School Board Member Asked to Resign After 'Ex-Gay' Reference

ProudParenting.com ^ | Wednesday, February 09, 2005 | ProudParenting.com

[Clint N. Suhks]

(Washington D.C.) — A Virginia based gay rights organization has called for the resignation of Fairfax County school board member Stephen Hunt after he sent a letter to school principals in the county touting “ex-gay” reparative therapy. Equality Fairfax, Equality Virginia is a consortium of the Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network, P-FLAG and the Human Rights Campaign.

"Hunt should not be permitted to spread this kind of harmful misinformation," Paula Prettyman, president of Equality Fairfax said in her statement to the school board. "Reparative therapy techniques, or 'ex-gay' therapies, have been denounced by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association."

The school board issued a public reprimand to Hunt, but the school board member has yet to publicly apologize for his open letter to school principals.

"Junk science has no place in our schools," said David M. Smith, the HRC's vice president for policy and strategy. "No school board member should ignore the scientific evidence that sexual orientation cannot be changed just to push a personal agenda."

[EdReform]

Ping

[gieriscm]

I sent Mr. Hunt an email several days ago thanking him for having the courage to speak out. Here is his response:

Thank you so very much for your support regarding allowing all sides, especially the ex-gay perspective, to be included in the discussions on homosexuality that occur outside of the FLE curriculum. It has been a great encouragement to receive your emails especially in light of the hatred that has filled so many of the emails from the contrary view. I apologize for a generic email response but I received a great many emails and have not had time to reply to each one individually.

Mr. Rigby, a homosexual activist and FCPS special education teacher, has informed the school board that he will be bringing a group of his supporters to address the board on this issue at the regular school board meeting on this coming Thursday. If you are interested in attending the meeting to show your support for free speech and the respect of differing opinions, the meeting starts at 8pm and is at Luther Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Rd, just north of route 50 on Gallows Rd). If you are interested in speaking, the speaker sign up begins at 7:30 and will probably fill up very quickly.

[EdReform]

You're welcome!

[EdReform]

Posted on Free Republic: GAY ORTHODOXY AND ACADEMIC HERESY

[tutstar]

bttt

[Mulch]

How can someone both approve and disapprove at the same time? You cant. My original point holds true.

[DirtyHarryY2K]

Homosexual Agenda Ping.

If you want on/off the ping list see my profile page.

[DBeers]

In such a case, if one answers no to your question, then perhpaps it would be more accurate to call him a homosexualist.

LOL maybe a metrosexual

[Antoninus]

The school board issued a public reprimand to Hunt, but the school board member has yet to publicly apologize for his open letter to school principals. "Junk science has no place in our schools," said David M. Smith, the HRC's vice president for policy and strategy. "No school board member should ignore the scientific evidence that sexual orientation cannot be changed just to push a personal agenda."

The world is officially turned on its head. Telling people that they should indulge their every deviant sexual desire is 'healthy'. Meanwhile, encouraging those who wish to leave a deviant sexual lifestyle via means that have proven effective is "junk science."

This brave schoolboard member needs our full support. He could be any one of us standing up to the full-power of the Gaystapo.

[Mockingbird For Short]

This brave schoolboard member needs our full support. He could be any one of us standing up to the full-power of the Gaystapo.

We need to pray for this man, Steven Hunt, and those who are supporting him and speaking up for him tonight at the school board meeting--- 8:00 E.S.T. "We are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against ...spiritual wickedness in high places."

Would someone ping a bunch of our group and other Christians to pray this evening for the truth to be gotten out and for the adversaries' agenda to be revealed to all in attendance? [I'm pressed for time; going to work now.] I hope the media will be there and that they will report honestly what is happening.

[EdReform]

Would someone ping a bunch of our group and other Christians to pray this evening for the truth to be gotten out and for the adversaries' agenda to be revealed to all in attendance?

Prayer ping!

[Antoninus]

Here's my letter to the Fairfax schoolboard:

Dear Fairfax County School Board,

I am appalled that you have seen fit to issue a public reprimand to board member Stephen Hunt based on the protestations of various homosexual-promotion/pressure groups. Mr. Hunt was absolutely correct to alert principals to reparative therapy. If you had bothered to do research before kowtowing to the powerful homosexual lobby, you would know that same-sex attraction is not destiny and that those who wish to change their orientation, can and do.

As to the notion that reparative therapy is harmful, is this a joke? What's more harmful: to encourage sexually confused young people into a lifestyle that's rife with STDs, drugs, violence and suicide (as any number of scientific studies clearly demonstrate), or to direct them to a treatment option that has helped thousands upon thousands avoid the "gay" lifestyle. You do the young people in your district a grave disservice by buying into the homosexual propaganda that if they have any same-sex attraction, then the only option for them is to engage in harmful and dangerous sexual practices.

As for the notion that the APA (psychological and psychiatric) have denounced reparative therapy, again, I encourage you to do your research. This is an evolving area of scholarly debate and one of the main proponents in the 1970s of removing homosexuality from the DSM, Dr. Robert L. Spitzer, has now changed his mind on the effectiveness of "reorientation therapy." See:

http://www.narth.com/docs/evidencefound.html

I encourage you to read this information before taking any further advice from homosexual pressure groups like PFLAG or GLSEN. Such groups, with their extremist positions and dishonest tactics should be roundly condemned, not looked to as sources of valid information.

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider this subject. I remain confident that you will do the right thing with regard to the students entrusted to your protection. If not, I expect the homeschool movement, which is already growing by leaps-and-bounds in Virginia, will continue to expand.

Sincerely,

yadda, yadda.

[Antoninus]

”Unlike the voir dire process for selecting jurors, establishment science has no process for vetting the fairness of peer reviewers. In fact, peer reviewers are often anonymous.”

"Peer-review" in most of the social sciences is a joke. I've seen books and articles shot down and/or unfairly criticized simply because they took an unpopular or non-PC point of view. It's not infrequent at all. I used to work on a journal called Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity and there was a certain subset of people in the psychiatric world who wanted nothing to do with such a journal, believing for purely political/cultural reasons that addiction to sex is impossible or not worth discussing. Such people were working to push an agenda and had no interest in helping people who desperately need it.

[Clint N. Suhks]

Thanks to you all who help support this effort. Here's the response I received, you'll notice it doesn't address anything around the reparative therapy issue which was specific and technical to my letter.

Thank you for your e-mail commenting on the letter that our colleague sent to FCPS high school principals. On February 3, the Fairfax County School Board approved a statement concerning the process Mr. Hunt used to convey his opinions. The Board has established procedures and guidelines for implementing curriculum changes and is committed to maintaining the integrity of these procedures. All 12 Board members voted in favor of this statement, including Mr. Hunt.

Some confusion has arisen about what we teach about homosexuality in Fairfax County Public Schools, which students receive this instruction, and how the curriculum is determined. Superintendent Jack Dale addresses this subject and notes, for example, that one unit in 9th grade and one in 10th grade reference homosexuality. Parents are advised of these units and their content before the beginning of each school year. Parents can view all the instructional materials at their local school, and they maintain the right to “opt out” their children from participating in any or all of these lessons.

Thank you again for writing to us to express your views.

Not only no mention of reparative therapy, it's an "opt out" program. Opt out programs notoriously stigmatize kids who don't want to go along with the crowd...or at least that was the lefts excuse against prayer in school.

[nicmarlo]

reporting for duty...but I see there's nothing more to do! : )

[scripter]

1)Homosexuality is not caused by "too much mom, too little or abusive dad". If this were true. There would be many more homosexuals out there.

That's a logical fallacy. Environment plays a key role in the root causes behind some homosexuality, but it's not the only factor.

2)There is a theory about gender identity disorder that may or may not be true. Some research indicates that childhood gender identity has a high correlation with adult homosexuality.

How Might Homosexuality Develop? Putting the Pieces Together

3)Many people are bisexual and can be sexually attracted to both men and women. They are usually monogamous when they are with their current mate. I know several people who are bisexual, who have settled into "heterosexual marriage"

Okay - it's a behavior some people choose to engage in.

4)Many gays try to go straight -- and marry and then later divorce. This is very common and sad for all involved. Better to be honest with yourself about your sexuality

It's always best to be honest with yourself. But there are tens of thousands of former homosexuals, which tells us they can leave the lifestyle as Richard Weller's confession states.

5)I don't understand the phobia about same sex sex -- if it is adult and consensual OK as long as it is safe sex

There's no phobia, and if homosexual activists would leave the children alone, you would hear a lot less from us.

6)The uproar should be about "unprotected promiscuous sex". That is what spreads disease. That is the lifestyle that should come under scrutiny.

The uproar is about the children, and all promiscuous sex should be discouraged.

7)Many people are unhappy in life for many reasons. Being GLBT, given society's attitude is likely to cause misery in a person's life. The cause is external not internal.

That's been debunked many times. Here's an interesting article on it: Homosexuality and Mental Health Issues

8)I know many gays in committed relationships who would like to be married. They have very stable happy lives.

Why stop at 2 consenting adults? Why not 7? Why not same-sex marriage between brothers? Sisters? Father and son? Father and daughter? Why not completely redefine a word that that, by definition, means a man and a woman?

What's Wrong With Letting Same-Sex Couples "Marry?"

9)I know many straights who go from relationship to relationship and are unhappy.

Was there a point here?

10)I don't know what causes homosexuality, but I do believe that it rooted in biology. I was sure my son was gay from the time he was very young -- and he is. My husband and I were and are good parents. We have a loving relationship with our son and his partner

Homosexuality is not rooted in biology. And every study stating otherwise has been debunked. While it's great that you have a loving relationship with your son, there is a way out of the homosexual lifestyle, if he wants out...

11)Life is much happier if we send messages of love rather than hate

Maybe we should have tried that with Saddam? Oh, wait, you're trying to imply we hate homosexuals. You're wrong. Just because we disagree with the homosexual lifestyle doesn't mean we hate homosexuals.

Again, if homosexuals stayed away from children you wouldn't even know we were here.

[scripter]

Apparently they were banned while I was responding. Their entire post is included in my response (#137).

[EdReform]

Recommended Reading for Teenagers? A Closer Look at P-FLAG

The World According to PFLAG: Why PFLAG and Children Don't Mix

[Antoninus]

Thanks for posting the talking points for PFLAG.

Here's the problem: sexual acts that our outside the procreative act are by their very nature disordered, unhygienic, and ultimately destructive, both physically and spiritually. Anal sex is particularly vile. You should take the trouble to look at some of the pathological data on the practice of regular homosexual acts before spreading the lie that they are as harmless as vaginal sex. The notion of "safe" sex is another lie. There is no safe sex except between a monogamous husband and wife.

Here's my problem with PFLAG/GLSEN types in a nutshell. If I saw a loved one driving their car off a cliff, I would do everything in my power to alert them to the danger and stop them if possible. The PFLAG attitude seems to be, "they're adults and it's their car, so if they want to drive off a cliff, that's their business." This attitude is not "love," it's surrender. It's taking the easy way out--an all to prevalent attitude, sadly, among Americans today.

Even worse, to try to comfort themselves, the PFLAGers try to brainwash other parents into thinking that there's nothing wrong with their children's appalling behavior.

If my adult child was a drug addict, I would not "accept" their addiction and their junkie friends into my house. I would kick him out and try to help him get clean, doing everything in my power to guide that child away from the path of destruction back to a path of life.

Enabling a child's homosexual practices is not love. The most compassionate thing a person can do for someone afflicted with same-sex attractions is to help lead them OUT of that lifestyle.