Conservatives Warn Parents about Homosexual 'Day of Silence'

This year's Day of Silence, which homosexuals will observe Wednesday at thousands of schools across the country, is under attack from several conservative groups that want to alert parents about the movement.

Fearing that homosexual students will spread their message in classrooms, some parents have opted to keep their children out of school Wednesday. For the past seven years, students from middle school to college have used the day to take a vow of silence to protest discrimination and harassment.

Last year's Day of Silence was observed by more than 150,000 students at nearly 2,000 schools, according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). This year, the group expects those numbers to increase to more than 200,000 participants.

The movement has even reached Congress, where Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) introduced a resolution that would recognize the day. Gov. Gray Davis (D-Calif.) plans to issue a proclamation, and several municipalities or legislative bodies are expected to do the same.

Widespread acceptance of the day by school administrators prompted parents to picket outside schools in California and other states last year, said Steve Klein, founder of Courageous Christians United, a group steadfastly opposed to the Day of Silence.

"As we as parents try to get our kids into reading, writing and arithmetic, the more we're finding that they're getting into social engineering," said Klein, who encourages parents to keep their kids home Wednesday. "My kids went through this a few years ago, and I couldn't believe the homosexuality and the filthy sex that they were teaching."

Klein took to the streets last year, when he joined other concerned parents at Granite Hills High School and Santana High School, both in the San Diego area, to distribute pamphlets to students about what he views as the dangers of homosexuality.

This year, Klein is not planning to demonstrate because the students at the schools opted to observe the day earlier this year to avoid controversy, he said.

Kevin Jennings, GLSEN's executive director, could not be reached for comment, but he has praised the Day of Silence ever since his organization began sponsoring it two years ago.

"The overwhelming message that students sent in 2002 through the hallways of their schools resonated for months after, both in classroom discussions and on the editorial pages of countless local newspapers," Jennings said in February, announcing the kickoff of this year's project.

The Day of Silence has a 15-student leadership team that helps organize events across the country. Jennings praised these students for helping combat homophobia and discrimination in places like Detroit, Albany, N.Y., and Madison, Wis., a few of the communities where special events are planned.

As more schools endorse the day and recognize those participating, however, they might be stepping over a line by entering the political arena, warned Scott Lively, president of the Pro-Family Law Center.

Lively's organization sent letters to all California school superintendents that highlighted his concerns. He said that once a school allows a group to present its political agenda during class time, the school is obligated to recognize all other student causes.

"When political demonstrations enter the classroom, with the endorsement of the school, they have crossed the line, and they are essentially taking advantage of a captive audience of students to force a political message upon kids who don't have any choice but to be there," he said. "It's wrong, it's illegal, and schools that allow it to happen are setting themselves up for litigation."

Another conservative organization, Concerned Women for America's Culture and Family Institute, offered parents and students recommendations about countering the Day of Silence.

Peter LaBarbera, the institute's senior policy analyst, advised parents to contact their local schools and ask about any Day of Silence events that might be planned. He also said students shouldn't be afraid to ask participants about their lifestyle.

But despite the outrage from conservatives, Jennings said in a statement released earlier this week that he was optimistic the day would be a success and again increase in popularity.

Lively, however, will spend the day with California students who are skipping school in protest. He plans to meet with them in Sacramento to give them advice about creating their own clubs to get their message out.

"The thing that really galls me about this is that the whole premise of the Day of Silence is that homosexuals have to be silent in our society today because of discrimination," Lively said. "Homosexual activists are the most obnoxious, loud and vocal political activists this country has ever seen."

You met half a dozen??? I know a lot of gays and lesbians... probably a lot more than you do.. and I haven't met a single one who said that they KNEW they were straight and then later KNEW they were gay.

I've known some who were dissatisfied with their heterosexual marriages of convenience who didn't want to label themselves "gay", and I've known a lot who experience attractions to both genders, but no one I ever met felt that they "turned".

Because of the flourishing interest in all things Texas, and the popularity of the show, "Survivor" on CBS-TV, it seems the producers are thinking of mounting a local version tentatively called "Survivor - Texas Style!"

Contestants will start in Dallas, travel to Waco, Austin, San Antonio, back to Houston and down to Brownsville on the border. They'll proceed up to Del Rio, on to El Paso then to Midland, Odessa, Lubbock and Amarillo. They turn back east to Abilene, Fort Worth and Dallas.

Each person will be driving a pink Volvo with a bumper sticker that reads: "I'm gay. I'm a vegetarian. I voted for Al Gore. George Strait no-way. I want Hillary in 2004, and I'm here to confiscate your guns!"

The contestant that makes it back to Dallas, alive, wins.

I meant that I know of at least half-a-dozen people who were gay and are now straight and visa-versa. It has been my experience that people will interpret their history to reflect their current status. People who are now gay, but lived straight, will say "I always knew I was gay" or "I always knew I was different" and the straights who were gay say "There was something missing" or "I never felt comfortable...".

What it boils down to me is that there is more choice involved than some would like to admit.

Faith is NOT and innate characteristic.

Agreed.

It is learned and freely chosen behavior.

Faith is a behavior? Did you bump your head before you wrote this? Faith is a state of being NOT an action, a fine point that requires a certain degree of intellect. Actually, you might better understand it as faith is one of those noun things and behavior is one of those verb things. Does that help? Perhaps you are mistaking worship with faith, which’s easily confused especially by those who don’t really understand either.

And not a very rational one at that.

Awww…and here we see the real motivation for your post. Trying to rationalize all those miracles, or for you “myths,” must be very difficult for a person like you. Tell me, are there any other people in history you try to deny? Aristotle? Socrates?

I succussfully left the Christian lifestyle years ago and I haven't looked back. If I can do it, you can too.

Oh now I get it. I didn’t read between the lines before. (Sound of hand slapping forehead) You’re “gay”! Is that why you’re denying Christ? I guess I can see why, Paul WAS pretty specific about your behavior.

Listen, next time you feel like posting some dopey tripe bashing Christians leave me out of it because it has no bearing on your pathology of homosexuality. Otherwise, should a coherent thought pass through that melon of yours…hang on to it, frame it, put it on the wall so you can remember it for the years to come, it will make you proud someday.

I'm sorry my intellect can't stand up to yours.

That’s OK, I’m here to help.

So you're saying "faith" is an orientation,

No because “orientation” is a fluctuating direction of thought and faith is an unchanging state of mind or as I said before, a state of being.

and "worship" is a behavior based on that orientation?

If you apply the above definition to that the answer is yes. Whether or not one worships has no bearing whether or not one has faith.

Listen, get some help for your pathology and stop worrying about whether faith is comparable to your perversion. I know you need to find parables to justify the filth and degradation you inflict upon yourself but in the long run it doesn’t help.

Yeah, and I'm sure arsonists would like us to all accept them because they have always liked playing with fire and we should all just look the other way when they burn down a building.

Kleptomaniacs would also like us to just let them go when they are caught stealing because they just can help it, it is a compulsion they can't ignore. Hey, those stores will never miss it, they have lots of money.

Alcoholics would like to chime in about now. They can't help it if they drink, they just can't stop themselves. Besides, being drunk never hurt anyone...

There are all sorts of attractions and compulsions that are neither healthy nor moral. Just about everyone struggles with something. The difference is the righteous or moral person recognizes the immorality of their actions, owns the action (confession, facing punishment, whatever) and then attempts to live their life without repeating that behavior. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don't. The important part is the effort (and the eventual success due to that effort).

The immoral (or amoral) person rationalizes or justifies the actions or behaviors that, while they know are immoral, are either too pleasurable to deny or too strong of a compulsion to easily resist. To further justify their actions and to deflect criticism, they pronounce everyone who sees their behaviors as immoral as being immoral themselves for having a moral stance - truly Orwellian "Good is bad, bad is good" doublethink.

To think that because one has "always known" that one is *blank* is a justification for behaving in an immoral manner would be tantamount to allowing absolute relativism, with every individual being their own arbitrator of what is good or bad. I postulate that given no societal structures or mores to guide or restrict them, most men would be polygamous, leading to a breakdown of the basic family structure, spreading of disease, and other unpleasant consequences. Given no law to stop them the strong would take from the weak.

I realize that I have strayed from the original point so I will tack back over.

***It is the attraction that is not a choice.***

It isn't the attraction society is worried about. It is acting on that attraction, and the demands of those acting on the attraction that every one else accept their immorality, that is the problem.

I know I am coming to this conversation late, and that my idea may have already been expressed, but it can't hurt to mention it again.

The schools in my town supported this action, and allowed the students to remain silent as a means of free speech. They not only allowed it, but some of the teachers encouraged it. I am told that at least one of the teachers actually took part and did not speak to her students at all.

So here goes. I wonder if the schools would be as supportive of a group of students who took the same action in protest to abortion? I would assume that the majority of those students would be Christians, and that the "protest" would probably be organized through the churches on a national basis. The participants could hold up little cards annoucing their silence in support of all those who will never have the opportunity to speak for themselves.

It only seems fair that the schools and universities that provided recognition to the rights of free speech of one group would provide it to another group. Wait, I forgot we were dealing with liberals.

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