Mass. GLBT Youth Commission intimidates citizens and parents to prevent their attendance at "public" meetings
Sept. 15, 2009
The state-funded Mass. GLBT Youth Commission now requires members of the public to identify themselves beforehand as a requirement for attending the meetings where the commission conducts its public business.
Previously, the commission's quarterly public meetings were were at various high schools across the state. Although the venues were not convenient, anybody could come and observe. But starting earlier this year, they've moved their quarterly public meetings to the offices of the Department of Public Health in downtown Boston. They now require that you must RSVP, show identification, and sign a sheet to attend.
Here's what State House News reported in their daily schedule of events regarding the meeting that took place this past Monday:
GLBT YOUTH COMMISSION:
(Monday, 6 p.m., 250 Washington St., Boston)
The Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth meets. An agenda was unavailable . . . Attendees of the meetings must RSVP at the Department of Public Health by noon Monday. Photography, video and cell phone use are prohibited at the meetings, according to the commission.
Why should members of the public have to provide their names and addresses in order to observe a public commission doing public business? It's offensive and, frankly, un-American. They should hold these meetings in a public place where people can come and go freely without having to report who they are.
This is clearly an act of intimidation. In the past, audience members whom they suspected were not "gay allies" were sometimes photographed by gay activists and peoples' names were even published in local homosexual newspapers. It's an ugly tactic by paranoid and aggressive activists. But now it could even get worse.
And the reason they've started to do this is very clear: MassResistance has been bringing parents and citizens to these meetings, and reporting to the public (and the legislature) what goes on there.
They don't like that at all. And they've decided to stop us. Here are some examples of what goes on at those meetings, reported by parents:
A destructive "Youth Commission"
The Massachusetts Commission on Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Youth, a bizarre mix of hardcore homosexual activists, men in dresses and hormone-induced breasts, and women with facial hair, spends hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to push homosexual programs targeting schoolchildren, and goes into public schools to "counsel" vulnerable kids and set up "Gay-Straight Alliance" clubs.
But since they became an official government commission in 2006, they have been required to make their meetings open to the public. This created a problem for them because MassResistance reported on what they were doing with kids, and showed the public exactly who they are.
Normally a government commission would have no problem with anyone attending their meetings, writing about their activities, and taking photos of the public sessions. It's done all the time. But this one is very different. They don't want people to see who they are or know what they're doing with schoolchildren using public money.
They started out by banning all photography or video at their public meetings. It's absurd that public commission could ban photography of itself while it's in session conducting public business. But a loophole in the state law allows this. One activist, Joe Rizoli of Framingham, filed a complaint before the Attorney General -- and lost!
But we're fighting back to stop all this!
The Massachusetts Legislature continues to protect this commission and its activities in the schools. Our cowardly legislators are willing to look the other way as these "activists" continue targeting kids in the schools. This does start to change, though, when angry pressure from parents and citizens is applied to legialators.
It was through extraordinary effort that MassResistance was able to help get their funding cut this year. For the first time ever this Commission gets no earmarked funding (for now, at least). [See MassReport on the funding being cut.]
But we're going even further than that. We've filed a bill this year in the Legislature to disband that Commission entirely -- H145 ( text of bill - text of current law). This REALLY needs everyone's support.
Finally, there's another bill before the legislature this session filed by Janet Aldrich of ComFlm Registry and supported by MassResistance, that would repeal that loophole allowing a commission to exempt itself from any part of normal open meeting laws. Bill S1458 (Text of bill) also needs everyone's support.
This is the result of an out-of-control and arrogant government that serves the special interests and tramples your rights.
We'll keep you informed on these bills and how you can fight back!
