Meet IndyStar opinion intern Sadia Khatri
IndyStar's newsroom internships are an important tradition that benefits readers, the news industry and aspiring journalists. We have nine summer interns for 2025 — students who have shown a passion for local journalism and have prior internship or student media experience. The program provides a bridge from student journalism to the professional ranks and helps the Star fill the gaps as our full-time staff take well-earned vacation time.
Similarly, we're taking a break from our "Meet the Staff" feature for the summer to give you a chance to, yes, meet the interns. We also call them Pulliam fellows — in recognition of the family that used to own the newspaper and has continued to support journalism in Indianapolis — and past participants have gone on to rich careers at IndyStar and elsewhere in journalism.
Up this week is opinion intern Sadia Khatri.
My beat is opinion!
I recently graduated from Butler University with a combined Healthcare & Business major and an English Literature minor.
I love being able to share my voice! I have the opportunity and privilege to write and tell the stories of others, allowing me to also share bits and pieces of myself in the process. I am at my happiest when I am writing, and opinion journalism has provided me with an outlet to share my voice in a way that brings current events and other important matters to light. I write to advocate, and journalism is one part of a larger story about uplifting communities and voices that have historically been — and continue to be — neglected.
I have always enjoyed reading the IndyStar. I applied because I felt like this internship could provide me with the chance to get new and additional journalism-related experience. I wanted to learn more through trying and writing, and this internship seemed like it would provide that — and it has!
I am a bit late to the party, but I have been watching "Gilmore Girls" recently. It's so comforting and cozy!
MLK's "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" is a quote I always keep in mind.
One of the best pieces of advice I received from a mentor and friend while I was at Butler related to making mistakes. As someone who was always afraid of failure and making mistakes, this mentor taught me the value of understanding that while I might be trying my absolute best and taking the correct steps, it was still possible that there could be circumstances where the end result of my actions would not be what I desired. From this mentor, I learned how to begin to let go of my deep-rooted fear of failure, and to instead embrace the surprises that life threw my way and to remain focused on trying to overcome obstacles. I've learned to become more adaptable and flexible because of this advice, and it has helped me navigate challenges in a healthier and more proactive way.
If I could go back in time and guest star on "Modern Family," I would do so in a heartbeat. A close second would have to be "Succession."
I am a cat person through and through. While I do not currently have a pet cat, I do hope to one day have a cat companion.
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Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Let them do their dirty work': School trustees react as Ford government takes over four boards, including Toronto public and Catholic, over finances
The province has seized control of four school boards, including Toronto public and Catholic, accusing them of financial mismanagement — an unprecedented crackdown that drew both criticism but also praise from trustees who've been stripped of their powers. With the Dufferin-Peel Catholic board 'at the brink of bankruptcy' and unlikely to make payroll later this summer, Education Minister Paul Calandra said he is also sending a supervisor there, as well as to Ottawa's public board. The four boards have either continued to run deficits or failed to balance budgets this year, instead relying on multi-year plans or wanting to use funds from the sales of properties to get out of the red, which Calandra told the Star shows just how precarious their situations are. 'It's gone on long enough,' he said in an interview. 'These boards have run multi-year deficits with no plan to come back to balanced budget, despite the fact that both Ottawa and the TDSB (Toronto District School Board) were trying to present balanced budgets at the last minute. Both of them — Toronto in particular — have balanced budgets based on the sale of surplus assets,' which are funds intended to pay for school renovations and upgrades. Boards, however, argue that even though funding from the province has increased, it has not nearly kept up with their actual costs — especially when inflation is factored in — nor covered mandatory increases such as employment insurance contributions. Supervision was unnecessary 'given the meaningful steps the board has taken over the years to address its financial challenges' and an independent report confirmed 'there was no financial impropriety on behalf of staff or the trustees,' said Toronto Catholic board chair Markus de Domenico, adding he was 'shocked' by the move. 'Structural deficits of this scale do not arise overnight,' he added. 'They are the result of chronic underfunding in key areas such as sick leave, statutory benefits and the high costs associated with operating under-enrolled schools, which boards are not permitted to close under provincial direction. These pressures are not unique to the (Toronto Catholic board) and are shared by many large urban school boards across Ontario.' The Toronto Catholic board initially reported a deficit of $65.9 million, but found savings and reduced it to $48.5 million. It had been asking for ministry approval to apply $30 million in building sales to the remaining deficit, and had a multi-year financial recovery plan. Calandra called the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board 'just a complete disaster' with an ongoing deficit, depleted reserves, 'trustees resigning and parents just in a fury over decisions that are being made.' The Dufferin-Peel Catholic board 'again, unwilling to really balance the budget, but also carrying historical bad decisions when it comes to long-term disability and managing it themselves … it only survives based on funding that the province gives it in advanced payments,' he said. Calandra said while not all boards are in such trouble, the supervision of a few puts all on notice. 'I'm just, literally, done with trustees or boards of education that go on tangents, that work outside their mandate, that refuse to live by the funding model ,' he told the Star. 'We have schools that are unsafe, teachers who are frustrated and students and parents who don't feel that they're getting the quality of education that $30 billion' should provide. He said he's frustrated with ineffective governance, 'and I'm reviewing that as well.' Weidong Pei, a trustee with Toronto District School Board, welcomed the provincial clampdown, saying 'it really has become abundantly clear to me that the (board) is dysfunctional. It's crisis after crisis.' Decisions are driven by politics, not data, he added, citing the replacement of merit-based admissions to specialty schools with a lottery system and the desire to rename three schools with ties to historical figures. He said recent budget discussions highlight how 'wholly dysfunctional' the board is because there were cuts to programs that will affect kids, but no cuts to senior administrators. Calandra said for decades, governments have downloaded responsibility to school boards 'to avoid owning issues, and that has to stop. Whether it's curriculum, whether it's safety in schools, whether it's budgeting, it is time for us to take on that responsibility as a ministry and make sure that the system that we expect is what we deliver.' He said supervisors will look at things such as unfunded programs, reducing bureaucracy or redeploying principals who aren't working in schools, and if structural budgetary issues are found, they will also be addressed. What does placing an Ontario school board under supervision look like? Toronto school board pools are not provincially funded, an issue Calandra said he is sympathetic to because of their history in the city, 'and where there's a shortfall in our funding, if that model needs to change, then we'll be able to do that.' Both the Toronto boards and Dufferin-Peel have been placed under supervision under previous Conservative and Liberal governments, with Toronto public in 2002, Dufferin-Peel in 2007 and Toronto Catholic in 2008. In April, Calandra put the Thames Valley District School Board under supervision, saying Friday there's been 'incredible progress.' That means five boards are currently under provincial control, a number not seen before. Kathleen Woodcock, president of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, said that 'trustees want the very best for students and view this as an opportunity to pause, reflect and rebuild together in the best interests of all learners.' Her association 'also looks forward to engaging directly with the supervisors to help surface and share strong practices from school boards across the province — practices the minister himself has acknowledged.' Michael Bellmore, president of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association, noted Calandra said 'most boards across Ontario are doing the right thing' and that 'we look forward to ongoing discussions with Minister Calandra and Ministry of Education officials regarding the unique circumstances of certain school boards, as well as challenges associated with rising sick leave costs, special education and student transportation funding.' The province is spending $30.3 billion on education for the coming school year, $2 billion for school upgrades and $1.3 billion for new schools. The school boards' association has said that per-pupil funding since the Ford government took power in 2018 has dropped (when adjusted to 2018 dollars), leaving a $693-million gap for the province's 31 English public boards alone. Calandra had sent investigators into the boards to examine their finances, and said Toronto public trustees had rejected about half of all savings proposed by senior board officials, and had a projected $58 million deficit for 2025-6. Toronto Catholic board Trustee Maria Rizzo wants to see how the province balances the books without affecting students and programs, such as international language instruction. 'If they think that they can do this better, let them try. Let them do their own dirty work,' she said. 'They don't give us enough money for special education and they don't give us money for any of the Catholic programs.' Rizzo said 'I get paid a nickel an hour — it doesn't hurt me. My problem is that the constituents I represent in my community won't be able to come to me and I can't address any of the issues.' Chair de Domenico said for the province to 'appoint a high-powered, high-priced lawyer to run a board with the idea of saving money is in itself ironic. It is not democratic. This is an attempt by the minister to take over the entire system and remove the public voice.' He said the board was 'caught up in this maelstrom of frenzy here to exert control over what should be a democratic institution.' Meanwhile, Calandra is also pausing for one year curriculum updates that were to be implemented this fall, including in literacy, math and STEM in kindergarten and history in grades 7, 8 and 10 to give teachers additional time to become familiar with the material and create lessons.
Miami Herald
13 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Stonewall Uprising: A Look at Transgender Activists Who Led the Movement
The Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ+ rights fight, occurred 56 years ago and sparked a movement led in part by two transgender activists: Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The Stonewall uprising began after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, sparking protests and pushback from the local LGBTQ+ community. Johnson and Rivera emerged as two community leaders from the movement, though there is debate about their exact involvement during the protests. Earlier this year, the Trump administration sparked backlash after removing references to transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website. Meanwhile, the Pride Month display at the Stonewall National Monument excluded transgender pride flags this year, according to ABC News. LGBTQ+ activists have raised concerns about attempts to erase the history of transgender activists this year. The exact history of Stonewall is complicated, and accounts from participants have varied over the years. Who exactly threw the first brick at Stonewall, for instance, has been debated, and there remains no clear consensus on the question. Still, Johnson and Rivera emerged from Stonewall as two of the most prominent leaders in New York's LGBTQ+ community who would shape the movement for decades to come. The uprising began early on June 28, 1969, when patrons at the bar fought back against police harassment during a raid. The riots continued for about six days and drew national attention to the LGBTQ+ rights cause. Johnson had said she was not at Stonewall when the uprising began and showed up a bit later. But she was among the most prominent participants in the days-long riots, resisting police after they raided the bar. In one well-reported account of the riots, Johnson climbed up a lamppost to drop a heavy object onto a police car. Rivera, who was 17 years old at the time of the riots, had also said that she was in attendance, although some historians have questioned whether she was present at Stonewall on the first night of the riot. Historian David Carter wrote in 2019 for The Gay City News that activist Bob Kohler, who was present at the riots, told him Rivera was not at Stonewall. But the debate about who was at Stonewall when is "pointless and silly," Michael Bronski, author of A Queer History of the United States, told Newsweek. He said it's important to look at the activists' work after Stonewall, such as the founding of Street Transvestite Activists Revolutionaries (STAR) and the first halfway house for young gender non-conforming individuals. STAR was an organization founded in 1970 by Johnson and Rivera to support transgender people. It was an early activist group for trans rights that went on to inspire others in the movement. At the time, notably, the term "transgender" was not in use, so the term "drag queen" was used to describe Johnson and Rivera, though they are considered to be transgender. They had also used the term "transvestite," which is now considered outdated or offensive by many, despite its historical use. Héctor Carrillo, a professor of sociology and sexuality & gender studies, told Newsweek it is "not automatic" that all drag queens at Stonewall would think of themselves as transgender, as the trans movement "didn't crystallize until the 1990s." While activists like Johnson and Rivera are now recognized as pioneers of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, at the time, the transgender community was not "idolized" by many gay and lesbian people, Bronski said. "Back then, often the queer community, the more mainstream queer community, was not particularly open to trans people, and for some reasons—if trans people went into a bar, police might be likely to raid the bar. Trans people were more hassled on the streets by police," he said. Vincent Stephens, an associate dean of diversity and inclusion at Boston University's College of Arts & Sciences, told Newsweek activists like Johnson and Rivera were "integral to really being at the forefront of liberation." After Stonewall, groups like the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) were founded to advance the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, he said. But those groups had many "internal fissures" that caused women and people of color to break off. This led to the creation of STAR. "In many ways, they were integral to articulate the needs and concerns of gender nonconforming people," Stephens said. "They also exposed in many ways a tension within the queer community, which is that some people who were very focused on concerns of gay men and the concerns of lesbians but weren't necessary addressing concerns of gender-nonconforming people. STAR is an early example of gender non-conforming people organizing and saying, 'We are integral to this.'" The two continued working on causes including AIDS and homelessness throughout their lives, as well as remaining active in the battle for LGBTQ+ rights. This year's anniversary of the riots comes as many in the LGBTQ+ community see setbacks in a legal sense, as well as a shift in public opinion against gay and trans rights. The Trump administration's removal of mentions of the transgender community from the Stonewall National Monument website is among those concerns. Bronski said the erasure of the transgender community cannot be viewed "in isolation." Those who oppose gay rights have realized they cannot push for the eradication of the gay community from public life, but could still "focus on the most vulnerable of those people, which is trans community," he said. "I think it's really telling that they didn't get rid of all of LGBT, but just the T. I think they knew that getting rid of LGB would cause complete outrage, but you can get away with getting rid of the T because there's enough ambivalence and lack of understanding about transgender people," he said. A key part of the legacy of Stonewall is remembering that 1969 wasn't all that long ago, Stephens said. "Many of the fights that LGBTQ+ people have been fighting are relatively recent fights, and the fight is not over," he said. "We have to think about the long-term vision for how we want to exist as human beings and as contributors to society. Stonewall reminds us that we have to sometimes get up, take risks and advocate for ourselves." Every movement "needs a moment," and Stonewall is that for the LGBTQ+ rights movement, Bronski said. While LGBTQ+ Pride Month has become "very commercialized," it's still important to remember the deeper meaning behind the role of power in society and how that can harm people. "There is a great lesson to be learned that what happens to the most vulnerable people can happen to anyone," he said. Héctor Carrillo, a professor of sociology and sexuality & gender studies, told Newsweek: "The Stonewall Uprising acquired enormous cultural symbolism. It came to be seen as marking the beginning of the LGBTQ movement, even when there had been other instances of gay and lesbian protest before. Those include the Mattachine Society's picketing and the Compton Cafeteria riot in San Francisco in 1966. GLAAD criticized the Trump administration's move to remove references to the trans community from the Stonewall National Monument website in February: "The Stonewall Uprising – a monumental moment in the fight for LGBTQ rights – would not have happened without the leadership of transgender and gender non-conforming people. The tireless work of Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and countless other trans women of color paved the way and continue to inspire us. You can try to erase our history, but we will never forget those who came before us and we will continue to fight for all those who will come after us." Related Articles Gay California Lawmaker Blasts 'Inflammatory' Pride resolutionCouple Gets Pride Doormat, Neighbor Writes a Letter: 'Don't Like That'Map Shows Where Gay Marriage Would Be Banned if Supreme Court Overturns LawWoman Gets Message From Dog Walker-Realizes It Wasn't Meant for Her 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
18 hours ago
- Newsweek
Stonewall Uprising: A Look at Transgender Activists Who Led the Movement
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal moment in the LGBTQ+ rights fight, occurred 56 years ago and sparked a movement led in part by two transgender activists: Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The Context The Stonewall uprising began after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, sparking protests and pushback from the local LGBTQ+ community. Johnson and Rivera emerged as two community leaders from the movement, though there is debate about their exact involvement during the protests. Earlier this year, the Trump administration sparked backlash after removing references to transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website. Meanwhile, the Pride Month display at the Stonewall National Monument excluded transgender pride flags this year, according to ABC News. LGBTQ+ activists have raised concerns about attempts to erase the history of transgender activists this year. What To Know The exact history of Stonewall is complicated, and accounts from participants have varied over the years. Who exactly threw the first brick at Stonewall, for instance, has been debated, and there remains no clear consensus on the question. Still, Johnson and Rivera emerged from Stonewall as two of the most prominent leaders in New York's LGBTQ+ community who would shape the movement for decades to come. The uprising began early on June 28, 1969, when patrons at the bar fought back against police harassment during a raid. The riots continued for about six days and drew national attention to the LGBTQ+ rights cause. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty Johnson had said she was not at Stonewall when the uprising began and showed up a bit later. But she was among the most prominent participants in the days-long riots, resisting police after they raided the bar. In one well-reported account of the riots, Johnson climbed up a lamppost to drop a heavy object onto a police car. Rivera, who was 17 years old at the time of the riots, had also said that she was in attendance, although some historians have questioned whether she was present at Stonewall on the first night of the riot. Historian David Carter wrote in 2019 for The Gay City News that activist Bob Kohler, who was present at the riots, told him Rivera was not at Stonewall. But the debate about who was at Stonewall when is "pointless and silly," Michael Bronski, author of A Queer History of the United States, told Newsweek. He said it's important to look at the activists' work after Stonewall, such as the founding of Street Transvestite Activists Revolutionaries (STAR) and the first halfway house for young gender non-conforming individuals. STAR was an organization founded in 1970 by Johnson and Rivera to support transgender people. It was an early activist group for trans rights that went on to inspire others in the movement. At the time, notably, the term "transgender" was not in use, so the term "drag queen" was used to describe Johnson and Rivera, though they are considered to be transgender. They had also used the term "transvestite," which is now considered outdated or offensive by many, despite its historical use. Héctor Carrillo, a professor of sociology and sexuality & gender studies, told Newsweek it is "not automatic" that all drag queens at Stonewall would think of themselves as transgender, as the trans movement "didn't crystallize until the 1990s." While activists like Johnson and Rivera are now recognized as pioneers of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, at the time, the transgender community was not "idolized" by many gay and lesbian people, Bronski said. "Back then, often the queer community, the more mainstream queer community, was not particularly open to trans people, and for some reasons—if trans people went into a bar, police might be likely to raid the bar. Trans people were more hassled on the streets by police," he said. Vincent Stephens, an associate dean of diversity and inclusion at Boston University's College of Arts & Sciences, told Newsweek activists like Johnson and Rivera were "integral to really being at the forefront of liberation." After Stonewall, groups like the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) were founded to advance the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, he said. But those groups had many "internal fissures" that caused women and people of color to break off. This led to the creation of STAR. "In many ways, they were integral to articulate the needs and concerns of gender nonconforming people," Stephens said. "They also exposed in many ways a tension within the queer community, which is that some people who were very focused on concerns of gay men and the concerns of lesbians but weren't necessary addressing concerns of gender-nonconforming people. STAR is an early example of gender non-conforming people organizing and saying, 'We are integral to this.'" The two continued working on causes including AIDS and homelessness throughout their lives, as well as remaining active in the battle for LGBTQ+ rights. Stonewall Anniversary Comes as Many View New Attacks on LGBTQ+ Community This year's anniversary of the riots comes as many in the LGBTQ+ community see setbacks in a legal sense, as well as a shift in public opinion against gay and trans rights. The Trump administration's removal of mentions of the transgender community from the Stonewall National Monument website is among those concerns. Bronski said the erasure of the transgender community cannot be viewed "in isolation." Those who oppose gay rights have realized they cannot push for the eradication of the gay community from public life, but could still "focus on the most vulnerable of those people, which is trans community," he said. "I think it's really telling that they didn't get rid of all of LGBT, but just the T. I think they knew that getting rid of LGB would cause complete outrage, but you can get away with getting rid of the T because there's enough ambivalence and lack of understanding about transgender people," he said. A key part of the legacy of Stonewall is remembering that 1969 wasn't all that long ago, Stephens said. "Many of the fights that LGBTQ+ people have been fighting are relatively recent fights, and the fight is not over," he said. "We have to think about the long-term vision for how we want to exist as human beings and as contributors to society. Stonewall reminds us that we have to sometimes get up, take risks and advocate for ourselves." Every movement "needs a moment," and Stonewall is that for the LGBTQ+ rights movement, Bronski said. While LGBTQ+ Pride Month has become "very commercialized," it's still important to remember the deeper meaning behind the role of power in society and how that can harm people. "There is a great lesson to be learned that what happens to the most vulnerable people can happen to anyone," he said. What People Are Saying Héctor Carrillo, a professor of sociology and sexuality & gender studies, told Newsweek: "The Stonewall Uprising acquired enormous cultural symbolism. It came to be seen as marking the beginning of the LGBTQ movement, even when there had been other instances of gay and lesbian protest before. Those include the Mattachine Society's picketing and the Compton Cafeteria riot in San Francisco in 1966. GLAAD criticized the Trump administration's move to remove references to the trans community from the Stonewall National Monument website in February: "The Stonewall Uprising – a monumental moment in the fight for LGBTQ rights – would not have happened without the leadership of transgender and gender non-conforming people. The tireless work of Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and countless other trans women of color paved the way and continue to inspire us. You can try to erase our history, but we will never forget those who came before us and we will continue to fight for all those who will come after us."
