Weekly Full Policy Report - 5/17

Howl: The Poem that Changed America

INTRO

In 1955, a young bespeckled Allen Ginsberg wrote a poem that would change the world. Howl would catapult the poet to counter-culture fame; first performed at a poetry event in Berkeley, California, Ginsberg would leave the audience in shock and awe, brilliance and brevity.

As it begins…“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness”… and the first stanzas of Howl bring into focus mental illness, drug use, poverty, queerness (specifically homosexuality), ; hitting all the notes to be deemed unworthy of literary value and obscene. And yet, so many responded to the song Ginsberg sang in Howl. 

By 1956, the Howl, and it’s publisher, City Lights, was in court on an obscenity charge over its publication and distribution of Howl and Other Poems, by Allen Ginsberg. Howl was powerfully subversive and conferred those vibes through descriptive homoerotic verses - which were deemed ‘obscene’. Obscene works were defined as having no literary or societal value; and were not able to be produced or sold. Obscene speech was not protected under the First Amendment and could be regulated by the government.

The glory of Howl, beyond its visionary beat, was that this “obscene” work was deemed nothing short of a work of art by the Court, granting it – a queer poem written by a queer poet – artistic and societal value, protected by the First Amendment. It was wild to think that at a time when conservative America was booming post-atomic war and when queer people were often invisible or illegal, that a poem had so much power. 

The bureaucratic urge to classify all queer content as obscene is still present today. HB 2112, an age-verification bill recently signed by Governor Hobbs, tags all LGBTQ+ content as pornographic and thereby forces the user to prove they are over the age of 18. This is straight out of Project 2025.  

The “propagation of transgender ideology” is called “pornography,” the document says, and that is an essential reason pornography “should be outlawed.” “Its purveyors are child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women. Their product is as addictive as any illicit drug and as psychologically destructive as any crime. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered.” - Project 2025

It's apparent that the insidious classification of obscenity and pornography centers on the opposition’s fixation on “gender ideology” and continues to target and demonize transgender people. This is why we continue to fight these kinds of digital bans and erasure of LGBTQ+ people, organizations and resources. 

Unfortunately, over the multitudes of protests of grassroots members and organizations like the ACLU and EAA, the Governor signed HB 2112 into law on May 13, 2025.

LEG UPDATE

The Legislature in on break until May 28, 2025. We’re happy to report that all anti-trans bills have been vetoed: Senate Bills 1002, 1003, 1586; and House Bills 2062 and 2438. The perennial topics ranged from pronoun and bathroom bans for trans students to banning transgender Arizonans from updating their birth certificates - even with a court order. These bills have all been vetoed by Governor Hobbs in previous years, and the same result happened this year. Her continued stance that none of these bills would benefit or bolster the lives of transgender Arizonans. 

While we can rejoice in these vetoes, the legislative session isn’t over – they still need to pass a budget. There have already been fights over funding and this break is supposed to help folks come together and pass a budget when the legislature returns. Will that happen? We’ll have to wait and see, but remember, those who make the rules can break and make new rules. It’s not over until sine die. 

SCHOOL BOARD

Earlier this month, after threats and boisterous rhetoric, the Trump administration settled with Maine over a funding freeze after a dispute over trans athletes. The Trump administration agreed to halt efforts to freeze funds for a Maine child nutrition program, and Maine agreed to drop its lawsuit against USDA. In response, the state will drop its lawsuit that had been filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced.

The settlement closes a dispute first sparked by the federal government’s decision to freeze federal funds to Maine for certain administrative and technological functions in the state’s schools.

Yuma School Board on Notice

Even after Governor Hobbs vetoed SB 1003—the statewide trans bathroom ban—some local school boards are pushing forward with their own anti-trans policies.

In Yuma, board member David Lara is pushing for a vote on a vague and dangerous proposal targeting transgender students’ access to basic accommodations. The policy is slated for a vote at the June 10th school board meeting.

👉 Watch the meeting here

Contact David Lara at (928) 502-4605

Tell him: "Transgender students belong in school. Policies that target them harm students and create hostile learning environments."

Let Yuma Unified School District know: Arizona has already rejected this discrimination at the state level—and our schools should reflect that.

CIVIC LITERACY

Power of VETO

‘Yes’ can be a powerful word, but ‘No’ can be a stunning sentence. Veto is the right that someone in authority has to forbid something. Authorities like governors and the president can veto measures. Other authorities with the power of veto are members of the UN Security Council and challenge winners on Big Brother. The power of veto is often a barrier to organize around: Can we secure a veto? Are there enough votes to get the ⅔ to override a veto? Can we put the measure on the ballot for the voters to decide? 

As these organizing avenues become clear, advocates can navigate the barriers to change.