Month: February 2023

When they say the quiet part out loud

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A Republican state lawmaker in Alaska stunned his colleagues this week by making the case for the potential economic benefits of fatal cases of child abuse. State Rep. David Eastman’s comments went viral after he spoke at a hearing concerning traumatic childhood experiences and how they affect the child over the course of their lives. “In the case where child abuse is fatal, obviously it’s not good for the child, but it’s actually a benefit to society because there aren’t needs for government services and whatnot over the whole course of that child’s life,” Eastman said. When asked if he just said child abuse deaths could “benefit” society, Eastman replied: “I’m talking dollars.” He said that instead of the child’s death being a net cost to society, “It gets argued periodically that it’s actually a cost savings because that child is not going to need any of those government services that they might otherwise be entitled to receive and need based on growing up in this type of environment.”

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak caused ‘serious damage’ to LGBTQ+ rights in UK, damning report finds

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak caused ‘serious damage’ to LGBTQ+ rights in UK, damning report finds

An annual report on the state of queer rights across Europe has found that 2022 was the most violent year for LGBTI people across the region in the past decade – and the rise in hate speech is to blame.