(HARRISBURG, PA) Today, the PA House Judiciary Committee passed, by a 12-9 party-line vote, several bills that would have a chilling effect on individual freedoms and lead to weaponizing the current cancel culture.
“These are some of the most dangerous pieces of legislation that I’ve ever seen,” states Judge Cheryl Allen, former Superior Court Judge with 25 years of judicial experience in Pennsylvania’s court system. “This new package of bills has the potential to completely cancel an individual and weaponize the criminal court system.”
The package of bills by Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), House Bills 1024 – 1027, would create a new arbitrary system of wide-reaching criminal penalties that threaten Pennsylvania citizens. These proposals could demonize and even blacklist those who hold opposing views on areas of sexuality, marriage, and what it means to be male and female. This is state-sanctioned discrimination in some of its worst forms.
Under Rep. Frankel’s proposed bills, not only may someone face criminal and civil penalties, but they may face unlimited hours of undefined sensitivity training.
Examples of how House Bills 1024 – 1027 would impact Pennsylvania citizens include:
- A middle school student who wears a t-shirt to school with a message that reads, “There are only two genders.” Someone could make a report that they suffered a dignitary harm and were made to feel unsafe, resulting in a possible investigation and charge under this new bill.
- A parent who speaks out at a school board meeting in objection to sexually-explicit school curriculum could be reported and investigated if the school board member or anyone in the audience takes offense.
- A high school girl who asks a biological boy who identifies as a girl to leave their girls-only locker room could be subjected to a harassment investigation and worse.
“These bills would unjustly target many Pennsylvania citizens,” says Randall Wenger, Chief Counsel of the Pennsylvania Family Institute. “In a free society we should respect everyone. That includes respecting the freedom of expression for people to disagree on important issues. We shouldn’t give tools to investigate and cancel people for their beliefs.”
Each bill passed the PA House Judiciary Committee by a party-line vote, 12 Democrat yes votes to nine Republican no votes. The bills may be voted on by the full PA House of Representatives as early as the next House session week, which begins on Monday, June 5th.
Take Action: Contact your State Representative and ask for their no vote on this problematic package of bills.
