Fiddling While Rome Burns

Slipping under the radar screen this week, amidst the reports of celebrity deaths and a possible war with North Korea, was the re-introduction of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (EDNA) by Rep. Barney Frank, D-MA.  Joining him in re-introducing this measure were several New Jersey politicians including Rep. Rob Andrews, D-Haddon Heights, and Rep. Leonard Lance, R-Clinton Twp.

Simply put, EDNA would extend federal employment laws - which currently prevent job discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin, age and disability – to also cover “sexual orientation and gender identity.”  In other words, in addition to gays and lesbians, transsexuals and cross-dressers would be granted federally protected minority status.

Now, no one that I know of is in favor of discrimination.  However, including deviant human behavior along with such factors as race, age and religion would set a dangerous precedent.  And before you get angry with me for that categorization, please understand that I am merely quoting the American Psychiatric Association, which classifies “gender identity disorder” as a treatable mental illness.

Let me describe for you some of the potential dangers of EDNA.  I have been involved in prison ministry for more than 23 years, but last year was the first time I had the opportunity to visit a female institution.  I accompanied a women’s volleyball team from our organization to a prison in another state and upon entering the gym, I was surprised to discover two male inmates present.  They looked like average males in their early 20’s and both of them displayed genuine athletic ability.  In fact, one of them actually dunked a volleyball during the intermission.

What were two male prisoners doing playing volleyball in a female institution?  Well, apparently they had decided that their “real” gender identity was female and so, the Department of Corrections had transferred them from a male facility to a female one.  On top of that, they had been issued female undergarments to wear including training bras.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this whole episode was that both of these men were receiving female hormone injections to assist with their sex-change.  Now, guess who was paying for these treatments?  Bingo, Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer!

I have also heard of juvenile institutions in another state where young men are allowed to decide what their gender identity is on any given day.  Once again, these young men are issued the appropriate undergarments and the correctional officers are required to address them by their male or female name, depending on that day’s gender identity.  However, if their gender identity changes the following day, the old undergarments are replaced by new ones, their official name is changed, and so on.

At what point is all of this madness going to stop?  And when will taxpayers stand up and say, enough is enough?  More importantly, when will our officeholders – who are supposed to be representing our interests in Trenton and Washington – stop pandering to liberal lobbyists and their radical agendas?

Pick up any newspaper and you can read about how U.S. servicemen and women are risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Turn the page and see that North Korea and Iran are preparing to launch missiles, perhaps with nuclear warheads.  Then visit the financial section and read the gloomy economic forecasts.

While America is at war on two fronts and we continue to be mired in the depths of the worst recession in several generations, what is our local congressman doing to help solve these problems?  Rep. Andrews, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, plans to hold hearings on cross-dressers’ rights in the workplace, just like he did last summer.

Meanwhile, Rome burns all around him.