| A pro-family leader is appalled that former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman subverted the party's position on traditional marriage while hiding his own homosexuality. Peter LaBarbera adds that current GOP head Michael Steele is misguided in applauding Mehlman's behavior while failing to acknowledge the many ex-homosexuals who provide a positive example. Click to Learn More |
|
|
|
Home>
Fighting the Gay Agenda in Schools>
|
|
No "Equal Access" for Homosexual Clubs |
|
|
How to Keep GSA's out of Your Child's School
By Linda P. Harvey
It starts with a handful of students. They want a club in their high school-or sometimes nowadays it's a middle school. They want to meet with others who have their same interests and concerns. They say they have a right to meet based on the federal Equal Access Act, which provided opportunities for school Bible groups to meet in high schools as non-curricular clubs. These students say there shouldn't be discrimination against their particular type of club, either.
But what responsible school would permit students to organize a tattoo club?
Surely no responsible school would allow such a dangerous, risky behavior to be legitimized by a school club. Yet, according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), as of the end of 2002, almost 1700 homosexual clubs now exist in schools in the U.S.1 So why not a tattoo club? Or a Marlboro club? Or a pornography club? Or a diet pills club? Or a drag racing club? Or a nudists' club? All are unacceptable activities, and we are unaware of any such organizations in U.S. high schools. Yet clubs centered around a known high-risk behavior like homosexuality are allowed, sometimes even encouraged. Schools seem willing to believe the unsubstantiated claims of homosexual activists and their student allies that these clubs a a fair civil rights' gesture to a pre-existing minority, and that students will simply share philosophical views at their meetings. No high-risk sexual behavior will discussed, organizers assert. (See companion article about what really goes on during "gay" club meetings.) Yet drag racing , potentially fatal diet schemes and other topics could similarly only be approached "ideologically"- yet parents in most communities would have a fit.
In the current youth culture, it's becoming more acceptable to be homosexual or bisexual. These identities and the behaviors associated are "in" and "cool" in many schools, after a decade of relentless promotion. However, clubs encouraging more acceptance of this behavior are completely inappropriate.
But homosexual clubs are needed, legal activists like the ACLU and Lambda Legal Defense Fund assert, because students with homosexual desires are victims of discrimination, harassment that goes unpunished, and suffer from a higher risk of suicide. Questionable statistics, seldom challenged, accompany these claims.2 In those schools where bullying has been a problem, however, is the solution to force everyone to accept homosexuality? Why not simply document with facts any real problems, then enforce existing conduct codes for everyone?
The "Equal Access" argument has once again moved to center stage since the ACLU filed suit in January to force a "gay" club at a school in Ashland, KY, and in March, at a school in Klein, TX.3 Now, many schools are giving in to student activist demands on this issue. School officials in Klein have quickly caved in to ACLU pressure and allowed the club to go forward, despite the fact that sodomy is still illegal in that state.
Many believe there are ways to prevent impressionable students from this kind of harmful application of the Equal Access Act, but to do so will call upon the courage, good sense, and proactive planning of communities and schools.
The Distortion of Equal Access
How did this 1984 federal law come to be misused to allow sodomy and cross-dressing to become implicitly acceptable behaviors in so many U.S. schools?
The Equal Access Act (20 U.S.C.4071-74) was passed because many schools were barring school Bible or Christian clubs citing "separation of church and state" as a justification. This phrase appears nowhere in our Constitution but reflects judicial opinion based on a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a Baptist group, assuring them there would be no official state religion. So in 1984, Congress had to pass an unnecessary law to re-assert what our Constitution allowed for all along-that a group of students should be able to organize a religious club based on their First Amendment rights and have it recognized within their school.
Now this law has been used in the last decade as justification for "gay" clubs to organize. Courts have said that "equal access" applies if the school has other non-curricular clubs because of First Amendment rights, i.e., freedom of speech. A curricular club would be like, e.g., a French Club. A non-curricular club would be something like the Chess Club or Future Business Leaders of America Club. The club must be open to all students and truly be student-organized with no adults or outside organizations backing the club. All of these provisions only apply to schools which accept federal funds in some way.
Yet schools still have the authority, courts have determined, to exclude clubs that would cause significant disruption or would interfere with order. The school can still act to "protect the well-being of students and faculty."4 One would think this would be a sound reason to exclude any club advocating homosexuality Amazingly, very few schools are taking this stand. Why?
Many times, administrators and school boards support the clubs after being convinced this constitutes "tolerance". They are also bombarded with pro-homosexual information supporting such equal access by the NEA and other sympathetic groups. They erroneously believe that homosexuality is an inborn trait that some students simply will at some point discover is a part of their make-up. There are schools that would prevent the formation of these clubs if they could, but when threatened by well-funded, mighty legal defense groups like the ACLU or Lambda Legal Defense Fund, they scramble to put together a strategy. Having failed to prepare adequately, they give up and give in.
Steps to Prevent "Gay" Clubs
We believe that schools can defend against this assault on high standards and healthy behavior. There are many reasons that are in the best interests of all students and the community to oppose "gay" clubs. If a school allows this, it sets the precedent for other harmful clubs for students as well as the future unlimited demands of "gay" activists. This greatly endangers the students who want the club as well as others.
Based on the provisions already allowed for under "Equal Access" and with additional thorough research, schools may be able to successfully defend themselves against homosexual clubs and all that follows. Here are some suggested steps:*
1. Take an official school position, with supporting research, that homosexuality, bisexuality and gender confusion are threats to student physical and mental well-being. In today's climate, this takes a lot of guts, but it is a winnable position, because not only is it the truth, it's the opinion of most parents. A recent Zogby poll clearly showed that, when given the facts, parents overwhelmingly object to having their kids taught to accept homosexuality as equal to heterosexuality.5
Health information will provide ample evidence of the potential for harm. It should include information on the high risk of AIDS in this country by males having sex with males (MSM) as well the much-higher risk of other STDs by practicing homosexuals. The higher rates of promiscuity, domestic violence and much-lower life span should be covered as well as the lack of any evidence for a gay "gene."
One critical part of any school district's defense should be to provide evidence, by researching "gay" advocacy material, of the overwhelming promotion to youth of just the opposite of a fixed, stable sexual identity. The real goal is for all people, including youth, to be able to practice sexual fluidity and experimentation ( which would include homosexual behavior), even by those who call themselves "heterosexuals." There is no question that this broad strategy of fluid sexualization of youth is having an impact and adversely affecting our kids. This bottom line of the "gay" agenda is its soft underbelly that, when exposed and fully explained, will alarm parents as they should be, and discourage support for pro-homosexual activities in schools. [On our web site at www.missionamerica.com, we have amassed evidence from the material recommended to youth by the two major pro-"gay" youth organizations, GLSEN and PFLAG. These can be great resources for support for opposing "gay" clubs.]
A very good resource outlining health risks, with solid citations from medical research, is found at www.corporateresourcecouncil.org/white_papers.html . It's a paper called "The Health Risks of Gay Sex." Originally developed to aid companies, this material nonetheless contains an enormous amount of helpful material in one place.
Another solid argument, as an extension of the health risks, is the issue of school liability. What will be the future pay-outs for the district when the fifteen- year- old who is seduced into homosexual behavior through attendance at "gay" club meetings contracts AIDS, and in six years when he is 21, sues your district?
The fact is that homosexual desire can change. Many times, it is the troubled youth who is drawn to these attractions and behavior. Sometimes the influence of older teens, or a homosexual teacher or coach, is a factor, and these will be the people involved in your school's "gay-straight alliance," the name often given to these clubs. Responsible counseling should be advising youth to turn away from homosexual desire and avoid these deadly consequences. There will be no defense before a jury of Mom and Pop Americans who cannot believe that your school supported a "gay" club, implying that the behavior was innocuous and acceptable. And always greedy liability lawyers will be seeking out such cases just like medical malpractice, once one proves successful.
Then there is the molestation issue. Openly homosexual adults will come into contact with your "gay" club members, especially after it gets rolling and is well-established. They may be invited as guest speakers, or a homosexual may be a teacher advisor. Homosexuals much more inclined to seduce young teens than heterosexuals, in part because close access is allowed to same sex youth in a way not available between adults and youth of the opposite sex. Corruption of a minor is still illegal everywhere in the U.S.
Also, as can be easily verified, homosexual teens are told by advocates that sex between adults and minors is part of their "empowerment" to make their own sexual decisions early. As Mission America has documented, this activity is a frequent refrain of pro-homosexual groups and material, which your "gay" club members will use as their resources and guidelines.6 The 30- year- old "Pride Day" speaker with undisclosed HIV infection who meets and then seduces the 15- year- old president of your "gay" club after a school- sponsored event will provide disastrous great headlines for your school. Think of the current predicament of the Catholic Church, and act accordingly to protect your district's financial status and your students. And if you doubt that adult sex with minors is much more likely among homosexuals as evident in their own material, please review Mission:America's research papers cited above.
A school club will imply that homosexual behavior is acceptable and non-threatening, and if a school district wants to maintain otherwise, then why NOT a smoking club, or a Ku Klux Klan club? The reason is, of course, to avoid any implication of school endorsement of certain behaviors or philosophies, as well as for liability reasons. The same argument should apply to homosexual clubs. If your school has a non-discrimination code citing "sexual orientation," it will be harder to fight a homosexual club. A very valuable step would be to revoke that code, but if must remain, it can be argued that this code was only meant to increase politeness and civility, not to endorse these behaviors.You need to establish your own definition of the squishy term "discrimination" before they do.
2. Reaffirm the known, clear risks of homosexuality as opposed to abstinence by students, which should be the standard. If abstinence until marriage is not the standard in your school, it should be. There are many benefits and no detriments to delaying sexual activity until marriage. This can be remedied by passing a district policy along these lines.
3. Show how this club will disrupt order and civility. The club's objective is to discuss the need to reduce harassment and "homophobia," which they will, if pressed, reveal is their shorthand for what is usually open hostility toward traditional values, parental and school authority, and the views of many traditional religions. This will create divisiveness in the school in new, and not constructive, ways. It will increase intolerance, bias and stereotypes, because homosexual activist students are being taught by all the major advocacy organizations to fear and fight parents who try to restrict their sexual freedom; schools that don't jump to their every demand; and religions like traditional Christianity, conservative Judaism, conservative Hindu faith and conservative Islam.
Their harassment claims can be dealt with simply., by ensuring that the current school conduct code is being enforced fairly, but after that, don't give in to the endless demands for "non-harassment" policies based on sexual orientation. Any student kids who is assaulted or whose property is vandalized needs to be protected, and the harassers punished but not based on pre-set objectionable thought. It should be based on the severity of the incident. Insults will need to be dealt with on a case by case basis, and falls into a subjective realm. Don't paint the district into the unnecessary corner of endorsing homosexuality simply to protect some students from excessive insults. Punish all those who are excessive verbal harassers, whatever the content.
4. Demonstrate that a homosexual club does, in fact, communicate endorsement to students of homosexual behavior by any student who wishes to engage in it. It is not simply, as will be claimed, justice for a small, fixed minority group. The club will be open to anyone. There will usually be a demand that the club to be open to students without parental knowledge. They will discuss homosexuality, bisexuality, and cross-gender identity, dress and the benefits of sex change surgery and /or hormones. They will talk about homosexual liaisons, provide information about web sites that contain graphic homosexual pornography, community social outlets where homosexual activity will be facilitated, and provide opportunities for students to participate. This is a critical point and key to your public relations and media communications on this issue. A "gay" club is not for a pre-existing minority, even though only a small group at present will be interested in it, and this is how it will be portrayed by its organizers ( and they probably truly believe this). No such minority exists, but those students wishing to engage in homosexual activity or cross-dressing are a flexible and changeable sub-section of the whole student body.
More students are likely to be drawn into homosexual activity as a result of the existence of this club This usually manifests as an increase in expressed "bisexuality" by more students. Homosexual-friendly books tell students this is okay. The books endorsed by GLSEN and PFLAG which we've researched reveal that sexual fluidity and experimentation by any student who wishes to engage in it is the goal-not "rights" for only a few. ALL district parents therefore will need to be notified in these terms. Make this a condition if your school is forced into accepting a "gay" club-that all the district's parents will need to be advised and that you must do this for liability reasons.
5. Student activist members of "gay" clubs and their adult allies will insist your school support radical pro-homosexual district-wide activities. Once your school allows a "gay" club, student activists will demand-or else go to the media and complain-that your school hold Pride Days, Transgender Awareness Days, "Coming Out" days, etc. Your school can also expect to have teachers who are openly homosexual apply for positions, or "come out" if they already hold them. If the school objects, you will be sued, and they will win based on "discrimination." Then you may have teachers or students who are cross-dressers or have had a sex change do the same thing. This again opens up a whole new range of possible dangers for students and liability risks for the district.
Another result of a high school "gay" club is that it virtually guarantees to eventually generate middle school and elementary school clubs as well as pro-homosexual activities. There are increasing numbers of "gay" middle school groups. In Stony Brook, NY, the Murphy Junior High School homosexual club started in spring 2002 as a result of "outreach" by the high school to the younger students. GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, has stated that their goal for their GSA Network (the "gay-straight alliances, their term for these clubs) is to establish them in as many schools, K-12, as possible.
6. Homosexual clubs can imply school support for or endorsement of illegal sex acts. Sex between adults and minors-illegal everywhere-is implicitly endorsed by the "gay" rights movement in a vast array of web sites, books, magazines, novels, movies, TV shows, etc. Illegal activity should not be a part of any official or semi-official school club.
If sodomy is still illegal in your state, this may be a worthy defense. It was employed as one aspect of defense in Utah in a much-publicized case, and was unsuccessful, but much has happened since that case to document what actually goes on in "gay" clubs. The claim is that these clubs don't discuss actual homosexual activity. This is a disingenuous defense, and now that so many clubs exist and their activities are well-publicized, it can be demonstrated that existing clubs most assuredly do discuss homosexual sex, male and female, and provide resources where students can become homosexually active, on a regular basis. States where sodomy is still illegal are Idaho, Utah, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and the territory of Puerto Rico. All other states have repealed laws prohibiting sodomy through litigation or legislation.7
* These suggestions are not meant to provide legal advice. We are not attorneys but have simply researched and found the above material, and believe it may be helpful. Any questions should be directed to your legal counsel.
Notes:
1. www.glsen.org-- "Local Chapters"
2. For example, the frequently cited statistic that 30 % of all teen suicide or suicide attempts are by "gay and lesbian" teens has been shown to have been derived from flawed calculations of activists and outright misrepresentation. See www.traditionalvalues.org/urban/five.php for a great overview of the facts about this "urban legend," which has been repeated so many times, it is now believed to be fact. And the basic question remains that a teen's tragic reaction doesn't dictate changing reality. The solution to every young person's discomfort is not to affirm every desire so he/she won't be self-destructive. Children disagree with parents and teachers all the time. Do we change reality or do we continue to provide our best guidance and communicate our highest ideals?
3. http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/292003c.asp and http://www.washblade.com/national/030131suits.php3
4. Derived from information at www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/iowa/record?record=251
5. Abstinence survey------http://www.whatparentsthink.com/pdfs/coalition_press_release.pdf
6. See our expose of the pro-homosexual groups working most closely with youth in this country, GLSEN and PFLAG at www.missionamerica.com/stoppflag1.php
7. www.sodomylaws.org
Print Article
|
|
|
