Found on Social Media Gloria Christ
Homosexuality and the Schools
THE PROMOTION OF HOMOSEXUALITY in public schools has become increasingly common. Gay activists and even educators see this as a civil rights issue. Others see it as a safety issue. And these tactics have been successful—who would be against making the public schools a safer environment?
Many of the school and university programs that are used to promote the homosexual agenda spread myths about the homosexual lifestyle. That's why it is important to know the truth about homosexual behavior.
What Are Some of the Myths Being Spread About Homosexuality?
Students hear lots of false information about homosexuality from media and education. Here we will look at four common myths that are often repeated in school programs promoting the gay lifestyle. It is important to know what they are and how to respond to them.
Myth #1: "Homosexuality Is Normal and Healthy."
This is simply not true. Basic biology contradicts this. Males and females were designed to complement each other both physically and psychologically.
Engaging in homosexual behavior is not a healthy activity. Numerous studies show that those students who do engage in homosexual behavior are a much greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS; alcoholism and drug abuse; depression; emotionally exhausting relationships; and a shortened lifespan.
Myth #2: "If You're Attracted to Someone of the Same Sex, Then That Means You're Gay or Lesbian."
Having feelings toward someone of the opposite sex does not necessarily mean you are homosexual. Rather, it may reveal certain unmet needs for love and attention. These should have been met earlier in life but were not. Having emotional feelings toward other people, of both sexes, is also a normal part of adolescent development, a normal part of transitioning emotionally from childhood to adulthood.
Myth #3: "You Were Born Gay, so You Can't Change."
As we will see in the next chapter, there is no scientific evidence that anyone is born gay. This claim has been made so often that most people tend to believe it. But the evidence of science contradicts the first assumption. Christian counseling also contradicts this conclusion. Thousands of people who were once gay have experienced real and significant changes in their attractions and behavior. Change in sexual feelings is possible.
Myth #4: "Embrace Your Homosexuality Because Gay Life Is Cool."
For many homosexuals, the gay lifestyle is not gay (fun). Those in ministry to homosexuals have heard many heartbreaking stories about the dark side of intense and difficult relationships, relational patterns of disillusionment and breakups, and physical and emotional unhealthiness. Countless people say they wish they had never entered the gay community in the first place, but they often find it hard to leave.
How Is the Gay Agenda Advanced in Public Schools?
Since the early 1990s gay activists and various homosexual groups have worked hard to gain greater access to public schools. Usually the focus of their efforts is upon making schools a safer place for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and transsexual students—thereby justifying the introduction of materials and speakers on the subject of homosexuality. And the establishment of homosexual clubs on campuses provides a platform for introducing and promoting homosexuality to students.
Two key organizations active in this regard are the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Both have helped prohomosexual speakers, programs, and curricula gain a foothold in schools.
Perhaps the most effective wedge used by gay activists to open the door to the public schools has been concern over student safety. Kevin Jennings, the executive director for GLSEN, explained in a speech how the "safety" issue was a most effective strategy:
In Massachusetts, the effective reframing of this issue was the key to the success of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. We immediately seized upon the opponent's calling card—safety—and explained how homophobia represents a threat to students' safety by creating a climate where violence, name-calling, health problems, and suicide are common. Titling our report "Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth," we automatically threw our opponents onto the defensive and stole their best line of attack.
This framing short-circuited their arguments and left them back-pedaling from day one.
The strategy has obviously been successful because no one would want to be against creating a safer environment in public schools. It almost doesn't matter whether the allegations are true.
Once you raise the concern of safety, most administrators, teachers, and parents quickly fall in line and cooperate with gay activists.
There is an irony in all of this. Many of the behaviors that are taught and affirmed in these school programs and clubs are unsafe in terms of public health. For example, Pediatrics (journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) reported on a Harvard study that found more than 30 risks positively associated with self-reported gay-lesbian bisexual (GLB) orientation. So it is indeed ironic that the idea of "safety" is often used as a means to introduce the teaching and discussion of behaviors that have been proven to be quite unsafe.
A lesson plan in the San Francisco Unified School District for kindergarteners and first graders redefines families in an effort to promote homosexuality. It is called "My Family" and is distributed through the district's Support Services for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth Department. It defines a family as a "unit of two or more persons, related either by birth or by choice, who may or may not live together, who try to meet each other's needs and share common goals and interests."
Another effective strategy has been the formation of gay clubs on campuses. More than 3000 such clubs have been formed in high schools (and some middle schools) around the nation. They provide a platform for information distribution and even recruitment on public school campuses.
What Are the Goals of GLSEN?
The mission statement of GLSEN is straightforward: "The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression." It is a growing, well-funded homosexual organization that promotes homosexual identity and behavior on campus. It has been very successful in gaining access on campuses by working with such influential groups as the National Education Association.
Anyone who takes the time to read some of the materials recommended by GLSEN will quickly find that it condones sexual themes and information that would be disturbing to most parents. One researcher who has taken the time to review these materials and investigate various school programs came to the following seven conclusions:
1. GLSEN believes the early sexualization of children can be beneficial. This means that virtually any sexual activity—as well as exposure to graphic sexual images and material—is not just permissible but good for children as part of the process of discovering their sexuality.
2. "Coming out" (calling oneself or believing oneself to be homosexual) and even beginning homosexual sex practices at a young age is a normal and positive experience for youth that should be encouraged by teachers and parents, according to GLSEN.
3. Bisexuality, "fluid" sexuality, and sexual experimentation is encouraged by GLSEN as a right for all students.
4. Meeting other "gay" and "questioning" youth, sometimes without parental knowledge, is a frequent theme in GLSEN materials. At these meetings, minors will come into contact with college-age people and adults who practice homosexuality.
5. In GLSEN material, the "cool" adults, parents, teachers, and counselors are those who encourage students to embrace homosexuality and cross-dress. They also allow adult-level freedoms and let children associate with questionable teens or adults.
6. GLSEN resources contain many hostile, one-sided, anti-Christian vignettes and opinions as well as false information about Christianity and the Bible's position on homosexuality. This encourages antagonism against biblical morality and increases the risk that youth will experiment with high-risk behavior. It also increases prejudice against Christians and Jews.
7. The spirituality presented positively in GLSEN resources is heavily laced with occult themes and nightmarish images.
Each of these seven conclusions was documented by the researcher with paragraphs and footnotes of examples.
What Are the Goals of PFLAG?
PFLAG is a national organization of parents, families, and friends that "promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons." This organization actively promotes, at the local level, its views of human sexuality in schools, churches, and various youth organizations. Although there is a strong emphasis on rights and tolerance, PFLAG's message about sexuality would disturb most parents. A researcher who has taken the time to review their brochures and other materials came to the following five conclusions:
1. PFLAG believes in total sexual license for people of all ages. This means that virtually any sexual activity as well as exposure to graphic sexual images and material is not just permissible but good for children as part of the process of discovering their sexuality.
2. "Coming out" (calling oneself homosexual or cross-dressing) at a very young age, and even beginning homosexual sex practices at an early age, is a desirable goal in the world, according to PFLAG.
3. Bisexuality, fluid sexuality, and sexual experimentation is encouraged by PFLAG. The group believes it's important for all students to learn about these options.
4. Meeting with other "gay" and "questioning" youth, usually without parental knowledge, is a frequent theme in PFLAG materials. At these community meetings, 13-year-olds come into contact with college-age youth and adults who practice homosexuality.
5. PFLAG spreads false information about the Bible, religious faith, and the restoration of heterosexuality through faith. This misinformation closes the door of change for many young people and stirs up anti-Christian and anti-Jewish bias and hostility.
What Are the Goals of Gay Clubs?
In the mid-1990s, there were a few dozen Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs in U.S. high schools. Today there are 3200 registered clubs.
A Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is a student-run club that provides a meeting place for student talk about homosexuality and homosexual behaviors. It is also provides a platform for outside speakers to address various topics and for students to organize a "Pride Week" on campus.
Some GSA clubs might organize a "Teach the Teacher" day, during which faculty are told how they can be more under standing of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or transsexual students. Once a year, many of the students in these clubs also participate in "The Day of Silence." On this day, the students stay silent as a way of acknowledging the silence induced by those who oppose homosexuality.
Administrators and teachers who are approached by students who want to form a gay club should know about what may take place in that club based upon the past behavior of other such clubs. One researcher uncovered the following seven common trends among these gay clubs:
1. Misinformation favorable to homosexuality is disseminated
2. The students' "rights" to "be who they are"—i.e., to participate in homosexual behavior—is constantly reinforced
3. Constant emphasis on what the group believes constitutes harassment or discrimination by other students or teachers
4. Encouragement toward activism and activist training
5. Traditional religions that disapprove of homosexuality are regularly trashed
6. Cross-dressing and even sex-change surgery are said to be defensible activities for teens
7. Social activities are planned for homosexual teens—and their adult advisors
What Is the Potential Legal Liability of Homosexual Education?
Is there any legal liability when schools permit and even promote homosexual education on a campus? One group (Citizens for Community Values) believes there is a potential liability. This group has published a manual documenting the potential liability that schools, administrators, and teachers might face. They argue that the "safe school" message of many of these homosexual groups "is nothing more than a deceptive ploy designed to preach safety while actually encouraging sexual behaviors that are quite unsafe."
Their argument rests on the following assumption: A legal liability (a tort of negligence) exists when school officials grant gay activist groups access to students and those same students subsequently suffer physical or mental harm. A tort of negligence exists when: (1) there is a duty or obligation to protect another from unreasonable risk, (2) there is a failure to observe that duty, (3) there is a causal connection between the failure and the alleged injury, and (4) actual loss or damage has taken place.
Is there potential for physical and mental health risks when homosexual education is promoted within the schools? As we have already noted in the previous chapter, there are studies that indicate that certain risks can and do occur when an individual engages in homosexual behavior. The following is a brief summary of much more information that can be found in the document "The Legal Liability Associated with Homosexual Education in Public Schools."
Life expectancy—The International Journal of Epidemiology found that gay and bisexual men involved in homosexual behavior cut off years from their lives. One study showed:
In a major Canadian centre, life expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men. If the same pattern of mortality were to continue, we estimate that nearly half of gay and bisexual men currently aged 20 years will not reach their 65th birthday. Under even the most liberal assumptions, gay and bisexual men in this urban centre are now experiencing a life expectancy similar to that experienced by all men in Canada in the year 1871.
Sexually transmitted diseases—The danger of various STDs, including HIV infection, has been well documented through many studies. This statement by the Medical Institute for Sexual Health provides a good summary of the various STD risks in homosexual relationships:
Homosexual men are at significantly increased risk of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, anal cancer, gonorrhea and gastrointestinal infections as a result of their sexual practices. Women who have sex with women are at significantly increased risk of bacterial vaginosis, breast cancer and ovarian cancer than are heterosexual women.
Other health risk behaviors—A study by Harvard University of over 4000 ninth-to twelfth-grade students found that gaylesbian-bisexual "youth report disproportionate risk for a variety of health risk and problem behaviors." The study found that such youth "engage in twice the mean number of risk behaviors as did the overall population."
Mental health—A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that those who engage in homosexual behavior have a much higher incidence of mental health problems. "The findings support the assumption that people with same-sex sexual behavior are at greater risk for psychiatric disorders."
Permitting and promoting homosexual activity through on-campus programs and clubs will certainly increase homosexual behavior among students. Administrators, teachers, and parents should reconsider the impact these programs, and the subsequent behavior, will have on the student body.
How Is the Gay Agenda Promoted at Universities?
At a time when college costs have gone through the roof, many wonder if students and their parents are getting their money's worth with some of the rather unusual courses being taught. Some of these courses lend themselves to the promotion of the gay agenda.
For example, an Occidental College course called The Phallus covers a broad study on the relation "between the phallus and the penis, the meaning of the phallus, phallologocentrism, the lesbian phallus, the Jewish phallus, the Latino phallus, and the relation of the phallus and fetishism." Students at the University of Pennsylvania can take a course on adultery novels and read a series of nineteenth-and twentieth-century works about adultery and watch "several adultery films." And students at University of Michigan can study the development of "Native feminist thought" and its "relationship both to Native land-based struggles and non-Native feminist movements."
There are also classes that specifically focus on homosexuality and gay studies. UCLA offers a course called Queer Musicology, which explores how "sexual difference and complex gender identities in music and among musicians have incited productive consternation" during the 1990s. Music under consideration includes works by Schubert and Holly Near, Britten and Cole Porter, and Pussy Tourette.
University of California at Berkeley has a class called Sex Change City: Theorizing History in Genderqueer San Francisco, which explores "implications of U.S. imperialism and colonization for the construction of gender in 19th-century San Francisco's multicultural, multiracial, and multiethnic" community. The course also covers "contemporary transgender, queer, genderqueer, and post-queer cultural production and politics" and "the regulation of gender-variant practices in public space by San Francisco's Anglo-European elites."
University of Colorado-Boulder students can take the course Introduction to Lesbian, Bisexual, and Gay Literature. It introduces some of the forms, concerns, and genres of contemporary lesbian, bisexual, and gay writing in English. Hollins University's course Lesbian Pulp Fiction examines "a literary genre that critics once deemed 'trash' and moralists commonly found 'scandalous,' but that formed a crucial part in the burgeoning canon of queer literature."
Courses and professors promoting homosexuality and the gay lifestyle can be found on nearly every college campus. What is unfortunate is that these courses displace valuable course material that used to be part of a university education. All of this is taking place at a time when only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment. By contrast, more than half can name at least two family members on The Simpsons.
Even more astounding is the report in The Washington Post that only 31 percent of college grads could read and comprehend complex books. It doesn't appear that the classes on lesbian, bisexual, and gay literature are helping university students become more proficient in reading and comprehension.
