| Given my age, by now I suppose I should be | | | | teacher consult with parents whose child has declared |
| accustomed to change. I've seen a lot of it. Some | | | | they are a different sex without the parents' |
| good, some bad, some absolutely terrible, some fair | | | | knowledge? |
| and some unfair, both stupid and intelligent. You name it, | | | | SB 777 was passed by the California legislature and |
| and I thought I'd seen it all. | | | | signed into law by the governor late last year. It |
| But, I never thought I would live to see the day when | | | | eliminated Education Code 212, which defined "sex" as |
| the crazies in the California legislature would actually | | | | "the biological condition or quality of being a male or |
| think it's a good idea to allow schoolchildren to decide | | | | female human being." This new law redefines the term |
| which sex they want to be. Not their sexual | | | | "gender" for all schoolchildren by adding Education |
| preference, mind you, but whether they are male or | | | | Code 210.7, which reads: "'Gender' means sex, and |
| female, notwithstanding their anatomical makeup. | | | | includes a person's gender identity and gender related |
| California's Senate Bill 777 mandates, "Kids are going | | | | appearance and behavior whether or not |
| to be taught that they have the right to completely | | | | stereotypically associated with the person's assigned |
| ignore their physical anatomy and choose the status of | | | | sex at birth…In short, this redefinition of gender |
| being 'male' or 'female.'" (NC Times Commentary, Just | | | | states that you are what you choose to be regardless |
| The Facts, by Robert Tyler, general counsel for | | | | of your anatomical make-up. (Emphasis |
| Advocates for Faith and Freedom, nonprofit religious | | | | added)…. SB 777 also uses this redefinition of |
| liberty and pro-family law firm, December 29, 2007). | | | | gender to forbid educators from discriminating against |
| As Robert Tyler notes, "Ignore your common sense, | | | | any individual employee, student or other person based |
| ignore your chromosomes and ignore your anatomy. | | | | upon that individual's unspoken claim of being male or |
| This is what your politicians want to teach your kids in | | | | female, regardless of his or her actual sex." |
| school. After all, California's kids have mastered | | | | Advocates of this legislation argue that "it's needed to |
| reading, writing and arithmetic, haven't they?" To | | | | protect gays and others with non-heterosexual |
| illustrate the potential consequences of the law, Mr. | | | | orientations from being harassed in schools. Opponents |
| Tyler posed the question, "What will prevent the | | | | say it will force teachers and school officials to silence |
| 250-pound linebacker from deciding he wants to share | | | | anyone who is morally opposed to homosexuality and |
| to share the locker room with the cheerleaders?" | | | | allow anyone to claim privileges based on self-defined |
| For those who may scoff at this example of the law's | | | | sexual orientation." (Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee, |
| potential impact, "The Los Angeles Unified School | | | | December 3, 2007). |
| District has already adopted policies allowing boys to | | | | My sense is that this will stifle all free expression about |
| use girl's restrooms and locker rooms - and vice | | | | sexuality in the schools, that it's another step along the |
| versa." The District's Reference Guide "even tells | | | | path of Political Correctness to mass confusion and |
| teachers they need to refer to students using the | | | | resentment. And, no doubt it will add to the income of |
| student's preferred pronoun. And of course, it prohibits | | | | the trial lawyers, who will game the system with |
| the teachers from disclosing a student's chosen | | | | litigation to create and/or protect clients' rights, real or |
| gender to the student's parents." (The Jawa Report, | | | | imagined. |
| California Schoolchildren to Decide Their Own Sex, | | | | In October 2007, state Senator McClintock wrote, |
| December 31, 2007). | | | | "After all, if courts begin ruling that exclusion is indeed a |
| And, the "Los Angeles Unified School District has | | | | form of discriminatory bias - which is clearly the intent |
| already implemented a policy that states a boy | | | | of this bill - there are no groups more excluded or less |
| perceiving himself to be a girl may use the girls' | | | | tolerated in the public schools today than evangelical |
| restroom and locker room. He may also participate in | | | | Christians, orthodox Jews and traditional Catholics." |
| girls' sports and other female-only activities." | | | | The oft quoted observation, "the asylum is being run |
| (Testimony by legislative liaison Meredith Turney of | | | | by the inmates," seems to describe California's political |
| Capitol Resource Institute, Newsmax.com, January 11, | | | | system perfectly. If this didn't have such serious |
| 2008). | | | | potential consequences, it would be downright |
| How crazy is this? Children can now declare which | | | | laughable. |
| sex they are without telling their parents. How, I | | | | © 2008 Harris R. |
| wonder, does that work at home, or how does a | | | | |