Subject: strictly fyi: RIGHT WING WATCH
From: Ryan Schwartz <ryan@hummingbirdink.com>
Date: 12/20/2011 3:15 PM
To: NEWS@safeschoolscoalition.org

Dear Safe Schools Coalition Members and Friends:

Happy Holidays!

1. Campaign for constitutional amendment for "parental rights" anchored in opposition to LGBT-inclusive education
2. California groups file five initiatives to remove LGBT-inclusive education
3. Rick Santorum says marriage equality will affect curriculum
4. 
New Media Matters research asks why TV networks promote anti-gay research
5. 
Thomas Moore Law Center lawsuit sparks vulgar threats to school district

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1. Campaign for constitutional amendment for "parental rights" anchored in LGBT-inclusive education
A new national campaign is underway to create a constitutional amendment to protect "parental rights." The founders of http://www.parentalrights.org are working to build support for a US refusal of the UN's convention of the rights of the child and an adoption of a constitutional amendment declaring a fundamental right of parents to have liberty over the upraising of their children. The campaign has released a short film featuring three examples of how they see the erosion of parental rights, one of which concerns children learning about LGBT people in classroom curricula. One of their main talking points is also about SB48, the California law that requires positive representations of LGBT people and other minorities. To date, the group says they have collected over 250,000 signatures

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2. California groups file five initiatives to remove LGBT-inclusive education
As the San Diego Gay and Lesbian News reports, five different voter initiatives have been filed in California against the LGBT-inclusive FAIR Education Act. The approaches differ in their approach and include striking down the law entirely, amending it to only include ethnic minorities, and giving full jurisdiction over curriculum decisions to local school boards. A previous attempt at a referendum regarding the new law failed to gain enough signatures, and now anti-gay groups are hoping they can put the issue on the ballot next year. 

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3. Rick Santorum says marriage equality will affect curriculum
At an education forum in Iowa, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said marriage equality will result in school children learning values opposed by their parents. As part of the forum, he also said he would eliminate all federal education mandates and funding. 

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4. New Media Matters research asks why TV networks promote anti-gay research
A new Media Matters report asks why some anti-gay groups listed as 'hate groups' by the Southern Poverty Law Center are receiving regular invitations to appear on national television to comment on LGBT issues.  For example, since the Family Research council was listed as a hate group a little over a year ago, their spokespeople have made 52 television appearances, speaking about everything from anti-bullying legislation to hate crimes laws. Not surprisingly, Fox News has hosted the most appearances, but CNN and MSNBC are not far behind.

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5. Thomas Moore Law Center lawsuit sparks vulgar threats to school district
The Thomas Moore Law Center has filed a lawsuitagainst Howell Public Schools in Michigan on behalf of a student who was removed from class after making anti-gay statements. The district has yet to comment on the lawsuit, but did say their staff has been inundated with vulgar, threatening calls because of misinformation in the suit.


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