After a series of tragic teen suicides, the Massachusetts legislature is considering an anti-bullying bill that would put a greater emphasis on the problem in local schools. Last week, the state senate passed the proposal unanimously-but not before pro-family groups exposed a devious scheme in the bill.
At the last minute, the Senate Education Committee stripped language that could have criminalized anyone who criticized homosexuality. Specifically, S.2283 said that whoever promoted “false material” to promote “hatred” of any group because of their “sexual orientation” could be fined up to a $1,000 or sentenced to a year in jail.
Depending on how state officials defined these terms, the legislation could have had a crippling effect on free speech and religious liberty. MassResistance pointed out how extreme the language is and managed to have leaders remove it. Although the end result was a victory for conservatives, it does illustrate the real agenda of homosexual activists–which is to completely silence those who are critical of their behavior, by force of law, if necessary.
Tony Perkins heads the Family Research Council. This article is excerpted from the Washington Update that he compiles for the FRC.
