Minnesota Archives - The Minnesota Sun

Minnesota House Passes ‘Trans Refuge Bill’ That Would Reform Child Custody Laws

March 27, 2023March 26, 2023 Just the News

The Minnesota House passed legislation, dubbed a “Trans Refuge bill” by proponents, that would prevent laws in other states from interfering with the medical gender transition of children in Minnesota, but critics argue the bill could cause parents to lose custody if they do not support their child’s life-altering sex change.

Minnesota’s first transgender lawmaker, Rep. Leigh Finke of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, introduced the bill, HF 146, which passed the House in a 68-62 vote Friday.

Minnesota Teacher Wants to ‘Secretly Inject’ Kids with Puberty Blockers

March 26, 2023March 25, 2023 Admin

A Bemidji High School teacher fantasizes about secretly injecting children with puberty blockers, according to a Facebook post obtained by Alpha News.

“Me coming to the realization I will never fulfill my lifelong quest of moving to Tennessee to secretly inject 11 year olds with hormone blockers while I do an interpretive drag dance to my favorite Judy Blume novel,” said the post, published to the Facebook page of Gina Marie Bernard.

Minnesota Gov. Walz Promotes Sexually Graphic Book at Reading Event

March 25, 2023March 24, 2023 Admin

In his latest attempt to raise his national profile, Gov. Tim Walz took shots at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday, saying the Republican’s state is “where freedom goes to die.”

The remarks were made during an event to promote reading month, where Walz unveiled a Little Free Library outside of his office.

Parents Group Says Pornographic Books Available to Minnesota Students

March 24, 2023March 23, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

Parents can’t assume schools have kids’ best interest in mind, said a Delano father after a parents group discovered “quite a few” books containing pornographic material in the high school library.

Parents said they found books containing sexually explicit content, including depictions of rape, in the Delano High School library, which services students in grades 7-12.

According to Jake Torola, advisor to Concerned Community of 879 (CC879) and father of six, the list is at 20 and counting.

Minnesota Lawmakers Agree to $17.9 Billion Target

March 23, 2023March 22, 2023 The Center Square

Minnesota lawmakers agreed to spend an additional $17.9 billion on top of the base budget of $52.4 billion, likely depleting the state’s current $17.2 billion surplus.

The target includes $3 billion in tax breaks but doesn’t specify how relief will be delivered.

Sex Abuse Allegations Surrounding Nonprofit Are ‘Irrelevant,’ Says Minnesota Dem Looking to Fund Their Work

March 22, 2023March 21, 2023 Admin

A Democratic state representative called the past alleged sexual assault of a minor at the hands of a nonprofit employee “irrelevant” during a Minnesota committee meeting to consider funding to display artifacts from Honor the Earth, an indigenous group that brings awareness to environmental issues.

HB 2091 would allocate $200,000 to Honor the Earth and other organizations that would be used to curate and display their collections in a Minnesota museum over two years, according to the bill. Michael Dahl, a central community organizer for Honor the Earth, was accused in 2015 of assaulting a teenage boy during the 1990s, according to a lawsuitfiled by former employee Margaret Campbell, but one legislator said those allegations were “irrelevant” to the current legislation.

DFLer Carrying Ranked Choice Voting Bill ‘Confident’ He’ll Get GOP Support, Despite Having None

March 21, 2023March 20, 2023 Admin

A Democrat lawmaker carrying a bill that would make Minnesota only the third state in the nation to adopt statewide ranked choice voting in its elections said he’s confident he will garner support from Republicans.

That’s despite the fact that Republicans in a House Elections Committee on Friday told Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, that his RCV bill has no support from among the 64 Republican members of the House of Representatives.

Minnesota Labor Commissioner Accuses Meat Processing Plant of Illegally Employing Minors

March 20, 2023March 19, 2023 The Center Square

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry is asking a district court to stop a meat processing company from illegally employing minors.

The DLI said in its complaint that Tony Downs Food Company employs at least eight minors at its processing plant in Madelia. According to the department, the company has worked children past midnight, more than eight hours a day, and more than 40 hours in a week, in violation of the Minnesota Child Labor Standards Act. A 14-year-old employee began working for the company at age 13, and, based on injury records Tony Downs produced to DLI, one of the employees who’s a minor has also been injured on the job, the department said.

New Bill Aims to Make Minnesota a ‘Sanctuary State’ for Illegal Immigrants

March 19, 2023March 18, 2023 Admin

A new bill in the Minnesota Legislature would prohibit police and all other state employees from cooperating in the enforcement of America’s immigration laws.

The bill, HF2860/SF2724, is sponsored by Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, and Rep. Sandra Feist, DFL-New Brighton, along with 16 other Democratic co-authors in the House.

Planned Parenthood Reports 40 Percent Increase in Second-Trimester Abortions at Minnesota Hearing

March 18, 2023March 17, 2023 Admin

Dr. Sarah Traxler, the chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood North Central States, said second-trimester abortions have increased substantially in the region during a hearing this week in the Minnesota Senate.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Traxler said PPNCS has seen a 13% increase in patients coming from out of the region for abortions and a 40% increase in second-trimester abortions. PPNCS includes Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Minnesota State Senator Calls for Abolishing Met Council

March 17, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

Minnesota Sen. Mark Koran called for abolishing the Metropolitan Council, whose members are entirely unelected, in response to a damning new report issued Wednesday by the legislative auditor.

The report into the Met Council’s mismanagement of the Southwest light rail project found that the council was not transparent with the public, committed itself to spending more money than it had available, and knew that its initial estimates were incomplete.

Minnesota Considers Bill That Provides Free School Meals to All Students

March 16, 2023March 15, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

Minnesota is poised to become just the third state in the nation to provide free school meals for all students. But it will come at a taxpayer cost of about $200 million a year, regardless of whether a family has any trouble at all paying for their kids’ breakfast and lunch — which amounts to about $6 a day.

On Tuesday four Republicans joined 34 DFLers as the Minnesota Senate voted 38-26 to pass a universal school meals bill that Gov. Tim Walz has said he’ll sign when it reaches his desk. Last month the House passed the bill by a 70-54 vote. No Republicans in the House supported the measure.

10 More Charged in Feeding Our Future Case, Still More to Come

March 15, 2023March 14, 2023 Admin

U.S. Attorney Andy Luger announced charges against 10 additional Minnesotans in the $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal Monday, bringing the total number of defendants to 60.

One of the new defendants, Sharon Ross, was the executive director of a nonprofit called House of Refuge Twin Cities. According to an October Fox 9 report, DFL Sen. Sandy Pappas from St. Paul personally intervened to help Ross’ nonprofit receive funding through Feeding Our Future in the spring of 2021.

‘Health Crisis’: Minnesota Legislators Call for Return to Phonics-Based Reading Instruction

March 14, 2023March 13, 2023 Admin

Half of Minnesota’s students can’t read at grade level.

At a recent press conference, legislative Republicans said this is because the education establishment bought into the “whole language” and “balanced literacy” approaches to reading.

Powerlifter Slams Minnesota Judge’s Ruling Allowing Men to Compete Against Women

March 12, 2023March 11, 2023 Admin

USA Powerlifting will be forced to allow biological males to compete against women thanks to a ruling from Ramsey County Judge Patrick Diamond.

April Hutchinson, a female powerlifter for Team Canada, spoke out against the ruling on Tucker Carlson Tonight Wednesday.

Minnesota Bill Would Prohibit Colleges from Requiring a Faith Statement for Postsecondary Enrollment Options Students

March 11, 2023March 10, 2023 Admin

A proposal to bar colleges that require a statement of faith from participating in the Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program is buried within Gov. Tim Walz’s education policy bill.

The Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act allows Minnesota high school students to earn both high school and college credits for free, since the schools are reimbursed by the state.

Two More Minnesota Counties Declare Themselves Second Amendment Sanctuaries

March 9, 2023March 8, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

Two more counties have joined the list of Second Amendment “sanctuaries” in Minnesota, expressing their opposition to several gun-control bills moving through the legislature.

The Itasca County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved its “Second Amendment Dedicated County” resolution at a Feb. 21 meeting.

$100 Million Reparations Minnesota Bill Calls for Formal Apology to Family of George Floyd

March 8, 2023March 7, 2023 Admin

Minnesota Democrats have introduced a $100 million reparations bill that would require the state to issue a formal apology to the family of George Floyd and acknowledge the “systemic racism in the state.”

Introduced by Rep. Samakab Hussein, DFL-St.Paul, the “Minnesota Migration Act” begins with a list of “findings.”

Minneapolis Pro-Life Clinic Vandalized

March 7, 2023March 6, 2023 Admin

“If abortions arnt safe neither r u [sic].”

That was just one of the phrases scrawled across a Christian pro-life pregnancy resource center in Minneapolis over the weekend where windows were also shattered by vandals.

Police were flagged down just after 1 a.m. Saturday by a Metro Transit bus driver who had witnessed suspects causing damage to property on a building at 2015 Chicago Avenue in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, according to dispatch audio.

Minnesota Lawmakers Line Up to Support Ranked Choice Voting Bill

March 6, 2023March 5, 2023 Admin

Despite the fact that few people attended a ranked choice voting press conference at the Minnesota Capitol on Thursday, DFL legislators and paid RCV advocates expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of passing a bill that would implement their favored system of determining representation in the legislature and for statewide office.

State Sen. Kelly Morrison, DFL-Deephaven, and State Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, have introduced a bill they’re calling the “Protect and Advance Democracy Act” that would make Minnesota a ranked choice voting state by 2026.

Minnesota Bill Would Make It Easier for Political Candidates to Conceal Their Home Address

March 5, 2023March 4, 2023 Admin

Political candidates may soon be allowed to conceal their home address from the public on their election filing statements without having to file a police report or order for protection, according to a bill that’s receiving bipartisan support and set to hit the House floor.

Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn, DFL-Roseville, said she has colleagues in the legislature this session who receive threats to their personal safety regularly. She also said that in the recent past there have been incidents where “armed crowds of people (were) showing up unannounced at personal homes of some people we serve with.”

Minnesota State Democrat Condemned for ‘Racist Rant’ Against ‘White Christians’

March 4, 2023March 3, 2023 Admin

Minnesota GOP Chairman David Hann condemned Rep. Heather Keeler’s comments about “white Christians” adopting Native American children, calling it a “racist rant”.

“I’m sick of white Christians adopting our babies and rejoicing. It’s a really sad day when that happens. It means the genocide continues,” Keeler, a Democrat from Moorhead, said in a recent Facebook post.

Not One Student Proficient in Math in 10 Minneapolis, St. Paul Public Schools: Report

March 3, 2023March 2, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

At least 10 elementary and high schools in the Minneapolis Public School District and St. Paul Public School District in Minnesota, did not have a single student meet grade level expectations in math during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a Wednesday report by the Center of the American Experiment, an organization focused on state public policy.

State wide, 19 school districts did not have one student test proficient in math on the 2022 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, a standardized test used to determine what students have learned, according to a Center of the American Experiment report. Of elementary schools in the Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts, seven did not have a single student meeting grade level expectations in math.

‘White Christians’ Adopting Native American Children Is ‘Genocide,’ Minnesota State Rep Says

March 2, 2023March 1, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

A Democratic Minnesota legislator said it is a form of “genocide” for “white Christians” to adopt Native American children.

“I’m sick of white Christians adopting our babies and rejoicing. It’s a really sad day when that happens. It means the genocide continues,” Rep. Heather Keeler, DFL-Moorhead, said on Facebook.

Bill Would Require All Minnesota Public School Grads to Complete Ethnic Studies Course

March 1, 2023February 28, 2023 Admin

A bill making its way through the Minnesota Legislature with broad Democratic support would require all public school graduates to complete an ethnic studies course.

Authored by Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura, DFL-Minneapolis, the bill defines ethnic studies as “the critical and interdisciplinary study of race, ethnicity, and indigeneity with a focus on the experiences and perspectives of people of color within and beyond the United States.”

“Ethnic studies analyzes the ways in which race and racism have been and continue to be powerful social, cultural, and political forces, and the connection of race to other groups of stratification, including gender, class, sexuality, religion, and legal status,” it says.

Ramsey County Sheriff Slams Commissioners for ‘Utterly Ignoring Crime’

February 28, 2023February 27, 2023 Admin

A war of words between the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners and Sheriff Bob Fletcher boiled over Friday as the board accused the sheriff of an “act of racism.”

The dispute began Tuesday when the board voted to increase oversight of Fletcher’s spending, which the sheriff welcomed.

City in Minnesota’s Police Staffing Levels ‘Dangerously Low,’ Union Leader Says

February 27, 2023February 26, 2023 Admin

The Golden Valley Police Department is experiencing “unprecedented and dangerously low staffing levels,” according to a union leader, who said the city is down 61% from its budgeted force.

“The radical agenda of Golden Valley’s city leaders and their lack of support to the staff within the police department is having an effect on its residents and visitors to the community. It has caused unprecedented and dangerously low staffing levels as well as morale issues, as police officers are leaving in droves for employment with surrounding agencies,” said Jim Mortenson, executive director of Law Enforcement Labor Services.

Minnesota Secretary of State’s Election Reform ‘Wish List’ Moves Through Legislature Despite GOP Criticism

February 26, 2023February 25, 2023 Admin

A major election reform bill that DFL members in the House and Senate are carrying for Secretary of State Steve Simon continues to progress through the legislature despite criticism its several sweeping provisions have received from Republicans in recent committee hearings.

HF3/SF3, coined the “Democracy for the People Act” by its sponsors, aims to implement automatic voter registration, pre-registration for 16- and 17-year olds, add new voter intimidation laws and related penalties, and require more disclosures of who is funding campaign ads, among several other provisions.

Minnesota Public School Enrollment Continues to Decline

February 25, 2023February 24, 2023 Admin

Public school enrollment in Minnesota has declined for a third consecutive year, according to data released this week by the Department of Education.

MDE said enrollment dropped by about 2,427 students during the 2022-23 academic year, a roughly 0.3% decrease.

DFL’s Abortion Agenda Hitting Roadblock, State Legislators Say

February 24, 2023February 23, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Minnesota DFL’s abortion agenda could be in jeopardy, Democratic legislators revealed during a “reproductive freedom” rally at the Capitol Tuesday.

“We absolutely cannot stop with the PRO Act,” said Sen. Jen McEwen, DFL-Duluth, referring to the Protect Reproductive Options Act.

Minnesota Democrats Defeat GOP Effort to Ban Gender Transition Medical Services for Minors

February 23, 2023February 22, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

The question of whether health care providers should be allowed to administer gender transition-related medical care to children — such as puberty blockers, mastectomies or hormone replacement therapy — became a flashpoint for debate in the Minnesota House of Representatives on Monday.

So much so that one DFL legislator, who appeared to defend such medical care being administered to minors, attempted to analogize it to infants and toddlers getting their ears pierced.

DFL Bill Would Require ‘Climate Justice Instruction’ in Minnesota Schools

February 22, 2023February 21, 2023 Admin

Minnesota Democrats are pushing a bill that would require public schools to provide “climate justice instruction.”

The bill says this type of instruction “views the effects of climate change as interconnected with forms of oppression connecting climate change to social and economic justice issues.”

Minnesota Democrats Introduce Physician Assisted Suicide Bill

February 20, 2023February 19, 2023 Admin

Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature are sponsoring a bill to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives by assisted suicide.

On Thursday both HF 1930 and its companion SF 1813 were introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate, respectively. If passed, the legislation would permit adults with a terminal illness (6 months or fewer left to live) to request “medical aid in dying” medication.

Star Tribune Hires Walz Commissioner Steve Grove as Its Next Publisher

February 19, 2023February 18, 2023 Admin

The Star Tribune, one of the largest daily newspapers in America, has named Steve Grove — a former Google executive, consistent donor to Democrat politicians and often the right-hand man to Gov. Tim Walz — as its new publisher.

The Star Tribune, which announced the hiring on Tuesday, joins The Washington Post as the only two traditional print media outlets among the nation’s top 25 (measured by circulation) whose publisher or CEO has past political ties, according to a background search conduct

Minnesota Democrats Want to Ban Gas-Powered Lawn Mowers, Zambonis

February 18, 2023February 17, 2023 Admin

Two Twin Cities lawmakers have introduced bills to ban the sale of new gas-powered lawn mowers and Zambonis in Minnesota.

Reps. Jerry Newton, DFL-Coon Rapids, and Heather Edelson, DFL-Edina, introduced HF 1715 and 1716 this week. The first would require all new lawn and garden equipment sold or distributed in Minnesota after Jan. 1, 2025, to be powered solely by electricity. This would apply to lawn mowers, leaf blowers, hedge clippers, chainsaws, lawn edgers, string trimmers, and brush cutters.

Minnesota Democrats Raise Reimbursement Rates for Fraud-Prone Child Care Program

February 17, 2023February 16, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

On Monday the Minnesota House of Representatives voted to pass a bill raising reimbursement rates for a child care program once at the center of a fraud investigation.

The Democrat-controlled chamber passed HF 13, which will fund increased reimbursement rates for providers who participate in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), by a 69-59 vote. The program exists to help low-income families afford child care, which is more expensive in Minnesota than most states.

Minnesota, North Dakota Border Patrol Agents Continue to Thwart Human Smugglers

February 16, 2023February 15, 2023 The Center Square

Border Patrol agents in Minnesota and North Dakota continue to apprehend foreign nationals brought in by human smugglers in the dead of winter and illegally crossing the northern border from Canada.

Instead of flying from Mexico and other countries to Canada to enter legally through ports of entry, border agents say foreign nationals are flying to Canada to enter the U.S. illegally between ports of entry while intentionally seeking to evade capture by law enforcement. But they do so at their own peril as temperatures reach double digits below zero and heavy snow is prohibitive for travel on foot and by car.

Psychiatrists Speak Out Against Minnesota’s Recreational Marijuana Bill

February 15, 2023February 14, 2023 Admin

Psychiatrists are expressing their concerns over a proposed bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives that would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and up.

Letters submitted to members of the House Human Services Policy Committee, two from licensed psychiatrists and one from a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, argued that HF 100 fails to take into account the effects of cannabis on younger people’s brains.

Walz Officials Pull Homeschool Reporting Requirement After Minnesota Parents Speak Out

February 14, 2023February 13, 2023 Admin

More than 100 homeschool advocates filled an overflow room during a Minnesota House of Representatives committee hearing this week on Gov. Tim Walz’s education policy bill.

Students and their parent educators were in attendance seeking answers as to why the bill, HF1269, included a provision that would require homeschool providers to submit their students’ standardized test scores to local school districts.

Another Minnesota College Censors Art to Prevent ‘Non-Consensual Viewing’ by Muslim Students

February 13, 2023February 13, 2023 Just the News

Two liberal arts schools six minutes from each other in St. Paul, Minn., have explicitly subordinated Islam-related academic and artistic freedom to the feelings of Muslim students in recent months, alarming faculty both nationwide and closer to home.

Macalester College temporarily shut down and then added curtains to an art exhibit depicting partially exposed figures in hijabs and niqabs “to prevent unintentional or non-consensual viewing” after Muslim students complained, the administration said in an email Feb. 6 excerpted by Minnesota immigrant news nonprofit Sahan Journal.

St. Paul School Promotes Message That Police Hate Minorities

February 12, 2023February 11, 2023 Admin

A St. Paul public school is displaying a poster in its hallways that accuses police of hating minorities.

An image obtained by Alpha News of a poster from Johnson Senior High School depicts a fist breaking a law enforcement badge and reads, “No more police hatred toward minorities.”

Minnesota Pregnancy Centers Fight for Survival amid Threats from State

February 11, 2023February 10, 2023 Admin

Pregnancy resource centers across Minnesota are defending their work as their funding is about to take a severe cut.

Minnesota Supreme Court Says Lower Court Erred in Rejecting Emergency Powers Lawsuit

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Minnesota Supreme Court ordered the lower courts Wednesday to address the question of whether Gov. Tim Walz had the authority to declare a peacetime emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The high court called this question an “important issue of statewide significance that should be decided immediately.”

Minnesota Freedom Fund to Lobby Lawmakers for End to Cash Bail

February 9, 2023February 8, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

Members of the controversial Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) have announced the launch of a sister organization that will lobby for legislation and endorse political candidates to help end the state’s cash bail system.

In a Tuesday livestream, four high-ranking members of Minnesota Freedom Fund Action (MFF Action) explained the purpose of the new advocacy group, doubling down on their opposition to pre-trial detention and the current immigration detention system.

Republican Lawmaker Floats North Stars Logo as Idea for New Minnesota State Flag

February 8, 2023February 7, 2023 Admin

As DFL legislators appear poised to pass a bill that would have Minnesota on its way to flying a newly-redesigned state flag by the end of this year, one Republican senator is floating an idea for what that flag should look like.

Sen. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, believes a rendition of the logo of the former Minnesota North Stars professional hockey franchise could serve as the unifying symbol that proponents of a new state flag claim they are looking for.

Minnesota House Democrats Pass Voting Rights for Felons Currently in Prison

February 7, 2023February 6, 2023 Admin

Minnesota Democrats want to join just a handful of states where felons never lose their right to vote.

This was revealed during a House floor debate Thursday night, which saw the passage of State Rep. Cedrick Frazier’s, DFL-New Hope, bill to restore voting rights to felons once they are released from incarceration. Under current law, felons are not allowed to vote until they complete their entire sentence, including probation and parole.

Democrats Propose Expanding MinnesotaCare to Include Illegal Immigrants

February 6, 2023February 5, 2023 Admin

by Anthony Gockowski Democrats have introduced a bill that would make illegal immigrants eligible for MinnesotaCare, a state-subsidized health insurance program. The bill, sponsored by State Rep. Esther Agbaje, DFL-Minneapolis, and State Sen. Alice Mann, DFL-Edina, would allow “undocumented noncitizens” to qualify for the program. Lawfully present noncitizens are already…

Report Finds ‘Pervasive Noncompliance’ in Minnesota Grant Management

February 5, 2023February 4, 2023 Admin

Minnesota issues an average of $514 million in state-funded grants to nonprofits each year but demonstrates “pervasive noncompliance” with oversight measures, according to a new report published Thursday.

The report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) specifically looked at whether the Minnesota Department of Education and the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Justice Programs are complying with grants management policies.

Minneapolis Transit Employees Got Pay Increases with Bus Drivers Making $200k

February 4, 2023February 3, 2023 The Center Square

At a time when fare revenue and passenger trips have plummeted, the Minneapolis transit system has given its employees pay increases.

Top administrators at Metro Transit saw significant pay increases by as much as $55,000 in case from 2020 to 2022. Also, one bus driver made $201,853 and another bus driver made $195,717 last year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for bus drivers in the United States is $23.37 which equates to $48,600 for a 40-hour a week position.

Minnesota School Denies Concealing Gender Transitions from Parents

February 3, 2023February 2, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

A Hopkins principal accused Libs of TikTok of spreading “false and hateful claims towards LGBTQ youth” after a report from the popular Twitter account said the school is offering chest binders to students without parental knowledge.

The Libs of TikTok report begins with a picture of a flier that is hanging in a hallway at Hopkins West Junior High School. The flier includes the contact information for the school’s “health mentor,” Caroline Hickey, who offers to talk with students about “gender norms,” “gender and identity,” and “circles of sexuality.”