The Trump administration said that "radical judges" will "soon learn that denying" President Donald Trump his "constitutionally granted authorities is a gross infringement of the law and will not stand on appeal" after a Bush-appointed judge blocked the administration from firing intelligence agency employees tied to DEI programs.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga, a President George W. Bush appointee in Virginia, issued the preliminary injunction on Monday ahead of a 5 p.m. deadline issued by CIA Director John Ratcliffe for the agents to resign or be fired, allowing them to appeal and stay on the federal payroll.

The injunction was part of a lawsuit filed by more than a dozen intelligence agents from the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who were found to be involved in, or working on, DEI programs in the department. 

TRUMP DOJ, EDUCATION DEPT FORM TASK FORCE TO PROTECT FEMALE ATHLETES FROM 'GENDER IDEOLOGY' IN SCHOOLS, SPORTS

"The plaintiffs face termination without any suggestion of wrongdoing or poor performance," Trenga said after the ruling, according to Politico. "Simply requiring the government to follow its regulations is a minimal burden."

The employees, who were abruptly placed on administrative leave in January, were facing termination as part of the Trump administration's effort, supported by Elon Musk, to eliminate DEI-related programs and initiate a large-scale government overhaul. Musk also visited the CIA headquarters on Tuesday to discuss his government efficiency program. 

"These radical judges will soon learn that denying the Chief Executive his constitutionally granted authorities is a gross infringement of the law and will not stand on appeal," Trump administration spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. 

CONCERNED PARENTS OF TRANS KIDS COMPARED TO 'HATE GROUPS' BY COLORADO DEM: WOULDN'T 'ASK THE KKK' FOR OPINION

"Ending the bigotry of DEI and ensuring the federal government runs efficiently might be a crime to Democrats, but it’s in line with the law," he said.

The 19 employees, who are unnamed, contended in their lawsuit last month that their roles in the DEI programs were "temporary assignments" and that they also had other responsibilities as intelligence officers. The lawsuit also states that "poor performance" wasn't a factor in their dismissal. 

The "imminent termination is therefore arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion," the lawsuit charges.

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Trenga's written order also said the Trump administration must consider employees' "request for reassignment for open or available positions, in accordance with their qualifications and skills." The administration can still fire the employees but first has to present a "report" on the employees' appeals or reassignments to the judge.

This injunction adds to a stack of injunctions and temporary restraining orders placed on several of President Donald Trump's executive orders.  

Trump issued an executive order last month penalizing law firm Perkins Coie for its representation of Hillary Clinton and its DEI policies by targeting the firm’s government contracts and limiting access to federal facilities. Over 300 law professors and legal groups, including the ACLU and Cato Institute, filed briefs supporting Perkins Coie. In February, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking key provisions of President Trump's executive orders aimed at banning DEI programs on university campuses.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser lobbed at least 13 lawsuits against Trump administration policies related to DEI, including the Health and Human Services' (HHS) termination of public health grants, and moves to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The Trump administration on Friday launched a new investigative unit to protect "female athletes, from the pernicious effects of gender ideology in school programs and activities," further clamping down on transgender women in school sports and sending a warning signal to states defying the president's executive orders.

The Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the Title IX Special Investigations Team (SIT) to handle cases, particularly targeting transgender women in sports, because "traditionally, our Office for Civil Rights [OCR] takes months, even years, to complete Title IX investigations," Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Friday.

"OCR under this Administration has moved faster than it ever has, and the Title IX SIT will ensure even more rapid and consistent investigations," McMahon said. "To all the entities that continue to allow men to compete in women’s sports and use women’s intimate facilities: there’s a new sheriff in town. We will not allow you to get away with denying women's civil rights any longer."

 CONCERNED PARENTS OF TRANS KIDS COMPARED TO 'HATE GROUPS' BY COLORADO DEM: WOULDN'T 'ASK THE KKK' FOR OPINION

The team, drawn from both agencies, will implement a rapid process to handle the growing number of cases to hand over investigations to potential DOJ enforcement. McMahon said the Title IX unit "will benefit women and girls across this nation who have been subjected to discrimination and indignity in their educational activities."

"Protecting women and women’s sports is a key priority for this Department of Justice," Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday. "This collaborative effort with the Department of Education will enable our attorneys to take comprehensive action when women’s sports or spaces are threatened and use the full power of the law to remedy any violation of women’s civil rights."

The unit comprises investigators and attorneys from the OCR, the ED Office of General Counsel, and the ED Office of Student Privacy and Protection, along with caseworkers and an FSA Enforcement investigator. The unit also includes attorneys from the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.

TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT 'EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY': JUDGE

The investigative unit will enforce Title IX protections with President Donald Trump's executive orders on "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" and "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism."

The unit comes as Trump has been facing pushback from both lawmakers and judges for his gender-related orders.

Trump and Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills sparred in February over Trump's order banning biological males from women's sports. During a National Governors Association meeting, Trump accused Mills of defying federal orders by continuing to allow transgender women to compete in women’s sports. Following the confrontation, the Trump administration launched investigations into Maine’s education department.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also froze funds to certain educational programs in Maine due to the state's rebellion. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins indicated the funding freeze could be lifted if Maine aligns with federal interpretations of Title IX.

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Trump's Title IX unit comes after the Biden administration updated Title IX regulations in 2021 and 2022 to expand protections for LGBTQ+ students, interpreting the law’s prohibition on sex discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation.

Under then-President Joe Biden's interpretation, transgender students were allowed in women's sports, bathrooms, changing room facilities and in other educational programs.

A Colorado Democrat likened parent groups to "the KKK" during an hours-long committee hearing for a controversial bill that could see parents accused of "coercive control" in custody fights for using a trans child's "deadname."

"I really am curious about how much stakeholdering went on both sides of the issue, and not just one side," Republican state Rep. Jarvis Caldwell said during the hearing, which began Monday night and ran into early Tuesday. "I'm curious with if the businesses in the community were included in these and if parent groups that are not part of the LGBT community if they were involved."

Later during the House Judiciary hearing, Democrat state Rep. Yara Zokaie said the committee that night had "heard a lot about stakeholding and who was left out of stakeholding" and that "this process is important for us to understand the implications of the bills that we are passing."

"But a well-stakeholdered bill does not need to be discussed with hate groups," Zokaie said. "And we don't ask someone passing civil rights legislation to go ask the KKK their opinion," she added as several in the committee room applauded.

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The bill in question, HB25-1312, An Act Concerning Legal Protections for Transgender Individuals, requires courts to consider "deadnaming, misgendering, or threatening to publish material related to an individual's gender-affirming health-care services as types of coercive control" when making child custody decisions. It passed in a 7-4 vote out of the committee, clearing the first major hurdle to becoming law. It now goes to the Assembly for a second reading.

If the bill passes, it would make Colorado the first state to pass such legislation.

In California, similar legislation was passed in 2023 requiring courts to consider a parent's affirmation of a child's chosen gender identity in custody battles. However, liberal Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill.

The Colorado bill, which would create the Kelly Loving Act, named after a transgender man who was killed in the 2022 Colorado nightclub shooting by a nonbinary gunman, also prohibits Colorado courts from enforcing laws from other states that remove children from parents who allow transgender treatments for minors. 

TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT 'EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY': JUDGE

If a child in school wants to go by a different name other than their legal one, the bill says educators must be "inclusive of all reasons that a student might adopt a chosen name."

"If the individual provides a chosen name that is different from the individual's legal name, the chosen name must be used on all subsequent forms administered by the public entity," the bill text summary says.

After the hearing, Caldwell told Fox News Digital in a statement that Zokaie's reference to certain stakeholders was "deeply concerning" and "reckless."

"Particularly when it involves labeling parents – the people who care the most about the future of their children – as hate groups," he said. "Parents who stand up for their children's education and rights should be respected, not vilified."

SCOTUS RULINGS THIS TERM COULD STRENGTHEN RELIGIOUS RIGHTS PROTECTIONS, EXPERT SAYS

Zokaie also said during the hearing, "There was a lot of discussion of folks losing their children, and I just want us to note that these are parameters for a judge to consider."

"The word 'consider' is used repeatedly. There are no mandates in this bill," she said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Zokaie for comment but did not receive a response by publication deadline.

A Maryland bill creating a commission to study and recommend potential slavery reparations is now at the desk of Democratic Gov. Wes Moore.

Lawmakers in the Old Line State advanced the bill to Moore after it passed the state's House by a 101-36 vote. Moore has said he will consider the legislation, according to The Associated Press.

In the bill, potential reparations are described as official statements of apology, monetary compensation, property tax rebates and social service assistance, including assistance with down payments on homes, business incentives, child care, debt forgiveness and college tuition payment waivers.

HOUSE DEMS REINTRODUCE REPARATIONS LEGISLATION: 'WE REFUSE TO BE SILENT' 

The measure, which was a top priority for the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, also seeks to study the lingering effects of racial discrimination in the state.

Baltimore County Del. Aletheia McCaskill, a Democrat, described the goal of a reparations commission when outlining the Black caucus' legislative session priorities at the beginning of the year.

"The commission will carefully examine and evaluate a range of reparations proposals that will not only consider financial restitution, but will also explore strategies to support and uplift vulnerable communities that continue to suffer the lingering and evasive effects of discriminatory practices rooted in systematic racism," McCaskill said.

NYC COUNCIL PASSES SLAVERY REPARATIONS LEGISLATION TO 'YIELD MATERIAL SOLUTIONS' FROM US HISTORY 

Moore, who is Maryland's first Black governor, has not said if he will sign the measure – only that he will consider it.

"I have said and long stated that the history of racism in this state is real," he said to reporters, adding that the impacts "are still very much being felt and they’ve been structurally felt within the state of Maryland."

Though, the governor has said the state is experiencing a tough budget year and he has the growth of Maryland's economy in mind when viewing legislation.

Maryland is not the first state to consider such legislation. California lawmakers passed a bill last year that resulted in a formal apology for past racist policies and the return of land or compensation to families who had property unjustly seized by the government.

Also, last year, lawmakers in New York City passed legislation with goals to study the city's role in slavery and consider reparations to descendants of slaves.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Georgia state House Democrats staged a walkout to protest a vote on a bill headed to the governor's desk for his signature prohibiting taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries for inmates. 

The bill passed on a 100-2 vote, and both recorded no votes were from Democrats.

The legislation, SB 185, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Randy Robertson, bars the Georgia Department of Corrections from providing taxpayer-funded transgender medical treatments, including surgeries and hormonal treatments, to prison inmates. Robertson contends there are about five inmates incarcerated in the DOC that receive treatments.

The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp's desk for his signature.

PRISONERS HAVE NO 'CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT' TO SEX CHANGES, RED STATE AG TELLS COURT IN BRIEF BACKING TRUMP

"This disappointing stunt underscores a troubling disconnect between Democrats and the values of the people they serve," Republican House Majority Whip James Burchett told Fox News Digital. "They knew they had no response to the substance of the bill. So, rather than debate its merits, they chose to abandon their duties by leaving the chamber."

However, Democratic House Whip Sam Park contended it was Republicans playing politics, not Democrats.

"Republicans continue to waste time on their manufactured culture wars while Georgians struggle with increasing costs of housing, food, healthcare and an increasingly uncertain economy due to Republican leadership in D.C.," Park said. "We walked out to make it clear: Georgia Democrats are here to fight for working families, not political distractions."

TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT 'EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY': JUDGE

Georgia Republicans have taken an aggressive approach toward transgender issues this legislative session with the introduction of several bills that seek to align with President Donald Trump's executive orders. 

Some of those bills, in addition to SB 185, include blocking taxpayer-funded medical treatments for state employees, prohibitions on prescribing puberty blockers to minors and a ban on biological males competing in girls high school sports.

It's unclear how much cosmetic or surgical transgender treatments cost each taxpayer in Georgia, but the Gender Confirmation Center estimates alterations can be anywhere from $8,000 to $50,000, depending on the type of procedure.

Other states this year have moved to introduce similar bills banning taxpayer-funded transgender treatments for inmates, including Utah and Kentucky. California was among the first states to provide transgender procedures for prison inmates in 2017 after a legal battle launched by an inmate two years earlier.

ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH

In January and February 2025, Trump signed executive orders rolling back federally-funded "gender ideology" initiatives. These orders define "sex" strictly as male or female, mandate federal agencies to conform to this definition and prohibit transgender individuals from using single-sex federally-funded facilities. They also prevent federally funded transgender treatments for both inmates and minors and ban biological males from competing in women's sports.

"Yesterday’s walkout by Georgia Democrats during a vote to ban taxpayer-funded sex reassignment surgeries for prisoners is a disgraceful display of misplaced priorities," Rep. Houston Gaines, vice chairman of the Georgia House Majority Caucus, said. 

"By storming out of the legislative session, these lawmakers abandoned their duty to represent their constituents and engage in the democratic process, all to grandstand over an issue that most Georgians find absurd."

Federal and state authorities are operating within the bounds of the U.S. Constitution when they deny federal prisoners access to taxpayer-funded sex change procedures for transgender inmates, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita told a U.S. district court this week.

Rokita filed a 24-state amicus brief in support of President Donald Trump's legal effort to uphold his executive order, "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government," which prohibits the use of federal taxpayer dollars for transgender procedures for inmates.

"If we're to lose this case, the floodgates will open, and you will see an unending amount of these cases being filed. Costs are going to go up for the state of Indiana to accommodate these unneeded, unnecessary and dangerous surgeries," Rokita told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday.

TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT 'EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY': JUDGE

Rokita is also helping his state fight a two-year legal battle brought on by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of a transgender inmate — convicted of killing his 11-month-old baby — to receive a sex-change surgery.

The federal judge in the case, Clinton appointee Richard Young, repeatedly ruled that the inmate must be given gender surgery at the "earliest opportunity," despite Indiana's law barring the state Department of Corrections from using taxpayer funds to cover sex reassignment surgeries for inmates. Rokita has filed an appeal of that decision.

"It's absolutely imperative that not only President Trump's executive orders stand, but that Indiana wins this case," Rokita said. 

ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH

Both Rokita and the Trump administration's cases deal with the accusation that prohibiting so called "gender-affirming care" for inmates violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of "cruel and unusual punishment."

In the Trump case, an inmate anonymously identified as Maria Moe, is being represented by advocacy groups GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Once Trump signed the executive order, Moe was transferred to a men's prison facility, and BOP records changed the sex from "female" to "male," the complaint says.

Several inmates who signed onto the lawsuit as plaintiffs were also transferred to men's facilities to match their biological sex, but are now being sent back to women's facilities after U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the executive order last week.

TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB

"The politics of some of these courts these days, and playing into this is really a head scratcher," Rokita said. "But the chaos that would ensue in the prison system, with all these jailhouse lawyers, all of a sudden… the expense of the taxpayer would be astronomical."

The Trans Day of Visibility Rally will take place on the National Mall Monday afternoon, with organizers prepared to tell the Trump administration, "We’re not going anywhere," according to the organizers' flyer. 

A dozen congressional lawmakers are expected to make an appearance at the rally.

The rally, organized "after relentless attacks from the Trump administration on the transgender community," is one of several large-scale protests and marches held for Trans Day of Visibility on March 31, which was officially designated by former President Biden annually beginning in 2021.

The event, organized by the Christopher Street Project – a nonprofit with a PAC focused on electing "champions for the transgender community" – is also supported by a dozen other organizations.

TRANS ACTIVISTS SET 'SURVIVAL SKILLS' FOCUS AMID TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDERS FOR TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY WEEKEND

Tensions remain high as transgender issues remain a focal point in U.S. politics and the culture war, with several high-profile Democrats, like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, coming out in recent weeks against biological men in women's sports. The U.S. Supreme Court will also either decide or hear oral arguments on a number of LGBTQ-related cases this year, while both red and blue states pass their own laws to either limit or expand transgender medical treatments for minors.

While Trans Day of Visibility has typically been a celebration in recent years, this year’s mood shifted to one of protest against President Donald Trump’s gender-related executive orders.

Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at limiting gender ideology influence in federal policies and education since taking back the White House. In February, Trump signed an executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," banning biological males from participating in female-designated athletic competitions. Trump also signed the "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government" executive order establishing a binary definition of sex as male and female, determined at conception.

HIDING KIDS' 'GENDER IDENTITY' FROM PARENTS IS COMMON IN BLUE STATE FIGHTING TRUMP ON TRANS ISSUES: WATCHDOG

Over the weekend, several blue cities hosted rallies and festivals, including Trans Fest, which featured an indigenous prayer led by activist Angel C. Fabian, who uses he/she/they pronouns and is known in "ceremonial spaces" as Tlahuizpapalotl, or "Butterfly of Light." The event also offered legal assistance, workshops on rights, political education classes, survival skills and self-defense sessions, according to its advertisement on social media.

The National Mall rally is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. ET.

Schools should be following President Donald Trump’s executive order "ending radical indoctrination in K-12," say two New Jersey lawmakers who put forward a bill to repeal the Garden State’s countervailing law.

Assembs. Gregory McGuckin, R-Brick, and Paul Kanitra, R-Point Pleasant Beach, have put forward bill A-5560, which would repeal the 2021 state law requiring instruction on DEI and topics like unconscious bias, gender identity tolerance and disability tolerance.

Meanwhile, the state’s Democratic attorney general remains party to multi-state legal guidance countering Trump’s order.

"DEI is not appropriate in any part of our children’s curriculum. It is nothing more than rebranded Marxist ideology that destroys people, relationships and communities," McGuckin said in a statement announcing the repeal effort.

GREEN NEW HEADACHE: NJ DEMS FLEE GOV'S ENERGY MASTER PLAN AS ELECTION APPROACHES

"[I]n schools, [it] wrecks merit-based rewards and an ambition to excel. True diversity, equity and inclusion leads to free associations which foster innovation and progress."

McGuckin went on to call DEI lessons "garbage" that don’t belong in New Jersey schools.

Kanitra said it "boggles the mind" why "telling students their skin color determines their success or failure is true or helpful."

"They are either stupid or evil, or maybe brilliant, because the experts pushing this stuff are quite wealthy, I hear," he said.

Both lawmakers highlighted the decline in state education and test scores since the COVID-era school lock-outs ordered by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat.

McGuckin said students have yet to collectively return to 2019-level proficiency scores.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin characterized Trump’s order to end DEI curricula as having little effect on established law and pledged to continue to fight purported federal overreach.

In a statement last week, Platkin said New Jersey’s schools are excelling because of the system’s ability to embrace the state’s diversity.

‘DOGE FEVER’ STATES FROM NJ TO TX ADOPT DOGE INITIATIVES

"No toothless threats from the Trump administration will change that," he said. "Along with my [AG] colleagues across the country, we are issuing legal guidance to schools so that they can continue to foster diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environments that benefit all students."

Platkin added he and the other state AGs will continue to fight any effort by the White House to withhold federal funding from schools or special-needs students.

He was backed up by neighboring New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said in a statement that the Trump administration "cannot ban diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts with a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter."

New Jersey’s DEI law, spearheaded by former Gov. Richard Codey — now a Democratic state senator from West Orange — mandated school districts incorporate such instruction beginning in the 2021 school year.

"The instruction shall highlight and promote diversity, including economic diversity, equity, inclusion, tolerance, and belonging in connection with gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disabilities, and religious tolerance," the bill reads.

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It also "examine[s] the impact that unconscious bias and economic disparities have at both an individual level and on society as a whole; and encourage safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments for all students regardless of race or ethnicity, sexual and gender identities, mental and physical disabilities, and religious beliefs."

Assemb. Carol Murphy, D-Burlington, said in 2020 it guarantees students will be "accepted and understanding of what each student goes through in life and making sure there is no stigma attached to that student, regardless of what culture… race… sexuality or where they are in life."

As of Monday afternoon, the repeal effort had gained three additional co-sponsors: Assembs. Gregory Myhre of Barnegat, Brian Rumpf of Little Egg Harbor and Erik Peterson of Readington, all Republicans. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Platkin and GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Jack Ciattarelli for additional comment for purposes of this story. 

The Australian government has been taken to court by an internet personality known as "Billboard Chris," who challenged the nation’s "eSafety" commission’s authority to geo-block a tweet criticizing the appointment of an Australian transgender activist to a World Health Organization board. 

Chris Elston, a Canadian national who often expresses his free speech through slogans and tweets on sandwich boards in public places, had a tweet of his geo-blocked by the Aussies – which was a ‘share’ of a U.K. Daily Mail article about the transgender activist headlined "Kinky secrets of UN trans expert revealed."

The activist, Teddy Cook, filed a complaint with Australia’s eSafety commissioner, which led to a request for X to censor it.

X initially refused, but assented after the government issued a formal order to do so, according to Alliance Defending Freedom International, which is backing Elston. Elston is challenging the move before the Administrative Review Tribunal on Monday.

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"I’m in Australia because their government think their people don’t deserve to know and to make their own mind up about toxic gender ideology," the London-based ADFI’s Lois McLatchie Miller said on X ahead of the case.

"This post from @BillboardChris has been withheld in Australia in response to a legal demand; learn more," a message on the tweet's URL posted by McLatchie Miller from the Land Down Under read.

"Is that image offensive? Absolutely. It’s offensive to my eyes, because someone appointed as a WHO expert should not be posting those perverted photos, and promoting drugs and bestiality," she added, citing content from the Daily Mail piece.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, McLatchie Miller said the situation is a "monumental" case for global free speech, and "the ultimate ‘What is a Woman’ suit."

"It’s an Australian authority bucking the speech of a Canadian man on an American platform," she said.

"So the Australian authorities have found that because they don't want Australians to be able to hear a message and discuss a certain topic, they have now reached over to other countries to block that free speech, which is in and of itself fascinating."

BILLBOARD CHRIS REFLECTS ON VIOLENCE HE'S MET WITH PROTESTING GENDER SURGERIES FOR CHILDREN

"Over the last few weeks, when it comes to foreign governments having very surreal policies which are thought to only impact their citizens and their citizens' human rights, but also the rights for Americans, rights for Canadians, others around the world," McLatchie Miller said.

Elston had also recently been fined AU$806 ($508) for "obstructing people" and removed from a public sidewalk by law enforcement after he engaged with passersby about another message on his sandwich board: "Children cannot consent to puberty blockers."

McLatchie Miller’s group noted the case echoed recent stated concerns about global censorship from Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year. Vance also brought up his concerns in a joint presser with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

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"We also know that there have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British – of course, what the British do in their own country is up to them – but also affect American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens," Vance said at the time.

Fox News Digital reached out to Vance’s office for comment on being invoked in the case.

ADFI advocacy director Robert Clarke said in a statement on Elston’s case: 

"The decision of Australian authorities to prevent Australian citizens from hearing and evaluating information about gender ideology is a patronizing affront to the principles of democracy."

X is also challenging a six-figure penalty imposed by Australia in 2023 after failing to provide information on how it was addressing exploitation and abuse on its platform, according to News.com.au.

Fox News Digital reached out to Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant's office for comment.

President Donald Trump drew laughs from the press when one reporter asked him to define what a woman is. Trump was speaking at a news conference after Alina Habba, a longtime member of his team, was sworn-in as the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. 

The reporter who asked the question first said that Trump had done "so much for women" before listing women who have powerful roles in the Trump administration, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Attorney General Pam Bondi. He then asked, "Since Democrats seemed to struggle answering this question, I want to ask you, what is a woman and why is it important that we understand the difference between men and women?"

The room quickly erupted in laughter as Trump said that the question was "easy" to answer.

"A woman is somebody, they can have a baby under certain circumstances. She has equality. A woman is a person who is much smarter than a man, I’ve always found. A woman is a person that doesn't give a man even a chance of success," Trump said.

While the reporters in the room chuckled, Trump took the opportunity to take the question in a serious direction and addressed the issue of transgender athletes playing in women’s sports.

TRUMP SAYS HE'S 'PROUD TO BE THE PRESIDENT TO SAVE WOMEN’S SPORTS' AFTER NCAA CHANGES TRANS ATHLETE POLICY

"And a woman is a person that in many cases has been treated very badly. Because I think that what happens with this crazy, this crazy issue of men being able to play in women's sports is just ridiculous and very unfair to women, and very demeaning to women," Trump said, shifting the tone of the news conference. 

Trump referenced a Democrat lawmaker, without naming who it was, fighting to keep transgender athletes in women’s sports. The president joked that he hopes Democrats keep arguing for the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports "because they’ll never win another election."

TRUMP SIGNS 'NO MEN IN WOMEN'S SPORTS' EXECUTIVE ORDER

The Trump administration has taken swift action in combating gender ideology. Trump signed an order specifically addressing the issue of trans athletes in women’s sports. The order, "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports," prohibits educational institutions that receive federal funds from allowing trans athletes to compete against women.

Additionally, Trump signed an executive order titled "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government." This order made it official policy that the U.S. government only recognizes two genders: male and female.

CALIFORNIA UNDER INVESTIGATION BY TRUMP ADMIN FOR ALLEGEDLY HIDING 'GENDER IDENTITY' OF KIDS

The U.S. Department of Education recently took action on this issue and launched an investigation of the California Department of Education over alleged violations of the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) after a new California law went into effect that bars schools from disclosing a child's "gender identity" to their parents. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spokesperson Elana Ross told Fox News Digital in a statement Thursday, "Parents continue to have full, guaranteed access to their student's education records, as required by federal law."

As Trump concluded his answer to the question, he said, "Women are, basically, incredible people, do so much for our country. And we love our women and we’re going to take care of our women."

Fox News Digital's Jamie Joseph contributed to this article.

Several events for transgender people are scheduled this weekend across the country's bluest cities in celebration of Trans Day of Visibility on Monday, including a "Skillsharing & Practical Survival" workshop in response to President Donald Trump's executive orders clamping down on progressive gender ideology.

"We wanted to materially benefit transgender people instead of just giving them an event or some performances," Zander Moreno, one of the activists organizing the survival workshop event in San Francisco, told KQED. "Of course, that can be powerful, too. But I think with the things that are happening now, what’s most important is to have trans people feel safe in their communities and know that there are transgender groups that are truly looking to build a movement against the things that are happening in the White House."

The workshop is included as part of a broader series of events for Trans Fest on Sunday in the Tenderloin district. 

TRANS EUROPEAN TRAVELERS WARNED BY THEIR COUNTRIES ABOUT US TRAVEL AMID TRUMP 'TWO-SEXES' ORDER

Trans Fest – which will open in an indigenous prayer led by activist Angel C. Fabian, who goes by he/she/they pronouns and is known "in ceremonial spaces" as Tlahuizpapalotl, or "Butterfly of Light" – will offer people legal assistance, workshops about their rights, a political education class, and a self-defense session.

"Art & Creative Resistance" is also one of the events, where people can do stencil making, printmaking and "hands-on altar making."

Skillsharing & Practical Survival will include self defense, "DIY hormones," and "community-led safety and de-escalation," according to the festival's Instagram post.

HIDING KIDS' 'GENDER IDENTITY' FROM PARENTS IS COMMON IN BLUE STATE FIGHTING TRUMP ON TRANS ISSUES: WATCHDOG

On Sunday, in the downtown Chicago Loop at Federal Plaza, the Trans Up Front and Indivisible Chicago coalition and 30 other LGBT organizations will host a rally and march in response to the "MAGA right, the Republican led Congress, and the Trump administration" who have "targeted transgender and nonbinary people with hate filled policies, executive orders, and disinformation," according to the event flyer.

"As a result we face increased discrimination, violence, and the erosion of our rights," the flyer states. "From healthcare access to legal protections, our trans community needs to be seen, heard, and supported now more than ever. We call on all of the LGBTQ+ community and all of our allies to join together to demand equality, dignity and protection of our rights. This protest will amplify our collective voice and demand meaningful change."

The Chicago Democratic Socialist of America, Gay Liberation Network, Chicago Abortion Fund and Chicago Teachers Union are among the rally's sponsors.

In Atlanta, the LGBTQ affairs department in the mayor's office is hosting a Trans Day of Visibility celebration at City Hall, called "Deeper than Visibility: How We Talk about Us."

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"Communities are coming together to celebrate and show solidarity for transgender people at a critical moment in history – in blue states and red states, purple states and worldwide," GLAAD president and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. "Equal treatment is not a partisan issue, it’s a value that unites all of us. Transgender Day of Visibility is a chance to show up and speak out for everyone’s right to be themselves and be safe, and rally around values of acceptance and equality that make every community stronger, safer, and kinder."

The events this year come on the heels of President Trump's series of executive orders aimed at limiting gender ideology influence in federal policies and education. In February, Trump signed an executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," banning biological males from participating in female-designated athletic competitions. Trump also signed the "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government" executive order establishing a binary definition of sex as male and female, determined at conception.

Several cases dealing with gender ideology, particularly involving minors, are currently pending in the U.S. Supreme Court.

EXCLUSIVE: Arizona state Senate President Warren Petersen will write to Education Secretary Linda McMahon asking for a meeting to discuss what he characterized as a campus crisis of DEI proliferation in the Grand Canyon State.

Petersen, R-Gilbert, will tell McMahon the Trump administration was right to make ending the ubiquity of on-campus "un-American propaganda," including DEI initiatives, a chief priority.

"For too long, state and federal officials have allowed university regents, presidents, faculty, and staff to indoctrinate our young men and women. … They have taught our college students to hate the greatness of our nation and discriminate against others," Petersen wrote.

"Many colleges have even done the bare minimum — or nothing at all in some cases — to stand in defense of our Jewish brothers and sisters who have been attacked.

AZ SEN URGES BURGUM TO END BIDEN-OBAMA-ERA LAND GRABS AT URANIUM SITES

"I was extremely heartened to learn that your department is holding universities accountable for their refusal to conform to existing laws blocking any institution from receiving federal funding due to discrimination," he added, noting that it "did not go unnoticed" that some schools like Arizona State were on both of the public lists of universities under federal investigation on this front.

FL'S MOVE FROM 2000S ISSUE TO 2020S ROLE MODEL IS BLUEPRINT FOR AZ, OFFICIALS SAY

"Arizona’s public universities … have demonstrated a troubling track record of using tax dollars to implement DEI programs. Examples include job postings addressing commitments to DEI, required trainings for staff and faculty that push discriminatory ideas of ‘critiquing whiteness’ and ‘heterosexuality is privileged and going unquestioned,’ as well as requiring students to obtain credits in DEI-related courses like 'Introduction to Queer Studies' and ‘Multicultural Perspectives of Natural Resource Management.'"

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Petersen then asked for a meeting with McMahon to help her in enforcing the mandate and hold Arizona colleges accountable that do not comply, adding he fears many stated reforms are just "window dressing."

In ASU’s case, college officials told FOX-10 the university is no longer affiliated with the proscribed program the feds had highlighted.

EXCLUSIVE: After a hard-hitting hearing by the House DOGE Subcommittee, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, is introducing a bill Thursday to pull all government funding from "chronically biased" outlets NPR and PBS, which he says have been "pushing Democrat talking points under the fake banner of ‘public media.’"

Jackson’s bill – titled the "No Partisan Radio and Partisan Broadcasting Services Act" or simply the "NPR and PBS Act" – would fully cut off any direct and indirect government funding for both outlets, forcing them to compete instead of being propped up by the government.

This comes amid Elon Musk’s sweeping cuts to wasteful government programs through the Department of Government Efficiency.

The move also follows a high-intensity House DOGE Subcommittee hearing in which NPR’s Katherine Maher and PBS’ Paula Kerger attempted to explain why their outlets still deserve public funding.

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During the hearing, Maher conceded that NPR botched coverage of Hunter Biden's infamous laptop, saying, "We made a mistake." At the time, NPR representatives publicly called the story unserious and a distraction. During the hearing, Maher said, "We were mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively and sooner."

She also expressed regret about remarks she made about President Donald Trump, calling him "a fascist and a deranged racist sociopath."  

Meanwhile, Kerger's PBS was slammed for producing such programs as "Real Boy," which follows a transgender character exploring sexuality.

DOGE Subcommittee Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., bashed PBS as "one of the founders of the trans child abuse industry." 

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SCOLDS NPR CEO OVER PERSONAL VIEWS DURING FIERY DOGE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING

Following the NPR and PBS leaders’ testimonies, Greene called the outlets "out of touch with everyday Americans," saying: "I think from what we have heard here today, the American people will not continue to allow such propaganda to be funded through the federal government with their hard-earned tax dollars."

Jackson told Fox News Digital that though NPR and PBS were originally founded to produce non-biased, informational and educational content, the outlets have since "turned into taxpayer-funded propaganda machines for the radical left, pushing Democratic talking points under the fake banner of ‘public media.’"

A statement by Jackson’s office further said the two outlets’ "chronically biased" programming has made them simply a "messaging arm for woke, radical Democrats."

"Hardworking Americans are sick of footing the bill," said Jackson. "It’s time to cut them off and stop forcing taxpayers to pay for their liberal lies!"

EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE GOP FIREBRAND DRIVES DOGE COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION OF GOVERNMENT MEDIA AGENCY CORRUPTION

Trump has expressed he is open to defunding NPR and other "biased" publicly funded outlets, meaning he would be likely to sign a bill doing so if passed by Congress.

"They spend more money than any other network of its type ever conceived, so the kind of money that's being wasted, and it's a very biased view, you know that better than anybody," said Trump. "And I'd be honored to see it end."  

Musk has also called to defund NPR. In February, he posted a 2022 video of Maher in which she said, "Our reverence for the truth might have become a bit of a distraction that is preventing us from finding consensus and getting things done."

Commenting on Maher’s speech, Musk said NPR "should survive on its own."  

Fox News Digital's Brian Flood and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.

Facing criticism from the media and even from his state’s governor, the head of Oklahoma’s education system is defending a recently approved high school history curriculum that teaches about irregularities and "discrepancies" in the 2020 election.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, a Republican, said that the state is "in the middle of a dramatic turnaround" in education, made possible by President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the federal Department of Education.

According to Walters, the changes are being spurred on by Oklahoma parents and grandparents, who he says are demanding the state "get back to the basics" of education and eliminate any left-wing or legacy media-driven narratives in school curricula.

"We want these parameters around our standards so that we know our kids are going to be taught facts, not have a left-wing agenda pushed on them," he said. "I think that that's going to continue to be what parents and grandparents here demand. So, I think that we need to be listening to them."

EDUCATION LEADERS SAY TRUMP DISMANTLING KEY GOVERNMENT AGENCY 'SAVED EDUCATION'

Perhaps the most controversial change among the state’s educational reforms is a recently approved set of Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies document that instructs high school teachers to instruct students to "identify discrepancies in 2020 elections results by looking at graphs and other information, including the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters, and the unprecedented contradiction of ‘bellwether county’ trends."

The change has been widely lambasted by the media and by some leaders in the state.

The New York Times reported state Rep. John Waldron, who is vice-chair of the Oklahoma House Democratic caucus, slammed Walters, saying the "superintendent campaigned to end indoctrination in our schools, but what he is doing instead with these new standards is promoting his own brand of indoctrination." 

Meanwhile, a representative for Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt told Fox News Digital that the change is "just another distraction from making sure kids can read." 

EXCLUSIVE: RED STATE SUING SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR ILLEGALLY TEACHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY

Walters, however, is refusing to budge. He claimed that by including discussion about the 2020 election, the state is not pushing a particular viewpoint but rather encouraging students to be "critical thinkers."

"The left doesn't want kids to look at the numbers, look at the data and ask questions about the election. Look, we've never had an election like 2020. I mean, literally all of the processes were changed leading up to it. Our kids need to do a deep dive in that," he said. "We're going to make sure when our kids study history, they're looking at numbers, are looking at data, they're looking at what the historical records show us."

Walters believes this is a "crucial step in ensuring when teachers talk about the 2020 election, [they tell students to] look at the numbers, look at the data."

"Let students do that deep dive. I think it makes them better students. I think it makes them more well-rounded people," he said. "I also think it teaches them to think for themselves when you move into the future. Hey, don't take anybody's word for it. Do your own research. Do your own study. I think that's a really important message that we've got to get across to our kids."

LINDA MCMAHON: MY VISION FOR ELIMINATING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Though already approved by the state Board of Education, the standards still need approval from the legislature or governor.

While he said he is "optimistic" the legislature will approve the curriculum, Walters took aim at Stitt, accusing him of being a "never Trumper."

"It's really unfortunate," he said. "If the governor wants to come out and force students and tell them that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and that he doesn't want them to look at facts or think about it, that's way out of step with Oklahomans."

SCOOP: HOUSE REPUBLICAN MOVES TO CODIFY TRUMP ORDER TO DISMANTLE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

In response, Abegail Cave, a representative for Stitt, said the governor was more concerned about declining test scores in the state. She accused Walters and some members of the education board of being "more focused on making headlines and political wins than they were actually making sure Oklahoma kids could read." 

Cave called the idea that Stitt is a never Trumper "ridiculous."

"He voted for Donald Trump and he's not a never Trumper. That's again Ryan Walters trying to spin the narrative and muddy the waters for no reason," she said. 

Cave pointed out Stitt’s recent public appearances praising Trump’s actions against the federal Department of Education, saying "the governor is a firm believer that we should leave education to the states."

The head of Oklahoma’s public school system is backing President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the federal Department of Education, saying that Trump will "go down in history as the president that saved education."

Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced a dramatic "reduction in force" of the federal Department of Education and detailed plans to reduce the size of the agency by over 50% from around 4,133 to around 2,183 employees.

Trump has previously said he wants to "close up the Department of Education" entirely and "move education back to the states."

As Democrats and media outlets sound the alarm that Trump’s changes mean doom for education in America, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters is saying that Trump’s move is exactly what students, parents and the entire country need right now.

"This is a historic moment," he said. "I think President Trump is going to go down in history as the president that saved education and the future of the country."

RANDI WEINGARTEN 'SPITTING MAD' ABOUT 'EVISCERATION' OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Walters said that rather than helping to implement effective education systems, the Department of Education had long been co-opted by radical teachers’ unions like the American Federation of Teachers, which he said has been pushing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and other leftist ideologies in states, including Oklahoma.

"The disruption of education was the federalization of education and the unionization of education. That's what got us away from the concept of schools that valued the community, value the family, value the individual," he said. "You have thousands of bureaucrats that are up there that are pushing a left-wing agenda, the most radical agenda the country has ever seen. They're teaching kids to hate the country. They're teaching kids to hate their faith."

"You can talk to teachers about the types of trainings the feds were requiring them to go to," he continued. "These were not helping them drive student achievement in their classroom. It was to push a left-wing agenda on kids."

DEMOCRAT-LED STATES SUE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT PURGE

After taking office in January 2023, Walters said he had to immediately deal with the Biden Department of Education using federal funding as leverage to push concepts like DEI and gender ideology in classrooms.

"I was very sharp in my responses of why are we talking about transgenderism in an Algebra One class? Like there's no connection between the two, but it shows you how far they were willing to go with their woke ideology, with the strategy to undermine American society, undermine the family unit," he said.

The result, Walters said, has shown in students’ test scores.  

"All the test scores have shown that they've all gotten worse since this disruption occurred," he explained. "Nearly every society factor has gotten worse. You look at teenage suicide. You look at teenage drug use. You look at the disintegration of the family unit. All of these things coincided in part with the creation of the federal Department of Education and the rise of the teachers’ unions."  

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Walters anticipates that cutting the Education Department will free up huge sums of funds that, instead of paying bureaucrats' salaries, will instead go straight to students’ education and teachers.

He pointed to cuts he made to the Oklahoma Education Department in which he reduced the state’s bureaucracy by 150 employees, which he claimed saved millions, creating opportunities for tutoring programs and offering more competitive salaries to hire top-talent teachers.  

"You're going to see that, times a thousand with the federal Department of Education," he said.

Meanwhile, Tiffany Justice, co-founder of the parents’ rights group Moms for Liberty, assured parents that "your children's education will not be affected by any of these things."

ILLINOIS MOM SPEAKS OUT OVER SCHOOL'S TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM POLICY

"Don't believe the union talking point, fearmongering lies," Justice said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Abolishing the Department of Education or dismantling it, cutting back on half the staff, only means more power to the parents, which is why the unions are concerned."

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"Since the creation of the Department of Education, student achievement has only declined," she said. "We've got a real crisis on our hands. I think the fact that the majority of American children are not learning to read is one of the biggest national security threats that we face as a nation."

"If you're watching mainstream media or the fake news, as President Trump likes to say, you're hearing those union fearmongering talking points. They're saying, ‘Oh, this is going to hurt teachers. This is going to hurt services.’ Nothing could be further from the truth," she went on. "Every state has a department of education, and I think every state and every state leader should really be looking at this as an opportunity to be able to show what their vision is for education, and then to execute on that vision and really make sure that kids in their states are learning," said Justice.

Nearly two dozen Democrat attorneys general are currently suing the Trump administration to stop the cuts to the Department of Education. 

Speaking with Fox News, Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said it is "outrageous" that the Trump administration is "set on gutting the Department of Education." She claimed that this move amounts to "neglecting our students, and our parents, our communities and… the future of this country." 

New parents in New Jersey are receiving shocking documents from a health network — and it is not the hospital bill. 

A form from Inspira Health went viral as it asks parents about their newborn’s sexual orientation and gender identity. 

Now, Republican New Jersey State Sen. Holly Schepisi is introducing legislation to exempt minors from these types of questions.

Schepisi — also a mother of two — told Fox News Digital that when she first saw the form being circulated on social media, she was "skeptical" because of the "outrageous" and "nonsensical" nature of the forms. However, her staff were able to confirm that the questionnaire was indeed real and was being distributed to new parents.

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Inspira Health’s forms are meant to comply with a New Jersey law that requires the collection of data on patients’ race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, according to Schepisi. 

"The health network, in fairness to them, it was like ‘We don't necessarily want to be providing these out. And we have received some pushback and backlash from patients.’ But under the new law that was implemented in New Jersey in late June of 2022, the health network had a real belief that in order to be compliant with the law DOH [regulations], that they had to be all encompassing and include this, including for newborn patients," Schepisi told Fox News Digital.

The law requires the collection be done "in a culturally competent and sensitive manner," which Schepisi said was "subjective."

​HIDING KIDS' 'GENDER IDENTITY' FROM PARENTS IS COMMON IN BLUE STATE FIGHTING TRUMP ON TRANS ISSUES: WATCHDOG

Schepisi thinks she will be able to get bipartisan support for her legislation that would create an exemption for minors in the state’s medical records law.

"Apparently, as drafted, as guidance was being provided, the interpretation by a lot of people, was that this data must be collected from all demographics without regard to age," Schepisi told Fox News Digital.

This seems to be the case, as Inspira Health told Fox News Digital that the questionnaire is "required by New Jersey law and the State of New Jersey Department of Health." Inspira Health also said that parents are allowed to decline to provide this information.

"Per recent guidance from the New Jersey Department of Health stating that health systems can collect that data in a clinically appropriate and culturally competent manner, Inspira Health will request this information from adults. This update in protocol remains compliant with the law, and we respect patients’ right to decline to respond," Inspira Health said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Some healthcare workers are also finding the form to be preposterous, according to Schepisi, who said Assemblyman John Azzariti, a medical doctor, called it "absurd." Azzariti is sponsoring Schepisi’s legislation in the Assembly. Schepisi also said the form was "not fair" to workers engaging with patients who are unhappy about the bizarre questionnaire.

The state senator said she has spoken to some Democratic state legislators who were stunned to hear about the forms’ existence. 

"I did have quite a few conversations over the past week bringing this issue to some of my Democratic colleagues’ attention, and, you know, their response was pretty much the same as a lot of people out in the public, like, ‘We're doing what?’"

Schepisi pointed the finger at New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, saying that initiatives such as the collection of this data for medical records "stemmed directly from the governor’s office." She also pointed out that the law went from introduction to the governor’s desk in a week and a half, which she said is "unheard of."

In response to a request for comment, the New Jersey Department of Health told Fox News Digital that "the Department stresses that any collection of SOGI data should be done in a clinically appropriate and culturally competent manner, including patient populations for which certain data may not be appropriate, as in the case for newborns. We also recommend that hospitals develop internal policies and procedures based on clinical advice to assist their employees in collecting such data."

EXCLUSIVE – The State of Texas, led by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, a vocal Trump ally, is suing a school district just northwest of Dallas for allegedly illegally continuing to teach critical race theory (CRT) in its classrooms.

CRT is a concept that teaches that racial bias is inherent in parts of society and that discrimination is systematically embedded in certain aspects of law and policy.

Paxton’s office said that the suit was launched in response to a video showing Coppell Independent School District (ISD) Director of Curriculum Evan Whitfield discussing how the district had "gotten around" prohibitions on the use of CRT in state policies and curricula.

According to the suit, which was filed today in the District Court of Dallas County, Whitfield further stated that "despite what our state standards say," Coppell ISD does "what’s right."

GOV. GLENN YOUNGKIN: THIS IS ABOUT ENDING ILLEGAL DISCRIMINATION

Teaching CRT violates a Texas law that prohibits educators from kindergarten through 12th grade from teaching that "one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex" or that "an individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive."

The same law also stipulates that no educator in the state can require an understanding of the "1619 Project," a historical study founded by New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones that attempts to reframe American history as being founded and rooted in slavery. The project has been marred with credible accusations of historical distortions and inaccuracies.

Texas law stipulates that an educator cannot teach that any person, because of their race or sex, bears responsibility, blame or guilt for actions committed in the past. 

The law also prohibits teachers from imposing the idea that meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist or that the advent of slavery in America constituted the true founding of the United States, concepts commonly associated with the 1619 Project.

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According to the suit, Whitfield "unequivocally stated that the policy of Coppell Independent School District is to teach curricula in violation of state law and direction, using funds and other resources of the district to develop and distribute for teaching CRT curricula."

The suit further alleges that Whitfield responded to a question about whether the district would be in trouble for violating the law by saying, "We’ve gotten around it by saying we’re not teaching it."

The lawsuit alleges that "when asked if the teacher can just close the door and teach ‘what’s right,’ Whitfield responded, ‘Shh, that’s what we do.’"

Paxton is seeking to have the court issue a permanent injunction keeping Coppell ISD officials from teaching CRT and using tax-dollar funds to distribute CRT materials. Instead, Paxton says Coppell ISD must implement a "color blind" curriculum in line with Texas law.  

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This is not the first time Coppell ISD has been sued for illegally teaching CRT.

The Texas Scorecard, a Texas-based conservative outlet, reported in 2023 that a North Texas family sued Coppell ISD after their 10th-grade son, who was a student at New Tech High School in Coppell ISD, was given a CRT-based assignment by his chemistry teacher. According to the Texas Scorecard, the teacher stipulated that students "research and write about diverse atomic theory scientists" and they could not choose an "old, dead, white guy."

Commenting on his lawsuit, Paxton said that "Texas children deserve to receive the best education in the world, not have woke ideology forced upon them."

"Liberal administrators who want to ignore state law and unlawfully push divisive and racist CRT curriculum in classrooms will be held responsible for their actions," said Paxton. "My lawsuit aims to put an immediate end to this illegal and hateful curriculum and immediately stop the blatant refusal to follow state law by certain officials at Coppell ISD."

A Texas lawmaker has introduced a bill to ban "non-human behavior" in public schools, such as barking, meowing and other animal-like practices commonly used by furries.

The Forbidding Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education, or FURRIES Act, was proposed in the state's House last week by GOP Rep. Stan Gerdes.

"No distractions. No theatrics. Just education," Gerdes wrote on X. "Texas schools are for educating kids, not indulging in radical trends. Let's keep the focus where it belongs—on preparing students for success in life."

Under the proposal, students would be prohibited from engaging in various animal behaviors, including using a litter box, licking themselves, making animal noises like barking, meowing, or hissing or otherwise pretending to be an animal.

OKLAHOMA BILL WOULD BAN 'FURRIES' FROM SCHOOL, REQUIRE PARENT, 'ANIMAL CONTROL' TO PICK-UP RULE-BREAKERS

Allegations of litter boxes being set up in school bathrooms have repeatedly been debunked by schools across the country in recent years following false claims that circulated online.

Students would also be barred from wearing items that were not designed for human use, including animal ears, whiskers, tails, collars, leashes or other accessories typically used for pets. Fur is also prohibited, but the bill specifies that natural human hair and wigs are not included in the ban on fur.

The legislation would require students to present themselves as humans. They also would not be allowed to start organizations or clubs related to non-human behavior and would be prohibited from promoting the idea that non-human behaviors are socially acceptable.

There are some exceptions to the ban on animal accessories and non-human behaviors, including dressing up for Halloween or other school dress-up events related to human history, although this would be limited to five days per school year, as well as theater performances and dressing up as a school mascot.

TEXAS LAWMAKERS CONSIDERING BILL TO BAN GENDER CHANGES ON BIRTH CERTIFICATES

Students who fail to comply could be removed from class, suspended or expelled. The measure also allows for students to be transferred to a juvenile justice alternative education program.

Teachers would be required to report violations to the Texas attorney general, and school districts that do not enforce the restrictions could face fines starting at $10,000 for the first offense and $25,000 for additional violations.

The proposal has the backing of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state's House Speaker, Dustin Burrows, both of whom are Republicans.

"If you have a child in a public school, you have one expectation: your children’s going to be learning the fundamentals of education — reading and writing and math and science," Abbott said during a recent meeting with pastors in Austin, citing the furry issue as a motivating factor to allow private school choice vouchers.

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"If they’re being distracted by furries, those parents have a right to move their child to a school of their choice," he continued.

Gerdes called his bill "common sense" as he thanked Abbott and Burrows for backing the proposal.

"I’m grateful that our leadership is taking this issue seriously and ensuring that Texas schools remain places of learning, not roleplaying," Gerdes said on X. "This is common sense. Let’s get it passed."

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is requesting data from 20 law firms about employment practices to increase diversity, equity and inclusion, which the federal agency warns may be illegal.

The commission's acting chair, Andrea Lucas, sent letters to the firms seeking detailed information on DEI programs that may be in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

Some of the companies have made legal challenges to President Donald Trump's policies targeting DEI or have connections to his political opponents. Perkins Coie; Hogan Lovells; Ropes & Gray; and WilmerHale are among the firms currently representing plaintiffs in lawsuits against the Trump administration.

Lucas said some of the firms had made public statements expressing their commitment to diversity in their workforces. At least two of the firms had numerical goals for recruiting lawyers based on their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.

TRUMP EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION PUTS EMPLOYERS 'ON NOTICE' TO STOP 'ANTI-AMERICAN BIAS'

She expressed concern that the firms' employment practices "may entail unlawful disparate treatment in terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, or unlawful limiting, segregating, and classifying" based on race, sex and other protected characteristics.

"The EEOC is prepared to root out discrimination anywhere it may rear its head, including in our nation’s elite law firms," Lucas said in a statement. "No one is above the law—and certainly not the private bar."

The letters requested information about the internships, scholarships and fellowships the firms offer to law students, as well as the firms' hiring and compensation practices.

Lucas also asked for the name, sex and race of every lawyer who has worked at or applied for a job at one of the firms since 2019 and wanted to know if each of them participated in diversity programs.

Some of the information was asked to be included in a "searchable Excel spreadsheet."

'UNLAWFUL DEI-MOTIVATED' WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION TO BE ROOTED OUT BY TRUMP'S NEW ACTING EEOC CHAIR

The EEOC can investigate companies' employment practices and file lawsuits over allegations of discrimination, but only after a worker or one of the agency's five commissioners brings a formal complaint. The agency gave no indication that Lucas had filed complaints against any of the firms.

Trump has sought to eliminate DEI programs across the country, including in the federal government, higher education and the private sector.

The president has also taken action against high-profile law firms over their DEI practices.

Trump issued executive orders this month targeting Perkins Coie as well as Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison over the two firms' alleged discriminatory internal diversity policies and previous work for his political opponents. The orders revoked security clearances for lawyers at the firms and restricted their government access and federal contracting work.

The order targeting Perkins Coie also directed Lucas to "review the practices of representative large, influential, or industry-leading law firms" even though the commission was designed to operate independently of the White House.

Perkins Coie sued on allegations that the order violated its rights under the U.S. Constitution. A judge temporarily blocked parts of the order last week.

Some companies have previously adopted policies to encourage diversity from their outside law firms.

Lucas, in the letters, asked law firms to identify clients since 2019 that have had "diversity requirements" or stated preferences for employee staffing. She also asked for the firms' actions in response to the client requirements, including producing related documents.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Several provocatively dressed, dancing transgender activists broke into an informational parents' meeting at the Vermont State House on Wednesday, disrupting the event and forcing the parents to seek another space for their event.

The activists played loud music and shouted as event organizers attempted to speak.

The Vermont State House Sergeant of Arms refused to remove the trans activists, claiming they had a right to be there, according to the Vermont Daily Chronicle.

The parents’ group – the Vermont Family Alliance – was holding an event for ‘Detrans Awareness Day’ and was meant to highlight resources available for formerly transgender-identifying people who have been physically, mentally and emotionally harmed by sex-change treatments.

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Video taken of the incident posted to X shows several transgender activists, one shirtless and wearing a purple tutu and another waving a ribbon baton, dancing around event organizer Renee McGuinness as she tries to give her presentation to parents.

Speaking with the Vermont Daily Chronicle, McGuinness said the group had reserved the room for the event for the afternoon. However, State House Sergeant at Arms Agatha Kessler made both groups vacate the room after 30 minutes of continued disruption, citing concerns about both parties’ safety.

The Chronicle reported that many event attendees moved to the cafeteria to hold their event.

"Our First Amendment rights were denied in this case in favor of a group that was disruptive," said McGuinness. "That’s not under the First Amendment for one group to just be able to outshout the other, and whoever outshouts the other, then they’ve won their First Amendment Rights at the sacrifice of the other party."

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McGuinness explained that the event was meant to help former transgender people who have been "denied and ostracized and bullied."

"They want to have a voice, and they want healing from their wounds and injuries because of the medical procedures," she said.

McGuiness called for the Vermont legislature, which is majority Democratic, to amend its rules regarding decorum in the state house to respect the rights of groups that have gone through proper channels to reserve an event space.

"It's sad and unfortunate," said McGuinness. "The First Amendment is really about civil discourse, right? And not censoring one group over another."

"Our First Amendment rights of speech were not protected," Marie Tiemann, president of Speak VT, a group that was co-hosting the event, told Fox News Digital. 

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"The Sergeant of Arms essentially came down on the side of these activist disrupters," she said. "We held the event to give a voice to the thousands of detransitioners who are suffering from the real-world harms caused to their emotional and physical health." 

Erika Sanzi, Director of Outreach at a national parents group called Parents Defending Education, also spoke out after the incident. 

"If students and staff are forced to celebrate LGBTQ awareness and Pride, they should also be made aware of the very real and increasingly acute issue of de-transition," she said. 

"Vermont can't have it both ways where they preen about how inclusive they are and then deliberately exclude and even erase the stories of minors who have gone through the process of gender transition and later changed their minds and decided to detransition," she went on. "This is a big deal —medically and psychologically—and ignoring it reveals ideological bias, bias and callousness."