Tag: targeting

Florida Republicans pass bill targeting transgender bathroom use

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Despite Republicans curtailing its scope, Democrats still vehemently opposed the legislation, arguing that the policies are targeting transgender people. Republicans, however, argue the bill is are about protecting “public safety, decency and decorum.”
“We’ve had a huge scientific study with billions of people for 136 years that separate facilities work,” state Rep. Rachel Plakon (R-Lake Mary), who carried the House bill, said on the floor Wednesday. “Vote ‘yes’ for common sense.”
DeSantis is widely expected to sign the legislation.
One of the more contentious bills lawmakers considered in Florida during the two-month annual session, the proposal comes as state Republicans push legislation focused on how gender identity and sexual identity intersect with parental rights and education in general.
It joins other moves by Florida Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration focused on the transgender community, including Republicans seeking to pass a bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors and a recently-enacted state prohibition on Medicaid paying for gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers and hormone treatments.
Named the “Safety in Private Spaces Act,” the legislation approved Wednesday is similar to bills taken up in conservative-leaning states like Iowa, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee. In 2016, North Carolina enacted one of the first “bathroom bills,” a move that sparked widespread blowback from businesses, the NBA and NCAA.
The bill opens the door for any person 18 years or older to be charged with a second-degree trespassing misdemeanor if they enter a restroom or changing facility designated for a person that isn’t the sex they are assigned at birth — and refuse to leave when asked by someone else. The bill also requires local school districts to craft code of conduct rules to discipline students who do the same.
Democrats argue that the legislation is “dehumanizing” and effectively “politicizing bathrooms” to benefit conservatives politically, namely DeSantis, who is widely expected to run for president. They took aim at how Republicans have discussed the issue, such as one conservative House member who called transgender people “demons” and “mutants” and questioned how it could be enforced.

“You have no idea what you’re doing here because you can’t think past your hatred, and you can’t think past your discrimination,” state Rep. Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton) said on the floor Wednesday
Before approving the legislation, lawmakers changed the bill Wednesday to specify who can ask someone to leave a restroom. For schools, as an example, teachers, administrators or school safety officers would have that authority.
It also requires places such as colleges and government offices to establish disciplinary procedures for employees who use restrooms that don’t align with their sex at birth.
Florida Republicans defend the proposal by noting it includes no mention of transgender people or any particular group. They said the legislation will codify in law what are “universal common decency standards.”
The legislation, however, allows someone to chaperone a child or accompany an elderly or disabled person into a restroom that doesn’t align with their sex at birth. Law enforcement officers and medical personnel are also exempt if they’re responding to an emergency.
“There’s not anything in the language of this bill that is targeting any specific group,” state Sen. Erin Grall (R-Fort Pierce), who carried the Senate bill, said on the floor Wednesday. “Rather, it speaks to the differences that we have as different sexes, as male and female.”
Democrats, though, contend that the policies will isolate members of the transgender community, and possibly lead to increased acts of violence against them.
“Somebody out there is going to take that into his or her own hands into stopping somebody who’s transgender from using a bathroom,” said state Sen. Victor Torres (D-Kissimmee), who spoke Wednesday and in the past about his transgender granddaughter.
Jon Harris Maurer, public policy director of the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida, said the legislation criminalizes transgender people for using bathrooms that “aligns with how they live their lives every day.”
“This bill opens the door to abuse, mistreatment, and dehumanization,” Maurer said in a statement. “Our state government should be focused on solving pressing issues, not terrorizing people who are simply trying to use the restroom and exist in public.”
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#Florida #Republicans #pass #bill #targeting #transgender #bathroom
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

May 4, 2023
Sikh sentenced in UK for targeting Dalits in offensive post

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London: A 68-year-old Indian-origin Sikh in the UK has been prosecuted and sentenced to 18 weeks in jail for posting hate speech on social media targeting Dalit communities.
Amrik Bajwa, 68, of Bowyer Drive, Slough, was sentenced to 18 weeks’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of sending offensive/indecent/obscene/menacing message/matter via public communication network, the Thames Valley Police said.
On July 19, 2022, Bajwa posted a video to TikTok “that was offensive to the Sikh community”. He was arrested on July 22, 2022, and charged via postal requisition on March 2, 2023, a police statement read.

“I am pleased with the sentence given, which provides a clear message that Thames Valley Police will not tolerate behaviour like that of Amrik Bajwa,” Investigating officer Sergeant Andrew Grant, based at Slough police station, said.
The UK-based Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance (ACDA), which was one of the key organisations to bring the Bajwa’s TikTok video to the attention of the police, said it “was highly toxic, racist and casteist in content”, and targeted Dalit communities.
“Bajwa threatened to rape women from the Dalit communities that he was insulting, and claimed to have raped their daughters, sisters and mothers in the past with impunity,” the ACDA said.
Welcoming the sentencing, ACDA said the jail-term reflects the severity of the harm Amrik Bajwa’s video caused the Dalit community.
“We understand the conviction did not specifically refer to ‘caste’ because caste is not yet a protected characteristic in law. But the Crime Prosecution Service shared at the hearing today the derogatory words ‘Choora’ and ‘Chaamar’ that Mr Bajwa used,” ACDA said in a statement.

The matter first went to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision but was subsequently escalated to the Attorney General for a final decision.
Previously, Gurvinder Singh Luthra from west London received a 16 week suspended prison sentence in 2021 for producing and sharing an “offensive and menacing” hate video on social media.
The Thames Valley Police started their investigations after numerous communities, including ACDA, got together and complained against Bajwa’s actions.
“As a force, we are committed to protecting our communities and ensuring that criminal actions which have the potential to undermine community cohesion are dealt with robustly,” Sergeant Grant said.
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#Sikh #sentenced #targeting #Dalits #offensive #post
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 12, 2023
Act against trolls targeting CJI Chandrachud, demands Maha Congress

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Mumbai: The Congress’ Maharashtra unit on Friday demanded that the government should take action against the “army of trolls” who have targeted Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud.
State Congress President Nana Patole said that there is no limit to the appetite of the “power-hungry” Bharatiya Janata Party and to what lengths they went from Maharashtra to Gujarat to Guwahati — and how the former Governor misused his position — to overthrow the Maha Vikas Aghadi government last year.
“Everyone knows who has set up the army of trolls… Based on certain observations of the CJI during the Supreme Court hearing pertaining to the Maharashtra power struggle, some people are apprehending that the decision could go against them. So they have started trolling even the CJI,” Patole said sharply.
He said that the Congress MPs have also approached the President seeking action in the matter of trolling of the CJI for the questions he and other judges asked or their observations during the hearings.
“This is a serious issue… The Congress MP have urged the President to take cognizance as nobody has faith in the BJP government at the Centre,” said Patole.
He said there are all kinds of rumours, wild speculation, restlessness, and anxiety indicating that the state government may collapse anytime.
“We have full faith in the judiciary and await the apex court’s verdict,” Patole said.

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#Act #trolls #targeting #CJI #Chandrachud #demands #Maha #Congress
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 17, 2023
Kapil Sibal accuses ED of selectively targeting Opposition-governed states

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New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday accused the BJP-led government of misusing probe agencies, saying that the Enforcement Directorate sees the Indian map in a different way, targeting only Opposition-ruled states.
The former Union minister and eminent lawyer, while addressing a gathering at Jantar Mantar to lay down the agenda and a new vision for the country with his newly-launched platform ‘Insaaf’, referred to the raids on properties related to former Bihar chief minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members, and said it was BJP’s reaction to losing power in Bihar.
“You can see what is happening in Bihar. They felt Tejashwi and JD-U are coming together… It’s been years since Lalu ji left the post of CM. They came to remember the case all of sudden,” he said.
“The ED sees the Indian map in a different way. They see only opposition ruled states, they don’t go to BJP states,” he said.
Congress MP from Rajya Sabha Vivek Tankha was also present at the dias with Sibal. Both Tankha and Sibal were a part of the rebel group of Congress leaders which came to be known as the ‘G-23’.
“Every political party has their own ideology, but when you read the preamble of the Indian Constitution, the basis of the Constitution is justice,” said Sibal.
Accusing the BJP of “buying” MLAs, and destabilising Opposition governments in states, he demanded stricter anti-defection laws.
“What kind of politics is this? Defectors become Ministers! Those who defect from their party should be banned from becoming ministers or fighting elections for five years” he said.

He also pitched for Rs 50,000 salary for school teachers, free education for women, and cheap healthcare among other things, as part of his new vision.
Tankha, meanwhile, said ‘Insaaf’ will become the voice of 130 crore people of India.
“Everyone wants justice, but there are a very few who can fight for it. This will become the voice of 133 crore Indians. We hope that it will transform transform into a people’s movement,” he said about the portal.
Several opposition leaders, including Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, have expressed support for Sibal’s platform to fight against justice.
At a press conference last week, Sibal had launched the platform against the “injustice prevailing in the country” calling on chief ministers and leaders of opposition parties to support him in his effort.
Sibal, who had been a Union minister during the UPA I and II, had quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to Rajya Sabha as an independent with the support of the Samajwadi Party.
Earlier, Sibal had announced that a website ‘insaafkesipahi.co.in’ has been set up to fight injustice and anyone could register on it.
The non-electoral political platform is called ‘Insaaf’ while anyone who registers on the website to fight injustice would become an ‘insaaf ka sipahi’.
This will be a national level platform where lawyers will be at the forefront, he had said.
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#Kapil #Sibal #accuses #selectively #targeting #Oppositiongoverned #states
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 11, 2023
UP: Folk singer Neha Singh Rathore served notice for targeting govt

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Kanpur Dehat: Famous folk singer Neha Singh Rathore, who is known for her ‘UP Mein Ka Ba’ songs, has been served a 160 CrPC notice by the Akbarpur Kotwali police.
Neha had taken a jibe at the state government by posting several songs including ‘UP Mein Ka Ba’ from her Twitter handle, Facebook and YouTube channel after a mother-daughter were burnt alive in Madauli village in Kanpur Dehat during an anti-encroachment drive.
UP police has issued a showcause notice to folk singer Neha Singh Rathore for her recent song on the death of two women during bulldozer drive in Kanpur. The song was titled as ‘UP me Ka Ba Season-2. Rathore had sung first season of the song during the election campaign. pic.twitter.com/el9yKZRL2o
— Waquar Hasan (@WaqarHasan1231) February 21, 2023
CO Akbarpur Prabhat Kumar said that various tweets and oral complaints were received that Neha’s songs are spreading discrimination and disharmony in society.
Taking cognizance of this, an explanation has been sought from her through a notice within three days.
It has been asked in the notice whether the internet media platforms on which these songs were posted are run by her herself or by someone else.
The police asked her whether the songs she sang were written by her or given by someone and also what is the basis of writing and singing songs.
If the explanation is not given, the police will take further legal action, the CO said.
Neha had sung the song ‘UP Mein Ka Ba’ even before the 2022 Assembly elections and this as apparently a rejoinder to BJP MP and Bhojpuri star Ravi Krishan’s ‘UP Mein Sab Ba’.

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#Folk #singer #Neha #Singh #Rathore #served #notice #targeting #govt
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 22, 2023
Karnataka min invoking Tipu while targeting Siddaramaiah sparks row

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Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday accused Karnataka Minister C N Ashwath Narayan of trying to ‘instigate’ people to kill him as he took exception to the latter’s statement that he should be “knocked out and sent off” like the 18th-century ruler of erstwhile Mysuru Kingdom, Tipu Sultan.
He urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to immediately initiate action against Narayan by sacking him from the cabinet.
The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly was referring to Narayan’s recent remark in Mandya while targeting him.
“Tipu’s son Siddaramaiah will come…. Do you want Tipu or Savarkar? Where should we send Tipu Sultan? What did Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda do? In the same way, he should be knocked out and sent off,” Narayan had said.
A section in the old Mysuru belt claims that Tipu did not die fighting the British, but was killed by two Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, which has been disputed by some historians.
Narayan on his part said, his statement was not personally directed at Siddaramaiah and in case the Congress legislature party leader is hurt, he will express regret.
He also clarified that he only meant defeating electorally and not causing any physical harm, as being misinterpreted.
“Higher Education Minister Ashwath Narayan has appealed to people to kill me the way Tipu was killed. Ashwath Narayan, Why are you trying to instigate people? Get the gun yourself,” Siddaramaiah said.
I am not surprised by @drashwathcn‘s call to kill me. How can we expect love & friendship from the leaders of the party that worships the murderer of Mahatma Gandhi?
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 16, 2023
Expressing surprise that no action has been taken against the minister who has openly appealed people to kill, the former CM in a series of tweets said this shows that Bommai, Home minister Araga Jnanendra and their “incompetent cabinet is sleeping and is in agreement with Ashwath Narayan”.

Has Gujarat BJP culture crept into Karnataka BJP as well? he asked while seeking to know whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain silent even now just as he was in 2002 (Gujarat riots).
Has Gujarat BJP culture crept into Karnataka BJP as well?
Will @narendramodi be silent even now just like he how he was silent in 2002?
Kannadigas will never let Karnataka to become like Gujarat.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 16, 2023
“Kannadigas will never let Karnataka to become like Gujarat.”
Urging Bommai to immediately sack Narayan from the cabinet and arrest him, Siddaramaiah said, “If no action is taken, it only means that BJP is in agreement with the appeal or they think Ashwath Narayan has become ‘Mentally Unstable”.
With his statement snowballing into a controversy, eliciting sharp reaction from opposition party leaders, especially the Congress, Narayan said attempts are being made to present his statement by misinterpreting it.
“People will not accept such things. He (Siddaramaiah) is the one who compared the Chief Minister to a puppy, called state BJP President a joker, Prime Minister Modi as narahanthaka (mass murderer) I have never tried to divide the society like him in the name of religion and caste. I only meant defeating him in the election through votes and not personal comment or causing any harm to him physically,” he added.
Addressing reporters in Hubballi, Siddaramaiah said, “Narayan has no business to continue as a Minister, I request the Governor to dismiss him from the cabinet.”
He was responding to a query regarding Narayan’s regret.
Claiming that the intention is to polarise votes as they (BJP) fear losing election, Siddaramaiah said, “I will not file any complaint, but it is a fit case in which police have to take suo moto action against Ashwath Narayan.”

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#Karnataka #min #invoking #Tipu #targeting #Siddaramaiah #sparks #row
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 16, 2023
Biden calls for ban of online ads targeting children

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He called for similar measures at last year’s State of the Union as well.
Biden’s speech gives significant momentum to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who plans to reintroduce the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act this Congress.
The bill, which is often referred to as COPPA 2.0, is an update to the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which Markey wrote as a House representative.
Since then, digital privacy concerns for children have grown exponentially, especially as more than half of America’s teens say it’d be difficult to give up social media. Those concerns include the use of targeted advertising geared toward children, and the collection of their data, both of which are bipartisan issues on Capitol Hill.
“This Congress, Senator Markey will continue to prioritize passage of his COPPA 2.0 legislation, which would finally put in place commonsense guardrails to stop Big Tech from tracking, targeting, and traumatizing America’s kids online,” said Rosemary Boeglin, a Markey spokesperson.
The biggest change from the original 1998 bill is that it increases the cut-off age for privacy protections from 13 to 16. Under COPPA, tech companies and data brokers are still allowed to collect and share data belonging to people over the age of 13, as well as target ads to teenagers.
Lawmakers and advocacy groups are concerned this has caused mental health issues for teens, which President Biden raised as a concern in his speech on Tuesday.
COPPA 2.0 would ban targeted advertising to children, aligning with Biden’s remarks on Tuesday night.

The bill also creates a Youth Privacy and Marketing division at the FTC to address issues related to kids’ online privacy.
COPPA 2.0 failed to get a floor vote in the Senate last year after it passed out of committee.
Republicans on the committee largely opposed the bill, arguing that Congress should focus on privacy legislation for all Americans instead. Republicans were also concerned about giving the FTC more rulemaking authority under the bill.
Markey has attempted to pass an update for kids’ privacy regulations since 2011. While he has momentum from the Biden administration, a split Congress could mean a 13th attempt in 2024.
Biden’s focus on online protections for children mustered support from key advocacy groups, which have called for some form of updated measures.
“It’s been 25 years since Congress passed legislation to protect children and teens online, and Congress simply cannot wait any longer,” said Josh Golin, the executive director of Fairplay, which opposes marketing geared toward children.
The tech industry responded Tuesday that strict regulations could hurt competition and innovation. Industry groups such as the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which includes Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, said regulations proposed last year would hamper the tech industry’s ability to compete on a global stage.
“The digital sector is incorporating protective design features into websites and apps, leading the way in raising the standard for teen safety and privacy with new features, settings, parental tools, and protections that are age-appropriate and tailored to the differing developmental needs of young people,” CCIA President Matt Schruers said.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau, which Amazon, Google and Meta are also members of, railed against a blanket ban on ads targeting children, but said the group supports privacy regulations.
“Punishing bad actors is a must, and IAB supports stronger laws to protect kids, but blaming data and technology for complex problems, and restricting or eliminating digital advertising, could severely diminish the benefits of the internet for everyone,” said Lartease Tiffith, the IAB’s executive vice president for public policy.
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#Biden #calls #ban #online #ads #targeting #children
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 8, 2023
BRS puts up poster targeting Modi, Centre over budget for Telangana

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Hyderabad: Taking a shot at the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the 2023-24 union budget that was released on Wednesday, the ruling BRS here put up posters targeting the Centre.
Targeting Modi and the Centre, a big poster stating ‘TELANGANA GETS ZERO IN UNION BUDGET’ was put up in Hyderabad on Thursday. Images of the same were shared on social media sites by Bharata Rashtra Samithi (BRS) members in the city.
BRS workers last year did something similar as well, when they put up ‘money heist’ posters targeting Narendra Modi when he had come to Hyderabad during the BJP’s national executive. The BRS has upped its social media game them by even putting up pink balloons near Modi’s public meeting venue.
‘Money Heist’ gang protesting in Hyderabad last year. (Image: Twitter)
As part of its ‘money heist’ campaign, BRS workers held hoardings and protests silently, which diverted attention of many on social media away from the BJP’s national executive, which was in the spotlight last year in July.
On the final day of the BJP’s national executive, just hours ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s rally at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, pink balloons with the BRS slogan ‘Jai Jai KCR’ were positioned outside the venue, such that those were prominently visible from the venue of BJP’s National Executive meeting.
TRS balloons filling up the Secunderabad sky.
IT rebate up to Rs 7 lakh of no use to Telangana: Kavitha
After the union budget was released, BRS MLC K Kavitha Kalvakuntla on Wednesday said that the income tax rebate on income up to Rs 7 lakhs (as announced by union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman) in the new tax regime is of no use to the people of Telangana.
“This budget mathematical confirmation of the failure of Modi govt. This seems like a budget for few states. We hoped tax rebate of up to Rs 10 lakhs. In Telangana, we pay good salaries to people so this rebate is of no use to us,” she said speaking to ANI.

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#BRS #puts #poster #targeting #Modi #Centre #budget #Telangana
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 2, 2023