All Things Appleton

Readers have been raising objections to my post highlighting the unconstitutional ordinance the City of Appleton has had on the books for the last 6 years (https://allthingsappleton.com/2026/04/14/unconstitutional-ordinance-in-appletons-municipal-code-no-longer-to-be-enforced-city-attorney-and-health-office-to-recommend-repeal/). Broadly speaking, their criticism is that my purported concern over the First Amendment violations associated with that ordinance is merely a mask for LGBTQ bigotry. I will endeavor to explain (a) why strong support for the First Amendment is interpreted as opposition to LGBTQ ideology and (b) why Appleton’s conversion therapy ordinance should not be seen as simply a minor mistake but is indeed a serious violation of the Constitution that should be viewed with concern.

The ideology of transgenderism represented by the T in LGBTQ is inherently hostile toward and in conflict with the First Amendment because transgender ideology is foundationally untrue, and if that untruth is recognized, articulated, and explained it cannot flourish. The First Amendment, among other things, protects the right of people to speak the truth even if their hearers find that truth to be unpleasant.

On a basic, physical level, humans cannot change their s*xes. Males will always be males. Females will always be females. Regardless of the way a person acts, the way they look, the way they dress, the way they feel, the hormones they take, or the surgeries they undergo, a male will always be a male and a female will always be a female. This is just reality. Transgenderism rejects that reality and can only be sustained if everybody buys into the same falsehood. As a result, freedom of speech is a huge barrier to maintaining the fiction that a person’s s*x can be wrong or somehow changed or willed into being a different s*x.

The government of our city cannot design its streets (https://allthingsappleton.com/2024/02/27/municipal-services-committee-receives-overview-of-new-complete-streets-policy-design-guide-and-pedestrian-crossing-toolkit/), figure out where to place pedestrian intersections and bike lanes (https://allthingsappleton.com/2024/02/27/municipal-services-committee-receives-overview-of-new-complete-streets-policy-design-guide-and-pedestrian-crossing-toolkit/), determine where to locate its transit center (https://allthingsappleton.com/2022/05/30/transit-commission-votes-to-approve-contract-for-transit-center-needs-assessment-and-master-plan-study/), manage its ARPA dollars (https://allthingsappleton.com/2022/09/10/common-council-approved-150000-contract-with-consultant-to-help-the-city-administer-arpa-funds-alderperson-chad-doran-expresses-opposition/), review the workload and organization of the police department (https://allthingsappleton.com/2024/10/30/human-resources-committee-unanimously-approves-contract-with-matrix-consulting-group-to-conduct-police-department-organizational-and-workload-study-69000-cost-to-be-paid-with-arpa-dollars/), or create a planning vision for the city (https://allthingsappleton.com/2024/12/10/human-resources-and-information-technology-committee-meeting-12-11-2024-will-vote-on-award-of-45000-strategic-visioning-contract/) without hiring consultants to tell it how to do those things. This very same government decided that it was right and appropriate for it to regulate the speech of the health and medical professionals practicing within its boundaries. That in itself was an unconstitutional act regardless of the contents of the ordinance, but as an even more serious matter, when the Appleton government gave form to that ordinance it dictated that health and medical professionals were free to lie to their patients and encourage those patients down a path based on a fundamental falsehood but would face negative repercussions from the government if they spoke the truth or based treatments on the physical reality that s*x is immutable.

A primary purpose of the First Amendment is to facilitate people in their pursuit of the truth. If it does not protect people who say true things, it will not protect anybody who says anything. The Appleton government’s rejection of the First Amendment in this case is, therefore, particularly egregious because it used its overstepping of authority to cut at the very foundation of why the First Amendment even exists.

A prescient man once wrote, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” In 2020, the City of Appleton tried to take that freedom away, and that is no small thing.

It is with mixed feelings that I announce All Things Appleton will be going on indefinite hiatus beginning immediately. Sudden, unexpected changes at my work have resulted in me needing to markedly increase the hours I work for at least the rest of the year if not beyond. While working overtime every single week for 3 months will certainly be financially lucrative for me, it also means that, in order to give my family and children appropriate focus and attention, I need to reduce the time I spend on personal hobbies, All Things Appleton being the main such thing.

I had initially planned to continue things as normal through this week and recap the committee meetings as usual, but one of my children woke up sick this morning and has to stay home from school and requires extra attention and care. So, I took that as a sign that I should make the announcement now.

It has been a great pleasure reporting on local government activity over the last 5 years. I believe local government is an area that does not get nearly as much attention as it should. While state and national politics are certainly important, the actions of local elected officials influence our daily lives as much if not more than politicians on the state and national stage. I hope one day to start reporting on it again. Until then, government meeting agendas, minutes, and raw videos are all available for any member of the public to view whenever they want.

The City of Appleton meeting details can be viewed here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

The AASD Board of Education meeting details can be viewed here: https://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/district/leadership/board-of-education