The Northern Star Editorial Board applauds the decision made by the U.S. House of Representatives to reject a proposal for educational funding made by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.On March 21, DeVos and President Donald Trump proposed the most recent...
When in a sexual relationship, both parties should be equally responsible for providing protection against pregnancy.“The pill and female sterilization have been the two most commonly used methods [of contraceptives] since 1982,” according to a 2016...
The Northern Star Editorial Board considers NIU’s recent mismanagement of equipment a poor reflection on the administration as a whole, especially during a time when it’s requesting additional state funding. It is imperative the administration takes...
Polls are in. Though we are disappointed that Moving Forward NIU did not win this year’s Student Association Election, we would like to extend our sincere congratulations to You Matter NIU for being voted in as next year’s executive branch. Congratulations...
The Northern Star Editorial Board urges social media users on all platforms to take Facebook’s recent exploitation of user information as a sign to consider their online presence. Though the Board feels personal information should not be abused for...
FILE - Students at Roosevelt High School take part in a protest against gun violence Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Seattle. Politicians in Washington state are joining students who walked out of class to protest against gun violence. It was part of a...
The Northern Star Editorial Board stands beside the brave individuals who spoke up against gun violence and agrees student participation in walkouts is essential in continuing the dialogue. We stand with students who choose to participate in the national...
To better help students when planning their academic path, Career Services needs to aggressively market its resources to students, and students need to seek out these services even if they aren’t immediately aware of them.Career Services aims to guide...
Elected officials should use their right of free speech when candidates who are attempting to unseat the representatives employ bigotry, hate and fear to win a race.
Republican Rep. Jeanne Ives has a bigoted political advertisement sarcastically “thanking” Gov. Bruce Rauner for his support of birth control, unions, sanctuary cities and for allowing grown men in dresses to use girls’ bathrooms, according to the BenedictRauner.com ad.
Ives mocked the transgender community and inflamed the bathroom debate by mischaracterizing Rauner’s support of House Bill 1785. The ad depicts a man wearing a dress thanking Rauner because he can now use the women’s bathroom. This representation is inflammatory as Ives is insinuating the transgender community is illegitimate and bills that grant them equal rights are just tools for illegitimate members of the trans community to be sexual predators.
House Bill 1785 actually amends the Vital Records Act. The bill requires those who have undergone “gender transition treatment” to have a licensed health care or mental health care professional make a declaration about the individual’s transition before issuing an updated birth certificate with their new gender and name, according to the bill.
When Ives’ decision to run the commercial and its intent were questioned, her spokesperson doubled down and said “she is not pulling the ad because she is not intimidated by Gov. Rauner and what she called his paid party mouthpieces,” according to a Feb. 3 WGN article.
What’s most interesting about Ives’ political ad is Rauner never publicly denounced her bigoted ad; he remained silent on the topic altogether.
While Ives is in her own right to say and think what she wants about the transgender community, her ad is not a true reflection of the bill passed by Rauner.
Elected officials especially Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner ,should be representing all communities, and Ives’ misleading attack against Rauner was also an attack against the very communities Illinois elected officials are supposed to represent.
The only way to combat an individual’s right to spew hate and bigotry is by using the same right to counter their words.
People in power have an obligation as elected officials to use their voice to represent people. By staying silent, they aren’t doing their job.
On Sept. 5, 2017, attorney general Jeff Sessions announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that protected about 800,000 undocumented youth from deportation. Our organization recognizes the political, social and historical...
PassPositive student activismNIU student groups are doing an excellent job when it comes to raising awareness about campus issues. One of the most recent examples of this was the Feb. 22 diversity march that was composed of students from the Latino Student...
The benefits given to students at the Recreation Center, compared to non-student members, are not acceptable.Non-student members, such as faculty, retirees, community members and dependents, can purchase the Fitwell Membership for an annual cost of...
