'Public districts no longer are safe environment for children'
By Bob Unruh
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
A call is being issued to Christians who have been engaged in the culture wars in California's schools to abandon the system, after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law a ban on "discriminatory bias" against homosexuals and others with alternative sexual lifestyles.
"We're calling upon every California parent to pull their child out of California's public school system," Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, 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.
There are no similar protections for students with traditional or conservative lifestyles and beliefs, however. 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.  
"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."
"There will be no exemptions to this indoctrination," Thomasson told WND. "Private schools and homeschool will be the only sanctuary left for parents in California who love their children and want to protect their sexual innocence."
He posted on his website examples of situations he expects to see developing in California schools, under the new requirements:
"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…"
"Class, for our contemporary social studies' new No-Discriminatory-Bias component, we have a special speaker this afternoon. He will share his amazing story of growing up as a male trapped in a female's body."
"Here in our boys' sex education assembly, you need to know that puberty means growing facial hair, a deeper voice and a growth spurt when you're in junior high. If you're comfortable with those changes, great. But we're required by law to tell you some of you may have a different future. Some of you may feel more comfortable with girls and feel like a girl inside…"
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.
But he said how Christians educate their children is part of their walk of faith and obedience to God.
"You are being irresponsible as a parent to put your child in a public school," Moore said. "There's no stopping this movement. I think they're going to take over the entire system in the next two to five years.
"I can't predict how fast the virus will run throughout the public school system, but I think it cannot be stopped," he said.
"If traditional minded people abandon that system in enough numbers, it will implode. By leaving your children there as a Christian you're exposing them to extreme moral danger. You can't immunize them with a few hours of Bible study during the week," he said.
And he 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."
The result, he said, probably will look like good texts. But they will be just like "cultic translations" of the Bible, which have "bitten" people who get them.
Capitol Resource announced it still holds hope for schools. England announced a referendum intended to take the issue to the people of California, and bypass the "extremist legislators" who approved the plan, has been filed.
"Parents from all across California and the nation have been flooding our office with calls and e-mails, completely stunned that Gov. Schwarzenegger would sign this unbelievable attack on their families," England said. "Now that we have filed this referendum, we need every single parents and concerned citizen to join us in the battle to defeat SB 777's shocking policies."
"This referendum allows the people – especially those concerned about the well-being of California's children – to make this crucial policy decision for themselves," added Turney. "It is simply unconscionable to force young children to deal with such confusing matters as transgender, bisexual and homosexual lifestyles in their classrooms. This referendum gives parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts – all members of the family – the chance to voice their adamant opposition to such appalling policies."
England said the referendum work will be neither cheap nor easy. "But we are called to defend California families and this is our only chance at protecting our future in this state," she said.
The plan was filed with Attorney General Jerry Brown yesterday, and once it is given a title and documentation, supporters will have only 90 days to collect enough signatures – an estimated 434,000 – to qualify the referendum for an election ballot.
"We have this legal avenue and we should use it," she told WND.
The needs will be for volunteers to coordinate and funding to hire paid signature collectors.
"It's realistic if we raise the money," she said. "From where I sit, a lot of parents are going to be paying hundred of dollars a month in private school tuition. Why not pay some now to stop this."
Schwarzenegger had vetoed a similar proposal a year ago, saying existing laws already covered the issue. The vitriol over the issue rose to new levels in its latest campaign.
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.
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