At least seven high schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, and three high schools in neighboring Loudoun County have admitted to withhold...
Author: McKenzie Holmes
I'm dancer and creative writer from the Dallas, Texas, area, and I would be remiss without saying I work for IW! In my spare time, I like reading and trying new recipes (I have a love for my baking, not a love of baking). Lately, I have taken up vermiculture (worm farm!), knitting, country western dance, and can play four instruments.
Stop The Lopsided Midwest Gender Identity Summit
On January 13, 2023, Sanford Research Center plans to host the 3rd annual Midwest Gender Identity Summit in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in partnership with Transformation Project SD, an activist organization that promotes transitioning children under the age of 18.
Those organizing this conference are pushing their view that vulnerable, but otherwise healthy, children and young adults can properly consent to experimental, life-altering, and irreversible treatments that are associated with transitioning. These organizations will not provide attendees with research documenting the harms associated with medical transitioning, nor will attendees hear from any individuals who say that their gender dysphoria resolved after puberty or regret having pursued a medical transition.
This summit will push the myth that there is medical consensus on diagnosing and treating gender dysphoria and that it is ethical to prescribe puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones or to recommend surgery to minors without parental consent. Lastly, summit organizers and speakers will kill dissent by pressuring practitioners to transition minors against their best medical judgment.
Take Action!
Write to Bill Gassen, President & Chief Executive Officer of Sanford Research Center, and demand that he include speakers who can provide balance to this topic and address the harms associated with medical transitioning, particularly for minors, or cancel this lopsided summit.
Corey DeAngelis: “Parents, Call Your State Legislator!”
Education Savings Accounts are Coming to Virginia – Maybe
When Virginia residents surface from holiday celebrations, they should check out this message from the Virginia Education Opportunity Alliance.
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| The 2023 General Assembly will begin on January 11, 2023. It is critically important that we let our legislators know we want very specific changes in our education system. Here’s the challenge for us, we are hearing that many legislators are hesitant to support education freedom because they aren’t sure voters want more options in education. We need to let legislators know that is categorically false!! Please contact your legislators to let them know you want parents to have more choices for educating their children, such as Education Success Accounts (ESA) and expansion of the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit (EISTC). You can find information about your legislator here. For your convenience, we have written a draft letter/email you can download and edit to fit your voice. You can find it here. The recent National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) report card demonstrated that Virginia children lost tremendous ground in reading and math since 2017 (see chart below courtesy of Bacon’s Rebellion), long before the intense learning loss they suffered during the COVID shutdown. |
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| Governor Youngkin recently spoke about this travesty, “The NAEP results are another loud wake-up call: our nation’s children have experienced catastrophic learning loss, and Virginia’s students are among the hardest hit.” The Governor and the Virginia Department of Education have already begun to address the challenges that lie ahead. But what do families do now? Children in elementary school and middle school need our help now! These results are part of a systemic problem within our public school system. It took years to get here, and it will take years to recover. Please contact your legislator today to let them know you want more choices for educating your children, such as Education Success Accounts (ESA) and expansion of the Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit (EISTC).In order of priority, there are several ways you can contact your legislator:1. Meet with them one on one 2. Write them a personal letter 3. Send them an email 4. Call them if you do not know your legislator’s contact info, you can click here. For your convenience, we have written a draft letter/email you can edit to fit your voice. You can find it here. The battle for our children’s future did not end on election day in 2021. This battle is ongoing and it will take every one of us to win it. Thanks for all you do to make Virginia a better place, Craig DiSesa Executive Director Virginia Education Opportunity Alliance |
| Copyright (C) 2022 The Middle Resolution Policy Network. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: The Middle Resolution Policy NetworkPO Box 479Mechanicsville, VA 23111-0479 |
IWF Fellows and Staff Featured in PragerU Videos
The women of Independent Women’s Forum are a busy crew. Check out these recent PragerU videos featuring IWF staff and fellows.

