For nearly 15 years, this broadcast has sought to inform, to entertain and to call to action. Today’s broadcast is a call to action.
As you know, earlier this year, the Obama administration threatened all schools in America with a loss of Federal dollars if they don’t allow boys who think they’re girls to use girls’ restrooms and locker rooms, play on girls’ sports teams and stay in the same hotel rooms when the sports teams travel. The directive also stipulates that it is discriminatory to ask for any kind of proof that the boy actually believes he’s a girl. If he says he is, then he’s in. Period. End of discussion. The Montana Family Foundation commissioned a large and expensive state-wide poll to determine the public’s attitude on the issue. Not surprisingly, Montanans of every persuasion think it’s a bad idea. In total, 62% opposed the directive, while only 29% supported it. When we dug into the data, we found some interesting surprises. Those parents with children 6 to 11 years old oppose the directive by 85%; those with children 12 to 17 by 74%; and those with children 18 to 22 also oppose it by 74%. 67% believe the directive has the potential to ruin girls’ sports and negate the protections guaranteed under Title IX. They believe it’s not fair to force girls to compete with boys, who may be taller and heavier-muscled, and they may have a point. Recently in Alaska, a girl lost her chance to compete at the state track tournament because a boy who claims he’s a girl took her place. And what about privacy? The University of Toronto recently scrapped a plan allowing boys who claimed to be transgender to use the girls’ restrooms because of too many incidents of boys taking pictures over the tops of stalls. The same thing happened at a Target store in Idaho Falls earlier this month when a man who claimed to be transgender was arrested for secretly taking pictures of an 18-year old girl in the changing rooms. It’s a case of political correctness run amok, and it’s coming to your child’s school this fall if we don’t stop it.
This week we sent out two press releases, one describing the details of the poll and the second describing our effort to get elected officials and candidates to sign our pledge to do everything in their power to stop the implementation of this directive. Check out the Great Falls Tribune for two well-written articles.
We have done what we can to get the word out. Now it’s your turn. If you care about Montana’s kids, it’s time to call Governor Steve Bullock, Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau, and your local school board. Tell them to protect our kids and stop the implementation of this directive. Tell them it’s nothing but heavy-handed Federal overreach. While you’re at it, call your local candidates and encourage them to sign our pledge. Copies were sent out to all candidates for legislature, governor, OPI, attorney general and the Supreme Court. You can see who signed the pledge and the poll results on our website at montanafamily.org. This is a perfect project for your local PTA. Someone needs to step up to protect our kids and if not us, then who?
