Urgent: Contact your NC House Representative – Download CAL’s bulletin insert on SB 526 for your church
By Tami Fitzgerald
Christian Action League
On Thursday, the House Education Committee passed the Anti-Bullying Bill-Senate Bill 526, School Violence Prevention Act, even though North Carolina already has a statewide anti-bullying policy. The new law would direct local school boards to adopt a new policy aimed at preventing bullying motivated by the “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” of the victim among other characteristics, whether it is actual or perceived.
The bill passed on a voice vote that sounded to be almost evenly split. This was the second meeting of the House Education Committee on Senate Bill 526, but the end result was that House Democrats circled their wagons to move the bill forward. Next, the bill goes to the House Judiciary I Committee, chaired by ex-ACLU attorney Representative Deborah Ross (D-Wake), where it is expected to breeze through and could land on the House calendar for a vote sometime next week.
House Republicans attempted to take out language in the bill that would establish legal recognition for persons on the basis of their “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” House Minority Leader, Representative Paul Stam (D-Wake) offered a substitute bill twice, and Representative Nelson Dollar (D-Wake) offered an amendment to the title of the bill. Their efforts, however, were thwarted… by the Committee Chairman, Representative Larry Bell (D-Sampson) who, contrary to House Rules, would not allow amendments or committee substitutes for the bill.
Senate Bill 526 would create for the first time under North Carolina law specially protected classes for persons identifying as homosexuals, bisexuals, transgender, and 28 other “sexual orientations” ranging from pedophilia to bestiality. Even though many of the 30 “sexual orientations” identified by the American Psychological Association are illegal, Senate Bill 526 protects them all without any differentiation.
The Rev. Mark Creech of the Christian Action League testified before the House Education Committee that he could identify with the victims of bullying, because he had been bullied himself as a student. However, he urged the committee not to include protected categories of victims in the bill for the reason that it is impossible to list every category of victim. He urged the committee to defeat the bill or amend it to take out the categories of protected victims so that all children could be protected from bullying at all times for any reason.
After his remarks to the Committee, Creech later contended, “We cannot afford to create special legal status on the basis of ‘sexual orientation’ or ‘gender identity’ just to prevent bullying. The impact of this language will reach far beyond the bullying scenario, and could eventually impact our marriage laws. The Supreme Court in Iowa used their legislature’s passage of an anti-bullying law that protected victims specifically on the basis of their ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ as one of the reasons to overturn its marriage laws and require homosexual marriage. We don’t want the same thing to happen in North Carolina.”
Senate Bill 526 could be scheduled for a vote by the Judiciary I Committee on Tuesday of next week. That means the bill could also be heard by the entire House as early as next Wednesday.
*****
Urgent – Take Christian Action:
The Christian Action League encourages you to contact your House Representative and urge him/her to vote against Senate Bill 526, School Violence Prevention Act. This is our last chance to protect North Carolina from the legal recognitions of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.”
Click HERE to contact your NC House Representative, Now!
Forward this alert to as many friends and colleagues as possible!!!!!!
Download the Christian Action League’s insert for your church bulletin by clicking HERE Use this bulletin insert to get as many people as possible from your church to contact their NC House Representative.
Important note: Someone from the church staff will need to determine which Representative represents the district of the church. That can easily be determined by going to this link on the North Carolina General Assembly’s web site. Then write the NC House Representative’s name and contact information on the bulletin insert before making copies and placing in the church bulletin.
