All language subtitles for Girls State 2024

In one of my favorite scenes of the
1964 Disney classic, Mary Poppins,

Mrs. Banks throws open
the door to her home,

proudly clad in a sash
for women's votes.

As she sings of the work she has done
to secure votes for English women,

she uses her soft, fluttery voice to
produce a song that exudes strength.

She does not need to shout.

She is powerfully feminine
and Girls State, so are we.

We, as women, are often taught that
in order to have our voices heard,

we must appear and speak
and debate like men.

We must be strong and
overpowering and demand attention.

In reality, nothing could
be further from the truth.

The truth is that
femininity is powerful.

Okay, come on in.

And just take a seat.

- Welcome.
- There's so many people.

I thought it was gonna be
like, one-on-one, but okay.

Would you like to tell us just a
little bit about yourself, please?

In 2040, I intend to
run for president,

so I think I'm gonna run
for governor of Girls State.

I wanna be liked at
Girls State for me,

and not because I
wanna get elected.

I am a leader. I am an athlete, a
musician, an actress, and intellectual.

Next, I'm going to be president
of the English honors society.

Sorry, sorry. I don't know
anything about myself.

I'm really passionate about
politics, specifically,

and it's what I want to
do in my eventual career.

I'm super passionate
about public health.

I do believe that there should
be increased accountability

for individuals
who own firearms.

It looks like abortion may be banned,
and I think pro-life, pro-choice,

everyone can agree that
abortion being banned

will increase maternal
mortality rate.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, guys.

Okay.

Is this "Ice Ice Baby?"

All right stop, collaborate and listen
Ice is back with the brand new invention.

Something grabs a hold of me tightly
Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly

♪ Will it ever stop? ♪

Bye. Good luck.

There's people waving.

That's exciting.

Emily, I am gonna
take your picture.

Perfect. You can stop
smiling now, that's okay.

Thank you.

I have so much adrenaline
that I woke up at 4:30 today

and just read
through the manual.

Every election that I put
myself in at my school,

I've won, like,
since fourth grade.

Do you wanna go through
our spirit tunnel?

Yes.

At my school, I'm kind
of known as that kid.

Culture club, Key Club,
Environmental Sustainability, FCA...

Student council, Connect, Melville
Media, step team, lacrosse.

I'm missing things.
Did I say science club?

And I started a Bible study
at my school. There we go.

So, if you're a
Federalist, Nationalist...

- Yeah!
- Forty! That's my lucky number.

Oh, my gosh.

That's the year I'm
running for president.

Emily Worthmore, "Worth
More for America, 2040."

- I love it.
- Oh, my goodness.

Thank you so much.

They asked us our freshman year
to pick your top three careers,

and mine says President
of the United States,

broadcast journalist, rock star.

I think I can do all three.

Rock and roll.

People at my school don't know
if I'm conservative or liberal,

and I kind of like that.

When people ask me what party I
am, I don't wanna say what I am

and then have half the room stop listening
before I even get a chance to speak.

But I'm really hoping that
coming out of Girls State,

I'm going to be just openly,

"I'm conservative. Like,
let's talk about it."

This is my patriotic
shit, like, stuff.

This is my patriotic stuff.

- Oh, I love that.
- Look, see.

And then I have a red
headband, and I have my pearls.

I love... Yes.

And then I have multiple
kinds of pearl earrings,

'cause I don't know, pearls
feel like government?

I feel, like, with political
polarization right now,

we all need to be just
having discussions.

And I don't know where
you stand politically.

I like Bernie Sanders, if
that tells you anything.

Okay, so we're gonna
be good friends.

Yeah. So we're good.

I'm gay, so...

I'm bi. But I have
a boyfriend, so...

Yeah, no, I respect it.

- Yeah.
- Very cool.

I need to figure out how many
things I can try for at once

and what happens
if I get multiple.

Supreme Court elections,
that'll be due tomorrow.

Girls State's very much in my
comfort zone of activities.

Like, it's talking, it's politics,
there's a bit of school involved.

Look. This looks very pretty.

But it's not Girls State approved, is
it? That you cannot wear it next week?

Technically, these straps
are three fingers long.

But social skills have never
been something I'm confident in.

Wish me luck, Bruiser.

This is my first class
as a serious law student.

I told my friends I'd
never seen Legally Blonde.

And everyone was
immediately scandalized.

That is the whitest
person I've ever seen.

Legally Blonde is a nice
way to get into that mindset

of social skills,
having fun with things.

I tend to be overly serious.

But I guess I'll just figure
it out when I get there.

Yes.

I wanna join the
Snapchat group chat.

Hey, party.

I'm so excited to see how close
we get by the end of the week.

- If we're like this just a few hours in.
- This is the first four hours.

And we're already
besties, like...

Yeah, right.

It was super nice getting off the bus,
because we were with the Boys State guys,

and they were just being boys.

And it was kind of like, okay, when
are we gonna get to the feminism

and the connection
and all of that?

And then when we did, I was
like, "Oh, I love this."

Oh, yeah, let's do content.

I expect Girls State to
be extremely empowering.

Like, I'm hoping that other women
want to see themselves in government.

My dream scenario is Kumbaya,

and we're all circling around the
fire, holding hands and singing.

I guess my nightmare at Girls State is
to go into a space where I'm feeling.

"Hey, I don't belong here."

Just some things that
we do at Girls State,

which a big one is do not
ever go by yourself anywhere.

Okay? We're not alone on this
campus, so we should never be alone.

We're also co-hosting with Missouri
Boys State for the first time.

I don't know if all
of you know that.

I really hope I don't
need to have the talk

about what is expected
of you and the boys.

Also, backs, we don't
want them low-cut.

So, if you do have
cut-out backs,

be sure you do have something
to cover up with as well.

So, your lanyards, if
it's red, you're a Fed,

if it's blue, you're
a Nationalist.

How many people do we
have running for governor?

Nobody. Okay, I was like,
"Where are the hands?"

All right, you're here. Okay.

Hi, nice to meet you. I'm
Emily. What's your name?

- What's your name?
- Nice to meet you. I'm Ally.

Ally. Nice to meet you.

Hi. What are your guys' names?

Hi, I'm Kylie.

- Kylie.
- Alyssa.

- Alyssa.
- Kayleigh.

- Kayleigh.
- Joely.

Joely, Joely, Joely. Joely.
Nice to meet you, Joely.

Joely. Julie. Julie?

- Joe... Joe.
- Joey? Jody?

Joe-ly.

- Joely. Joely. Is that Irish?
- There you go. No.

No?

So cute.

Great! The party
is gonna continue.

Because we are going to
learn the Girls State song.

Heck yeah, we are.
Heck yeah, we are.

We are the future builders.

Builders in a band.

And we come from Girls State.

The best state in the land.

Rah, rah, rah We
are up and coming.

Something about
this says sexism.

If the boys don't have to do
this, I'm gonna be pissed.

No, me too.

And to our own Girls State
We proudly sing our song.

Hey, the moon.

This whole environment's,
like... really intense.

Everything is about building
connections and who you know.

Even, like, during
cupcake making

there's a funny feeling in the
air, there's something in the air.

And it's politics.

I'm looking for bipartisan
support right now.

And I feel like you're...
Are you more liberal?

- I am.
- Yeah, I'm more conservative, but...

I'm running on
bipartisanship, so...

- What are you running for?
- I'm running for governor.

- Good morning.
- Good morning.

Look at all the people.
Everybody's up so early. I love it.

Good morning.

And meet me at the hotel room.

Get hyped! We're
running for office!

Let's go! Stat!

You can bring your girlfriends.

- It's too early.
- Nah, this is Girls State.

The hotel, motel, Holiday Inn.

We at the hotel,
motel, Holiday Inn.

I keep wanting to say that it's
more liberal girls at this camp

than there are conservatives,
but I can't tell.

I can't tell for sure.

I can tell the people who are
definitely liberal, definitely for sure.

Just because, I don't know,
maybe they're just louder?

Are all of you filing
for state office?

All right, come on in.

All right. I'm excited.

How many people are gonna
run for governor? A lot.

I don't know.

How many people are gonna run though,
and not know what they're doing?

I'm worried that I'm gonna look
absolutely horrible when I give a speech,

just 'cause I don't like
talking to faces I don't know...

I love public speaking, so...

Yeah. Okay. See, yeah.

I like personal speaking, and
then publicly speaking too.

Do you have speech and
debate at your school?

We do. I'm in journalism,
so that takes all the time.

Right, you said that. I didn't
know if you maybe do both, or...

- No.
- Yeah, I'm a debate kid, so...

- That's fun.
- Yeah.

There's so many of you.

Wow, there's a lot of people.

I know.

I think it's gonna come down to public
speaking, and I'm worried, but it's okay.

Oh, it definitely will.

When I was in Girl Scouts,

we had superlatives, and I
was voted most judgmental,

Which is hilarious, right?

But it's just kind of a testament to,
like, my very aggressive personality.

I've always been opinionated.

I was never afraid to
express any of my viewpoints

and that's put me between a rock
and a hard place several times.

But, I mean, I'm not going
to change. That's how I am.

My brother's argumentative in
the exact same way that I am,

and obviously as a woman
that's not really liked,

just by society as a whole, because
you're not expected to be that way.

You're expected to be a little more
docile, a little more submissive.

What are you guys running for?

- Governor.
- Governor.

Awesome. Are you both
from the same city?

- No.
- Friends?

- No.
- Acquaintances?

- Awesome.
- We'll become friends.

Oh, yeah, obviously.

Okay, so why governor?

You know, I wanna be in charge,
so... Have the most influence I can.

I'm not really worried
about being liked.

What I'm worried about is to get
people thinking about policies

that I personally support.

All right, we are
open for filing!

All right.

I got pictures for you if you
want me to send them to you.

Yes, please, and good luck.

Yep, good luck to you too.

Attorney General?

Yeah.

T-O-C-H-I.

I'd like to try for Supreme Court Justice,
which luckily doesn't require an election.

The Supreme Court
gets to change things.

Like, a lot of areas
in government don't.

Even the legislatures, because they
have so many people to work with,

it is so hard to
genuinely change things.

I'm not quite sure
where I'm going.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

I'm an especially socially
progressive person

in a not very socially
progressive state.

My perspective is
very different from

the decent amount of Missouri
that's rural, for example.

So I'm a bit worried,
especially with things like

the recent leaked alleged
Supreme Court abortion ruling.

I think that's something that quite
a few people will want to talk about.

And for that reason, being on
the Girls State Supreme Court

would be really special to me.

Hello, come in.

Oh, shoot.

My name's Nisha Murali.
Here's my name tag.

So, why do you want to
be on the Supreme Court?

I want to be on the Supreme Court,
because they make the decisions

that really affect
people's lives.

We're seeing that now with, like,
abortion, gay rights, housing,

the amount of money spent
on a federal campaign.

My parents are immigrants, so
there's always been headlines or news

and policies affecting our status in
the country, our political beliefs.

I would love to judge anything
with environmental law.

We need to make a change now before
it goes to future generations.

I honestly like to listen rather
than express my own views.

I try not to be prejudiced.

I am impartial.

My parents are divorced, so I
have to mediate between the two.

Like, if there's a problem, I
kind of have to be in the middle.

Have any real-life court cases
inspired you? How and why?

So, I mean, the big one now,
Johnny Depp, Amber Heard.

I did policy debate in the sophomore
year and I chose sentencing

and I talked a lot about
mandatory minimum sentences,

which are normally used on
non-violent drug offenses,

and they really restrict the
court's power to be merciful.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Watch it!

All right, ready? Did it take?

- That one's a little bit more blurry...
- Blurry. But it's okay.

I'll take it. That's
cute, all right.

There's my girlfriend.

She's pretty.

That's my best
friend. She graduated.

You can't tell behind
the flip phone screen.

It's good.

Me and her low key are on, not opposite
sides of the political spectrum,

but, honestly, I'm
more conservative.

- Yeah.
- And she's not, but it's good

because it's like...

We don't let it get in the way.

So, I just want to put that
out there before it's like a...

- "You're conservative!"
- I'm not gonna dislike you

because of your
political beliefs.

I would like to address you like I have
addressed every class I have ever taught.

- May I do that, please?
- Yeah.

Okay. Hey, girl, hey.

Hey, girl, hey.

One more time. Hey, girl, hey.

Hey, girl, hey.

That's what I was
going for, thank you.

We all come from different places. We
all have our own ideas about the world.

But what we really need to
focus on is us as women.

Because although we are all different,
we all have that in common, right?

We all have, in our
own different ways,

grown up in a world where we've
never seen a female president.

But how do we change that?

We step up, right?

We want you to be the women who
straighten other women's crowns.

Not the women who point
out that they're crooked.

All right. And I am here to
announce the top 21 persons

who will receive an interview
for the Supreme Court today.

All right. Katherine
Zhou, Pershing City.

Hanna Yoki, Clark.

Anne Chalice, Clark.

Nisha Murali, Harbor City.

Heather Austin, Boone City.

Ashley Green, Grove City.

Brooke Zaylor, Pershing.

Maddison Griffin, Clark.

And Ava Lawless from Lewis.

All right.

The place where we're interviewing
for the Supreme Court...

Oh, my God, were
you shortlisted?

- Yes.
- That's amazing!

It's right next door.
It's across the hall.

Thank you so much.

Attendants!

Okay. A lot of the hot button
topics that we think about in law,

come from the
Supreme Court, okay?

Recently, you know, there was
the leaked draft of Dobbs,

that would overturn Roe v.
Wade. Was Roe v. Wade...

I live in a small town.

It's definitely way on
the conservative side.

'Cause I'm just a
girl, I'd rather not be

'Cause they won't let
me Drive late at night.

Oh, I'm just a girl

[Brooke] All of my friends
are majorly pro-life.

It's been hard to
express myself sometimes.

Just because I'm coming
from a small town

doesn't mean that I'm gonna
be quiet about my beliefs

or I don't know what's
going on in the world.

This is probably the most embarrassing
blanket I could have brought.

It's a picture of
me and my boyfriend.

My boyfriend, my
family, everyone's like,

"You got to be competitive
and be on the Supreme Court."

You got to do it.

"You got to do it or you're
going to get left in the dust."

And I'm not one to
be left in the dust.

27, 28, 29, 30.

Twenty-five, five.

Now I'm comparing scissors.
What does this come to?

I think this one's good. This
one, I'm feeling this one.

Okay. You know what? Maybe I'm
thinking no more double-sided signs.

Hey, y'all. As you know, vote
Tochi for Attorney General.

Keep things truthful.

Hey, y'all. Hi.

My name is Tochi. I'm
running for Attorney General.

If you guys are interested in
hearing any of my platforms,

I'd love to share them with you.

My main platform is the truth.

That's why I'm calling
myself Tochi "Truth" Ihekona.

And as Attorney General, I
would be able to litigate cases

and actually take them
to the Supreme Court.

From the jump, just walking in, I already
knew it's gonna be a lot of white people.

Hey, y'all.

These girls are literally from places
where there's 300 people in their town,

so I'm probably the first Black
person they've ever interacted with.

I just think that
communication is important,

because we're never
gonna get the opportunity

to talk to people from
different parts of Missouri

the way that we are right now.

As far as the white girls go,
they've all been super cool.

I honestly have not experienced
any microaggressions.

Like...

I probably have.

I've been wanting to ask you.
Someone told me you speak Nigerian.

I speak Igbo.
Nigeria is a country.

- Okay.
- Isn't there, a language, Nigerian?

- Yeah, it's Igbo.
- Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Is it weird if I ask
you to say something?

It is!

Okay, then pretend I didn't ask.

Oh, my God. Y'all are too funny.

I try to find common ground
and I try to relate to them,

because, at the end of the day,
we're all high school teenage girls

who care about government and
we can connect through that.

Good morning. I'm on
the ballot for governor.

I'm here to, like,
pitch you, low key.

I'm trying to go around
and get to know people.

This picture will be the first thing
that you see on that governor ballot

and it's not a good
picture, so, please.

This probably isn't a
good picture either,

but it's probably slightly
better than that, so...

What do you believe,
actually? I'm curious.

It depends based on the specific
issue we're talking about.

That's good. Don't
box yourself in.

- I like that.
- Yeah.

I still like listening to other
people, even though I am conservative,

and I feel like that's
a common misconception.

I'm hoping for, like, a
grassroots-style campaign,

because I really don't know
how far a cardboard cut-out is

compared to having
a conversation.

I don't want to come off
"weird" because, you know...

You only have so much time and I do
genuinely want to make these connections,

but I'm also going around and
walking around and being like,

"Hi, nice to meet you.
What's your name?"

I feel like it's just a
little too eager, maybe.

You're running for governor?

Yeah. I'm the first
on the ballot.

Do you guys know each other?

- Casually...
- No, I just know her name.

- I'm conservative.
- We are too.

- Really?
- Yeah.

I'm gonna be honest.

I don't really know what to talk about in
my speech, because our party as a whole

has no platform yet, and I probably won't
agree with the platform to be honest.

I'm looking around this place...

Like, I love it, straightening
each other's crowns and all that.

But the "queen,
girl boss, slay..."

Great. If I were a guy and you
weren't doing it mockingly,

would you say that genuinely?
No, like, you wouldn't.

So, I think it's actually
keeping us down more.

Being conservative
and being a young girl

isn't a combination that you see
a lot around here, I feel like.

I love liberals. I
love them to death.

But it's a continuous effort to
listen to people who disagree with me.

I've yet to ever just flip a table and
say I'm done with this conversation.

Maybe there will be
a day when I do that.

Now presenting, your
future governor...

Cecilia Bartin!

Thank you so much!

Some of my main running points
are I love to bring the fun

and the spirit back into
these kinds of things.

I'm going to be reposting the results
for this poll on my Instagram.

I'm Cecilia Bartin! I'm
running to be your governor.

I have many beliefs. I believe
we should not have a dress code.

This is the time to empower
women, and last time I checked,

women know how to
dress themselves.

I find campaigning to
sometimes be really fake.

And there's a lot of people have
come up to me and been like,

"I'm running for governor. My name is
'blank.' Vote for me." And I'm like...

That was a five-second
interaction.

I'm not gonna remember
your name, first-off.

And second off, why
would I vote for you,

because you came up to
me and told me your name?

But I guess sometimes that
works with other people, maybe.

Do you wanna follow me on
Instagram? Do you have Instagram?

- Guess you can just pass it around.
- Okay, I will.

There's tons of things
I can talk about,

and if you're following my Instagram,
you'll see my campaign and my agenda.

Firstly, environmental policy.

So, researching renewable energy
sources is really important to me.

I'm also interested in mental
health care for military members.

I used to be viscerally conservative.
Some might call me alt-right.

Because I was too baby, I was
listening to people around me

and people around
me were my family.

So I was more conservative,
I was more right leaning.

And then I kind of got
older and I was like,

"I don't know if I agree."

And then it was just kind of
a slow transition out of it.

I talked to one girl and we
were talking about gun control

in the campaigning class.

And she was talking to me
and she was like, "Yeah,"

because everyone at this point
admits that our gun policy is bad.

Kids are dying, there's guns in
schools. We need to change something.

But it's just the
way it gets changed.

So, she was saying, "My bill,"
if she did Girls Nation,

"would be to arm teachers."

I don't know. With
that one specifically,

I think that arming teachers should be
a thing where they have to go through

a training course and
have them specifically...

See, but I have so many teachers...
Like, I think it's unfair to teachers.

It should be optional.

And also it's a constitutional
right. Like, the Second Am...

The Constitution is everything.
Sorry, I got distracted.

No, no, no. I haven't had that many
political discussions with people,

so I honestly love it, but there
are some things I disagree with.

I probably won't own an AR,

but theoretically, I like the
idea that I have the right to.

If I go through the proper precautions,
right? I like that idea, right?

I wake up in the middle of the
night, somebody's in my house,

somebody has a gun.

I'm going to be shaking a lot and
you have a shot in the dark, right?

It's aiming in the dark, okay? An
AR's going to be a lot more accurate.

Like, I just, I don't see
how it can protect your house

without being more of
a danger to your house.

The only way it protects
you if an intruder comes in

is if it's laying around.

Maybe raise your kids to understand
that there's a don't touch

and you're going to put the lock on it
when they're a baby and pray to God.

Maybe lock your bedroom door
while they're still young,

and then when they're old
enough, raise them right

and make them understand
this is a don't touch.

- I think we have a different view.
- Exactly.

- But I think this is a good talk.
- No, I'm having fun.

We don't like... It's fun.
Nobody talks politics here.

No, I wanted to talk politics.

I'm having fun. I'm
excited. I'm pumped.

I live in St. Louis, it's kind of
the liberalest you get in Missouri.

So I knew if I ran for
governor, through campaigning,

I would be forced to go
out and talk to new people.

That's why I came here. I wanted to meet
girls on the other side of the aisle.

I think boys feel like they can
speak louder about politics,

because I think women, often, when we
start talking politics, we get shut down.

I think we're just less respected.
So, you know, by the time we're 17,

we're already socialized
to stop talking about it.

But we do have strong
views about politics.

So, can I read my
speech to you guys?

Because she said that I can't do it
during dinner, we wouldn't have time.

- Yes.
- Okay.

"Hey, girls, I'm Angie DuSant,
I'm running for House of Reps.

I feel like I'm the best..."

Sorry.

"for this, because
I love people."

I am a student council
rep back at my school.

I'm a people person, and I believe
in giving everyone a voice.

And I can't wait to
get to know everyone

"and become best friends with
all of you beautiful women."

So, like, politically,
like, what are you thinking?

- What are your thoughts?
- Politically?

Yeah. Like, do you
have a platform?

Like, ideas?

It's okay if you don't. Like,
it's okay, like, I'm not, like...

I just mean, 'cause it hasn't really been
like that, so it's okay if you don't,

because Girls State
isn't really like that.

I'm just, like, throwing
it out there, just in case.

Does it become
political at any point?

Well, I was talking to Amy
about it, and she was, like,

usually, girls run on campaigns
that are, like, environment...

- Yeah!
- Mental health stuff that, honestly

is typically pretty bi-partisan.

But, like, if you want to
bring politics into it,

I say go for it, a
thousand percent.

Like, obviously, you're gonna have
people that disagree with you, but...

- That's politics.
- Yeah.

Yeah, I think it's interesting
because we're talking about how, like,

"The boys can have their
shirts off and we can't."

- But yet the boys are having, like...
- Politics.

I wouldn't know because
I haven't been there.

The boys are actually having
political experiences right now.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, and I feel like...

I'm a little sick of the fluff.

- Yeah. When does it get...
- No, exactly.

Everybody says that they want
to represent their people,

everybody says that they want
to be friends with everyone

and have everyone's
voices heard.

- Okay, let's have a real conversation.
- And get some stuff done.

What do you wanna have done,
what do you want to see?

If we want a genuine
experience on something,

we have to talk about
real world issues

and we have yet to do
that in any aspect.

I don't want to say that
it's just a female thing,

but maybe it's because
everybody nowadays is told

that we need to really empower
each other as girls, which is true.

But a trap that we risk
falling into with that

is kind of perpetuating the idea

that you're at a disadvantage
because you're a woman.

I was raised in a house
where I was never told,

"You can't do this
because you're a woman."

Never had I ever heard that.

I found another
girl's governor page.

She, like, is
really campaigning.

Oh, no. I came here
to escape men. Why...?

I'm just gonna
start yelling, like,

random conservative
phrases at them,

- see if they repeat it.
- I will say they will repeat it.

I know they will,
they're little sheep.

Are those the boys?

I wanna go! Sorry, chill, Emily.

They just, like, flexed.

This one kid just walked
by flexing. It was so bad.

- That's embarrassing.
- I know.

I think that... That's so
just weird picking up people.

I wanna flex now. I feel
like now I wanna be the...

You wanna play this game?
I can play this game.

- You know what pisses me off?
- What?

The fact that they have
a gym and we don't.

I have yesterday's
Girls State newspaper.

We all know that Boys
State's happening on campus.

The stories that you are writing
are actually going to be printed

in the same paper as
the Boys State paper.

And there are a lot
of you in this room,

so I'm expecting a lot
of really great stories.

- I love this, every time...
- I love it, I have it.

Has it occurred to anyone else how boys
don't have to walk in buddy system?

- Yes!
- We asked a bunch of them.

We were walking by them,
we were asking them,

they were like, "No."

It's for our protection, I get it.
They're trying to do the best for women.

But it, it's, like,
pissing me off.

The reason we're noticing
all these differences

between Boys and Girls State is
because they put us on the same campus.

They brought this
problem on themselves.

- Okay.
- I am so sorry.

I also have, like, a few
general announcements, okay?

This is just... You have to be
productive during this time.

You know what I'm saying?

But you also have to
get dressed for dinner.

As a side note, you can
take your cardigan off,

but as soon as we get to a building,
you'll need to put your cardigan

or whatever your
cover is, back on.

Tell the boys they have to
put their shirts back on.

Did you know the boys
don't have a buddy system?

And, I think they should...

All right, you guys can talk about
Boys State now if you want to.

Talk about government.

I just feel like the differences
between Boys State and Girls State,

the counsellors don't really
want us to talk about,

because we're supposed to all be, like,
incredibly in love with the program.

And we are... ish.

I would love to go walk over to Boys State
right now and see what they're doing.

Like, I bet they're talking about things
that are really important right now.

Like, I bet they're talking about
Roe v. Wade being overturned.

I bet they're talking
about Second Amendment.

I don't think they're talking
about, like, crop tops.

This is the single most detailed and
most specific bill on our docket today.

And yet, still you've
heard previous senators say

that having a fine of only 50 dollars
makes the issue of discrimination

seem not severe
enough, but I ask you,

what's the fine for
discrimination now? Zero.

It's only whenever we work together
that we can actually get stuff done.

I have a screen recording of...
One of my friends is at Boys State.

And it has, like... Listen to
this. You know the guy I...

- Did I tell you about this already?
- Yeah.

He's talking about,
like, women's bodies.

And, like fetuses.
It's really weird.

This is murder.

Life begins at conception.
There is no alternative.

You know, I was a junior back
when Roe v. Wade was passed or

dictated by the United
States Supreme Court.

I believe in pro-life. No
abortion, no exceptions.

The Lord moves in
mysterious ways,

but we all have a soul and a
right to live it to our fullest.

The Boys State had a
Republican and Democratic...

I can't remember if it was
a representative or senator,

on stage and they were
discussing abortion.

Do they have uteruses? No.

Do we? Yeah.

So, who actually gets
the say here? Not them.

I am pro-life from natural
conception on to death,

because that is the
Catholic teaching.

Personally, I'm pro-life,
but I wouldn't try

to convince somebody
who's not otherwise.

Like, maybe I'd share my
opinion and talk to them,

but I don't think it's something that's
worth like, "No, become pro-life."

If you say you're pro-life,
you need to assess

what's gonna happen
to the kids after.

You need to create
programs for after-life,

which is another piece of it.

Like, I don't think you can
say you're pro-life, and not...

I think pro-life is its
own problematic statement.

A lot of "pro-lifers"
aren't actual "pro-life."

- Right.
- They're pro-birth.

- Yeah.
- Now that is a big difference.

No, I think they're pro-women's
restrictions on women's bodies.

We are taking steps
back as a society.

Instead of moving forward
with women's rights.

Instead of moving forward
with us having the right

to do what we want with our bodies,
men are taking it away from us. Again!

Y'all gonna get me to cussing.

Okay, everybody.

We just need to get
rid of the anxiety.

So let's all hold hands,
just really quick.

We are all meant to be here
for a reason right now.

We all deserve this, but
whoever gets it is amazing.

Seven of us are gonna make
it on that Supreme Court.

And we're all gonna be
proud of each other.

- Okay, the nerves are still here.
- Right?

I'm pretty sure that
Brooke and I began talking

because I complimented, like, a braid
in her hair that's really pretty

and, like, beaded with
red, white and blue beads.

But, after that, we just kept
talking because she's really nice

and, like, genuinely cares a lot
about government and so do I.

Okay, try again.

Until now, we didn't have to worry
about any sort of competition.

One of us will be in
the Supreme Court,

but there's no way for
both of us to do it.

- It's gonna be great either way.
- Yeah.

- You'd make the best Supreme Court ever.
- Right?

Actually, no because the
best Supreme Court ever

would have both of us on it.

Nisha came up and talked to me.

And I was like, "Okay, this
is... this is cool, you're cool,

you're a cool person, you're
so much different than me.

And I think that's great for both
of us. Let's talk, let's hang out."

And then we got put
against each other.

But strong girls empower
strong girls, right?

This is intimidating.

I know, right? All right, ready?

- Yeah.
- Awesome.

Do you think the
Constitution as it stands

is the best possible basis

for what will create the best quality
of life for American citizens?

I think that with the amendments
that have been made to it, obviously

it's just keeps getting,
well, sometimes better.

Sometimes things like
overturning Roe v. Wade,

that's very
controversial right now.

And it should be a topic that
is more exclusive, I think.

It should be just a women's conversation,
I think, not a men's conversation.

I would add in a clause
on discriminating

on the basis of sexual
or gender orientation.

Are there any qualities that you possess
that you believe make you stand out

when it comes to your ability to
objectively interpret the Constitution?

I think that

it might not be the most formal
way to hear other people's ideas,

but I am a very social person.

I will talk to a wall.

I've had a lot of practice
separating my own opinions

about political
beliefs from fact.

And sometimes I had to have the
team I disagree with win, because

they argued their case
better. They knew more.

And the fact that I've been doing
that all year, I believe, makes

gives me more knowledge on how
to do that in a court system.

It's nice to talk
to you finally.

- Oh yeah.
- I'm like so intimidated by you.

- No, don't be. Very normal person. Yeah.
- Okay. Okay.

- Have a good night.
- Nice to meet you again.

That's your first one, you
have to choose one of the two.

Okay. Awesome.

The party's on our side! Hey,
the party, the party's over here!

P-A-R-T-Y, the party,
party is on our side!

Hey, the party, the
party's over here!

Yeah! Good morning.

Let's sing! Yes.

We are the future builders.

Builders in a band.

And we come from Girls State.

The best state in the
land Rah, rah, rah!

We are up and coming.

Progressive, kind, and strong.

And to our own Girls State.

We proudly sing our song.

All right, ladies, we have
our state Supreme Court.

Are we ready?

- Yeah!
- No.

All right. Alana
Hasman from Cronin.

Anna Yoki from Clark.

After every single
step of the way,

after my written application,
after my spoken interview,

I was one hundred percent
convinced that this is it.

This is where I'd go out. They're
not gonna want me after this.

I could have written this
better. I stuttered too much.

And there was so
much self-doubt.

But the morning comes around,

and as someone who'd been,
like, the best in my school,

I started actually
thinking about

the possibility that I would
end up on the Supreme Court.

Sophia Black from Anthony.

G.S. Singh from Covington.

Brooke Taylor from Pershing.

And Hannah Rice from Carver.

- You deserve it.
- I'm so proud of both of us.

I'm proud of you.

You and I have the
hang of this, okay?

Congratulations, ladies.

Congratulations, girls.

Okay, I have one last thing for you.
This is my challenge to you today.

Give two people a compliment.

Not right now! Pepper it out.

Be good to each other. Goodbye.

I think it'll take me a while
to fully process the loss.

Because I really put
myself out there.

I think that's something that
a lot of girls at Girls State

are struggling with as well.

We all work very hard on
the image of ourselves

that we want to show to the
world, and it's exhausting.

I wanna say something about
being Christian in my speech.

Like, just a brief... I don't
wanna, like, drag on it,

but I definitely wanna mention it
'cause I feel that's part of my identity

and I'm trying to
be transparent.

'Cause what if I did run
on a more conservative...

Like, what if I just said it?

It's like, honestly,
strategically speaking,

there are more
liberal candidates

that I'm, like, actually
feeling... threatened by.

And if they split the vote,
which I think they will,

how many people would that maybe
comfort a little bit and, like...

The best thing you can do is just
be confident and do what you know.

They say you can come
here to be a new person,

but if you come here
and you build yourself

on a completely new
identity, you're lost.

So just stick to what you know.

My faith is one of the most
important things about me.

Christianity has
definitely guided me.

I grew up in the Church.

My dad was a pastor.

He passed away
when I was younger.

It's just me and my
mom. She's a single mom.

She's always been there.

She sacrificed a lot for me.

Being able to go for the
scholarship would help me a lot.

Financially-wise, this would just be
a really, really big thing for me.

That is currently the
biggest stressor I have.

Because college is a lot, and I am paying
for college, a hundred percent on my own.

Just because of that, like, you
know, it's just not there for us.

Can you expand on what you
plan to do with your major?

Yes, I can. So, I'm
interested in journalism.

That's what I want to
major in in college

because political journalism
is my major career goal.

I heard about the scholarship.

I really wanted to apply because
this would be a huge thing for me.

So thank you so much for
taking time and listening.

That's cool.

Everyone hypes up Girls State
as, like, this monumental moment

that's gonna change the way you view
yourself and the way you view others.

And I was kind of just, like,
"Okay, is it gonna happen?"

Like, I hadn't felt it yet.

But once we started debating and,
like, talking about politics,

I thought, "This is
where it all begins."

You know, I have a lot of ideas, guys,
but does anybody else have ideas first?

So, yeah. Let's get straight to it.
Abortion, what are we thinking? Go for it.

Okay, I'm more on the
pro-choice side of things, so...

I'm a Christian,
so I am pro-life,

but I don't think that the
government should be able

- to regulate a woman's body.
- Yes.

The House will come to order.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I move that
delegates should be able to choose

their preferred name and pronouns
that goes on their ID badges.

You guys!

Hi, Mommy.

Hi, Mommy.

Girl, I... I did
it. I did it, Mommy.

I won Attorney General.

I know, I know. Thank you.

Okay, well, I have to go.

Please don't make me
cry. That's embarrassing.

Thank you, thank you.

I think about my parents a
lot through this process.

I love you too.

My parents are immigrants.

That has definitely shaped me.

Smiles right there.
Beautiful family.

I know that my parents have
fought to get to where they're at.

All right, look at your dad.

They've had to struggle
to be accepted.

Dance party! Dance party!

So seeing people that look like me
winning made me think of my parents,

because I did not expect
people to be so receptive.

I really did come into
this, like, guard up.

So, it was really cool
to get that support.

All right. You guys'll do great.

But I am kind of waiting
for another ball to drop.

Oyez, oyez, oyez. The
Honorable Nisha presiding.

We are arguing that Missouri's
law that requires a woman

who wants to have an abortion
to receive counselling

violates a woman's
right to privacy.

Instead of sitting around
being disappointed over losing,

I started associate
circuit judge work,

helping other people prosecute,
planning cases, judging,

doing the things that we,
like, should work on here.

Her privacy is still protected.

We think that fear is a main
driving factor for abortion.

Obviously, things can
happen, like rape, incest,

or it's endangering to the
mother. It's all based on fear.

So, we think that all women
should go through counselling,

just to make sure that it's
not something that they regret.

Excuse me. Do you
believe that the woman

should be able to decide whether
they would like this help?

I think forced counselling
is kind of good, in general.

I mean, obviously, it's going to be
hard for people to open up to doctors,

but, ultimately, they're
just there to help.

Why would it be such a big deal?

I ruled in favor of Amelia,

that requiring counselling
before an abortion

violated her right to privacy.

Guess what I ruled
on this morning?

- The... Wait.
- The abortion case.

It's being appealed,
the ruling I ran on.

It's a Supreme Court decision
now, everyone can come watch it.

Okay, okay.

Do you have any idea about

like, any ideas to help the
Roe v. Wade case right now?

Because I'm sure every girl in this
room knows the state that it's at,

- and it terrifies at least half of us.
- Yeah.

But then, when we try to talk
to the men about it, it's like,

"Well, that probably won't happen.
That seems a little absurd."

- Yeah, right?
- That's what we need to talk about.

- Hey, y'all.
- Hey.

- Should I start?
- Yeah.

I deserve to be here.

We are all qualified.

- We are all qualified.
- You stole mine!

We are all amazingly talented.

I can confidently speak in
front of hundreds of girls.

We're allowed to make mistakes.

- Okay, that was a little bit louder.
- That one's good.

- Hello.
- Hi.

I have no clue what city you guys are,
I just wanted a good view of the stage.

I was the judge that made
the original decision,

and I want to know what
they're gonna do with it.

Gotcha.

I was telling
everyone about this

as soon as I knew it was
going to the Supreme Court,

because I wanted people to
be having that conversation.

And a lot of what I heard was,

"It's a very timely decision,
because in a couple of weeks

we couldn't be having
this conversation."

And that just hurt.

That's a huge conversation that's
effectively shut down soon.

I'm excited to see the Supreme
Court case, like, US Supreme Court.

- Right, like they're you a...
- Because I'm all about this.

Which, the people... I mean, the
people at my school were saying,

"It's gonna ban abortion, it's
gonna..." And I'm like, "No."

I'm pretty sure, like, at least
what the leaked opinion does

is just say there is no
federal right to privacy.

Which makes no difference in a case in
a state like New York or California,

and a lot of difference
in a state like Missouri.

Yeah.

As Attorney General, I don't
really have to say my politics.

I just have to give good
legal counsel to the state,

which is what
Attorney General does.

But I wanna start off with
giving out definitions,

especially since we get the
opportunity to speak first.

I think we should hit them with,
"This is how we're defining this,

this is how we're defining that,
this is how we're defining this,

and our opposing counsel
has not done that at all.

They haven't defined anything, but they're
saying their privacy's being violated."

Personally, I believe there should
be the choice to go to counselling,

but I have to decide
what would be the best

for the outcome of this case and
not my own, like, personal belief.

It's a bit of, like,
a moral dilemma.

Oyez, oyez, oyez.

The Missouri Girls State
Supreme Court is now in session.

The Honorable G.S.
Singh presiding.

The case is definitely where
it belongs, in front of women.

The Constitution was written
hundreds of years ago

by a bunch of old white guys that
don't know what's happening today.

So much has happened since then.

So, it's really...

It's a tough job to
apply it to right now.

Argument for the appellant.

Yes, Your Honor.

- May it please the court?
- It does.

All right. I first want to start
this off by defining privacy

because that is one of the
main parts of today's case.

Privacy, according
to Oxford Dictionary,

is the state of being free
from public attention.

This is important because the
opposing counsel is arguing

that under the current Missouri
law, a woman's right to privacy

is being breached when they are
going into a counsellor's office

before receiving an abortion.

Now, that moves us on to
doctor patient confidentiality,

which is defined as mutual consent
between the physician and patient.

So, as we're seeing that most counsellors
that give free counselling advice

are medical officials, HIPAA and doctor
patient confidentiality is present.

That counsellor would not be able
to go and share that information

to the public or
even anyone else.

Okay, so do you believe someone
unwillingly sharing information

about themselves to another
person is a breach of privacy?

I... I don't think I
can answer that question

without knowing what
"unwilling" would look like.

Because if there's a gun to your head,
then obviously that's a breach of privacy.

But if you're in a room where you know
what's going to happen within that room,

I personally wouldn't
define that as unwilling.

But do they really
choose to enter

if they're not allowed to have
an abortion unless they go?

I think that is a great point,

but that's just not
what this case is about.

It's about whether or not that counsellor
is sharing information with others.

I rest my case, and thank you.

Do we have an argument
for the respondent?

Yes, Your Honor.

Honorable justices of the Court.

The State has failed to prove that the
privacy of the client remained intact.

So, what is privacy?

Privacy, not according
to the Oxford Dictionary,

but privacy according to law.

Privacy is the right not to have one's
personal matters disclosed or publicized.

So, if I'm
understanding correctly,

HIPAA ensures that medical professionals
cannot share a patient's details.

Do you know if these count,
if HIPAA is applicable

to these counsellors as well?

Yes, the counsellors would
have HIPAA intact to them,

but that's not what we have
to take into consideration.

They didn't choose to go to
the source to talk to them.

Does that deter the person
from going back to said clinic?

Well, ultimately, it
decides on the person,

but the things that they
show within the counselling

do typically try to steer people
away from getting an abortion.

So, they'll show what the process
of getting an abortion is,

so that the woman is feeling more guilty
when she was already set in her decision.

So, just to clarify, the
abortion process cannot resume

until they... like, after
they had counselling.

Yes, that is correct.

They don't choose to go to counseling
before they choose to get an abortion.

That's where the
privacy is being broken,

and that's what the
state failed to address.

Constitution...

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Your Honors.

Supreme Court case number one,
Amelia v. The State of Missouri

is now taken under submission.

The Missouri Girls State
Supreme Court is now in recess.

So, was that very different
from the trial process?

So much more different.

They actually know the
process of the law this time.

I am excited to see
what the court rules.

They're required... No,
they're required to listen.

They don't have the
privacy to not listen.

That's where it got confusing.

I think the main argument is
whether or not you believe

telling a medical professional
something is a breach of privacy.

We're unilateral so
a big thing is that

anything that they say
within those sessions

is never publicly released, and
whether they go to the sessions or not

- is never publicly released.
- But I think the fact that

it's not getting public
isn't the privacy breach.

It's the fact that
they have to go.

- You still have to tell someone.
- They are forced to go.

I feel like privacy rights also cover,
like, being showed disturbing images.

- Right.
- And being forced to sit there, like...

- We could look at it that way though.
- I think the best thing to do is focus,

like, tunnel vision,
on breach of privacy.

Why do you guys view somebody
going to counselling,

somebody has to... like, a
requirement for something,

- how is that a breach of privacy?
- Because they didn't commit a crime.

It still requires
somebody to unwillingly

share information about
themselves to another person.

I think that's a
breach of privacy.

- What have we decided?
- We have not decided.

- We must decide. We need time.
- I think it's gonna be split.

You may be seated.

The court was split five to two.

Five judges agreeing that
this was a breach of privacy.

The court sides with Amelia.

Can I clap?

The Missouri Girls State
Supreme Court is now in recess.

First of all, great job,
y'all. Really great case.

I really enjoyed, like, being
able to present my argument

and, like, be an attorney.

But to be totally honest,
am I happy that Amelia won?

Yes, I am.

- We did the best we could.
- Group hug, group hug.

- Good job everyone.
- You did so good.

Being able to talk about it
here is great, it's awesome.

But I'm 16.

I can't go out there
and pass legislation

or rule on any kind
of actual court.

So, I mean, it's...
It was great.

It felt empowering, but

it also made me pretty sad.

I could say like... I think
as women since it affects us,

the biggest issue is that these
conversations about abortion

are happening between
men in the Senate...

- Yes, yes, that's a lot better.
- Because women are wildly

underrepresented in
the Senate and House.

So, no matter what your opinion
on it is, I want you elected.

- So they can be part of the conversation.
- Yes.

Good. Okay.

My tummy is getting
a little bit excited.

Worried, worried. Saw her.

I said, honestly my biggest
competition from the other side...

Here's the thing. She is a
public speaker, she does debate.

She's gonna have a great speech.
I'm gonna have a great speech.

Not a public speaker.

Currently, I think my
largest competition is Emily.

Emily has just been
talking to a ton of people.

She's one of the first people
that ever approached me.

- This is my worry.
- That is what I was gonna say.

- You should fear.
- That's my worry. I'm fearing.

Hey, guys. My name is Emily Worthmore.
And you guys have probably seen me around,

because I have been making a
point to go and try to meet

as many of you as possible.

So I'm asking...

No. Shoot. What am I
doing? Okay, sorry, okay.

Hey, y'all. My...

- Sorry.
- That was cute.

I don't know where I'm
picking up the "y'all."

In add it... No. What am I saying?
I'm sorry. Maybe it's not a good idea.

- I don't know. I'm rambling.
- That's okay. If you...

What are these sauces?

- What are the sauces?
- I like the all... Ranch...

Better ranch, yeah.

- No!
- F my life. Kill me.

No, don't. Sorry.
I'm fine. Sorry.

You know how much
food I drop in a day?

- I'm so sorry.
- Dude, stop.

Hey, go get you some more food.

- Why are you crying?
- I don't know. It's like the last...

- I don't know, everything going on.
- I know, I know, but you're fine.

That was the stupidest
thing. Okay, stop crying.

You're fine. Go
get some more food.

What's going on?

You want to talk about it or
not talk about it, or just...?

It's just... I'm just a mess,
and now is just not a good time

to do something
stupid, I don't know.

Okay.

- Good?
- Yeah.

All right, I need to
finish writing my speech.

Oh, my gosh, like, I will
be a voice for you guys.

So, I'm doing that...

Do you have to register
for like anything?

"As your governor, I promise
to live by these words:

To love, to care,
and to be there.

I want you all to go into the
world and be whatever you want.

I want you to be brave and bold because
every single one of you is amazing."

- Yeah, look at you go.
- Good luck.

All right. I love you
guys. See you later.

I will continue to unify
the Federalist party.

My name is Faith Glasgow and I
would love your vote for governor.

Okay.

The '22 party convention of Missouri
Girls State is hereby called to order.

Now, can we have all of
our governors come up?

Throughout my time as a leader, I
have raised over 20,000 dollars.

I have helped collect and donate over
500 pairs of socks to the homeless.

Now, I don't say
this to woo you.

I say this because
I want you to know

that I deliver on
what I set my mind to.

I've heard my whole life that I couldn't
do something just because I am a woman.

I've been told I couldn't sit,
talk or even burp like that

just because I am a woman.

This should not be
the case, though.

Men and women should have
equal rights around the world

and especially in America,
where we are one nation.

We as women are constantly
pitted against each other.

And I'm sick of it.

I don't really do big
on public speaking.

But I don't want to sit back and
be that girl that's in the back

that doesn't run
for any position.

I want to be that girl
that shows other people

that she can stand
up and be a leader.

Next, we have Faith Glasgow.

Let's go, Faith!

So... my name is Faith Glasgow
and before I begin my speech,

I would like to ask you all to
join me in a moment of silence

for the victims of the over 250 mass
shootings in the present year, 2022.

Thank you for joining.

You know, a lot of candidates
have and are going to come up here

and list their many, many leadership
positions and accomplishments

that qualify them
for their position.

And to that, I say, "That's
why we're all here."

Instead, I would like
to tell you a story.

Recently, I had the opportunity to
partner with a good friend of mine

and lead a protest and petition
signing of over 700 students.

We rallied in opposition
of an organization

creating a chapter at my school.

Turning Point USA is known
for its bigoted viewpoints

against the LGBT community
and white supremacy.

The result of this protest,

the school board is now
reconsidering district policy.

I'm not a stranger to
leadership and advocacy.

I saw a problem and I
started a movement to fix it.

Citizens of Girls
State, ultimately,

I would have the job
of signing legislation.

With that stated, I would like to discuss
issues that I personally care about.

Based on my introduction, I
support common sense gun law.

We need deeper
background checks,

something that 84% of gun
owners already support.

African-Americans are four times
more likely to be arrested for crimes

that white and Black people
committed at the exact same rates.

Systemic racism in our criminal justice
system deserves addressment now.

This week has been extremely hot, but,
by God, it's going to get even hotter

if we don't do something
about global warming.

That's why I support

a funding increase for renewable energy
to combat greenhouse gas emissions.

As far as Girls State, I
would like looser dress codes.

I would also like the
food policies to change.

My name is Faith Glasgow. Please
vote for me for your governor.

Next, we have Emily Worthmore.

Go, Emily!

Hello, Federalists!

Chances are that you've already met
me, but my name is Emily Worthmore

and I'm running for governor.

Throughout this week, I've
made it my top priority

to get to know as many
of you as possible,

which, by the way, is
quite the undertaking

because there are a lot of you.

Most of you already know that this
tree has deep roots in Christ.

In addition, I am a
supporter and protector

of the freedoms that
we have in America,

the most opportunity-filled
country on Earth.

In my eyes, I see the
people before the politics.

I believe that these in-person discussions
about what makes every one of us unique,

both politically and as
humans, is what makes us

that's what makes us
Americans in general, right?

That's what's
holding us together.

If we can find one
thing in common,

even if it's just the fact
that we are all Americans

and we all want the best for this
country, then that is good enough for me.

Finally, I would like
to remind everyone

that I will not only be
finishing off this week

by being sworn in as governor,
but more importantly,

I would be serving the future
generation of delegates next year.

Thank you.

That's not what I meant to say.
That's not what I meant to say.

That's okay.

Next, we have Cecilia Bartin.

Cece!

I'm supposed to come up here
and tell you the most important,

the most compelling part
of myself, so I will.

I'm selfish. I'm selfish
because I have to be.

We all have to be. Women in
America aren't given respect.

As a lifeguard, I have been
told by middle-aged men,

"Cecilia, you should smile."

I've been told by 12 year-old
boys that I have an attitude

and even here, Girls State,

a place that is meant to empower
women, our bodies are policed.

We are told that our shorts are too
short and our tops are too scandalous.

We are shamed for having
bodies with curves.

And as your governor, I
will not let this stand.

I am proud that when I smile,
it is because I am happy

and not because
a man told me to.

Yeah!

I am proud that I
do my job diligently

and I am proud that my
personality is not limited

by a man's definition of
what a woman should be.

And standing in front of this crowd
today, this crowd of future leaders,

I can say with certainty
that the future is female.

God can save the world,
women, we will save America.

So be prideful, be selfish

and vote Cecilia for your
Girls State governor.

Thank you very much.

Thank you!

I'm proud of you all. Good luck.

Excuse me, guys, sorry.

I wanted to say that I
appreciated that you were real

and transparent about being
Christian. It was like...

Thank you. Yours
was really good too.

Definitely out of all the other
candidates I agree with you the most, so.

- Thanks. Thank you. I did too. Honestly.
- Just wanted to say that. Good luck.

I know it's a lot of pressure,

so don't feel like you have
to be so perfect, okay?

- You know what? Really. Really.
- Thanks.

Thanks. Good luck.

I know, but breathe. Breathe.

Because I can see
it, 'cause it's a...

- I'm that same person. So breathe.
- I can't.

- You can't? Inhale...
- Yep.

- Okay.
- Thanks. Good luck. Seriously.

You, too.

Expectations.

Class standout, rising star
The girl projected to go far.

Exceed the standard, raise the
bar All eyes on the chosen one.

Expectations, competitive
drive Have to survive.

Because legends never die.

If you lose, you will
disappoint Their expectations.

So you smile and hide
it Grin and bear it.

Take their punches,
never share it.

How could I ever meet my own.

Expectations?

Okay.

I voted for Emily.

I don't necessarily
think she's going to win.

Actually, I know she's
not going to win.

But I think that she went and
talked to a lot of people.

She heard a lot of people.

She heard a lot of voices she
didn't necessarily want to hear.

She had a lot of
hard conversations.

That's not easy. That takes
guts. Guts I don't have.

And I don't agree with the
policies she would create,

but I think she is
a good human being.

I think as soon as
Cecilia went up there

and was about 20 seconds
into her speech, I was, like,

"I think she's going to win."

Because it's an entire
crowd of 500 women.

And when you're essentially giving
a feminist manifesto up on stage...

You know, it gets
the crowd going.

I think Cecilia just really
hit home on something

that a lot of
people cared about.

And it's not that people didn't care
about the things in my speech either,

it was just immediate because
they were experiencing it here.

Are you ladies ready?

And now, for your Missouri
Girls State governor...

Cecilia Bartin!

Mr. Doorkeeper, open the door

and allow the governor-elect
of Missouri Boys State,

the Honorable, to
enter the chamber.

So, do all the boys in your
town have hair like that?

Missouri Governor, Mike Parson will
now administer the oath of office

to the Missouri Boys
State governor-elect.

Great, but the girls
don't get that?

Guys, why don't we get
sworn in by a governor?

That's what I'm saying. We're not
getting sworn in by a governor.

You may either swear or promise.

Repeat after me. "I, Cooper
Packbaron, do solemnly swear..."

I, Cooper Packbaron,
do solemnly swear

"that I will faithfully
discharge the duties

of the office of governor
of Missouri Boys State."

that I will faithfully discharge

the duties of officer
of Missouri Boys State.

- Congratulations, governor.
- Thank you.

I can feel your heart
beating through your head.

I don't think I
understand how that works.

We're going to government
activities right after lunch.

Yeah. I think I'm
gonna write my article.

- Yeah?
- Yeah, It's gonna be good. Hopefully.

That's exciting.
What would it be?

The inequalities between
Boys and Girls State.

- Very cool.
- I don't think they'd publish it,

but I kinda want to.

They wouldn't publish it, but
that's cool in and of itself.

- Because that would be fun to go for it.
- Yeah.

- Just to see what happens.
- Yeah.

But also just being able
to assess on your own,

- you can still learn stuff.
- Yeah, and also research the bu...

Like, the amount of funding
that goes into, like, both.

You know, but also, then again, I
don't know if that's a good idea

while I'm trying for that
Lindenwood scholarship too.

Because...

- Hey. Hey.
- How are you doing?

I'm doing really good. So I was
waiting until somebody came out,

because I wanted to talk
about doing a story,

but I kind of need a little
bit of permission, kind of.

So, I want to do, like,
a investigative piece

on, like, how, like, Boys and
Girls State are really different.

They told us not to compare the
programs because they're different.

- Okay. Yeah.
- But, like, why are they different?

Who would you talk to?
Who would be your sources?

I would want to go over there
and... I'm hoping that there'd be,

I don't know if there's a head of
the Boys State that I could talk to.

- Yeah, there is. Yeah, yeah.
- Him, ideally.

What is it, Thursday? You probably
need to create that today.

Do you think I could turn
it in at midnight tonight

and have something
happen with it?

I think it's an important story.

Do you see any inequalities between
Boys and Girls State Missouri?

I think we are on a
more stricter, like...

We're held to a higher
standard than the boys here.

- Dress code.
- Like, yeah, like the dress code.

Our counsellors kind of shut it down.
Like, they don't like talking about it.

They're kind of one of those things
that they, like, roll their eyes

and they're like, "Guys,
let's not talk about that.

We're a different organization than
them, we don't do what they do.

We don't need to talk about it,
we don't need to discuss it."

So it almost feels like
they're avoiding the situation.

So there's Boys State. So then
who funds Girls State then?

- 'Cause this is the American Legion.
- I have no idea.

I thought it was
the Legion for both.

- But then they only have it...
- It's ALA.

For the Boys State
on their website.

I don't know if it's what they're talking
about, but if it's the same thing,

Boys State spends four million
and they spend... 769,000.

Wow.

My first question is how
much of a dollar amount

goes into Missouri Girls State or
Girls State as a general program?

Two hundred thousand dollars
for the week long experience

for our citizens and
staff, which does limit

some of the operational freedoms

that ALA Missouri Girls
State has on their own.

So, with Girls State and Boys
State being in one place,

it's kind of opened the door
for a lot of comparisons,

and I know they are two separate programs,
that's been stressed to us a lot.

But still, it does open the
door for some comparisons

and also some
possible inequalities.

So I was wondering
if you roughly know

how much money goes into
Missouri Boys State.

Roughly six hundred
thousand dollars.

It's a significant difference
in the way they're funded.

ALA Missouri Girls State,

is a subsidiary organization

of the American Legion Auxiliary
Department of Missouri.

So they do have some access to
some other funding resources

that we do not have.

What are you doing?

- Writing for journalism.
- Where?

Probably... you know that
swing bench, or under a tree.

- You have to have a buddy.
- Okay.

Attention!

Detail, halt!

- Okay, that'll be good.
- All right. We're good.

Five, six, seven...

Hey guys, I'm doing
a journalism piece

on the inequalities between
Boys and Girls State.

Are there any things that you wish that
you could do like Girls State does?

You all have a lot of free
time. We're like, "Go, go, go."

All right.

I feel like I don't know
enough about Girls State.

Yeah.

We had a packed schedule,
that's for sure.

Were you guys debating
actual issues?

I feel like when it came to
debating stuff in Boys State,

- it was based off the real world.
- Yeah.

You know, just real life issues.

Are you more
conservative or liberal?

Or you don't have to
put yourself in a box.

You can say somewhere
in the middle.

Actually, one of the
reasons I came to Boys State

was to learn more about politics
and actually find where I stand.

So, as of right now, nowhere.

That was an incredibly politician
way to answer that question.

Thank you. Thank you.

All right, well, can I take a picture
of your name tag so I can quote you?

- Yeah. I'll catch you later.
- All right. I'll find you.

- I'll catch you later. Nice meeting you.
- Nice talking to you.

Thank you.

I had originally titled it,
"Inequalities Between Programs," but

the title is now,
"Incompatible For Comparison."

Which is something I wrote in the
article. I wrote how the counsellors

had been telling us that it was
incompatible for comparison.

So I don't know if that was just an
artistic choice by the publisher.

I would have added a question mark
there. "Incompatible For Comparison?"

Like, you know, that tone.

But, I mean, I don't know if it was
intended to be changed like that.

To have it, have its different effect,
but if it was, it's kind of disappointing.

"The American Legion Auxiliary first
established the 11th Girls State Program."

Missouri Girls State, in 1940.

Since that first session, the program
has moved throughout the state

from its original location
at William Woods College.

And finally, making Missouri history,
the program is being run concurrently

with the Missouri Boys State program
on the Lindenwood University campus.

This change has sparked conversations
of comparison between the two programs

and has also made apparent possible
inequalities between the sessions.

One goal that is repeatedly
reaffirmed throughout the week

is women's empowerment.

The delegates have been told to critically
consider the world in which they live,

as well as speak out for
what they believe is right.

However, some leadership
within the Girls State program

has discouraged talk surrounding
comparison between programs,

citing that the programs are intended
to be different and are therefore

incompatible for comparison.

It may be a long road
to fiscal equity,

and a solution to
certain social injustices

that delegates feel exist, but
by starting the conversation

and bringing attention to
differences between programs,

"Girls State and Boys State can
become one step closer to equality."

Will the honorary colonels please bring
forward the governor-elect Cecilia Bartin?

I'm very thankful to be in the time
period that I'm currently living in,

because there are a lot of
opportunities for me by law, right?

But there are still these secret,
sneaky, possibly misogynistic viewpoints.

Maybe by parents, maybe
by society as a whole,

maybe by social media,

that will creep up, and because
it's not so blatant and so obvious,

I think it's even
harder to fight.

I think every woman
is leaving here

feeling better about themselves,
feeling more supported as a woman.

But I don't think we should use Girls
State as a way to further condition

women for sexism.

I think the conversation should
less be preparing us for sexism

and more teaching us
how to combat sexism.

But I'm a hopeful person, so I really
do think that things will get better.

America, America.

Shall we tell you how we feel?

You have given us your spirit.

We love you so.

America, America.

Shall we tell you how we feel?

You have given us your spirit.

We love you so.

- Who's got swag?
- Son's got swag.

Love you.

You wanna know the first thing
I thought when I saw you?

What?

I was wondering how someone could
make being here look so easy.

- No way.
- Like, actually.

Like you were just sitting in
assembly a couple rows across from me

and you were just talking
with people perfectly fine.

And it took so much effort
for me to go out of my way

to even casually talk to people.

I'm glad you thought
that about me.

I don't know, I guess I just
internalize everything that...

If I'm not as good as someone
else, like, I'm not doing enough.

Trust me, I know the feeling.

Yeah.

It was important to me that
I realize I could have fun

with people I don't
know and be social.

But I learned that I really,
genuinely like my serious image.

Not all the time, but I learned that
I'm not truly happy letting go of it.

I've always been confident, but this
has just really accelerated that.

And I know my friends back home are
about to be so sick of this ego.

But it's okay because I just...
I feel like I've earned it.

- I love you so much.
- I'll see you soon.

I love you so much.

You have a good kid right here.

Oh, yes.

I think so.

Seriously. You don't meet
a lot of people like her.

- You too. Gonna make cry.
- Stop!

This week surprised me, and
I'm really grateful for that.

Even though I failed, it kind of pushed
me to recognize, where do you stand?

Even if I'm not running
for president in 2040

I hope I'm doing something that I
think is important and fulfilling.

Now, anybody interested
in getting a scholarship?

The scholarship is going to...

Emily Worthmore!