Newest MassResistance affiliate – in Nebraska! Fighting 'transgender' bathroom push by the Omaha School Board.

Would allow boys in girls' bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, etc. Phony claim that “laws require” them to do it.

Parents confront Board at latest two meetings. (See VIDEO – best five minutes of hard-hitting testimony you'll hear!)

Board vote likely next week.

July 28, 2016

Pro-family leader Mark Bonkiewicz confronts the Omaha School Board with their list of promises to parents on school sexuality programs that ended up being lies. He told them to be honest this time about the proposed 'transgender' policy.

As the summer rolls on for most of us, the newest MassResistance affiliate in Nebraska is fighting hard for families with children in school.

Earlier this year the Omaha Public Schools (OPS) Board of Education approved a city-wide “comprehensive sex-ed” program that was opposed by many parents. It is now preparing to push through a policy that would force the full “transgender” agenda into the city’s public schools.

The Omaha School Board on July 18, just before facing pro-family parents.

But dozens of Omaha area pro-family citizens, with the help of MassResistance, have quickly geared up to stop it. They have already come to two Board meetings to strongly voice objections, and more direct activism is happening now.

An outrageous change of policy

The proposed policy would add “gender identity” and “gender expression” to the existing school system policy. As the Board acknowledged in its public discussion, the effect of this would be:

• To allow boys to go into girls’ locker rooms, restrooms, and showers (and vice versa)
• To require schools to address a boy by a girl’s name and refer to him as “she” if requested (and vice versa)
• To allow boys to wear dresses to school
• To impose intense “diversity training” on school staff and others
• Ultimately, boys will likely be allowed to play on girls’ sports teams

And parents will have no say in this.

The proposed policy cites “state and federal laws” that require these changes, though the Board has acknowledged that no such laws exist for “gender” issues. In fact, Nebraska is among 21 states that have filed suit against the Obama Administration’s non-binding “directive” on transgender bathrooms being sent to schools across the country.

The parents’ job is cut out for them. It is quite shocking how militant the OPS Board members seem about forcing these changes on the school system, regardless of parent objections. Moreover, they have clearly been working with LGBT activists on this -- using GLSEN materials and constantly framing it as a “safety” issue.

MassResistance’s ties to Nebraska activism

MassResistance’s roots with Nebraska pro-family activism go back to January 2013. Executive Director Brian Camenker was invited to Omaha for three days to address a state pro-family gathering and work with state pro-family leaders on strategy.

Nebraska state pro-family leaders with Brian Camenker of MassResistance (second from right) in Omaha in January 2013. Mark Bonkiewicz is second from left.

One of those leaders, Mark Bonkiewicz, later formed Nebraskans for Founders’ Values (NFFV), which now has hard-working activists across the state. The group has done heroic activism dealing with school boards, with legislators in the State Capitol, and much more. Mark and his team have continued to work closely with MassResistance -- and the group is now a MassResistance affiliate! "Our team is rooted in prayer and then action," says Mark.

Nebraskans for Founders' Values sticker given to parents at Omaha Public Schools (OPS) Board meetings.

June 20 School Board meeting: Transgender issue suddenly appears

On June 20, a mid-day television news broadcast reported that at that evening’s Omaha School Board meeting, the main item would be a the transgender changes, described as “policy to protect LGBT students.”

TV news report aired a few hours before the meeting. Watch it here.

It came as a surprise, and NFFV’s Omaha parents barely had time to react. However one NFFV member did make it to the meeting. (Watch VIDEO of her great testimony below!)

At the Board meeting that evening, it became clear that the local LGBT group had been part of this plan all along. In the “public comment” time at the beginning of the meeting, their “dog and pony show” supporting the changes was rolled out. Seven of the nine people who spoke were LGBT activists with prepared speeches.

LGBT activist from GLSEN-Omaha, local branch of national LGBT activist group targeting schools, addressed the Board. He had previously given them GLSEN materials, which they later referred to in their discussion.

A man dressed as a woman was part of the LGBT lineup.

Here’s an example of the LGBT testimony:

• A homosexual student told the Board, “We cannot remain silent or neutral on injustice” and added that there must be bathroom rights and appropriate “name and pronoun terminology” to accomplish that.
• A lesbian teacher in the Omaha schools said that teachers must feel completely free to “be themselves” to their students, and the Board must not allow any criticism of it.
• A member of GLSEN-Omaha addressed the Board and told them, “There’s a lot of promise in this district” -- but “intervention” is needed. He added that LGBT issues should not be just in health class. This includes teaching about “gay” historical and literary figures, as well as encouraging “gay” student clubs in every school, he said. He also made sure that each Board member had received the latest GLSEN “student climate” survey.
• A man dressed as a woman, with artificial “female” breasts, lamented that when he was in school “I never would have been allowed to use the women’s' restrooms, to play on women’s teams, to have my name and pronouns taken seriously.” He added, “How can we say that we are supporting our transgender students if we do not acknowledge them? Your inaction and silence will only reinforce their worst fears.”
• Another LGBT activist told the Board members they must fight the “bigoted and destructive mindset” that opposes these changes.

A breath of fresh air: Fearless pro-family testimony

Near the end of the testimony, a woman who is a member of NFFV spoke. In our opinion, her 4 1/2-minute testimony was exactly what school boards need to hear, but what too many of us are afraid to say. It’s a virtual clinic on dealing with elitist public officials:

Watch this VIDEO - STRONG pro-family testimony that school boards rarely hear!   (4 min 44 sec)

Board discusses the transgender policy proposal

After the public comments, the School Board members and superintendent then had a lengthy discussion of the proposed policy. The arrogance and anti-parent attitude that came through was breathtaking, especially coming from a supposedly conservative state like Nebraska.

It became clear that just about all of them have drunk the LGBT Kool-Aid on this issue. Their mantra was that this is only about student “safety” (though safety is defined very loosely), and they repeated that over and over. (Though they didn’t point to any actual incidents that endangered a student.)

Omaha School Board members Anthony Vargas (right) and Marian Fay tell their colleagues why they believe the "transgender" school policy should be adopted.

Board Member Marian Fay is the ringleader on pushing this through. She acknowledged working with LGBT groups, and said more input from LGBT parents (but not other parents) is necessary. She admitted, “Yes, there is an agenda.”  She also made it clear that this is too important to allow upset parents’ opinions to intervene. She said:

Board Member Anthony Vargas acknowledged that no federal or state laws require this. Instead, Omaha needs move forward on its own. He said:

Board Member Katie Underwood added that the they need to act because the Governor and Legislature are “irresponsible” and that this is much too important. She said:

Finally Superintendent Mark Evans announced that he has already planned heavy-duty pro-transgender diversity training to be required of all school staff (and likely also students). “This is absolutely critical.” he told the Board. “No young person should ever feel unsafe. We won’t tolerate it.”

It’s particularly upsetting to many parents that the Board Chairman, Lou Ann Goding, is a member of a prominent Evangelical Christian Church -- but does not let her “personal” beliefs interfere with her anti-family actions on this Board.

At that meeting, however, a vote on the proposal was not taken. It was postponed until at least the next meeting.

July 18 School Board meeting: Parents come and testify

At the second meeting on July 18, a vote on the policy was expected, but also did not happen. (Apparently there was other business they needed to cover instead.)

But this time, several people from NFFV came to testify against the proposed policy. Prior to the meeting, MassResistance supplied them with talking points which most of them used in their testimony.

Here is some of what the Board was told:

• A mother said that mixed-sex locker rooms and sports teams will most likely inflame bullying rather than reduce it, and add to the stress of all students.
• A father said the Board is ignoring the privacy of students, and this also has the potential to inflame bullying.
• NFFV leader Mark Bonkiewicz (in photo above) pointed out that the Board had already lied to parents. They had promised that Planned Parenthood curriculum would never be used, that students would be encouraged to abstain from sexual behavior (especially high-risk behaviors), and would not be given contraceptives. But the administration sent students to an off-campus sexuality program where students were given condoms and explicit Planned Parenthood training and materials.
  
  Mark told the Board that they need to be honest this time. “Admit that this proposed policy change really isn’t about anti-discrimination. It’s really that you’re wanting to open up the door for transgender students, to have boys in girls’ showers and locker rooms, and on their teams,” he said.
• The daughter of a teacher reminded the Board that claiming to be “following state and federal law” to push the transgender policy is dishonest, since there are no such laws -- and in fact Nebraska has joined in a lawsuit against the federal non-binding directive.
• A woman read from excerpts David Kupelian’s book, The Snapping of the American Mind, about the truly horrific nature of transgenderism, known as gender dysphoria, and the other mental disorders that often come with it, often leading to suicide and amputating healthy body parts.

Woman reads horrible medical details of what "transgenderism" is really all about, and what it leads to if not treated. But the Board appeared unmoved.

After the testimony the Board members continued their meeting and didn’t react to it in their discussions.

Taking it to the streets

The next general Board meeting – and likely vote -- is on Monday, August 15. The MassResistance affiliate NFFV is working hard to notify parents across Omaha and rally them to confront their Board members on this insane issue.

We’ll let you know what happens. This kind of push-back is just the beginning of what needs to happen around the country!

Camenker of MassResistance leads pro-family strategy session in Omaha in 2013.