Lexington C.A.R.E.S.Get ready, Lexington! The folks from several anti-gay statewide groups including the Massachusetts Family Institute are quietly organizing several concurrent events throughout town next week in support of David Parker. To me, it looks like there will be an effort to make it appear that Mr. Parker has lots of local support, for these are the same groups that brought people into Boston from all over the state to anti-gay rallies during the debate on the gay marriage constitutional amendment. I expect they'll do something similar in this case.
Mr. Parker is the Estabrook parent who insisted on being arrested because he was unsuccessful in his effort last April to change the public schools' inclusive classrooms into ones more in tune with his religiously-justified anti-gay perspective. While he says he's not anti-gay, his demands would teach all kids in Lexington that some families, the ones with gay parents, aren't as "good" as the rest of the families.
If you are in town during the events, stop by and ask several participants where they are from. Despite their efforts to obscure the connection to these statewide groups, my bet is that you'll discover that, in addition to the usual small group of local people who have been present at other Parker events, most of the protesters are not from Lexington, but have come from outside our town in order to give the appearance that Mr. Parker has a groundswell of support here in town.
So expect to see quite a few people and their banners, but don't be mislead: They aren't here because they care about our children, and most of them are not from Lexington. They are here hoping to stoke the embers of an anti-tolerance, anti-inclusion movement in order to advance a larger agenda. As with the Phelps folks, who also came to town because of Mr. Parker, we'll be better off when they are gone.
Ellen McCullough
Payson Street