Monday, December 27, 2010

Concerned Bitches for America Hyperventilate Over Gay Inclusive Textbook Bill

California State Senator Mark Leno has introduced a bill into the California Legislature called the FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Education Act. The act would require that public school textbooks contain information about key LGBT figures who contributed to the history of the United States and also include details about the gay rights movement. It would seem to a rational mind a simple bill that reflects the reality (1) that gays do exist in American society and (2) that some of us have made significant contributions to America. But not if one is a self-congratulatory, modern day Pharisee like the extremists at Concerned Women for America ("CWA") - an organization recently added as an anti-gay organization in the Southern Poverty Law Centers roster of anti-gay Christianist organizations.
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As OneNewsNow - itself a propaganda arm of the American Family Association (itself a registered SPLC hate group) - reports, the spittle is flying around Penny Harrington, CWA so-called legislative director of California, who wants to drag "sexual practices" into the discussion for obvious inflammatory purposes. How a textbook's relating, for example, that Leonard Bernstein was a famous gay American composer or that the Stonewall Riots occurred in New York City involves a discussion of "sexual practices" seems far fetched. That is except to the warped minds of Christianists and professional Christians like Harrington who would deny gays' very existence if possible. Here a sampling of Ms. Harrington's spittle flecked hyperventilating over the proposed FAIR Act:
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Penny Harrington, Concerned Women of America's (CWA) legislative director of California, says the bill mandates certain instruction in social sciences and removes safeguards from communities.
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"This bill will prompt open discussion in classrooms of all ages about sexual practices, and these are conversations that most parents are going to consider inappropriate," she notes.
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Under SB 48, Harrington explains that charter and alternative schools in the state will be required to adopt the changes. Only private and home schools that do not receive state funding will be exempt. So the pro-family activist is concerned that the measure will "control the moral attitudes" of students concerning alternate lifestyles.
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"The bill's language demands that nothing can be said about the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender lifestyle that reflects adversely on these persons. So only positive messages can be shared about behaviors that can have serious...emotional and physical consequences," the legislative director explains.
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She adds that the FAIR Education Act will take decision-making away from local governments, and parents will not be warned about inappropriate discussions in public schools.
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What is inappropriate is bigoted individuals like Ms. Harrington trying to inflict her religious based bigotry on other citizens and to brainwash school children with hate and intolerance.

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