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Woman Project warns of organized anti-LGBTQ and school-policy campaigns; commission approves joint resolution letter
Summary
The Woman Project described coordinated activity by outside groups affecting school committees and urged the commission to support community protections; the commission approved a joint resolution/letter backing local LGBTQA protections and discussed partnering on outreach and education.
Jocelyn Foy, executive director of the Woman Project, told the commission the organization has tracked far-right organizing that is influencing school committees across Rhode Island and driving policy pushes that the Woman Project and its partners view as harmful to students and to reproductive and LGBTQIA rights.
Foy said organizers from out of state and funded outside groups have targeted school boards and school policies in multiple districts, and that local campaigns have resulted in contested school committee races and policy challenges. "There is an agenda that's being pushed by an outside entity on a number of packs and a number of not for profits that are putting a ton of money into Rhode Island," she said.
Why it matters: presenters warned that the organizing affects school climate, student privacy and health supports, and the capacity of local districts to implement Department of Education guidance. The Woman Project asked the commission to sign a community resolution drafted by LGBTQA Action Rhode Island; commissioners discussed symbolic endorsement and practical next steps for community education.
Commission action and discussion
- The commission approved sending a joint community letter/resolution supporting LGBTQA protections and called for further public engagement. Members also discussed the commission’s prior role in adding sexual orientation protections to the hate-crime statute and framed the current request as consistent with the commission’s mission.
- Commissioners suggested the commission and the Attorney General’s Office consider public town-hall events and other accessible forums to explain legal protections and how state law applies to school policies. Several commissioners offered to help publicize and host community-facing events.
Quotation
"Please let us know," Jocelyn Foy said, urging the commission to post accessible reports and to partner with community groups on outreach.
Next steps
Staff will include the community letter in the commission packet and publish the approved resolution on the commission’s website. Commissioners encouraged continued outreach to local districts and asked that the commission invite additional providers and youth-serving organizations to give testimony at future meetings.
