Friday, February 29, 2008

Fear Mongoring MFI Still "Out There"

One of our readers was nice enough to pass on an email from Massachusetts Family Institute That I will post in it's entirety, then comment on. I remind the readers that MFI is the main group that is supported by Focus on Family, the group headed by James Dobson. Dobson has been called out several times by professionals that he quoted because of how he shades the truth. Most memorably for me is the youtube post (cited below) of Professor Carol Guilligan of the New York University school of Law. She was outraged to find Dobson cited her work in an interview for time magazine, and asked Dobson not to quote her in the future because he doesn't cite the facts correctly.

Birds of a feather flock together, it seems dishonesty does not stop with the parent organization. MFI was the major backer of the failed amendment to add discrimination of gay people into the state constitution last year. When MFI found out several of their supposed supporters had changed their vote they alleged that backroom deals had been made akin to bribes. Those accusations of course were never proven, it was simply the prattle of sore losers. Let us never forget that these are the same people that brought our state outside petition gatherers who were proven to have stolen signatures for this failed amendment. Their defense was that they didn't know this would happen. How come they didn't know it would happen when they had hired Arno Political Consultants, a group that has a history of lawsuits against them of the same nature? My opinion is that they knew they would not muster popular support, so they used any means available. Their dishonesty adds credence to my accusation.

Here is the email letter from MFI recently sent:

LEGISLATIVE ALERT
Radical Transgender Bill Hearing Tuesday!
Plan to Come to State House

We have just confirmed an important hearing on Beacon Hill. The Joint Committee on the Judiciary will be hearing testimony on H.1722, a radical bill about "transgender rights," as part of a hearing on bills pertaining to "privacy."

Judiciary Committee Hearing
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
1:00 PM - Hearing Room A1

Rep. Carl Sciortino (D-Somerville) filed the bill to grant special rights to people with Gender Identity Disorder (a.k.a. transgender) and has found strong support within the homosexual movement for passage of this legislation. The bill would add the vague category of "gender identity or expression" to the state ban on sex discrimination, defining it as "gender-related identity, appearance, expression, or behavior of an individual, regardless of the individual's assigned sex at birth."

The Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), who drafted the bill, leaves its terms vague to allow for future interpretations as new "genders" are discovered (the most recent being "intersex"). GLAD's goal is to deny the immutable biological differences between the sexes.

If this bill were to become law, the consequences would be chilling. School children would be taught that they can change their gender if they want. Sex change operations and hormone treatments would be topics in sex education classes. Women and children would be put at risk since anyone, regardless of their biological sex, would be allowed access to sensitive areas such as single-sex bathrooms and locker rooms as well as college dormitories. Nothing would prevent a male sexual predator from pretending that he is confused about his sex to gain access to a woman's bathroom or to join a female-only fitness club.

CLICK HERE to download and read MFI's Policy Briefing on H.1722.

Please plan to attend the hearing next Tuesday at the State House. We need numbers of people there to protest this radical legislation which puts women and children in danger. Additionally, the language in the bill would open a "Pandora's Box" of legal wrangling and gender redefinition, exposing our children to even more sordid sexual content in schools in the name of diversity.

Watch for more information in subsequent emails this weekend.


This call for action is in the tradition of irresponsible acts that Massachusetts Family Institute is known for. Their fear is that "Nothing would prevent a male sexual predator from pretending that he is confused about his sex to gain access to a women’s bathroom." They still haven't explained how children are at risk, but I guess it looks good on paper. Rather than take an action that would alleviate the cause of their fears, they seem to decide that because only a few people are effected by Gender Identity Disorder, their needs aren't worth addressing.

How about this folks, we reserve the changing of gender for those who have been to a doctor and who have created a legitimate case for themselves. We should NEVER deny a minority it's rights on the idea that they are too small a group, that is simply oppression.

"The will of the majority is in all instances to prevail, however for that will to be rightful it must be reasonable. The minorities have their equal rights, and to deny them would be oppression" ~Thomas Jefferson


There is a far better way to address the fears that Massachusetts Family Institute raise. I think that if we work together we can find solution that promotes the rights of this group without it being at the expense of others. That seems to be part of the problem with MFI; they don't play well with others.

I have added this video of Kris Mineau, head of MFI to give people an idea of who is behind the curtain. Ask yourself if bigotry is the traditional family value you want supported. When he is asked during his "interview" (conducted by his wife) what are the key issues in Massachusetts, Mineau starts with Gay Marriage; not homelessness, drugs, poverty, or education. See for yourself:



Professor Carol Guilligan defends her work against Dobson's misinformation campaign:

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