Wisconsin Legislature Passes Parental Bill of Rights; Governor Promises Veto

On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Senate gave final legislative passage to AB 510 (full text), known as the Parental Bill of Rights. The bill gives 16 different rights to parents and guardians of school children.  Among these are the right to determine a child's religion; the right to determine the names and pronouns used for the child at school; the right to notice when a controversial subject will be taught or discussed in the child's classroom; and the right to opt the child out of a class or instructional materials based on religion or personal conviction. The Wisconsin ACLU criticized the bill, saying in part:

This bill disguises classroom censorship as parental rights, enabling politicians to require the forced outing, misgendering, and deadnaming of trans and nonbinary students. It also inhibits educational instruction on race, gender, sexual orientation, and other important topics that impact all of us.

According to a report on the bill by The Center Square, Governor Tony Evers has said he will veto the bill.

Online Site Has Immunity In Banning Conversion Therapy Videos

In Domen v. Vimeo, Inc., (SD NY, Jan. 15, 2020), a New York federal magistrate judge dismissed a suit by James Domen, a pastor who is the founder of Church United, a non-profit organization devoted to preserving the rights of pastors to exercise their faith without unlawful infringement.  Domen sued claiming religious and sexual orientation discrimination after Vimeo, an online video-sharing website, closed his account when he refused to remove five videos promoting sexual orientation change efforts.  The court held that Vimeo had both publisher immunity and immunity to police content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and that Section 230 pre-empts state civil rights laws. It also held that Domen had not shown the required discriminatory intent under either California or New York's anti-discrimination laws, and had not stated a free speech claim under California's constitution.  Courthouse News Service reports on the decision.

Ukrainian Region Bans Baptist Books, Including Gospel of John

In the Luhansk region of Ukraine, pro-Russian rebels have proclaimed the Luhansk People's Republic.  It is not recognized internationally, Forum18 now reports that a government decision on November 26 banned 12 Baptist books as "extremist." The Luhansk Religion Law requires state approval for any church to operate, and prohibits churches not affiliated with the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate from applying for permission. The newly banned books include the Gospels of John, the Baptist "Songs of Revival", the Baptist magazine "Herald of Truth" and several children's books.  The text of the government decision banning the books has not been published and the government says that it is a "secret document for official use and for limited distribution." The banned Gospels of John are included in the Russian Synodal translation of the Bible.

Tunisian Court Rejects Imams' Challenge To LGBTQ Radio Station

Slate reports on a Feb. 14 decision by a court in Tunisia dismissing a lawsuit filed by a union representing imams.  The suit asked the court to request the Tunisian Internet Agency to block access to the online LGBTQ radio station Shams Rad.  Petitioners argued that the station threatens "social and family values."  The court ruled that the union lacks standing to bring the suit, and that the radio station had not violated the rights of others.

Russian Court Labels Novel By German Rabbi As "Extremist" Literature

According to JTA, on Monday a Russian court in the city of Sochi classified as "extremist" literature a novel written by a prominent 19th century German rabbi, Marcus Lehmann.  The novel set in Medieval Europe and titled Forcibly Baptized traces the protagonist's determination to maintain his Jewish faith in the face of outside pressures to renounce it.  The Sochi court's decision added the book to the federal list of banned extremist materials compiled by Russia's Ministry of Justice.  Rabbi Boruch Gorin, a prominent aide to Russia's Chief Rabbi strongly denounced the action of the court, saying that it is attempting to limit the growth of Jewish spiritual life.

Russian Appeals Court Reverses Extremist Labeling of Qur'an Excerpts

In the Russian Far East yesterday, the Sakhalin Regional Court overturned the controversial ruling of a lower court that had labeled as "extremist material" excerpts from the Qur'an that were found in the book "Prayer To God."  RT reports that the ruling of the lower court, the Yuzhno-Sakhalinst City Court, had caused outrage in the Muslim community. Meanwhile the State Duma is moving to rush through a bill proposed by President Putin that would prevent the any portions of the  holy scriptures of Russia's four established religions-- Christianity's Bible, Judaism's Tanach, Islam's Qur'an and Buddhism's Kangyur-- from being included on Russia's Federal List of Extremist Materials,.