SACRAMENTO, Calif. – State lawmakers staged a “domestic revolt” Monday, some donning kitchen aprons and scarlet “M’s” to protest the Rev. Ralph Drollinger, who characterized female legislators with young children at home as sinners.
Democratic Sen. Debra Bowen went barefoot on the Senate floor, bringing along a toaster and other kitchen accessories to her desk.
“Today, I’ll be serving up a billion dollars in savings for PG&E customers, identity theft legislation … along with bacon and eggs, getting my shopping list together and preparing to can,” she said.
State legislators were offended by what the Rev. Ralph Drollinger, who leads a Bible study class for lawmakers, wrote during a Bible lesson in April.
“It is one thing for a mother to work out of her home while her children are in school,” wrote Drollinger. “It is quite another matter to have children in the home and live away in Sacramento for four days a week. Whereas the former could be in keeping with the spirit of Proverbs 31, the latter is sinful.”
About a dozen male and female senators joined Monday’s protest, including Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, who presided over the Senate wearing a pink flowered apron.
The Bible says God has given men and women different roles, Drollinger said. “Man’s is, primarily, to be a breadwinner, and women’s is to be at home nurturing their children.
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