Up for a hearing today, House 1744, An Act Protecting Children and Parents.
Sponsored by new GOP Representative Marc Lombardo, the bill would abolish the state’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, whose mission is to
create school-based and community-based programs focusing on suicide prevention, violence intervention, and the promotion of zero-tolerance policies regarding harassment and discrimination against gay and lesbian youth.
I feel safer already.
Please share widely!
Is this how the Massachusetts GOP hopes to resuscitate itself?
Definitely less than 3 pages and misleadingly titled.
Because gays & lesbians aren’t voting Republican anyway, and anyone who cares about this issue isn’t voting Republican as well.
Maybe if you were a candidate who went strong (assuming this actually got to a roll call vote) with “my Republican opponent wants to let gay and lesbian youth commit suicide” you might get a few unenrolled women to vote your way.
So net/new from Rep. Lombardo’s perspective this proposal is a good idea.
Sure, if by “good idea” you mean “bad policy which might well cause actual harm to society while not in any respect protecting children or families, but could gain Lombardo a few votes from people whose views on homosexuality are about as enlightened as those of, say, Jerry Falwell.”
Nice to see the Republicans aren’t even pretending to give a d–n about the people of the Commonwealth anymore.
Baker & Tisei were considered far left on social issues by many Republicans and it got them nothing at the polls from social liberals.
I know Lombardo’s district somewhat (100% Billerica) and I bet this idea has some support there.
Note the Jerry Falwell reference is a little outdated. I’d be surprised if anyone actually remembered anything about him.
This is a rather counter-factual assertion. Is there some alternative Massachusetts where a socially conservative ticket got just as many votes against Clone Deval Patrick?
One might just as easily assert that they would have done even worse at the polls had they not be socially liberal.
as a moron vote and hence as a compliment.
It’s not because the measure has a chance of passage. It’s not really about alienating the LGBT community or even about alienating its straight allies. Or even, really, about what the level of support in Billerica might be for this measure.
It’s more that state Democrats can and should point to something like this as part and parcel of a broader narrative. A bunch of new GOP House freshmen got swept into office in 2010. They are not your father’s Republicans. They are not what Weld was, nor what Cellucci essentially was, nor what Brown pretends to be, nor what Romney used to pretend to be (or pretends he isn’t- who knows for sure) and such. These are a bunch of people who wish they were in Alabama or Idaho.
They are not, at least as embodied by this crop of legislators, a reasonable alternative to an often stagnant, ossified, or even sometimes corrupt establishment.
…Or lack thereof.
I would be hard pressed to believe a significant enough voting population in Massachusetts in any State district could be moved by this bill to vote for this guy. It might move a voting block or two, but not a decisive one. That said, what works is not what the bill does, but what it is purported to do. If he hangs this bill out there for what it is and says he wants the state to stop condoning homosexuality, recruiting, blah, blah the usual homophobic crap, it won’t win him anything. However, if he spins it as something to protect families from child molesters without any explanation of what the actual law repealed actually does, it might be a winner, albeit to a small audience.
Polling shows that around until just a couple decades ago, the majority of Americans believed that homosexuals were child molesters. One can still find those who hold this antiquated view, and still more who mourn its passing.
We should assume that the person silently giving everyone a thumbs down is a moron and hence confirms — rather than contradicts — anything said here.
I think you all underestimate the lack of interest in this topic amongst the general population. Some of the most motivated interest is in support of Lombardo(remember the marriage petition)
Lombardo gets to score points with his base and will suffer no ill effects.
If you think Dem candidates will be running on a “some Republicans are anti-gay” platform I think you’re mistaken. That’s not going to change anyone’s vote.
I am merely pointing out the politics for Lombardo here, and I still think I’m right.
I myself am glad that these republicoids are letting their freak flag fly and earning jeers for both themselves and their supporters. Other legislative measures I’m looking forward to:
“the Negro Vilification Act”
“the Reproductive Health Ignorance Protection Bill”
“the Polling Place Ethnic Purity and Spellcheck Act”
Go team!
I think that Lombardo is anti-gmabling, so he can say things like “did you know those in favor of morally corrupt practices are teaching your children?”
Lombardo supports gambling. The House roll call is here.
But I do take the point of your earlier comments that filing bills like this helps him hold onto his seat if it fires up his base and the Dems can’t come up with a strong challenger.
Our Mission
The Massachusetts Commission on GLBT Youth is established by law as an independent agency of the Commonwealth to recommend and advocate to all branches of state government effective policies, programs, and resources for GLBT youth to thrive.
The Commission was created by the General Court in an Act of Jul. 1, 2006, ch. 139, §4, codified in Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 3, §67 (2006).
Our Values
We value diversity and inclusion in our membership; we value all voices in pursuit of our mission, especially the critical voices of youth.
We are guided by the principles of social justice, and honor the multiple and intersecting components of individuals’ identities.
We act with a deep respect for one another, for our communities, for those we serve, and for those with whom we collaborate.
We strive to achieve measurable improvements in the quality of life for GLBT youth in Massachusetts and beyond.
Arthur Lipkin, Chair