http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58185
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
California 'Mom,' 'Dad' ban garners international scorn
World Congress of Families condemns promotion of 'polymorphous perversion'
Posted: October 17, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger |
An international organization promoting families says California families have no choice but to abandon the public school system after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a new "anti-discrimination" bill into law, effectively making terms like "mom" and dad" obsolete.
As WND has reported, some family advocates in California already had come to the same conclusion as that reached now by the World Congress of Families.
World Congress of Families Global Coordinator Allan Carlson said the measure, SB 777, is "a blatant attack on the natural family orchestrated by the alternative-lifestyles lobby."
The exodus call had been issued just one day earlier by Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families. "We're calling upon every California parent to pull their child out of California's public school system," he told WND.
"The so-called 'public schools' are no longer a safe emotional environment for children. Under the new law, schoolchildren as young as kindergarten will be sexually indoctrinated and introduced to homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality, over the protests of parents, teachers and even school districts," he said.
The law at issue went through the California legislature as SB 777, and now bans in school texts and activities any discriminatory bias against those who have chosen alternative sexual lifestyles, Meredith Turney, legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Institute, said.
The World Congress noted the law prohibits "instruction" or "activity" that is perceived to "promote a discriminatory bias" against "gender," including cross-dressing and sex-change operations as well as "so-called sexual orientation."
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"It will prohibit anything that suggests that the natural family – a man and a woman, married, with children – is normal or typical," said Carlson. "Thus, under this latest advance toward a Brave New World of polymorphous perversion, California textbooks will no longer be able to use words like 'mother and father' and 'husband and wife,' because they suggest that heterosexuality is the norm – even though that is manifestly the case, even in California."
The organization's statement called it "unbelievable" that teachers and students who oppose same-sex marriage and suggest homosexuality isn't innate, or disapprove of cross-dressing and sex-change operations, could be disciplined as "harassers," and students may use the restrooms designated for the gender with which they identify.
"California parents who don't want to see their children subjected to gender indoctrination will now have no alternative but to withdraw from the public education system – which they will be required to fund, nonetheless," Carlson said.
Carlson co-authored with Paul Mero "The Natural Family: A Manifesto," and the World Congress is in the forefront of the international pro-family movement today. Its most recent congress was in Warsaw in May, and drew delegates from 62 nations.
While SB 777 provides protections for those promoting alternative lifestyle choices, there are no similar protections for students with traditional or conservative lifestyles and beliefs. Offenders will face the wrath of the state Department of Education, up to and including lawsuits.
"SB 777 will result in reverse discrimination against students with religious and traditional family values. These students have lost their voice as the direct result of Gov. Schwarzenegger's unbelievable decision. The terms 'mom and dad' or 'husband and wife' could promote discrimination against homosexuals if a same-sex couple is not also featured," said Turney.
"Parents want the assurance that when their children go to school they will learn the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic – not social indoctrination regarding alternative sexual lifestyles. Now that SB 777 is law, schools will in fact become indoctrination centers for sexual experimentation," she said.
Karen England, chief of CRI, told WND that the law is not a list of banned words, including "mom" and "dad." But she said the requirement is that the law bans discriminatory bias and the effect will be to ban such terminology.
"Having 'mom' and 'dad' promotes a discriminatory bias. You have to either get rid of 'mom' and 'dad' or include everything when talking about [parental issues]," she said. "They [promoters of sexual alternative lifestyles] do consider that discriminatory."
Her organization immediately filed with the state a plan to take the issue to the state's voters in a referendum as early as 2008. Yesterday, the institute issued a list of advisories because officials have been "overwhelmed" by those who are outraged by the state's actions.
"By filing the SB 777 referendum with the attorney general, CRFI seeks to bring SB 777 before the people of California for vote," the advisory said. "The vast majority of Californians are shocked when they learn of SB 777's purpose. We believe that if it is brought before the people, it will be overturned."
England's organization said SB 777, by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, "is the most blatant and egregious assault on traditional family values that CRI has witnessed in our 20 years of serving families in the capitol … SB 777 actually advances a radical sexual agenda on children as young as five years old."
"The vague language of this bill could be interpreted to mean that instruction that only features a mom and dad or traditional family would be 'promoting a discriminatory bias' against homosexual couples. It would promote 'heterosexism' to only show male and female couples, without equal time for homosexual, transsexual and transgender 'families,'" she said.
She said while supporters of the activist plan argue those conclusions are absurd, the organization actually "is merely publicizing policies that have already been implemented in Los Angeles Unified School District regarding transgender students."
England noted that the district website confirms if a male perceives himself as a female, "he must be granted access to female locker rooms and restrooms. He must be allowed to participate in female sports activities.
"If the student wishes to keep his sexual status from his parents, the teachers and administration must refer to the masculine pronoun (him/he) when talking to his parents and use the feminine pronoun (she/her) at school," the Capitol Resource analysis concluded.
"This shocking policy treats parents as the enemy of the transgender student…" the analysis said.
Thomasson had posted on his website examples of situations he said he expects to see develop:
- "Please turn to Chapter 10, entitled Famous Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. History tells us that great Americans such as Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln were gay and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was lesbian. It's likely that even prominent biblical personas were gay, such as King David of Israel and the Apostle Paul. Until this year, the sexual identities of these and other historical figures have been denied by discriminatory textbooks that reflected adversely on LGBT people by ignoring their existence."
- "Children, our new picture book has arrived. This is a fantastic story called Daddy's Wedding. It teaches us that no relationship is bad. See the two men dressed in tuxedos, like they're at a wedding? Daddy's Wedding tells us that two men can love each other and even get married…"
Ray Moore, a spokesman for Exodus Mandate, which advocates Christians give up on public schools and either school their children at home or send them to Christian schools, agreed with Thomasson, and went further.
"This really is a call to conservative and Christian pro-family groups to give up this absurd idea of public school reform," he told WND. "It can't be done. The longer they talk about saving public schools, the longer they prolong this agony, when they could be setting up new schools."
He said such plans to indoctrinate children in sexual alternatives is not a surprise at all. "The pagans are simply obeying their god," he said.
He also warned that the rest of the nation could feel the impact of the decision, because California is known as a trend-setter in educational practice and policy.
"California always has been on the cutting edge of trends, sometimes good and sometimes bad," Moore said. "What happens in California sometimes can spread nationwide.
"I do know textbook publishers blow with the wind," Thomasson added, "whether they blow from Texas or California, because those are the biggest states. That's how they sell books."
He said textbook editors now have a new agenda to satisfy if they want to sell their products in California. "We could see those [new] books within a year or two."
As WND reported, a board member for the homosexual advocacy group Equality California verbally attacked and threatened CRI for its opposition to the bill earlier.
The board member sent an e-mail and video to CRI threatening the group would be buried if it continued efforts opposing the homosexual advocacy.
"The shocking hate mail we received shows that those behind this legislation do not promote true tolerance," said England. "Only politically correct speech will be tolerated. Those with religious or traditional moral beliefs will not be allowed to express their opinions in public schools."
She also cited an informational document published by the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and the Transgender Law Center that already has outlined what it believes to be nondiscriminatory treatment in the school system.
"If you want to use a restroom that matches your gender identity … you should be allowed to do so," it advises. "Whenever students are divided up into boys and girls, you should be allowed to join the group or participate in the program that matches your gender identity as much as possible."
Further, the groups advise, "If you change your name to one that better matches your gender identity, a school needs to use that name to refer to you." The advocacy group also warns schools against bringing parents into any such discussion with students.
WND has documented a number of earlier cases in which educators, including leaders in California, have taken it upon themselves to promote a homosexual lifestyle to children under their charge.
WND reported California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, under whose supervision hundreds of thousands of children are being educated, has used his state position and taxpayer-funded stationery to praise a "gay" pride event used in the past to expose children to sexually explicit activities.
That drew vehement objections from several educators, including Priscilla Schreiber, the president of the Grossmont Unified High School District governing board.
"I am outraged that a person in this high-ranking elected position would advocate an event where diversity is not just being celebrated but where pornography and indecent exposure is being perpetrated on the young and innocent children of our communities," she said.
