Yesterday, Illinois State Representative Adam Niemerg made a statement on the Illinois House floor objecting to School District 109’s decision to sexually integrate locker rooms and bathrooms. This followed the appearance at a recent school board meeting of the mother of a 13-year-old girl at Alan B. Shepard Middle School in Deerfield who made a statement about a boy being allowed access to the girls’ locker room. In response to Niemerg, North Shore Democrat State Representative Bob Morgan, behaving like a used car salesman, mustered all the oily fake-earnestness he could in order to shill for Deerfield Public Schools.
Oily Morgan’s rebuttal amounted to a presumptuous ad hominem attack on Niemerg. Oily’s performance really kicked into high melodrama gear when he mischaracterized the locker room “situation.” While attacking Niemerg, Oily proclaimed in a booming voice with a weird Cheshire cat grimace,
It’s a lie! So, the next time a representative wants to talk about other districts—again, I understand [Niemerg] may be ashamed and, frankly, probably should be—but instead of standing on this floor, taking our time here today, talking about children, maybe, maybe try to help your own district.
That’s it. Not one word about the substance of the problem of sexually integrating minor children’s private spaces. All Oily had was “It’s a lie!”
Subsequently, Illinoisans became confused. What exactly was the lie? A look at District 109’s weaselly statement may help discern the alleged lie:
No student is required to change into a gym uniform for physical education class in front of others in locker rooms. All students in the middle schools have multiple options to change in a private location if they wish.
Translated into plain English:
Yes, we allow boys to change clothes in the locker rooms of minor girls. If girls don’t like that arrangement, they can change in a bathroom stall, or cubicle, or behind a privacy curtain because our locker rooms are no longer private spaces. They are now sexually integrated, co-ed spaces.
Can you see the lie yet? It can be found in news stories that reported young teen girls were “forced” to undress or change clothes in the presence of a boy. If you look very closely wearing your secret decoder glasses, you will see the alleged “lie” embedded in the word “forced.”
You see, Shepard administrators did not “force” and never would “force” or “require” girls to undress in the presence of boys. Heaven forfend!
Oh no, instead, the administrators have a policy that gives girls a choice. Girls may either undress in the presence of boys in the girls’ locker room or use a separate private option.
Yep, Girls, you can choose freely between Scylla and Charybdis. No forcing or requiring at all. Not even a smidge of pressure.
Here’s the thing, though, until recently, girls’ locker rooms were the private spaces where girls could change without the presence of male peers. No longer.
Of course, sane, fair, decent, compassionate people would say that if a boy is uncomfortable changing in the boys’ locker room, he may change in one of the multiple private options Shepard Middle School makes available.
It should be illegal for any publicly funded school to permit boys in girls’ locker rooms or bathrooms and vice versa. All of District 109’s locker rooms and restrooms are de facto sexually integrated, co-ed spaces, but the district won’t speak that truth openly. Instead, they pretend locker rooms and restrooms are sex-based while at the same time allowing opposite-sex persons use them.
Such a practice/policy is not merely intellectually absurd and dishonest. It’s also evil.
While Oily mocks Niemerg for “talking about children,” parents all across this state want more lawmakers to have the courage to talk about children–to talk about their rights, those rights that fools like Morgan refuse to protect.
It’s worth taking a moment to look at the entirety of oily Bob Morgan’s ad hominem attack on Adam Niemerg:
My colleague on the other side of the aisle always seems to be so angry—so angry. And, ya know, I was really trying to wonder, why is my colleague always so angry about other people’s kids, what’s happening in other people’s lives. And I realized, because my colleague isn’t working to represent his district, he’s not working to benefit his economy of his community, [and] he’s not working to protect his community, he’s embarrassed. He’s embarrassed.
And I understand. I would be too if I came to this chamber every day and talked about issues that didn’t impact me, didn’t impact my community, didn’t impact my area, didn’t impact my businesses, [and] instead talked about other people—didn’t help my own community, didn’t help my town, didn’t help my schools, didn’t help the families that needed the help. Because I would be embarrassed if I were still collecting a per diem, still collecting my salary—not working for my own district.
I represent Deerfield. I live in Deerfield. So, I’m really proud of my community who stood up for those who need to be defended and protected, making sure we have great schools—which we do, by the way, have incredible, incredible schools, incredible families, an incredible community that has come together to deal with this situation.
While sharing all the incredibleness of Deerfield, there is something Morgan omitted. As someone who grew up in Deerfield, raised four kids in Deerfield, and worked for a decade at Deerfield High School, I will say what Morgan will not: Deerfield is not always an incredible place for conservatives.
Morgan is nothing if not presumptuous. The omniscient Oily makes the remarkable claim that he knows Niemberg is “embarrassed” and “ashamed.” Further, Oily accuses Niemerg of failing to address any issues that affect his community. What evidence did Oily present to back up his scurrilous claim? Oily’s evidence is that Niemerg made a two-minute statement about an issue that has made international news.
Morgan’s claims about Niemerg sound suspiciously like lies.
Maybe Morgan can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, but many lawmakers can. Many lawmakers can address economic issues that affect their communities while also protecting the privacy rights of Illinois girls.
You know who needs to be defended, Oily? Girls who have lost their locker rooms and bathrooms–that’s who needs to be defended.
Morgan further implied that Niemerg is undeserving of his salary because he made a two-minute statement on an issue of local, state, and national import. What astounding hubris and hypocrisy. Since when are Dems worried about undeserved per diems and salaries?
Does Oily know that every school district in the state gets state and federal funds, which means every Illinoisan has a stake in what takes place in every school district?
Since Oily is such a committed community isolationist, is he outraged that most of the speakers defending District 109’s decision to sexually integrate minor children’s locker rooms were from outside the District 109 community?
Moreover, at last week’s bizarre school board meeting, one bearded lady, an arch defender of the sexual integration of minor children’s locker rooms, cited the actions of Governor J. B. Pritzker, leftist promoter of all things “trans.” In other words, the issue of “transing” schools is a statewide issue—not solely a local issue.
What the heck is wrong with the North Shore? How can they elect such an unctuous, ignorant, dishonest demagogue as oily Bob Morgan?