LDS Oregon Home Educators Association

[LDS-OHEA Admin]

This message was sent by a fellow home educator.

I find her experience important to share with everyone AND that the issue at hand is an ASSAULT on Families and our Religion and our Private Businesses in this State... Please take time to read what happened and what she has to say about it. ~~ Editor
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I hope that by now everyone is aware of what occurred today (4/17/07) in our House of Representatives. Had I not personally witnessed it I don’t know if I would have believed it yet I am asking you to trust and believe me for I “saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears…”

House Bill 2007 was passed (on 4/17/07) 35-25. I would encourage you to get a copy and read for yourself.

*** Bill history and link to text:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/cgi-bin/searchMeas.pl
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This bill completely negates measure 36 (marriage between 1 man and 1 woman). It has been given the title of a “civil union bill”. In other words a couple of the same gender may enter into a “civil union” and enjoy all the rights and privileges as though they were married. This includes filing a joint tax return, insurance benefits, etc all legal issues including an “annulment” if they no longer want to be a couple.

Senate Bill 2 also passed by the same vote.
*** Bill history and link to text:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/cgi-bin/searchMeas.pl
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This bill was “fast-tracked” through the legislature by our governor. It is called “The Governors’ Task Force for Equality in Oregon”. According to our law makers this bill removes all discrimination of Oregonians in regards to their sexual orientation”. When questioned as to what the defining qualifications are for “sexual orientation” the proponents had no answer. It was proposed that we use the definition stated by the Eugene Task Force For Equality which includes cross-dressers, drag queens and kings, transvestites, gays, lesbians, etc essentially any one who crosses the gender barrier. The proponents weren’t sure but thought that if there arose any questions we could wait for the courts to interpret! We would basically “let this unfold and develop over time”.

What does this mean specifically for you and me? I haven’t studied the bill thoroughly yet but some of the things that were discussed in the legislative session today were as follows:

• Any person fitting the above description of sexual orientation would have the right to “enjoy places of public accommodation” without discrimination. This means that anyone whose sexual orientation is actual or perceived may use the restroom, locker room etc without discrimination. On any given day someone who claims to be a cross dresser (or other from above descriptions) may enter a locker room or restroom of the opposite sex by law.
  
• If you are an employer you may not choose to not hire someone due to their sexual orientation.
  
• If you are a land lord the same applies and furthermore you may not restrict the use of real property for their use
  
• Equal education must be provided for in the public schools in regards to “sexual orientation”. A state curriculum will be designed which includes information about all of the different orientations so our children can choose for themselves.

There were many other issues brought up because the actual bill is quite lengthy. Some of the items left open were; the limitation of public meetings in churches, religious hospitals being required to employ someone who obviously defies their teachings, the lack of what this bill means in regards to churches, jobs for paid employees at a church could be demanded by someone with an alternative sexual orientation, boy scout issues (this one was hushed rather quickly. The proponents did not appear to have any real definitive answers on most of the questions and passed this bill without it being clearly defined.

One of the opposition asked if the purpose of this bill was designed to “encourage tolerance” or “require acceptation”. With all the evidence on the floor even the proponent had a difficult time stating that it was to encourage tolerance.

All gender codes were broken today and a select group of people were elevated to “special status” due to a preference in life style. What’s next?

So what can we do now?
Get involved. Be prepared to sign a petition for this bill to be put before the voters. The difficulty comes in convincing the public that it already is a law and we must vote to change the law. This can be very confusing to the public because the wording may be opposite of what you may think. It will require us to sacrifice to educate others. All of us together with God can make a miracle.

Thank you for your time,
Julie Waddell

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EDITORS NOTE:
these two bills were being pushed through the very same day our Home Education Freedom Bill was in Hearing. They KNEW we could not be two places at the same time. IF we had more involvement we could have shown a much better presence of opposition to these specific legislations.

The assaults are coming at both sides!!! Please be involved BOTH are vital to our freedoms!) ~Editor

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