Okay I know, bad form replying to myself, but I wanted to include the text of an email that I sent to my homeschool support group (yes it's a religious group -- Christian based -- I am the only Jewish member). Amazingly after sending this email I received many, many supporting emails privately. Most of the women said that they were afraid to speak up. That, my friends, is horribly sad.
Anyhow . . . email text:
*begin cut*
Okay so maybe I'm a freak . . . I went through all the links that were sent to the list . . . the one about supporting choice references the law as it currently exists. While I may personally disagree with abortion, as of right now in the US it's still a legal right. Worst case, if you disagree with it as a right stay away from the org. If you want to change that -- why not use it as a bouncing off point for education? Fundamentally though, it currently exists as a 'right' whether most of us here like it or not. As a woman in the US, I don't like the idea of a 'right' being taken away from me, whether I approve of anyone else doing it or not.
The other stuff -- well, it's resources. I'm not one to hide from anything. I would rather learn about it, and be able to explain things to my children with a neutral opinion, and give them my opinion as well. I am not the only person in the world and while I teach them my beliefs, I don't want them to dislike/hate people for theirs.
I have a niece who is a lesbian. I may not agree with her lifestyle, but I will not turn her or her friends away. She is still my blood, and my children's cousin.
I think what I'm trying to say -- resources don't equal encouragement. I didn't see anything on their encouraging girls to become a lesbian -- but rather to educate and inform. Many many women I know (Christian and Jewish) questioned their sexual identity growing up -- it's a normal part of being human for many people. I guess I just don't see a problem with providing resources and information.
There is way too much hate in the world right now. Education leads understanding, while ignorance breeds fear.
*end cut from email*
Here are the links I referred to in the message:
American Girl website offering "I Can" band to benefit Girls Inc.
http://store.americangirl.com/shop/ican.php
Girls Inc. homepage
http://www.girlsinc.org/ic
Choice issue
http://www.girlsinc.org/ic/page.php?id=4.3.4
Contraception
http://www.girlsinc.org/ic/page.php?id=4.3.4
Sexual Identity
http://www.girlsinc.org/ic/content/lesbianbisexualgirls.pdf
Girls and Sexual Health
http://www.girlsinc.org/ic/content/GirlsandSexualHealth.pdfI
With mommies that 'think' like you, the current state of our 'culture' is not at all surprising. It is far easier to 'go along to get along' than see the effect of your tolerance. Look at what your openminded attitude when translated to political action (ala Israel and opening up the 'territoties') has done to the state of security in Israel. But apparently, it is all just a matter of opinion and one 'truth' is as good as another.
You see Lesbianism to Christians is what Auschwitz is to Jews. And just like the Jewish people, the Christian people have the same rights to insist that a company that might influence young minds should stay away from promoting something that negatively influences those same young minds. And when they don't, the consumer has every right in the world to Boycott them.
Educated people have every reason to object to the deceptive and ideologically driven decision of American Girl to support an organization that distributes pro-homosexual and pro-abortion propaganda. I went to Harvard and have a Ph.D but that doesn't mean that I can't see the problem with an organization that claims to support the well-being of girls but goes ahead supporting the abortion industry, which prevents girls from ever being born. As far as promoting lesbianism, only naivete and yes, ignorance could fail to distinguish between propaganda and educational "resources." On what evidence do you base your assertion that the "resources" offered by Girls, Inc. are strictly educational in intent? They offer no opposing points of view, such as they would have to do in order to offer girls the opportunity to make an informed choice. Girls, Inc. does not give girls the resource of knowing that throughout history, homosexuality has been viewed by the Jewish and Christian traditions as an aberrant mode of behavior. Your claims about abortion are similiarly ill-considered. Abortion is already "legislated" -- on the basis of an unconstitutional decision! You intimate that because of the current laws respecting abortion, we should refrain from calling attention to its wrongness. Slaveholders who legally exercised their right to hold slaves could have made the same argument.
Your arguments reflect your good intentions and moral concern, but they need to be more carefully considered.
You are making sense. That's a very dangerous thing to do on threads like this. ;)
There's way too much accomodation of evil in the world right now. You must have a very gracious homeschool group. I would have a very hard time letting my kids associate with yours what with your "normal" kids "questioning their sexual identity" etc... For me, it's not about "agree with your lifestyle" or finding acceptance for mine. There are plenty of people in the world for us to associate without each other having to countenance abominations we euphemistically call "rights" which either of us might hold.
This is exactly what we are trying to do, keep our young girls away from this “org” and make others aware of what they’re doing so they can also keep their young girls away as well.
I would rather learn about it, and be able to explain things to my children with a neutral opinion, and give them my opinion as well.
Again, this is exactly what we are trying to do. We want to explain these things to our young girls, not have an “org” advocating abortion and lesbianism bypass the parents and lobby for these things to our young girls.
Own stock in the company, do ya'?