Paul A. Ibbetson
A sinful decision made in Lawrence, Kansas
By Paul A. Ibbetson
City officials have just passed the most liberal pro-homosexual bill in Kansas history, well almost. In reality, they are the second city to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance that makes individuals with gender-identity issues part of a protected class. The city of Manhattan, Kansas, recently passed a very similar ordinance on a liberal 3-2 vote in the City's Council. Despite heavy citizen opposition, the Manhattan ordinance went into effect, and it took an election that put Tea Party conservative candidates in office for that ordinance to be repealed. Lawrence, Kansas will now go down a similar road, and reap the negative whirlwind that Manhattan, Kansas, narrowly avoided.
Looking at this ordinance change in Lawrence from a legal standpoint, the city has unwittingly opened the door for massive legal battles that they are poorly equipped to handle. There are two fundamental reasons why the Lawrence City Government made such a terrible decision and passed this ordinance change. First, after being lobbied by pro-homosexual advocacy groups in Kansas, liberal council members in Lawrence were duped into thinking they would be helping the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) community by creating an ordinance that will in fact only bring civil discord, public distrust, and lay a legal mind field for the City's court system to deal with for years to come. Why? The answer is found in debunking the common red herring argument offered by the homosexual advocacy groups, namely that the transgender community suffers the same discrimination as African Americans did in the 1960s.
Anti-discrimination laws were written and enacted in part to prevent discrimination against individuals with certain "immutable" or unchangeable qualities, such as skin color. The skin color of a minority citizen, however, remains the same from day to day, while those individuals with gender identity disorder are often in a constant state of flux on how they perceive their own gender identity within each situation in life they have to address. When will a person with this disorder agree they are being treated fairly by members of the community on issues of housing and accommodation, and when will they decide they need to start a court proceeding for discrimination? That decision now is based on the interpretation of the new ordinance created in Lawrence. The truth is that no one can answer this question; not city officials, not business owners or mainstream citizens of the community. Thanks to the new alteration in the ordinance, Lawrence, Kansas, now will be playing a city-wide game of Russian roulette, and thanks to City officials, most of the chambers are full.
The American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders lists gender disorder as an Axis 1 mental disorder alongside schizophrenia and bipolarism with a recommendation of therapy. Lawrence officials have now placed these individuals in charge of their city. Problems like these are why the City's Human Relations Committee twice voted not to adopt such an ordinance. If the legal ramifications of this ill thought-out municipal decision have not as yet hit home, the homosexual pressure groups will soon make it crystal clear. The court docket will need to become full for any continuation of the argument that any more cities in Kansas need to make radical alterations to their anti-discrimination ordinances.
The second reason Lawrence officials have made a terrible decision in this case is that they have declared in unequivocal terms to the Christian majority of the community that the Biblical values by which Kansas proudly operates under have no meaning within the Lawrence city limits. City officials have done far worse than just turning their backs on traditional values; they are serving up the Christian majority of their community to the lions of the court system.
Think about it. Which citizens or business owners in the community will be most likely to oppose a 250lb man in a wig and sundress wishing to follow a 5 year old girl into a restaurant bathroom? Since both Lawrence and Manhattan had no history of complaints or abuses against members of this special interest group, the purpose of making such radical changes to the existing law has nothing to do with decreasing discrimination. It will just increase the homosexual agenda.
Indeed, the decision by Lawrence city officials to make individuals with gender identity disorder a protected class was nothing short of sinful and an act that the people of Lawrence will soon come to regret.
© Paul A. Ibbetson
October 8, 2011
City officials have just passed the most liberal pro-homosexual bill in Kansas history, well almost. In reality, they are the second city to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance that makes individuals with gender-identity issues part of a protected class. The city of Manhattan, Kansas, recently passed a very similar ordinance on a liberal 3-2 vote in the City's Council. Despite heavy citizen opposition, the Manhattan ordinance went into effect, and it took an election that put Tea Party conservative candidates in office for that ordinance to be repealed. Lawrence, Kansas will now go down a similar road, and reap the negative whirlwind that Manhattan, Kansas, narrowly avoided.
Looking at this ordinance change in Lawrence from a legal standpoint, the city has unwittingly opened the door for massive legal battles that they are poorly equipped to handle. There are two fundamental reasons why the Lawrence City Government made such a terrible decision and passed this ordinance change. First, after being lobbied by pro-homosexual advocacy groups in Kansas, liberal council members in Lawrence were duped into thinking they would be helping the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) community by creating an ordinance that will in fact only bring civil discord, public distrust, and lay a legal mind field for the City's court system to deal with for years to come. Why? The answer is found in debunking the common red herring argument offered by the homosexual advocacy groups, namely that the transgender community suffers the same discrimination as African Americans did in the 1960s.
Anti-discrimination laws were written and enacted in part to prevent discrimination against individuals with certain "immutable" or unchangeable qualities, such as skin color. The skin color of a minority citizen, however, remains the same from day to day, while those individuals with gender identity disorder are often in a constant state of flux on how they perceive their own gender identity within each situation in life they have to address. When will a person with this disorder agree they are being treated fairly by members of the community on issues of housing and accommodation, and when will they decide they need to start a court proceeding for discrimination? That decision now is based on the interpretation of the new ordinance created in Lawrence. The truth is that no one can answer this question; not city officials, not business owners or mainstream citizens of the community. Thanks to the new alteration in the ordinance, Lawrence, Kansas, now will be playing a city-wide game of Russian roulette, and thanks to City officials, most of the chambers are full.
The American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders lists gender disorder as an Axis 1 mental disorder alongside schizophrenia and bipolarism with a recommendation of therapy. Lawrence officials have now placed these individuals in charge of their city. Problems like these are why the City's Human Relations Committee twice voted not to adopt such an ordinance. If the legal ramifications of this ill thought-out municipal decision have not as yet hit home, the homosexual pressure groups will soon make it crystal clear. The court docket will need to become full for any continuation of the argument that any more cities in Kansas need to make radical alterations to their anti-discrimination ordinances.
The second reason Lawrence officials have made a terrible decision in this case is that they have declared in unequivocal terms to the Christian majority of the community that the Biblical values by which Kansas proudly operates under have no meaning within the Lawrence city limits. City officials have done far worse than just turning their backs on traditional values; they are serving up the Christian majority of their community to the lions of the court system.
Think about it. Which citizens or business owners in the community will be most likely to oppose a 250lb man in a wig and sundress wishing to follow a 5 year old girl into a restaurant bathroom? Since both Lawrence and Manhattan had no history of complaints or abuses against members of this special interest group, the purpose of making such radical changes to the existing law has nothing to do with decreasing discrimination. It will just increase the homosexual agenda.
Indeed, the decision by Lawrence city officials to make individuals with gender identity disorder a protected class was nothing short of sinful and an act that the people of Lawrence will soon come to regret.
© Paul A. Ibbetson
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