FAIR News: A Pro-Human Approach to Gender
FAIR News: A Pro-Human Approach to Gender
December 9th, 2021
Gender Ideology Webinar
Gender ideology has become a flashpoint in education, civic institutions, and workplaces. Why? Join FAIR on Thursday, December 16th, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm EST for our FREE webinar titled “Gender Ideology: Problems and Pro-Human Solution.” We will explore the topics of sex and gender, and learn how we can move forward with a pro-human approach to supporting and accepting every individual regardless of their sex and gender identity.
Our aim is to raise awareness of historical and current issues surrounding gender ideology, including medical, ethical and legal considerations, examine current issues in the context of K-12 education, and provide practical guidance on how to address these issues.
The panel will consist of journalist and FAIR Advisor Abigail Shrier, FAIR Advisor Zander Keig, LCSW, Dr. Mirriam Grossman, MD, Dr. Carrie Mendoza, MD, and attorney Candice Jackson; the discussion will be moderated by biologist and FAIR Editor Colin Wright.
Register for the FREE webinar here.
Zoom links will be emailed to you after registering, but those links can also be found here.
FAIR Wellness Webinars
In the days leading up to the Gender Webinar, on December 13th, 14th, and 15th from 7:00 to 7:45pm ET, FAIR Advisor Zander Keig will be hosting a series of FREE Wellness Webinars for FAIR members. The webinars include:
Stress Management
Stress is our body’s reaction to stressors in our environment. Figuring out how to respond to stressors starts with understanding how they impact the body. During this webinar, we will learn about the signs of stress, when we are most vulnerable to stressors, how our body responds to stress, the thinking traps we fall into, and strategies to manage our stress.
Navigating Uncertainty
Dealing with difficult thoughts, coping with strong emotions, and supporting kids and older adults while simultaneously navigating uncertainty during a pandemic, around the holidays, and with an upcoming New Year can all seem overwhelming. During this webinar, we will learn about signs of burnout, how to manage anxiety, how to have a work/life balance, how to establish and maintain boundaries, and how to regulate our emotions.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
The importance of getting a good night's sleep cannot be underestimated. Poor sleep habits lead to weight gain, emotional dysregulation, ineffective communication, and poor relationship dynamics. During this webinar, we will learn how to prioritize sleep, what happens while we sleep, strategies for improving sleep, how stress impacts sleep, and tools for getting to sleep.
Register for one or all of the webinar sessions here.
Zoom links will be emailed to you after registering, but those links can also be found here.
School Superintendent Addresses FAIR Transparency Incident Reports
Last October a series of incident reports relating to Jamesville-Dewitt School District in New York were recently submitted to FAIRTransparency.org. The reports allege that the district held a policy-shaping forum that excluded parents on the basis of skin color, and required students to declare their pronouns in a questionnaire. FAIR sent a letter to the district, informing them that their actions violated the students’ and parents’ constitutional and civil rights.
This week, Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Superintendent Peter Smith addressed these incident reports, saying that “people’s feelings are always valid,” and that “understanding why they feel a certain way and ensuring that we all have a true understanding of the facts is critical to developing a relationship built on trust between the district and its many stakeholders. We don’t want anyone to feel excluded or ignored.”
Superintendent Smith urged anyone with “questions, concerns, or a wish for action to be taken with regard to classroom occurrences or district-wide initiatives,” but who is uncomfortable reaching out directly, to use the anonymous tip line form” on the school’s website.
Smith has not addressed FAIR’s letter to the school, but we hope and look forward to playing a constructive role in supporting the parents and the school with the issues raised in the incident report.
A Letter to the Editor
This week, FAIR’s Southern Minnesota Chapter Leader Elizabeth Hanke wrote a “Letter to the Editor” that was sent to the Star Tribune and other newspapers in southern Minnesota, objecting to a new Minnesota statute that would provide financial incentives for schools to implement racial affinity groups. Hanke wrote:
I understand the desire for the school district to address issues of isolation and collegial support, but assuming that placing teachers together who share the same group identity will address that issue is a race-reductionist view of teachers, who deserve to be valued for their character.
Read the full letter and discuss it on the FAIR Community forum.
Call for Submissions
Yesterday we published a powerful essay by author and law student Chad Williams titled “From white supremacy to race-conscious discrimination.” The essay outlined the conceptual differences between disparate treatment versus disparate impact as it pertains to both the law and everyday conversations about racism in the United States. You won’t want to miss this one!
If you would like to submit your writing to our Substack, please check out our submission guidelines at the bottom of our “About” page here.
We hope to hear from you!
Cancelling Cancel Culture with FAIR’s Jessie Enloe
Last Wednesday Liberty On The Rocks hosted FAIR’s Jessie Enloe and local FAIR Colorado chapter leaders to discuss what it means to be pro-human and learn more about FAIR’s efforts in Colorado communities.
Watch the full event above!
NEW: FAIR Wellness Webinars
On December 13th, 14th, and 15th from 7:00 to 7:45pm ET, FAIR Advisor Zander Keig will be hosting a series of FREE wellness webinars for FAIR members. The webinars include:
Stress Management
Stress is our body’s reaction to stressors in our environment. Figuring out how to respond to stressors starts with understanding how they impact the body. During this webinar, we will learn about the signs of stress, when we are most vulnerable to stressors, how our body responds to stress, the thinking traps we fall into, and strategies to manage our stress.
Navigating Uncertainty
Dealing with difficult thoughts, coping with strong emotions, and supporting kids and older adults while simultaneously navigating uncertainty during a pandemic, around the holidays, and with an upcoming New Year can all seem overwhelming. During this webinar, we will learn about signs of burnout, how to manage anxiety, how to have a work/life balance, how to establish and maintain boundaries, and how to regulate our emotions.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
The importance of getting a good night's sleep cannot be underestimated. Poor sleep habits lead to weight gain, emotional dysregulation, ineffective communication, and poor relationship dynamics. During this webinar, we will learn how to prioritize sleep, what happens while we sleep, strategies for improving sleep, how stress impacts sleep, and tools for getting to sleep.
Register for one or all of the webinar sessions here.
Zoom links will be emailed to you after registering, but those links can also be found here.
NEW: FAIR in Medicine Virtual Meet-Up
TODAY, December 9th, from 8:00pm to 9:30pm Central Time (CT), FAIR in Medicine will be hosting a virtual meet-up with special guest and FAIR Founder Bion Bartning.
Meet FAIR in Medicine Fellows and other medical professionals interested in FAIR's pro-human approach to tackling our challenges.
Attend the meet-up via Zoom here.
NEW: FAIR Austin Monthly Meet-Up
FAIR Austin is having its monthly in-person meetup this Sunday, December 12th, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at The Draught House Pub and Brewery at 4112 Medical Parkway in Austin, TX (although many of us have been known to stay later!).
If you plan on attending, you can find the group out on the patio. Come join us for good company and conversation!
NEW: FAIR Ontario Membership Kickoff Meeting
FAIR Canada has recently launched, and Canadians have wasted no time in setting up chapters all across Canada!
On Wednesday, December 15th at 7:30pm EST, join FAIR Ontario as they kick-off their new chapter. At the meeting you will be able to meet the FAIR Ontario Executive Team, connect with other FAIR Ontario members, and help chart the course for FAIR Ontario in 2022!
To sign up for the event, please send us an email to ontario@fairforall.org
NEW: Antisemitism in the Classroom
School districts throughout the US are introducing curriculum changes and adding graduation requirements such as Ethnic Studies. Using California as a case study, The Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies (ACES) and the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values (JILV) will help you learn what is under consideration, its implications for Jewish students and the Jewish community, and what you can do.
At the event, scheduled for Tuesday, December 14th at 5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EST, there will be a special (recorded) introduction by human rights icon Natan Sharansky and commentary by one of America’s top Jewish leaders, Rabbi David Wolpe.
Register for the event here.
Registrants will receive an email with the link before the event.
FIRE’s Free Speech Essay Contest
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is awarding $20,000 in scholarships to students who can make the best argument for why freedom of speech is a better idea than censorship. All juniors and seniors in U.S. high schools are eligible.
Entries are due by December 31st.
Check out FIRE's essay contest page for details.
FAIR Educator Alliance
Teachers often feel isolated and alone in their schools, but FAIR is here for you! We will be holding weekly informal “happy hours” to share experiences and concerns and work on developing resources just for teachers. We’ll also be holding more formal monthly meetings to address issues based on your needs and interests.
For more information, contact Brian Kors at brian.kors@fairforall.org
Grassroots Training Workshops
Are you ready to be an effective advocate for pro-human values in your community? You know in your heart of hearts our common culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity requires you to be civically engaged and actively organizing and advocating in your community.
But how do you get started?
We’ve got you covered with the FAIR Grassroots Leader Training series.
Register to learn practical tools for organizing your community, how to be a more effective advocate, and ways to create positive, bottom-up change in our culture and country. The sessions include:
Grassroots Leader Session 1 | Bottom-Up Organizing
Grassroots Leader Session 2 | Finding Your Place At FAIR
Grassroots Leader Session 3 | Organizing Your Organizing
Public Speaking Training | Keeping Your Audience Captivated
Register now for the next Grassroots Leader Training series.
Join the FAIR Community
Click here to become a FAIR volunteer or to join a FAIR chapter:
Join a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission by clicking here. Or, to watch a previously recorded session click here to visit the Member section of www.fairforall.org.
Sign the FAIR Pledge for a common culture of fairness, understanding and humanity.
Join the FAIR community to connect and share information with other members.
Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.