A crime has been commited....indoctrinating young minds about sexuality.
We have a suspect...PFOX (The Parents and Friends of Exgays and Gays)
We have the motive...Anti-LGBT bias and self hatred.
And we have the murder weapon....a smoking gun in the form of pamplets supporting reparative therapy being distributed to high school kids.
As reported in queerty... pamplets with messages similar to the one above were handed out to Maryland high school students as a part of a government program that requires high schools to distribute literature from registered non-profit organizations four times a year....no mention was made in the article whether pro-gay organizations were also included in the distributed materials.
Funny...I thought we were the ones supposedly preying on young minds....trying to sway their sexuality. It appears thats not so. This is a palpable example of the fact that every accusation that anti-gay groups level at the gay comunity are usually actions that they themselves engage in. Whether its the restriction of religious expression by insisting that the only belief that counts is their own by insisting that we are a "Christian nation". They have shown that they wish to shape young minds and influence sexuality while at the same time accusing us of doing so. They have been influencing politicians and public policy for decades while crying about the power of "th radical homosexual lobby" and the "gay agenda". Also they don't want to "homosexualize" the army but see no problem with "Christianizing it by Stamping Bible verses on the assault weapons used by our troops. I'm sure I could come up with more if I looked...these are just the examples off the top of my head.
As Queerty carefully points out, the picture used above is not the one handed out in schools...but does that matter? I'm sure the content would be the same. And PFOX is not shy about pushing its agenda to high school kids. On their website thay can be found exhorting other exgay ministries to do the same. I hope that when the next marriage equality ballot initiative comes up...and when NOM starts using the same tired "their gonna teach gay in schools" bit...I hope someone shows PFOX's actions and puts the lie to that argument.
However, please don't blame the schools. Apparently, Marylands educators have been at odds with this policy and attempted to fight it...but to no avail. However....My question is. If they have to distribute pamplets from non-profits, why these guys? Can't they get pamplets from greenpeace or environmental organizations.....ANYTHING but reparative therapy groups ?And where are GLAAD and GLSN in all of this? Don't we donate to them for exactly these purposes? How many LGBT kids are being harmed by reading these pamplets? They may be struggling with their identity already, and here we are pushing them over the edge into reparative therapy because its the only voice they're getting.
I'm furious over this...
I realize that the schools have little say because the law requires them to distribute materials from nonprofits, but by allowing that one arent they opening themselves up to litigation? What if some gay kid goes to PFOX because of a pamplet he recieved at schools...he tries sincerely to change, but fails.... and in his desperation kills himself. This scenario is not a dramatization of the issue...its based off the story of someone I have corrosponded with on the subject of exgay programs who related their first hand account. Would not the school bear some liability for that? How about the state which required passing it out?
As it is we have gay teachers in school who virtually live in the closet because they won't discuss their private lives at all, for fear of being seen as "indoctrinating".... and yet handing out these kinds of materials is o.k.? Where is the parental outcry over this?...I'm guessing there isn't one. But if I was a Maryland parent and my son brought this home, I would be all kinds of angry and I would let the school know...this is not o.k.
PFOX name itself claims to be the "Friends of Exgays and Gays".....With friends like this, who needs enemies...
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ReplyDeleteI don't get why it'd be mandatory for a school to pass out pamphlets on something like this. Obviously there was some political manuvering to give that issue #1 priority over other way more important issues like the ones you mentioned (the environment, any number of social causes, medical advice, etc.). And if fighting discrimination was the supposed justification behind forcing a school to pass out pamphlets, it should be something that affects a group like say those who face discrimination like homosexuals as opposed to a very narrow subgroup of that minority
ReplyDeleteLike others have said, it's mind-boggling that some people go through such efforts because they hate us so much. I was disgusted by gay stuff too when I was younger and thought I was straight, but even at my most homophobic, I'd be way too lazy to go out and make my life mission to destroy teh gays
Bryan,
ReplyDeleteI showed your article to my partner who is a psychologist. He said that last year the American Psychological and the American Psychiatric associations deemed this therapy as unethical. As a clinician you cannot practice this nonsense or you will lose your license.
PROMISE ME that you and Jay won't decide to "pray the gay away!" We like the Leffews just the way they are!!! :)
Jim
No worries Jim.....reparative therapy doesn't repair anything..
ReplyDeleteIf anything, reparative therapy is what causes the damage. Speaking from bitter experience, of course.
ReplyDeleteHere's a thought though: surely parents have a right to decide what their children are taught about religion in schools? If so, doesn't passing out these pamphlets contravene that right?
I would certainly think so Tavdy...I'm not sure why queety posted this as an unassailable program. to me it is riddled with flaws. from legal liability to separation of church and state issues.
ReplyDeleteNot related to this last entry but I thought I'd share concerning DADT. This was on Yahoo! News:
ReplyDelete"Ending 'don't ask, don't tell' seems inevitable. But not soon."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100206/ts_csm/278674
Kinda good news.
Fuck this! This should be illegal, and how dare schools, were one is supposed to be educated, distribute this bullshit of lies??
ReplyDeleteDisgusting. But I shouldn't be surprised, after all, the religious organization my school organized for us to have our catholic confirmation with gave a list of sins...homosexuality was on it.
--Matt from Peru
It is beyond unfortunate that a school would offer this kind of information to students. And I appreciate your comments about gay teachers - as that is a painful reality. I am trained as a teacher, and I am likely never going to use my training as a career because I don't want my life to be on display for people to notice.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I think I would rather be a professor than I high school teacher.
That being said, there is a great deal of truth in mentioning the pain and frustration that many homosexuals experience in high school. The confusion of one's identity is terrifying - or, at least it was for me. If I were to have received one of these "pamphlets" it would have had horrifying affects on my identity and confidence. I may have privately enrolled. And the repressive guilt (and suicidal tendencies I had in high school) would have only been heightened...
Last week, I was referred to ex-gay ministries by a friend for the first time - but I can honestly say that he earnestly felt this was the best advice he could offer when upon discovering I was gay. In the past two weeks, but listening to me and looking into a bit more, he has all but rescinded his suggestion. I think he still sees homosexuality as less-than-ideal, but I have a lifetime of re-education about homosexuality to offer him before that is likely to be reversed. It took me more than 20 years to get to that point - and I have to remember how important it is to offer those I love the time it takes to understand the full extent of what it means to be gay.
That being said, being referred to ex-gay ministries brought back a lot of insecurities and frustrations I have had about my sexuality and thought were disposed of. It was horrible. Schools, an institution that is largely felt as a necessarily safe place for students, have no right to make students experience this kind of turmoil so long as it is in their control - providing this sort of information is destructive to individual students. Disgusting.
It is beyond unexceptable that schools are passing out such trash to students! It can have nothing but a destructive out come, on those that are already struggling with their sexuality.
ReplyDeleteThe two APA groups should put out pamphlets as well. They have already taken the stance that this therapy is harmful and doesn't work. Maybe the HRC can work with the two APAs (psychological and pschiatric) to create pamphlets for these age kids that explains the TRUTH and denouncing such therapies. On the basis of this law, they will not be able to get rid of the Reparative Therapy campaign, but they can counter-campaign with the backing of the mainstream medical community.
ReplyDeleteWhen kids are at school, the school should be an advocate for the children. Allowing such people to access children in this way means they are a party to it too.
ReplyDeleteI understand schools are under obligation to deliver certain literature and education if it is part of a larger government program, but do the schools read the material they are handing out?
Does the school mentioned above agree with the message they are delivering?
Have the parents been consulted before such "programs" are rolled out?
I would want to think, if I had children, that they would have their interests defended and catered for. And that anything they are handing out is with the permission/consultation of the parents.
Not only does the hypocrisy in this make me angry, but the fact that they think that being gay is a choice. First of all, if they are straight, then how would they know? Second, I know it's not a choice (bleh contradiction) because of a friend of mine. He desperately wants to be straight because his friends and family are rejecting him, but he can't change. It's not in his genes.
ReplyDeleteany organization can call itself a non-profit-even cults. If a student wants to ask an advisor or counselor for help in finding things in the community to get involved with then that's one thing... but granting school access to just anyone and anything is obviously the wrong policy.
ReplyDelete