WHO: ADF Legal Counsel Tim Tracey
WHAT: Available for media interviews after testifying before the Massachusetts Legislature on H.B. 1728
WHEN: Tuesday, July 14, immediately following hearing, which begins at 1 p.m. EDT
WHERE: Boston State House, 24 Beacon St., Gardner Auditorium (Hearing Room A-1), Boston
BOSTON — Alliance Defense Fund Legal Counsel Tim Tracey will be available for media interviews Tuesday following his testimony before the Massachusetts Legislature at a public hearing on
H.B. 1728, titled “An Act Relative to Gender Based Discrimination and Hate Crimes.”
If passed by the legislature, ADF attorneys say the bill would grant special privileges to individuals confused about their sexual identities, undermining the safety of students and the general public by allowing people who claim to “identify” as a member of the opposite sex to enter whatever public restroom they choose. The bill also punishes churches and business owners who do not desire to compromise their beliefs or give up their constitutionally guaranteed religious liberty rights and rights of conscience.
“All violent crimes are hate crimes, and all crime victims deserve equal justice. There is no reason to provide those who are sexually confused with special protections while at the same time creating special dangers for the rest of the public,” said Tracey. “Men and women are different, and nothing can change that. No amount of clothing, surgery, or hormone therapy can alter one’s DNA. But this isn’t about whether a man can wear a dress; it’s about whether a man can wear a dress in your daughter’s locker room.”
ADF attorneys and the pro-family organization
Massachusetts Family Institute argue that passage of the law would give special legal protections to the .0005 percent of people within the state who are openly confused about their “gender identity.” They contend that, among other things, the law would open public bathrooms and locker rooms to men dressed as women, as well as to potential predators who only claim to be confused about their “gender identity,” and would also allow public school children to be taught that they can change their gender.
The law would also establish a commission of “special state employees” titled the “Commission on Gay, and Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth,” which would include--by law--two persons appointed by the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus; one person appointed by MassEquality; one person appointed by the Massachusetts Teachers Association; one person appointed by the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts; and two persons appointed by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network of Boston; among others.
The law states that the commission shall “work in partnership with the department of education and the department of public health” to implement policies and programs in keeping with the goals of the bill.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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