SAVECALIFORNIA.COM NEWS RELEASE
April 15, 2010 -- For Immediate Release
California Legislature Passes 'Morality-Free Zones' for Public Schools
ACR 82 is new weapon to punish peaceful speech of pro-family students
Sacramento, California -- The California Legislature has approved a resolution urging all public schools to become "Discrimination-Free Zones." ACR 82 was given final approval today, on a 41 to 7 vote, in the California State Assembly. The measure is controversial because it calls on schools to "enact procedures" against students from pre-kindergarten on up who speak or write in support of the natural family or against the unnatural lifestyles of "sexual orientation" (homosexuality and bisexuality) and "gender identity" (transsexuality and cross-dressing).
"The Legislature has given homosexual activists and the liberal education establishment a new weapon to suppress and punish pro-family values on campus by labeling this peaceful speech as 'hateful,' 'intolerant,' and 'discriminatory,'" said Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, a leading pro-family, pro-child organization, which fought the legislative battle against ACR 82. "What the Legislature has essentially created is morality-free zones in public schools. This will result in unconstitutional persecution of the peaceful free speech of students, teachers and parents."
The resolution passed with only 41 votes, the bare minimum in the 80-member Assembly. All but nine Democrats voted "yes," while seven out of 29 Republicans voted "no" and the rest abstained. There was zero debate, with no Democrats speaking in favor of ACR 82 and no Republicans raising their microphones to expose this anti-family measure. Voting "no" were Republicans Joel Anderson, Curt Hagman, Kevin Jeffries, Steve Knight, Dan Logue, Chris Norby and Jim Silva.
"Given the obvious apprehension of Democrats on the Assembly floor, this anti-free-speech measure could have been stopped if Republican members had used their God-given voices to expose it," Thomasson noted, who personally observed the Assembly vote, which required nearly a minute of hemming and hawing from members before the 41 votes necessary for passage were achieved.
"The creation of 'morality-free zones' is yet another reason for parents to remove their children from the anti-family government school system," Thomasson concluded. "ACR 82 is the sixth school sexual indoctrination measure to pass the Legislature in recent years. Many parents are saying 'Enough is enough.' On the heels of Harvey Milk Gay Day, SB 777 and other homosexual-bisexual-transsexual agenda laws, the passage of ACR 82 will push conscientious parents into homeschooling or church schools, the only remaining safe havens to educate their precious sons and daughters."
SaveCalifornia.com's floor analysis of ACR 82 »
Five existing school sexual indoctrination laws in California »
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SaveCalifornia.com is a leading West Coast nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing children and families. We stand for marriage and family, parental rights, the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, financial freedom, and back-to-basics education.
