STOP the Un-Healthy Youth Act NOW
Sign up today to testify against H544/S268
Last week we alerted you to the fact that “ An Act Relative to Healthy Youth” aka the Healthy Youth Act (or as we prefer to call it, the Un-Healthy Youth Act!) had reared its ugly head again. On Tuesday, October 10th the Joint Committee on Education will hear testimony on H544/S268. Now is the time to sign up to testify against this dangerous and destructive Act.
We oppose the Un-Healthy Youth Act because:
It reduces local control of sex education. According to the Un-Healthy Youth Act, if your local district teaches sex ed, it MUST follow a Comprehensive Sexual Education model. Since most districts in MA teach some form of sex education, this translates to a defacto CSE mandate, which is why we have also named this legislation the Sex Ed Mandate.
It enforces the teaching of gender ideology. According to the Un-Healthy Youth Act, if your local district teaches sex ed, it MUST include the following: “age-appropriate information about gender identity and sexual orientation for all students, including affirmative education that people have different sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, and information about resources and support services for all students, including but not limited to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex/agender, queer and questioning students.” Based on what we’ve seen with DESE’s new Framework, we know that “age appropriate” means beginning gender discussions with grades PreK-2 and introducing full-blown gender ideology as early as 3rd grade!
It normalizes teen sexual activity. The Un-Healthy Youth Act gives a quick nod to abstinence, but then proceeds to require that students learn: “the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, including, but not limited to, human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and unintended pregnancy, including, but not limited to, the effective use of contraceptives and barrier methods; (iv) ways to effectively discuss safe sexual activity; (v) relationship and communication skills to form healthy, respectful relationships free of violence, coercion, and intimidation and to make healthy decisions about relationships and sexuality, including, but not limited to, affirmative, conscious and voluntary consent to engage in physical or sexual activity…” This is incredibly irresponsible as there is no such thing as safe sexual activity for teens and the majority of MA public school students are NOT legally old enough to consent to sexual activity!
It steals the innocence of our youngest students. As we mentioned in #2, DESE’s new Framework starts with students in grades PreK-2. DESE thinks it is age-appropriate to talk to classrooms of five-year-olds about the proper names of their genitals, that some people have same-sex relationships, and the concept of “all genders.” Parents are best suited to know when their children are ready to confront these topics, not the public school system. Exposing a child to confusing, personal topics before they are ready damages their innocence.
It legislates activism. The Un-Healthy Youth Act defers to the MA Commission on LBGTQ Youth to define the terms: “consent,” “gender expression,” “gender identity,” and “sexual orientation.” This unelected, activist Commission is the same organization that wants to criminalize parents who decline to affirm their minor child’s transgender self-identification, use taxpayer funds to provide binders and packers to trans youth without parental consent, and encourages doctors to use alternate medical terms like “front hole” instead of vagina. We exposed the radical agenda of this extreme Commission HERE. Placing the definition of sensitive terms in the hands of this activist group is incredibly dangerous and must be rejected.
It decreases curricular transparency. The current MA sex ed law includes a provision for parents and any member of the public to view sex ed curricula used in any MA school district. The Un-Healthy Youth Act removes the ability for anyone other than parents or caregivers with students enrolled in a district to examine curricula. This means a concerned faith leader or grandparent who does not have children attending their district schools would be forced to submit a public record request to view curricula. Many districts charge for public record request materials, sometimes to the tune of thousands of dollars! This creates an unfair restriction of public information that is currently available to concerned citizens and not just the parents of current students.
Friends, we shared the good news with you last week that DESE’s new health Framework is NOT mandatory. But, if the Un-Healthy Youth Act passes, any district that teaches any form of sex ed would be required to follow the Framework.
We must speak up!
The Un-Healthy Youth Act will have a hearing on October 10th at the State House in Boston. We encourage everyone to sign up to provide testimony in opposition to this bill. The deadline to sign up to testify virtually is October 6th at 3:00 p.m. Click the button below to register to testify!
Can’t testify on October 10th? Massachusetts Family Institute has made it easy for you to contact your legislators and ask them to oppose the Un-Healthy Youth Act. Click the button below to visit the MFI Action Center and send your email today:
Or, better yet, sign up to testify AND contact your legislators!
And just as important? Spread the word. Tell everyone you know who cares about parental rights and education in MA that it’s time to speak up against this Un-Healthy Act.
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This is just like NJ! That jerk, Governor Murphy is from MA!