Florida - In the Republican-ruled state of Florida, public schools have become battlegrounds in a high-stakes contest to decide what is fit to be taught.
It is part of a larger, decades-old tug of war between conservative and liberal Americans to define national values, coming to a head in an election year.
Its many contradictions are in plain view and have pulled the nation in different directions.
Acceptance has grown for the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) population, for instance, and polls say almost 70 per cent of Americans believe that marriage between same-sex couples should be valid, compared with around 50 per cent a decade ago.
Support for the Black Lives Matter movement, on the other hand, fell to 51 per cent from 66 per cent at its height in 2020, when millions of Americans staged protests after the death of a black man, Mr George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Attitudes to transgender people have also see-sawed. As their visibility grew in the media and universities, states introduced laws that discouraged gender-affirming care for transgender youth, restricted their access to public bathrooms and banned transgender athletes from competing in girls' sports.
While transgender people make up less than 1 per cent of the population, they were the subject of more than 200 Bills introduced across states in 2023.
Likewise, there continues to be a sharp divide on access to abortion since the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade, a case that guaranteed nationwide abortion access. Several Republican-majority states have since banned abortion, while Democratic leaders have consolidated abortion and reproductive rights on the state level.
A combination of Governor Ron DeSantis' political ambitions and his conservative policies has made Florida ground zero in the culture wars that are being waged across America.
この記事は The Straits Times の April 28, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Straits Times の April 28, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
A German initiative to keep workers employed by retraining them
Germany - When Mr Emrullah Karaca began working at a factory in Gifhorn, Germany, where the auto parts supplier Continental builds components for hydraulic brakes, he was looking for a temporary job after finishing high school.
Market watches data flows as it awaits a Fed pivot
Ironic as it may seem, weak economic data has become music to the market
Rex diversifies business but banks on oil, gas for short-term value
S’pore-listed company bets on drones, medical tech for future growth as fossil fuels phase out
More alumni of local unis return to school, but barriers remain
Costs, work and family commitments among constraints faced: NUS survey
Reclamation works in Woodlands not likely to adversely impact Mandai habitats
Resulting changes in water flow could be ecologically beneficial in long run: JTC, ICA
Sellers can list their flats on HDB portal from May 13
Service seeks to provide buyers and sellers access to secure transactions
Fierce fighting in Kharkiv region in Ukraine as Russia touts gains
Kyiv says its forces repulsing attacks, battling for control of settlements
Big, smoggy Bangkok gets a badly needed breath of fresh air
Expansion of Benjakitti Park has created an oasis for city dwellers and attracted wildlife
Tutor in Malaysia finds success using Tamil to teach Mandarin
Multilinguist goes beyond classroom to reach people on TikTok, Instagram
Young Taiwanese find it hard to buy a home as wealth gap widens
Workers want new govt to prioritise tackling stagnant wages, soaring housing prices: Poll