SEXUAL EXTREMISTS CHOP AWAY AT FAMILY VALUES AND CALIFORNIA'S ECONOMY 5/2/03
Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy
CONTACT: JoElla Cudney Phone: (916) 319-2059
Liberal extremists are swinging a two-edged sword in the Capitol, chopping away at family values and our struggling economy. These liberal politicians live on the fringes of California society, far from the mainstream. Unfortunately, in Sacramento they control the legislative agenda. They won't rest until they have imposed their "values" on all of us. In the process of ramming their own peculiar social agenda through the Legislature, they are unconcerned not only about the impact on families, but also on California's fragile economy.
One of the latest � but unfortunately not the last � pieces of radical legislation sings the praises of sexual confusion and forces all of us to listen. AB 196, by San Francisco's Assemblyman Mark Leno, would require employers who do not share Assemblyman Leno's views on sexuality to either violate their consciences and hire transsexuals or to follow their consciences and face huge fines, which could be as high as $150,000.
Assemblyman Leno's bill would create a new "right" � the "right" for a man to get up in the morning, put on a dress and lipstick and go to work in a Christian bookstore, your child's school (public or private), a child care center or any business in the state. The next morning, if Assemblyman Leno and his supporters have their way, the man who wore the dress to work could arrive in a suit and tie. And the third morning, what? Wingtip shoes and a miniskirt? It would all depend on what he felt his "gender" to be that day.
Under this legislation, it doesn't matter whether an employee dresses as a man or a woman. AB 196 would allow a six-foot, four-inch man with a full beard to stand behind the cash register at a Christian bookstore wearing a dress and high-heels. According to AB 196 "gender" has nothing to do with the employee's sex at birth, but how he/she perceives her/his gender. And, of course, those perceptions can change from day to day, even from minute to minute.
Is this what most Californians believe? Or is this the view of what some people describe as the "libertine fringe", those who reject any restrictions on their behavior?
Remember, this isn't simply a vision in Assemblyman Leno's head. It is legislation that has already passed the Assembly and, unfortunately, seems headed for passage in the State Senate. If Governor Davis signs it into law, employers will be forced to accept this sort of behavior or face the full power of the State of California � and they will face the full power of the state. It is clear that the supporters of this proposed new law would use it aggressively � not simply against small religion-related businesses, but against all employers.
Whatever their views about transsexuals/transvestites, businesses would find this new mandate one more obstacle to economic growth and job creation. This new government mandate comes at a time when businesses are collapsing under the burden of a dysfunctional Workers' Compensation system and a massive maze of regulations that are forcing businesses to abandon California. We are already losing too many jobs. And what is the point of this transsexual/transvestite mandate? Simply to advance a radical agenda at all costs.
Liberals love to describe themselves as "inclusive" and denounce conservatives for being intolerant of diversity. But again and again, they promote legislation that is intolerant of traditional family values and that excludes conservatives from the debate. Who are the real extremists? Read AB 196 and you'll find out.
AB 196 will now move to the Senate where it will most likely be heard in the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee. The members of that committee are: Senator Richard Alarcon, Chairman; Senator Rico Oller, Vice Chairman; and Senators Joseph Dunn, Liz Figueroa, Sheila Kuehl, Bob Margett, Tom McClintock, and Gloria Romero. It is important that Californians write these Senators and let them know their thoughts on AB 196 at the following address: State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814.