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The Inequality Act, and More: A Big Week in D.C. and St. Paul

Dear John,

Wow! We're amazed that thousands of Minnesotans took action on the three action alerts we sent out on Monday. I want to give you an update on the three major threats to life, family, and religious freedom that we saw unfold this week. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the so-called “Equality Act,” two Senate Committees held confirmation hearings for President Biden’s HHS nominee, Xavier Becerra, who is known for using his position as California Attorney General to attack the pro-life movement, and here in Minnesota, another hearing on a bill mandating “comprehensive” sex education in K-12 classrooms across the state moved that piece of legislation forward.

1. The Inequality Act

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, which, if it passes the Senate, would make sexual orientation and gender identity a protected status under the Civil Rights Act. By equating subjective, fluid, and invisible qualities like sexual orientation and gender identity with race and ethnicity, this act presents a serious threat to religious freedom, free speech, and conscience rights. Additionally, it radically expands abortion “rights,” threatens the safety and privacy of women and children, and would destroy opportunities for female athletes.

Prior to the vote, The House Rules Committee met to report out a closed rule, meaning that no amendments could be considered on the House floor. Earlier this week, Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach pointed out that this bill would be disastrous for life if enacted.  

Minnesota Congresspeople voted along party lines, with Representatives Angie Craig, Betty McCollum, Dean Phillips, and Ilhan Omar supporting the bill and Representatives Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach, Jim Hagedorn, and Pete Stauber opposing it.

2. Xavier Becerra: A Pro-Abortion Radical at Health and Human Services?

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, two Senate committees held confirmation hearings for President Biden’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra. On Tuesday he appeared before the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committee, which includes Minnesota Senator Tina Smith. Senators Braun (R-IN), Marshall (R-KS), and Romney (R-UT) each made strong pro-life lines of questioning on abortion funding, chemical abortion, and partial birth abortion respectively. The #StopBecerra tweet-storm continued to highlight Mr. Becerra's radical pro-abortion record. 

On Wednesday Becerra went before the Senate Finance Committee, where Senators Lankford (R-OK) and Sasse (R-NE) scrutinized his history of hostility toward religious freedom and First Amendment rights. In response to questioning from Senator Daines, Becerra refused to name a single restriction on abortion that he would support. Becerra’s nomination will probably move to the Senate floor soon - look for an action alert to ask Sens. Smith and Klobuchar to oppose pro-abortion extremist Xavier Becerra.

3. Radical Sex Ed Bill in St. Paul

On Wednesday, the Minnesota House Preventive Health Policy Division heard HF 358, which would mandate "comprehensive" sex ed in Minnesota public schools. Comprehensive sex education (CSE) includes explicit sexual content for early elementary children, which is strongly opposed by most parents.

Your voice matters! During the hearing, Representative Glenn Gruenhagen said: "I have received more emails opposing this issue than ever before in the legislature." Thank you to everyone who has contacted their representatives about this harmful legislation!

Unfortunately, despite this swell of grassroots opposition, the committee passed the bill for further consideration by another committee, this time the Health Finance and Policy Committee. Radical legislators who passed the bill rejected several commonsense amendments, including parental notification.

This bill will next appear before the MN House Health Finance and Policy Committee. Look for an action alert to make your voice heard on this crucial issue.

Senator Rand Paul Asks Crucial Questions About "Gender Transition" for Minors, Gets Accused of "Transphobia"

Remember when Minnesota Family Council was suspended from Twitter for a week for correctly identifying Dr. Rachel Levine as a man who identifies as a woman? This week it was Senator Rand Paul's (R-KY) turn to attract heat for asking Dr. Levine a perfectly reasonable question during his hearings to be confirmed as Deputy HHS Secretary. 

SENATOR PAUL: Dr. Levine, do you believe that minors are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one’s sex?

DR. LEVINE: Well, Senator thank you for your interest in this question. Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care that have been developed. And if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of Health, I will look forward to working with you and your office and coming to your office and discussing the particulars of the standards of care for transgender medicine.

Not content with evading the question once, Levine refused to answer when the question was put again, repeating almost the exact same non-answer.

SENATOR PAUL: Will you make a more firm decision on whether or not minors should be involved in these decisions?

DR. LEVINE: Senator, transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field. And if confirmed to the position of Assistant Secretary of Health, I would certainly be pleased to come to your office and talk with you and your staff about the standards of care and the complexity of this field.

But, as you can see from the screenshots of news coverage above, it was Senator Paul's reasonable question on the life-altering and damaging nature of "gender transition" for minors , rather than Dr. Levine's evasion, that attracted the ire of the news media, who referred to Senator Paul's question as a "transphobic attack" and an "inflammatory question."

We're grateful for Senator Paul and other leaders who had the courage to pursue this line of questioning, which is crucial for Biden's health appointees to answer. Dr. Levine has showed by his evasion that he is not qualified to keep children safe from predatory medicine in the role of Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services.

Gallup: 1 in 6 Young Adults Identify as LGBT

Recent research from Gallup found that 5.6% of the US population identifies as LGBT, representing a 4.5% increase from 2017, the last year that Gallup collected data on this. Gallup Research points out that one of the reasons for this rise is that Generation Z is more likely to identify as LGBT than older generations. Currently, one in six Gen Zers identify as LGBT.

Of that one in six, 72% say that they are bisexual. Abigail Shrier has pointed out the way that LGBT-affirming curriculum in schools often reduces maleness and femaleness to rigid stereotypes, leading many students to embrace an LGBT identity because they do not feel like they fit those stereotypes. Shrier writes,

All this purported education encourages adolescents to focus relentlessly on their own gender identities and sexual orientations. It encourages students to look constantly for landmark feelings or impulses, anything that might point toward “genderfluid,” “genderqueer,” “asexual,” or “non-binary.” And it encourages the subtle formation of two camps: us and them. The imaginary divide between those who fit perfectly into cartoonish gender stereotypes and those who don’t. The dauntless young, who welcome different gender identities and sexual orientations, versus their phobic elders, who don’t.

When male and female are reduced to cartoonish stereotypes and students are encouraged to constantly question their identity and sexuality, students are likely to fixate on the slightest indication that they might be LGBT, even if they are attracted to members of the opposite sex. Given this, it’s not surprising that nearly three-quarters of young adults who identify as LGBT describe themselves as bisexual.

Gallup’s research also indicated an 800% increase in young people identifying as transgender. This uptick is consistent with the observations of researchers and journalists who have been pointing out the alarming rise of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD.) Typically, gender dysphoria emerges around the ages of 2-4 and primarily affects boys. In recent years, however, the number of adolescent girls suddenly pursuing gender “transition” has skyrocketed, leading several researchers to point out that this looks more like a craze than typical gender dysphoria.

 Thank you for sharing Minnesota Family Council’s vision for strong families, communities and culture through Christ. As we rise to meet challenges at the state and federal level, we need your support now more than ever. Click here to give now. We are grateful for your partnership with us through prayer and financial support.

For life, family, and religious freedom,