The Religious Right continues to parade the myth that gays and lesbians are trying to “recruit” followers in schools, and are increasingly using the lie as the basis of their opposition to anti-bullying programs. Leaders and groups continue to describe anti-bullying policies as attempts to “homosexualize their children” and “promote homosexuality in kids” through “homosexual indoctrination.”
Focus on the Family has been at the forefront of challenging anti-bullying policies, which often cover the widespread harassment and bullying directed towards LGBT youth. Through initiatives like “True Tolerance” and the “Day of Dialogue,” Focus on the Family uses anti-gay rhetoric to attack proponents of anti-bullying policies.
When the White House recently held a conference on the problem of bullying in schools, Focus on the Family’s political arm CitizenLink quickly announced their disapproval and said that Obama is trying “to promote pro-homosexual curriculum”:
The White House Conference of Bullying Prevention, which took place Thursday, provided a platform for gay activists and their allies to promote their agenda — which increasingly is being pushed into the classroom.
Ellen Kahn, director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Family Project, was more than happy to have the president’s ear. At the summit, she was working to get HRC’s “Welcoming Schools” campaign into more elementary schools. The curriculum addresses “family diversity, gender stereotyping and name-calling in K-5 learning environments.”
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“That’s the problem with allowing this issue to become politicized by special-interest groups: It sends the wrong message to our children,” said Candi Cushman, education analyst at CitizenLink.
“Do we really want to send the message that they’re only worth protecting based on what political category they belong to or their sexual identity? No. What we should be teaching them is that they have innate dignity and worth because they are a sacred creation of God, no matter how they identify.”
