REMINDER: Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) will be meeting to discuss the proposed Transgender Student Athlete Policy TOMORROW and will vote on the policy on THURSDAY!
If you haven't had the chance to take steps 1-5 below under "What Can I Do? What Should I Do?" please do so before tomorrow afternoon!
Time is running out!
Do you have children or grandchildren who are student athletes? This proposed policy WILL affect them.
MSHSL (and OutFront Minnesota, the LGBT advocacy organization that helped draft the policy) is attempting to define this policy as a local, school-based policy. How can that be true when their policy will impact EVERY school that participates in state athletics in Minnesota, and then the SCHOOLS will be the ones who have to bear the weight of the effects of the policy on all their students?
Let's speak truth in love NOW! MSHSL Board members need to hear from you that this policy is WRONG for our children's schools.
Please take some time to read more below and then join us in speaking out in love by taking at least 1 of the 5 actions steps if you haven't already.
#TruthInLove
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A teenage boy showering next to your 14-year-old daughter? |
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A teenage girl sharing a hotel room with your
15-year-old boy...on a school-sponsored trip? |
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A teenage boy takes your daughter’s spot on her
basketball team and goes on to win an athletic award intended for girls? |
Sadly, this isn’t something that can happen only in
California—it’s about to happen right HERE, in Minnesota (no, really, it is), unless
we (the body of Christ) stand together to DO something about it.
Let us explain—we promise it will be worth your time—and
your children’s time.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
The Minnesota State
High School League (the organization all schools, including private Christian
schools, must be members of in order to compete in state athletics) is working
directly with OutFront Minnesota on a Transgender Student Athlete Policy that
will allow boys who identify as girls to play on girls’ sports teams and girls
who identify as boys to play on boys’ sports teams. This also means that boys
and girls can have access to the same showers, locker rooms, bathrooms, and
hotel rooms as the opposite sex.
Remember OutFront Minnesota?
They’re the state’s largest LGBT advocacy organization—the same group
that brought us same-sex “marriage”
last year, the bullying bill this
year (designed by OutFront and the national Gay Lesbian Straight Education
Network to provide special protections for LGBT students above and beyond other
students), and a massive public
relations campaign to ensure that anyone who disagrees with the LGBT agenda is labeled “intolerant, homophobic, or anti-love.”
The irony here is that the Minnesota State High School
League (MSHSL) states that one of its founding purposes is:
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To protect youth, member
schools and their personnel from exploitation by special interest groups.
__________________________________
If working directly with an agenda-driven LGBT advocacy group to create a policy for every school competing in state athletics isn't exploitation by a special interest group, we're not sure what is...
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS TRANSGENDER POLICY?
-Talking Points-
- Such a policy is NOT (repeat NOT) required under state or federal
law.
- This policy will affect both public AND private schools--and HOMESCHOOLED students who participate in public or private school athletics. There is NO
exemption for religious schools or religious students.
- The policy allows transgender boys to play on girls’ sports teams
and transgender girls to play on boys’ teams with no safety provisions for
physical disparities.
- Transgender boys can access girls’ locker rooms, showers, bathrooms,
and hotel rooms (and vice versa).
- The policy requires privacy accommodations for transgender students,
but the protection of non-transgender students’ privacy rights is not required.
- The policy basically puts an unfunded mandate on
all schools, requiring “Transgender Sensitivity Training” for school staff,
parents, students, and others…
- The policy leaves schools vulnerable to
lawsuits for violations of students’ and parents’ rights and religious
freedom rights.
- The process for developing this policy has lacked transparency,
bringing only one viewpoint to the table, despite requests and offers for
participation from other viewpoints.
WHAT’S THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE?
That’s easy—LOVE. The
Christian response should always be one of love because we serve the God who IS
Love and Who BECAME Love in the flesh.
And Love doesn’t lie. Being loving means always speaking the
truth—in love (Eph. 4:15). Love never rejoices in wrongdoing—it rejoices in
TRUTH (1 Cor. 13:6).
Responding in love means there’s no room for the follower of
Jesus to disregard the pain of those struggling with their gender identity.
Responding in love certainly also means that there’s no room for the follower
of Jesus to help spread the lie that because you “feel deeply internally” that
you are a girl makes you a girl when God fearfully and wonderfully made you a
boy in His own image (Psalm 139:14)!
And, when it comes to children, we have an even greater duty
to protect and ensure that they are not being fed lies that will harm them.
Jesus said it would be better for us to drown than to cause one of His children
to stumble and sin! (Matthew 18:5-6)
Part of Turning the Lights Back On in Minnesota this year
means letting YOUR light shine—speaking the truth in LOVE.
Join us as we help shed light and truth on the harm this
policy will cause to our kids, our schools, and our ability to speak the Truth
about who God designed us to be.
#LightsOnMN #TruthInLove
WHAT CAN I DO? WHAT
SHOULD I DO?
Well, the answer depends on how much time you can give and how much you care about the effect this issue will have on your kids. Please select from the options below.
1. I have 1 minute.
Before Oct. 1st, sign onto THIS PETITION urging Minnesota State High School League to reject the proposed transgender policy!
(Our friends at Minnesota Catholic Conference developed this petition as an easy way for Minnesotans to speak out against the policy to the High School League. Thanks MNCC!)
2. I have 3 minutes.
Complete #1 above, AND:
Before Oct. 1st, please call or email the Minnesota State High School League Board member who represents your area and/or school. We've listed them at the bottom of this email for you.
Simply find your area/school and match with the corresponding Board member. Urge them to reject the proposed transgender policy. Use our talking points above if you'd like!
3. I have 6-10 minutes.
Complete #1 and #2 above AND:
Before Oct. 1st, call your child's school. Speak with the Superintendent, Principal or Vice Principal, or Athletic/Activities Director.
Let them know about the Minnesota State High School League's proposed policy and urge the school to speak to their High School League Board member who represents them.
The High School League is not hearing from its member schools--either because the schools are not aware of what's going on or are uncertain about speaking out. Be the voice of truth and courage!
4. I have 15 minutes.
Complete #1, #2 and #3 above AND:
Before Oct. 1st, take a few moments to spread the word to others you know by calling or using email and social media. Urge them to complete steps 1-3 too!
Use #LightsOnMN and #TruthInLove in your tweets!
Feel free to simply forward this email.
5. I have 1 hour or more.
Complete #1-4 above AND:
Please take some time to attend the meeting MSHSL will be holding at their office to discuss the proposed transgender policy. MSHSL will be taking comments (only 3-5 minutes per person) from the public. Feel free to use our talking points to prepare your remarks!
Hope to see you there!
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 1st, 3PM-5PM
WHERE: MSHSL office 2100 Freeway Boulevard Brooklyn Center, MN 55430-1735
Stay tuned for future email alerts with Education-related information--and our new Education Resource page on our BRAND NEW WEBSITE coming soon! We hope this will be an easy-to-use resource for you and your family.
Please help us continue our work to turn the lights back on in Minnesota by keeping you and your family informed about what's going on in the world of Education--and how it will affect your kids and your family.
Will you consider a gift to us today to help turn the lights back on?
#LightsOnMN #TruthInLove
FIND YOUR MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE BOARD MEMBER:
Schools are listed in alphabetical order under the Board Member who represents them and their administrative region.
OR view the MSHSL Board Handbook HERE online and then search for your representative board member HERE on the MSHSL website.
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