By Sarah E. Murphy
Back in March, three members of the Falmouth (Massachusetts) Republican Town Committee held a public meeting at Gus Canty Community Center in Falmouth about their proposed Bill H.2042 (HD. 2535), “An Act Relative To Child Protection.” The Bill seeks to remove the last line of a Massachusetts law already in place with the specific intent to protect children – MA General Law 272 – which would remove protections for school librarians, sex ed teachers, public librarians, museum educators, and book sellers in relation to materials potentially deemed “obscene.”
A subcommittee hearing on this bill will be held on Tuesday, June 10, from 1-5 pm. You can sign up to testify remotely, but the deadline is tomorrow, Monday, June 9, at noon.
Click here to sign up:
You can also offer your expertise and insight on this issue in-person.
Your voice is needed, especially if you’re an educator, librarian, or book seller.
The bill was presented by request by State Representative David Vieira (R-Falmouth), who has stated he does not support the bill.
I haven’t had time to write a full recap of that evening, especially since I have other writing jobs that pay my bills, and I’ve been too busy protesting the daily onslaught of attacks on our freedom. I have much more to write about this issue, and this particular event, and will, but in the interest of time, this is the sentence that Pam Vidal, Susan C. Daniels, and Diane Sue “Dee Dee” Dorrington are seeking to remove:
“It shall also be a defense in a prosecution under this section if the evidence proves that the defendant was a bona fide school, museum, or library, or was acting in the course of his employment as an employee of such organization or of a retail outlet affiliated with and serving the educational purpose of such organization.”
I covered hundreds of public meetings and events throughout my career as a local reporter for The Bulletin (Wicked Local Falmouth), and I can objectively say I’ve never attended anything that offered less substantive evidence in relation to a topic.
Let’s stop with the pretense. This isn’t about protection. It’s about persecution – the trusted, educated experts who work with our children – and it’s about prejudice. I did a quick perusal of Ms. Dorrington’s public Facebook page prior to the event, which showcased an array of anti-Trans hatred and propaganda, which I brought up at the public meeting. We all know what this is about.
Despite what I’ve read on social media, this bill doesn’t merely represent three nameless individuals and we can’t get distracted by that inaccurate depiction. Pam Vidal, Susan C. Daniels, and Diane Sue “Dee Dee” Dorrington are members of the Falmouth community, and they have widespread support for this effort, both online and from local conservative media. One of the women who volunteered at the Gus Canty event waited on me at a Main Street restaurant in the weeks after this event on two occasions. While I was polite and gave her an appropriate tip, it was a reminder that this mindset is all over my community, whether overt or not. I’ve also chosen to no longer patronize that establishment.
This bill doesn’t represent a small minority in Falmouth but rather an undercurrent of hatred. A black wave in my seaside town.
I’ve experienced it up close and personally, particularly when angry white people chided me in October 2024, some giving us the finger, telling the peaceful group we should be “ashamed of ourselves” at Peg Noonan Park in October 2024 as I proudly stood up for reproductive freedom one last time before the November election.
There are people in the Famouth community who believe our children are safer in our schools with School Resource Officers (SROs) in the event of a school shooting who are equally vocal with their opposition to the LGBTQ+ community. I see it on our community “discussion” page all the time, and I’m often shocked by what I read. Children learn to be bullies from adults who model that behavior. A child who does not feel safe to be their own authentic self is already at-risk, and no child can thrive in an educational setting if they are prevented from doing so.
In Falmouth Public Schools, we support and promote the success of every child, every day. It’s part of our mission statement. To do anything otherwise is hypocritical and antithetical.
Falmouth is a self-proclaimed community of No Guff and PeaceBuilders, A No Place For Hate Community. Gus Canty is hosting a Falmouth Pride Block Party in collaboration with PFLAG Cape Cod this Friday, June 13, so what kind of mixed message are we sending children when that same community building hosts a discussion about attacking and eliminating personal freedom? We claim to be a place of acceptance, so let’s prove it, not just during Pride Month.
If you’re a constituent of Rep. David Vieira in the 3rd Barnstable District, and this doesn’t represent the Falmouth you believe in, I urge you to contact him with your concerns.
District Office:
508-548-8683
State House:
617-722-2230
Email:
David. Vieira@mahouse.gov
Click here for full text of the Bill:
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/HD2535
Falmouth Style 
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