By MassResistance
Striker Summary: A brief overview of the history of transgender activism in America confirms the movement has long been an integral part of the LGBTQ agenda, not a separate piece. Transgender ideology was just kept on the back burner for a number of years and pushed forward incrementally.
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by MassResistance
Most pro-family people who are confronting the “transgender” (including “gender” ideology) surge in schools, libraries, health care, public accommodations, and other institutions are unaware of how it all came about. A surprising number of conservatives think that it was separate from the “gay” movement – which gives them an excuse for avoiding criticism of homosexuality in their schools and society. But what really happened?
Slowly introducing transgenderism – starting with children
Starting in the 1990s, Massachusetts led the nation in pushing the homosexual movement into its institutions – with California and New York not far behind. Not surprisingly, it started with that movement’s obsession with children.
During that decade, homosexual groups like GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) and the state-funded Massachusetts Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth would reference transgenderism, and they would include teens dressed as the opposite sex at their “Youth Pride” events. One of the LGBT leaders was a “male-to-female” transsexual who headed the groomer organization BAGLY (Boston Alliance of Gay & Lesbian Youth).
Discussion of “gender” began to creep into a few classrooms in the more “progressive” towns – thanks to GLSEN trainings and Massachusetts Department of Education pilot programs in the schools. But in general there was a strategic silence, and transgenderism was kept on the back burner.
In 2007 – A very shocking bill is filed
At the beginning of the Massachusetts Legislature’s 2007-2008 session, one of our staff noticed that a shocking bill had been filed. It was a wide-ranging “transgender rights and hate crimes bill.”
Although some states had passed modest transgender non-discrimination laws, this was the first giant, comprehensive “transgender” legal salvo that we knew of in the United States (or anywhere else). It was frighteningly aggressive. It rewrote a range of statutes covering public accommodations, school policies, housing, employment, business, family law, government IDs, hate crimes, etc., to mandate the acceptance of “transgenderism.” Offenders would be criminalized.
LGBT movement announces “full court press” to pass it
The key Massachusetts homosexual lobbying group MassEquality announced in the press that it considered “gender identity” the next step after having achieved “gay marriage,” and was preparing a “full-court press” in the Legislature to get the transgender rights bill passed. They noted that they were bringing transgender groups as well as other LGBT groups into the fight.
(Interestingly, the article also quoted Brian Camenker of MassResistance saying, “If the Legislature even thinks about passing this, they’re going to see an outrage like they’ve never seen in a long time. It is, in our opinion, one of the most dangerous bills ever filed.”)
MassResistance’s 125-page document exposing everything (and predicting the fallout)
After studying the bill, MassResistance got right to work educating the people in Massachusetts exactly what was in it and how it would reorder society.
Over several months, our research director, Amy Contrada, put together a 125-page compendium titled, “The Coming Nightmare of a ‘Transsexual Rights and Hate Crimes’ Law in Massachusetts: Why Bill H1722 Must be Defeated.”
It began with a detailed analysis of the entire text of the bill showing how the current laws would be changed. The main body of the document included chapters on the seven major areas of society that the bill would affect – lengthy descriptions of how the homosexual and transgender movements had already infiltrated them, and where this bill would move that agenda forward. It’s still considered the most thorough analysis of the LGBT movement in Massachusetts of that period.
The Massachusetts LGBT movement reacted angrily to the document. The homosexual newspaper Bay Windows (now online as Edge Media) published an article titled, “Contrada warns of trans apocalypse.” They railed about her prediction that protections for undefined “gender identity” would lead to not only cross-dressing, but inability of venues to refuse trans-related events, public nudity, BDSM, and demands for legalization of polyamory (all of which have since happened).
Massive sham public hearing on transgender bill
On March 8, 2008, the bill’s public hearing before the Judiciary Committee took place. It was basically a massive propaganda march, well-orchestrated by the LGBT lobby.
It was a sham. The leftist leaders of the Judiciary Committee had clearly colluded with the LGBT activist organizations. The hearing began at 1:00 pm. Throughout the entire day and into the evening, it was panel after panel of pro-transgender people. They were not given a time limit for speaking.
The LGBT movement pulled out all the stops for that hearing. The endless “panels” of pro-transgender speakers included: the numerous legislative co-sponsors of the bill, the Suffolk County Sheriff, members of the Massachusetts Bar Association, medical “authorities” including the infamous Dr. Spack (founder of Boston Children’s Hospital “gender” clinic); various politicians; law school students; labor union representatives; ACLU attorney Harvey Silverglate; a panel focused on “hate crimes”; leftist clergy; a parents panel; numerous panels of women with beards and men in dresses; and many more.
It wasn’t until 10:30 pm that any pro-family people were finally allowed to testify – and most of them (and most of the Judiciary Committee) had already gone home. The pro-family people were held to three minutes for their testimonies.
MassResistance fought back!
As huge as the LGBT push at the public hearing was, it was only witnessed by the people who were in the room at the time. After the hearing, our lobbying effort geared up.
MassResistance gave a printed copy of our 125-page report on the bill to every Judiciary Committee member. We also included medical documentation (that the politicians clearly didn’t want to see). Links to the report were sent through the State House and across Massachusetts. The pressure from our side became intense. We made sure that people across the state vented their outrage to their own legislators and the leadership about how this bill would push a perverted agenda on everyone under threat of legal action.
The bill is stopped in committee!
March 19, 2008, two weeks after the public hearing, was the deadline for deciding whether bills in the Legislature would move forward or be killed. It was announced that day that the transgender “rights” bill (as well as other bad bills on the docket) were stopped! It was a great pro-family victory and an embarrassing setback for the LGBT movement.
Final thoughts
It took the LGBT movement four more years – until 2012 – to finally get a weaker version of that bill passed (without the “public accommodations” section, which took an additional four years for them to get). It was still a hard fight for them. MassResistance led opposition to it. But they were able to do it because the governor and the entire State House leadership was completely in the tank and had promised the LGBT movement it would happen. And after Massachusetts passed its transgender rights law, similar far-reaching bills were passed in several other states.
Transgenderism and “gender identity” have always been part of the “LGBT” homosexual movement. (The platform from the 1993 “gay rights” march on Washington confirms that early alliance.) “Transgender rights” was simply their next step after achieving “sexual orientation” non-discrimination laws and “gay marriage” in Massachusetts.
The “T” was just kept quiet. That incrementalist strategy worked. One example: Schools started with GSA school clubs that were “gay/straight alliances” – which later transformed into “gender and sexuality alliances.”
But today, most conservatives see gender ideology and transgenderism as a distinct and new battle, particularly in the schools. We’ve even seen national parent groups that rail vehemently over “pronouns” and transgender counseling for children – but have no problem with homosexual propaganda in their schools.
If you’ve been in the battle since the beginning – as MassResistance has been – you understand the truth: It’s all one movement. And it’s all obsessed with other people’s children. Conservatives must confront it with that understanding, and not shy away from the homosexuality issues.
The views here are those of the author and not necessarily Striker Journal.
Originally posted here.
Image: Adapted from: https://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen5/24a/How-the-trans-push-grew/index.html
Robert Knight is a columnist for The Washington Times. His website is roberthknight.com.
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