A simple resolution to recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives was halted by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican representing Butler. Why? Because, he said, “It has a homosexual agenda.”
No, I’m not making this up. Here is the rest of the quote from his remarks on the House floor, objecting to the resolution: “I protest, this is not non-controversial, and if you read the language it has a homosexual agenda.”1
On the same day, also on the House floor, he made matters worse. The House was about to vote on increasing marriage license fees from $3 to $28, with the increased amount going to a fund for victims of domestic abuse. Metcalfe opposed the measure, calling the funding a domestic violence programs “a slap in the face to family values.”2 The bill passed despite his outrageous claim.
Rep. Metcalfe clearly has a problem with preventing domestic violence in Pennsylvania. He also has a problem with LGBT people and other minorities trying to assert and protect their rights.
We say “Enough of Metcalfe’s bigotry and ignorance!” Join people from all over Pennsylvania is demanding that he allow a vote of the resolution recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month and that he should apologize for his insensitive remarks.
Click here to send him your message. http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/speakout/pametcalfe1
Domestic violence is a serious problem that needs our attention. According to the resolution that the House was considering3:
· One in every four women and one in every nine men will experience domestic violence in his or her lifetime.
· One in six women and one in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape.
· Approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States.
· Thirty percent to 60% of perpetrators of intimate partner violence also abuse children in the home.
· Intimate partner violence results in more than 18.5 million mental health care visits each year.
· The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services.
Please take action now to tell Rep. Metcalfe what you think. Then forward this to everyone you know and ask them to write to Metcalfe. http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/speakout/pametcalfe1
Michael Morrill and the Keystone Progress Team
1 CapitolWire, September 17, 2009
2 ibid
3 Here’s the entire text of the resolution that Metcalfe killed. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2009&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=R&billNbr=0105&pn=0738
4 comments:
This is more of the same sort of rhetoric that makes so many people tired of both sides of the issues. For Rep. Metcalfe to trash the whole bill is overhype, but so is your response to it.
His opposition to the bill is clearly based on the inclusion of same-sex couples as part of the potential "clientelle" for the domestic abuse monies.
If you simply said that, I would still support the bill and oppose his opposition to it. But to try to spin his position as being in favor of domestic abuse is just manipulative and dishonest. It's simply not necessary to twist him into some straw man caricature.
I don't enjoy this sort of political bs from people that I fundamentally agree with- probably even less, since this distortion will of course be used by Metcalfe and his supporteres to whip up support for their side of the issue.
I didn't see any "spinning" in the post claiming that Metcalfe was in "favor of domestic abuse." I think the post laid out the facts pretty well and let Metcalfe's awful actions speak for themselves, regardless of whether we're talking about heteros or LGBT individuals.
HELP J. S. Huntlands raise awareness of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Order this book on line or at your local book store
Title: Nick Twisted Minds
Author: J. S. Huntlands
Synopsis
A quiet and studious young lady, ‘Tanya’ causes very little difficulty for her parents. Responsible and well grounded, she maintains modest goals. Possessing a sparse romantic history, she is quite pleased when she meets a man named ‘Nick’ through a mutual friend. Before long the pair begins dating and find each other highly attractive. Believing that her new love embodies many of the traits she so highly values, Tanya agrees to cohabitate with Nick. Unfortunately, she finds herself pregnant and soon discovers that who she thought was the love of her life has been far less than forthright. To her great dismay, this revelation begins a downward spiral from which her very existance is threatened.
His statements are really very strange.
Winstrol
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