professionals to discuss the latest developments in their discipline…

Read the Full Article

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these Roundups, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.

Dear Friends of FAIR,

The act of peaceful student protest is one of the most deeply embedded traditions in American culture. From the Civil Rights movement with its sit-ins, walkouts, and freedom rides to the Vietnam War protests that reshaped the national conversation on free speech and academic expression, student activism has consistently served to highlight the most important issues of each generation. This year, student walkouts protesting ICE enforcement actions made national headlines and with them came an important reminder about the legal boundaries that govern student protest.

The First Amendment protects public school students’ right to engage in peaceful protest so long as it does not materially and substantially interfere with the operation of the school. In many of the ICE-related walkouts, that line was crossed. Students left campuses without permission, parents were not notified, and in some cases adults organized minors into political action without parental knowledge or consent. Students faced suspension, and in some jurisdictions, adult organizers and participants faced legal liability. The right to protest is real and constitutionally protected. So are the limits.

Friday, April 10, marks the 30th annual Day of Silence, as promoted by Glisten, an organization whose focus is to “advise on, advocate for, and research comprehensive policies designed to protect LGBTQ students as well as students of marginalized identities.” Students who choose to participate remain silent during portions of the school day to show their support of and solidarity with members of the LGBTQ community. Some students may also choose to dress in all-black clothing or wear pins explaining their protest.

The same constitutional principle applies here. The First Amendment protects public school students’ right to participate in the Day of Silence so long as it does not materially and substantially interfere with the operation of the school. And when students choose not to participate, the First Amendment protects them as well.

We at FAIR seek to deliver on our mission by supporting diversity without division. The Day of Silence can be an occasion for students to honor their many differences. On the other hand, we have also seen instances where the Day of Silence leads to unfortunate and unnecessary division among students. In these cases, students feel so ostracized that they withdraw from class participation or avoid attending school altogether.

Whether the issue is immigration enforcement, LGBTQ solidarity, or any other cause students feel moved to speak out about, the constitutional framework is the same, and every parent, student, and school administrator deserves to understand it clearly. That is why we have drafted a template available for all to use. This template discusses the important constitutional protections and limitations at play in student protests of all kinds, including the Day of Silence. If you feel that a thoughtful dialogue with your child’s school on this topic would be valuable, this letter is for you.

You can download the letter here in Word format and amend the highlighted portions to fit your needs. We encourage you to share this helpful resource with your friends and family as well. As always, if your child experiences a violation of their civil or constitutional rights at school, please submit an incident report on FAIR Transparency.

Every day, FAIR works to ensure that our schools and communities remain places where open dialogue, mutual respect, and true equality under the law can thrive. But we can’t do this alone. Your donation today helps us continue to create resources like the student rights letter, respond to incidents of discrimination, and provide guidance to families and educators navigating these complex issues.

Donate here and stand with us in protecting the rights of every student and family.

Together, we can keep fairness at the heart of America’s classrooms and communities.

Warmly,
The FAIR Team

Donate to Support FAIR

Culture in Psychotherapy — Without the Corrosion of Identity Politics

Join FAIR with Dr. Douglas Novotny for this upcoming course: Amid today’s culture wars, Identity Politics has corroded the teaching and practice of psychotherapy. Many people on both sides feel distrustful, alienated, and/or demoralized. This course gives a structural model for clinical work that re-enlivens moral depth — without moralism. The goal of this course is to clarify concepts and conflicts that impact both daily life and clinical settings.

Research indicates that ideological diversity — seeing topics from different points of view — improves psychology. This course builds on FAIR Advisor ‘s Moral Foundations Theory, a cultural lens to grasp differences across cultures, within cultures, and the experiences of clients and students encountered by therapists. Specific clinical applications will be explored, and critiques and competing moral models will be considered. This structural model helps to explain interpersonal divisions (and intra-psychic ones) and offers ways to bridge them through deep cultural understanding and relational attunement.

This course is available now March 18th - April 18th (Home Study) and April 8th. Course fee: $69 (+ $20 if requesting Continuing Ed. Certificate)

Register for Home Study

Register for Wednesday, April 8th

The Open Therapy Institute (OTI) is at the forefront of a burgeoning area of mental health care, developing innovative, evidence-based tools to help people, support professionals, and address social issues. Whether you’re a mental health professional, a patient, the leader of an organization, or just a citizen looking for openness and dialogue, OTI is developing solutions to help make things better.

Membership is for professionals in mental health fields including psychologists, counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, pastoral counselors, and researchers. Membership is open to applicants internationally.

Apply

FAIR Educator Alliance 2025-2026

FAIR has launched the Educators Alliance for the 2025–2026 school year to equip PK–12 educators with the knowledge, strategies, and community support they need to foster schools that are more enriching and free from bias for students and educators.

Each monthly gathering will open with updates and presentations from FAIR staff, fellows, Chapter Leaders, and occasional guest speakers. Together, we’ll explore strategies to support educators, communities, and local chapters—and to advance positive change at the local, regional, and national levels. Following the presentations, participants will have space for open-forum discussions to connect, seek advice, and coordinate on pressing issues in their schools. Breakout rooms will be divided into PK-6 and 7-12 grade levels with experienced teachers facilitating those conversations.

Meetings: First Thursday of each month at 7 PM ET via Zoom
Duration: 1 hour

Join Us!

Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening, rather than reading these newsletters, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!

Join the FAIR Community

• Join us, and become a member of FAIR.

• Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.

• Sign up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.

• Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.

• View our Many Stories, One Nation curriculum.
  

At the start of 2025, I followed an intriguing link in a Substack article that sent me tumbling, Alice-like, through cyberspace, eventually depositing me on FAIR’s home page. Two clicks later, I felt my eyes well up in gratitude: I had found FAIR in the Arts.

I didn’t know it yet, but this discovery would lead me to re-imagine a new kind of theatre. Actually, it wasn’t “new,” it was the theatre I’d always known and loved: open, accepting, resilient, playful... and dedicated not to individual differences or political preferences, but to creating plays that help us remember our collective humanity.

It may sound like hyperbole, but when I found FAIR, I cried. Yes, my friends will tell you I cry easily—but these tears were hard-won. I had finally found an organization that recognized the unspoken challenges I had faced as a theatre artist since 2020.

Before the world shut down that year, I was gaining traction within the Buffalo, NY theatre world as a director and playwright. I had been hired to work on projects. I had made friends. I had created a writer’s group.

After the world shut down, I hunkered down like everyone else. I took the opportunity of solitude to write a massive play in Elizabethan prose and iambic pentameter about Aemilia Lanier, a possible author of Shakespeare’s works. Every two weeks I brought a few more scenes to the writer’s group, now on Zoom like every other writer’s group during that time.

By 2021 I had finished a first draft, and asked one of my newish theatre friends (I’ll call her Sally) to direct a table read. She said yes, and we worked out the details. I suggested we do the reading outdoors at a park to free everyone from masks. I told her I didn’t want to see my play read by a bunch of faceless actors, and she agreed: too much would be lost.

What I didn’t say was that I didn’t want to wear a mask indoors myself.

Two weeks before the date, Sally contacted me. “I checked out the park. I don’t think it’s going to work — there’s just too much ambient noise, and what if it rains?”

Before I could think of a helpful response, she continued: “But I have great news! I contacted a theatre, and they’re happy to let us use their space! I’ve booked it for the same time and date.”

Stunned, all I could do was thank her and hang up. Sure enough, within the hour, there was an email in my inbox to all of us, explaining the venue change and including something like: “Since we will be indoors, please wear a mask if you’re unvaccinated. I’m sure we all have loved ones we want to protect.”

My heart raced. I was stuck. If I wore a mask, I’d be telegraphing to ten theatre people whom I had worked so hard to befriend that I was NOT ONE OF THEM. If I didn’t wear it, I’d be pretending I was vaccinated.

The day loomed. I didn’t know what to do. I was losing sleep every night, trying to figure out the “right” thing to do.

On the day of, I still didn’t know. I decided to trust my instincts to do what felt right. I knew I wasn’t sick, so that was a plus. I drove to the theatre, parked, and carried in a case of water, sweating profusely all the way.

At the door, Sally greeted me warmly and welcomed me in, keeping her distance. And that was that. I didn’t put on a mask. I didn’t say anything about it. As the other actors arrived, I did the same as Sally — a warm hello, from afar.

It felt lousy.

I had never done that before. I had always spoken up — gently, usually — to share my opinion, even when it was not the prevailing ideology. But this time I caved. I disregarded my integrity, choosing to preserve my working relationship with these people by pretending I shared their beliefs, and all I felt… was sheepishness.

In the end, though, that attempt to “preserve my working relationship” didn’t matter. As the year wore on, I was denied access to all theatres due to my personal health choices. Not only could I not work in any theatre, I couldn’t even set foot inside one.

All the communities that had embraced me – the Waldorf School where I had sent all three children and worked three years as the Administrator/Principal, the yoga studio where I taught, and yes, the theatre community – suddenly felt foreign. Feeling strange, separate, and othered, I faded away from all of them, quietly, with no explanation or remonstrance.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought it would all blow over. These communities would soon reach back out, surely, with some version of “We kind of went overboard, sorry, that’ll never happen again. Where’ve you been?”

But that mea culpa never came.

My husband and I debated endlessly: stay or go? Eventually, we lost whatever faith we had left that New York State would operate in our best interests. By October of 2022, we knew what we had to do. As difficult as it was to leave both my sister and the home where my husband and I had raised our three children, we packed up the house and moved to Florida.

There, emboldened by living in an entirely new place, I launched The Art of Freedom, a Substack publication dedicated to freedom in all realms: artistic, individual, collective, and divine. I came to think of myself as an unlabeled, open-minded skeptic who follows the truth wherever it leads, and endeavored to mirror that evolution within my ‘stack, creating a place where readers of any ideology would feel welcome. Through it, I slowly forged an online community that became a lifeline.

The one gaping hole in my life? Theatre. I had no idea how to muster up the courage to get involved again.

Fast-forward to 2025, as I was weeping upon the discovery of “FAIR in the Arts.” I scrolled down the page… and there it was: “Playwright’s Think Tank.” (What the ?!?) I guffawed. A group of playwrights dedicated to discussing works “without the influence of social/political/theological trends, group-think, and personal bias”? Was I dreaming?

I fired off an email to the Playwright’s Think Tank (PTT), sharing my story and desire to be part of a writer’s group again. The facilitator kindly invited me to a meeting the following evening… and I’ve been a member of the open-minded group ever since.

Courage is a funny thing. Just as moving to FL emboldened me to speak up via The Art of Freedom, joining the PTT six months ago gave me the fortitude to reach out to theatres here in the Tampa/St. Pete area. I’m happy to report that opportunities have blossomed.

What I’ve discovered is that bravery is contagious. The playwrights of PTT do not all agree with one another on much of anything, but they speak their minds freely and send their works out into the world, regardless of the reception. And regularly sharing the company of such people has strengthened my resolve to do the same.

My desire to self-censor is all but gone. Now, when fellow theatre artists make political comments that assume consensus on a multitude of topics, I rarely default into, “Why jeopardize these burgeoning relationships?” Instead, I act from, “I’ll bet we can agree on at least some part of this issue.”

Instinctive, preemptive self-muzzling is what I see as the greatest threat to the arts, specifically within the theatre community. Based on my own experience and that of fellow PTT members and other Substackers who left the theatre, I know I’m not alone.

And this is why I was driven to create “Dear US: One-Acts to Bridge the Divide.” I wanted to produce an evening of differing viewpoints within the physical theatre itself, to cultivate thought-freedom in the place that believes it’s fighting for those very freedoms – even as it suppresses them through an assumption of monoculture. I wanted to help others in the theatre community develop the courage that slowly takes root when you’re surrounded by those who speak their minds.

Joining PTT gave me the resolve to rejoin the world of theatre, and hearing about FAIR in the Arts’ grant opportunity sparked some serious goosebumps— which I pay close attention to. Sure enough, the idea for “Dear US” soon fell into my heart.

After years of waiting for the theatre to “take me back,” I realized something: it’s up to me to create the kind of theatre I’m yearning for — a place where everyone is welcome, and the free exchange of ideas is a given.

I have always been a bridge-builder, a person who facilitates connection in the midst of conflict, who reaches for consensus rather than majority domination.

I’m still committed to building bridges, even at this time of our human evolution when it seems that almost everyone else is burning them down. My mission has always been to invite black and white to step toward each other into grey, and with FAIR’s help in the form of this grant, I’m doing just that.

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For more information about the Playwright’s Think Tank, please contact karen.howes@fairforall.org

We welcome you to share your thoughts on this piece in the comments below. Click here to view our comment section moderation policy. 

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Fair For All or its employees.

In keeping with our mission to promote a common culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity, we are committed to including a diverse range of voices and to encouraging compassionate, good-faith discourse.

We are actively seeking perspectives on this topic and others. If you’d like to join the conversation, please send drafts to submissions@fairforall.org.