Thursday, March 27, 2008

MassResistance's "Successes" #1

I know I’ve been talking about this for awhile, however, I’m finally getting around to writing about MassResistance’s “successes”. It will probably take me a bit because they claim victory on so many things that it takes a long time to list all the reasons why they really weren't victorious. So here goes the first part:


Legislation: Wrote, lobbied, and got passed the Massachusetts Parental Notification Law (Ch. 71, Sec. 32A), despite a hostile legislature and governor. This has become a landmark law that forced public schools notify parents about sexuality and homosexuality being presented to their children. No other group has gotten pro-family legislation passed in Massachusetts since then. (1996)

In some respects the first part is actually true, at least it appears that Brian Camenker wrote the legislation since it really doesn't do anything and he now wants to replace it. However, read the actual law:

Chapter 71: Section 32A. Sex education; policy regarding notice to parents, exception

Section 32A. Every city, town, regional school district or vocational school district implementing or maintaining curriculum which primarily involves human sexual education or human sexuality issues shall adopt a policy ensuring parental/guardian notification. Such policy shall afford parents or guardians the flexibility to exempt their children from any portion of said curriculum through written notification to the school principal. No child so exempted shall be penalized by reason of such exemption.

Said policy shall be in writing, formally adopted by the school committee as a school district policy and distributed by September first, nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and each year thereafter to each principal in the district. A copy of each school district’s policy must be sent to the department of education after adoption.

To the extent practicable, program instruction materials for said curricula shall be made reasonably accessible to parents, guardians, educators, school administrators, and others for inspection and review.

The department of education shall promulgate regulations for adjudicatory proceedings to resolve any and all disputes arising under this section.


OK, could you find the "homosexuality" in the above paragraphs? Me neither, so where does Brian get off saying that he stopped homosexuality in the schools? Oh, that's right, he just likes writing the word homosexuality and the idiots who actually pay attention to MassResistance aren't really very smart so they facts don't matter to them either.

The legislation does talk about a curriculum which primary involves human sexual education or human sexuality, which mean ALL orientations. What this law DOES DO is prevent children from learning about any sex ed which leads to more teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Thanks Brian, great job!

I'm sure MassResistance/Brian Camenker will be writing a lot of bills now that the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified them as a hate group.

1 comment:

massmarrier said...

Wonderful subject.

Don't forget their temporary successes without follow-up. They claim to stop a flood of "pro-homosexual bills...after massive pressure by the pro-family movement!" Don't count on contrition when these bills come back out of study to the floor. Also note that in all the hearing coverage, they claimed that they couldn't get to testify and that pro-equality side far outnumbered them. Rather than admit they'd lost the war, they said the fix was in instead.

Likewise, when the good guys get something passed, it's not smart citizens' influence, rather, as in Cheryl Jacques' case "Governor's Council caves in to gay lobby."

Down the rabbit hole.