Response to Anonymous Bigot

Yesterday I wrote a response to Eugene Delgaudio's lie-filled e-mail.  An anonymous user responded with a different pack of lies.  There are enough lies that I am responding in a new post.

Anonymous13 July, 2012 16:20

All he is saying and informing others is that the gay movement is very strong and lethal. 

Very strong and lethal?  Neither.

First, gay movement implies that one chooses to be gay.  Sorry.  If that were true, most of the gays of my generation would be straight.  They are not.  We'll look at some of the science of this a little later in this post.

The strength of the LGBTQ Community is that we are second class citizens who are begging for equality.  If we were "strong" we would already be equal.  We are not.  If we were so strong, it would not be legal to fire a person for being gay, as is the case in most states.  As noted in the graphic, below, it is legal to fire someone based solely on their sexuality in twenty-nine states (thanks to GLAAD).  This is why ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act) is so important.

What is lethal about being gay is the environment that bullies and liars create.  Most gays and lesbians who are not confronted with unnecessary challenges would live normal lives.  The myth of short lifespans was published as a now discredited set of studies by Paul Cameron.  There was also a Canadian study exploring lifestyles in Vancouver thirty years ago which has its authors asking that it not be used to spread homophobia.

Bottom line, is that the LGBTQ Community exists in a struggle for political and legal equality, not strength.  Our lifestyles are varied, but not inherently lethal.

It has, in many states, inforced homosexual lifestyle education to be taught as an alternate way of life "and should be tried and experienced by everyone to truely see if this is something that could be a way of life for you or not". They teach this from grade 1 and up. Are you kidding me. We don't teach normal sexual activity between male and female until jr high and you want to get to the kids at a younger age to twist and confuse their thinking. 

Not at all true.  First, the goal of the LGBTQ Community is acceptance, not coercion.  Even if we wanted to sway people to a different sexual orientation, it is unlikely that we would often succeed.  This is not hyperbole.  This is the belief of our major medical and psychological organization.

On Tuesday of this week the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychoanalytical Association, and several of the California chapters filed an Amicus Curiae Brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

II.  Homosexuality Is A Normal Expression of Human Sexuality, Is
Generally Not Chosen, And Is Highly Resistant To Change.

That is the title from a section that starts on page 17 of the pdf.  A little more from that section:

Current scientific and professional understanding is that the core feelings that form the basis for adult sexual orientation typically emerge between middle childhood and early adolescence, without any necessary prior sexual experience.

The Brief goes on to refute claims of reparative therapy.

Wake up. Homosexual activity is as sick and twisted and pedophillia. 

I am wide awake.  Unlike pedophilia, homosexuality is about sex between consenting adults.  Children cannot give legal consent.  Even if children appear to be consensual, one cannot assume that they understand sexuality and its benefits and consequences.  Sex with children is wrong.  Correlating adult homosexuals with pedophiles is wrong.

The most famous pedophile so far this year is Jerry Sandusky, with all of the information not yet in.  Please note that Mr. Sandusky appeared to be a heterosexual.  In fact, buried in the FBI statistics, most pedophiles are male and most of their victims are female (not that any sexual abuse of a child should be seen as heterosexual or homosexual, it is child abuse period.)

IT'S A WAY OF LIFE THAT HAS BEEN CHOSEN AND ACCEPTED BY THOSE THAT LIVE IT TO BE NORMAL and ACCEPTABLE. 

No.  Making this all caps does not make it more true, only more annoying.  Our sexuality is inherent.  Yelling that it is chosen does not change the medical and psychological facts.

I am not condeming those into those live styles, it's like a drunk.... a person who needs help. 

In fact, you are condemning me and all other gays.  What I need is not help but to be left alone to live my life without your harassment.

Dont' tell me it's natural if all the gay lobbiest do is to force it down the publics throats and try to make it legal to be force and taught to school children of all ages. 

No one is teaching children to be homosexual or heterosexual in our schools.  That is among the big lies of those who have been challenging California's SB-48 legislation, the The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act.  What is being taught is that we should tolerate and accept each other, both in what we have in common and in how we differ.

I will be damned if I would let my 4 boys be taught life and told that, that is an alternative way of life. If you want to live that lifestyle keep it to yourself. 

I don't know what you mean by "taught life".  Schools are expected to teach children to become adults and handle the variety of situations that life will throw at them.  To prepare students, we teach them about math and language, physical exercise and sports, and the complexities of society.  We don't teach children how to be sexual.  We teach life skills, not life styles.

I can only assume that you want schools to ignore parts of society that you don't like.  So, you want your sons to be taught lies.  Homosexuality is real and there are homosexuals in every culture and have been for all of recorded history.  Pretending otherwise is a lie.

There is no single "homosexual lifestyle".  Just as for heterosexuals, some attend more parties than others; some do more community service and give to charity more than others; some work to save the world while others waste the resources we have.  Stereotyping of either homosexuals or heterosexuals is not useful.

Don't pay off government officials to pass and enforce all kinds of laws that will force the 97% of the public that want nothing to do with this lifestyle for themselves or their families to be a manditory taught practice in school.

We agree that bribery is awful.  It is awful no matter who is doing so.  When the National Organization for Marriage is offering two million dollars to New York State Senators that is wrong.

Using phrases like "this lifestyle" and "a manditory taught practice in school" is lying.  Not useful for any meaningful dialogue.

Rather than continue the hyperbole, let's look at the real information about LGBTQ people and their relationships.  The following is from section III of the Amicus Brief we talked about previously.

III. Sexual Orientation and Relationships.

Like heterosexuals, gay and lesbian people want to form stable, long-lasting relationships, and many of them do: numerous studies of gay and lesbian people show that the vast majority of participants have been in a committed relationship at some point in their lives, that large proportions are currently in such a relationship (40-70% of gay men and 45-80% of lesbian women), and that many of those couples have been together 10 or more years. Recent surveys based on probability samples support these findings. Data from the 2010 US Census shows that same-sex couples headed more than 600,000 US households and more than 90,000 in California, including more than 18,000 married couples in California and more than 130,000 married couples in the United States.

Empirical research demonstrates that the psychological and social aspects of committed relationships between same-sex partners closely resemble those of heterosexual partnerships. Like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples form deep emotional attachments and commitments. Heterosexual and same-sex couples alike face similar issues concerning intimacy, love, equity, loyalty, and stability, and they go through similar processes to address those issues. Empirical research also shows that gay and lesbian couples have levels of relationship satisfaction similar to or higher than those of heterosexual couples.

Perhaps I should have simply deleted the hate and lies of "Anonymous".  I was tempted to do so.  But, it is sometimes important to respond to lies with truth instead of ignoring the hate and just moving on.

Repudiation: Opposition to Day of Silence

Mission America, created and headed by Linda Harvey, has been spreading Christianity and denouncing homosexuality since 1995.  She has just written a piece titled Why Parents Should Keep Their Children Home from School on the Day of Silence.

On Friday April, 20, 2012, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) is once again exploiting public schools to promote homosexuality and gender confusion as moral and normative through the political protest called the Day of Silence.

The idea of promoting homosexuality or "gender confusion" as if these were somehow contagious is absurd.  Ms. Harvey clearly wants no understanding of the medical and counseling communities views on these matters.  Every major medical and psychological and counseling organization understands that homosexuality and transgender persons are on the spectrum of normal and does not treat either as immoral.

GLSEN has just launched a new Day of Silence website.  In their words, "Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence has become the largest single student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression."

A coalition of pro-family groups is urging parents to keep their children home from school on the “Day of Silence,” if your school is allowing students to refuse to speak in class.

Every public school where I have taught has allowed students to make this decision for themselves.  No student is ever coerced into participating.  I have had students tell me that they don't agree with the Day of Silence and will be participating vocally in class.  That is the right of those students.  Rather than stand up respectfully in disagreement, as a few of my students have done, Ms. Harvey is encouraging hiding and closing the minds of students from other ways of thinking.  She is encouraging cowardice.  She wants to make sure that bigoted students aren't contaminated by others who are nice to each other in silence.

GLSEN’s Day of Silence, which began on college campuses and has now infiltrated even middle schools, exploits anti-bullying sentiment to undermine the belief that homosexual acts are immoral.

Whether or not one believes that "homosexual acts are immoral", that does not give one the right to bully those who one thinks are homosexual.  The word "infiltrated" implies some kind of subterfuge.  No, this is not a secret.  It is quite open and apparent.

GLSEN shamelessly exploits teen suicide in order to create a climate of hysteria which they then use to falsely impute culpability for teen suicide to conservative moral beliefs.

The "climate of hysteria" is that which is created by bullies and encouraged by beliefs like those of Mission America.  When one establishes an environment where some children are designated as being in a lower caste, that makes bullying acceptable.  That is the basis for saying that Mission America and hate organizations have culpability in the rash of teen suicides that we have seen.

GLSEN’s end game is the eradication of conservative moral beliefs and the creation of a social and political climate in which it is impossible to express them. Their cultural vehicle of choice for this radical social experiment is public education. What a strategic coup for homosexualists: use our money to capture the hearts and minds of our children.

No.  The end game of GLSEN is the creation of an environment where those with conservative moral beliefs and everyone else can coexist without a caste system, without bullying, and without belittlement of any groups within our schools.  The only expressions that are not welcome in this ideal are those that put down others.  To the best of my knowledge, the Day of Silence is not funded by school or tax dollars.  Materials are paid for by GLSEN, donations to which are tax-deductible under the same IRS code as Mission America.

Efforts to exploit public education for the purpose of eradicating conservative moral beliefs are dramatically increasing every year. Homosexual activists and their allies are aggressively targeting younger and younger children through “anti-bullying” laws, policies, and curricula; through the effort to nationalize “comprehensive sex ed”; through laws mandating positive portrayals of homosexuality and gender deviance in curricula; and through events like the Day of Silence, National Coming Out Day, Ally Week, Transgender Day of Remembrance; and Spirit Week.

"Eradicating conservative moral beliefs"?  That applies to only those that involve hate (which isn't supposed to be part of Christianity according to what I remember from theology classes taught by Jesuit priests).  It is certainly true that anti-bullying policies and curricula are and should be available to all of public school classes and children.  I have written previously about the value and importance of comprehensive sex education.  I have written quite a bit about California's SB-48, the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act which is the law "mandating positive portrayals of homosexuality and gender deviance in curricula".  These and the other GLSEN programs listed are very good for our schools and society.

And conservatives do virtually nothing. Our complacence makes us complicit in the damage done to our children and our culture. 

If that were true, there would be no need for my blog.  Most of what I write is in response to hateful legislation and responses to efforts to move toward equality.  In short, Ms. Harvey is bearing false witness.

Moreover, we teach our children by example to be cowardly conformists. It’s time to resist and there’s no easier way to resist than to call your children out of school on the Day of Silence.

Keeping children and home and hiding from an opportunity for dialogue is cowardly.

Parents and Guardians: Call your children’s middle and high schools and ask if students and/or teachers will be permitted to refuse to speak during class on Friday, April 20, 2012. If your administration allows students and/or teachers to refuse to speak during class, call your child out of school. Every student absence costs school districts money.

As a teacher who firmly believes in the Day of Silence, I have never refrained from speaking on those days and neither has any other gay or straight teacher who I know.  This is entirely the students.  The nature of funding the schools varies from district to district and state to state.  Some district funding is based on every absence.  Other districts do quarterly or annual attendance checks for purposes of funding.  In many schools, Ms. Harvey's suggestion hurts the students pulled out but not the schools, other than in losing opportunities for students to learn.

When administrators refuse to listen to reason and when they allow the classroom to be exploited for political purposes, parents must take action. If they don’t, the politicization of the classroom and curricula will increase.

The Day of Silence is a symbolic gesture to raise awareness of bullying.  How is that not reasonable?  To quote from GLSEN, "GLSEN’s 2009 National School Climate Survey found that nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and more than 30% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. Moreover, two of the top three reasons students said their peers were most often bullied at school were actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender expression, according to From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, a 2005 report by GLSEN and Harris Interactive. Thus, the Day of Silence helps bring us closer to making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’s schools."  It is about protecting students by creating a more tolerant environment.

If your administrator tells you that they do not permit students or teachers to refuse to speak in class, ask him or her how that is communicated to faculty and students and how it is enforced.

In the schools where I have taught, students have been allowed to put up posters announcing the day in advance.  Teachers have been informed during an staff meeting when this will occur and reminding us that we can require that all students speak in our classes ... that our classroom policy is up to us as long as we remain respectful in implementing it.

The ACLU has issued this statement to students regarding silence in class:

"You DO have a right to participate in Day of Silence and other expressions of your opinion at a public school during non-instructional time: the breaks between classes, before and after the school day, lunchtime, and any other free times during your day. You do NOT have a right to remain silent during class time if a teacher asks you to speak."

Sounds reasonable to me.

The idea that homosexual acts are moral, good, or normative is not a fact. It is an unproven, non-factual, controversial moral belief. As such, no government employee or publicly subsidized institution has the ethical right to teach it to children implicitly or explicitly. It is entirely possible for schools to work toward the important goal of eradicating bullying without affirming homosexuality or gender confusion.

While Ms Harvey is wrong in her first sentence, schools are not teaching anything other than tolerance.  However, here is an important clue regarding "affirming homosexuality or gender confusion."  Homosexuals and transgender persons have been around for millenia.  We are real.  We are part of American society even as we have been part of every other society throughout history (including during biblical times ... that is why we are mentioned in the Bible).  Acceptance of this simple fact by Ms. Harvey would help.

There are a few more repetitive paragraphs.  Rather than me writing more, let's look at a few facts from GLSEN:

The day is a positive educational experience. The Day of Silence is an opportunity for students to work toward improving school climate for all students. GLSEN advises students interested in participating to discuss their intentions with their administration and teachers long before the event. The day is most successful when schools and students work together to show their commitment to ensuring safe schools for all students. Many schools allow students’ participation throughout the day. Some schools ask students to speak as they normally would during class and remain silent during breaks and at lunch. There is no single way to participate, and students are encouraged to take part in the way that is the most positive and uplifting for their school.

Thanks to Joe My God for the heads up.

18 April 2012, FollowUp 1. 

20 April 2012, FollowUp 2.

FollowUp 3: Eugene Delgaudio Lies About Legislation Again

Today I received more e-mail from Mr. Delgaudio.  Not unusual as he sends out messages warning of the threats from homosexuals and begging for money to fight them quite frequently.  Today he is asking for advice.

Dear Some,

It is obvious that Mr. Delgaudio has never checked his mailing list, an automated process for all e-mail addresses that he manages to grab.  Either that or he believes that my real name is "Some Teacher".

I've never had such a difficult decision...

I desperately need your advice.

You see, the homosexual onslaught is relentless.

It is true that the LGBTQ Community will not stop fighting for equality.  I guess that is what he means by relentless.

They've been attacking on every front for months and your Public Advocate is worn to the bone.

Some, I'm worn to the bone.

During the holidays, I could barely take time away to spend with my family.  Their attacks were so relentless.

One might suggest that Mr. Delgaudio's family should be more important and take higher priority than his hobby of raising money to protect America from Americans who happen to be gay and lesbian citizens.

And because I just barely reached my end-of-year fundraising goals, the radical Homosexual Lobby smells blood in the water.

Ah, so Mr. Delgaudio is continuing to make a tidy sum of money in his pursuit of a more moral nation.

Over the past month, they've launched a tidal wave attack to ram through their entire agenda -- while I can barely fight back...

And now...

Now I'm forced to make a decision.

You see, the Homosexual Lobby is pushing three main planks in their campaign to reshape America:

1) The Homosexual Classrooms Act , requiring every school -- even private and religious schools -- to teach appalling homosexual acts.

This legislation would spin impressionable students in a whirlwind of sexual confusion and misinformation, even peer pressure to “experiment” with the homosexual “lifestyle;”

There is, of course, no such legislation proposed.  Where there has been legislation proposed, such as SB-48 in California, it affects only public schools and includes teaching nothing about "homosexual acts".  I have refuted Mr. Delgaudio on this previously. 

2) The Offense to Marriage Act , repealing the Defense of Marriage Act which has stood for over a decade against the Homosexual Lobby.

If passed, wedding gown-clad men smooching before some left-wing clergyman or state official is just the beginning.

You'll see men hand-in-hand skipping down to adoption centers to “pick out” a little boy for themselves.

And religious adoption agencies? SHUT DOWN.

The reference here is to the Respect for Marriage Act, which offers no offense to any marriage.  Here's the deal:  no clergy who object to homosexuals marrying would need to perform such a marriage.  Mr. Delgaudio has no respect for the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, he wants his version of religion established as that which the government recognizes.

The implication of pedophilia here is both wrong and disgusting.  Pedophilia is a problem with heterosexuals even more than with homosexuals, with about eleven heterosexual pedophiles to every one homosexual pedophile. The call for marriage equality is for equal access to marriage among consenting adults. Perhaps the age of consent should be subject to debate as it is in Europe. The age of consent is not specified in the Bible, but was commonly quite low by modern standards. Most girls would wed at age twelve or thirteen. But, the modern idea of prepubescent or newly pubescent children having sexual relations is a mistake. This should not follow from marriage equality.  The call for marriage equality is for equal access to marriage among consenting adults.

No religious adoption agencies have been shut down.  Those that are in the news periodically are those that choose to no longer accept state money because that would mean treating all citizens equally.  They can still be adoption agencies, just without taxpayer dollars.

3) The Gay Bill of Special Rights , granting special job rights to homosexuals. Every homosexual fired or not hired becomes a potential federal civil rights lawsuit.

Radical homosexuals will terrorize day cares, hospitals and churches.

Traditional moral values will be shattered by federal decree.

Like Mr. Delgaudio's other claims, there is no such legislation.  The closest would be ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which grants citizens the right to not be fired for their sexuality.  Terrorism is still illegal.  No one's moral values are threatened.  Working beside a homosexual is not contagious.

My friend, all of these bills are grave threats to morality and the Family... I just don't know which to fight.

That's why your advice is so critical.

Which do you consider the biggest threat?

Really?  None of them are threats.  These are all problems that Mr. Delgaudio imagines and uses to raise money for his pocketbook.

Please click here and complete the Membership Poll with your advice as soon as possible.

Warning:  If you follow that link, it will take you to a single page poll that does not include a None of the Above option.  If you enter your e-mail address, then you will receive several e-mails a week, just like those addressed to "Some".

You see, without your advice, I don't feel comfortable pulling resources from one fight to another.

He shouldn't feel comfortable with any of these fights as none of them are real threats.  Of course, then he wouldn't make as much money from gullible, fearful rubes.

But if enough members like you tell me that one or two of these bills represent the greatest threat to you personally, I can move forward knowing I'm doing the right thing.

Of course, fighting just one will cost precious resources.

In fact, if I'm to effectively defeat even one of these bills, I'm going to need an immediate influx of funds.

That's why along with your advice, I desperately need you to contribute financially so that your Public Advocate is strong enough to defeat the Homosexual Lobby.

I did remove this link.  Still, if you want to go to the effort of finding the link through the so-called Public Advocate site, it is your money and your choice.  Mr. Delgaudio will enjoy whatever funds you send his way.

If the Homosexual Lobby succeeds in reshaping America in their image, the values you and I hold dear will be lost forever.

This is simply funny.  First, there is no single image of a homosexual.  Yes, there are stereotypes, but most gays and lesbians are neither swish and frail boys nor over-muscled dykes.  Our parents were mostly heterosexuals and we look a lot like our straight siblings.  The only value that we would like to be rid of is that of intolerant bigotry.

The ultimate goal of every radical Homosexual Activist is to create a new America where sexual promiscuity is the new norm, and traditional values are long forgotten.

Nope.  If that were true, then there would be no push for the Respect for Marriage Act.  Mr. Delgaudio is playing on stereotypes, not reality.

You and I can't let them succeed.

I've prepared a massive grassroots lobbying campaign to defeat these bills.

The plans are all there ready to go...

I just need you to click here and tell me which one !

But that still leaves all the costs...

Defeating just one of these bills will take tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are going to line Mr. Delgaudio's pockets.  It is estimated that Mr. Delgaudio keeps about $170,000.00 of them money donated to him each year.

I've currently budgeted around $35,000 for each fight.

But that's not nearly enough...

Are you a business owner who refuses to submit to the threat of lawsuits by defeating the Gay Bill of Special Rights ?

More donation links removed where the quoted material is underlined.  Sorry, this begging is disgusting.

Or are you a parent or grandparent who desperately wants to protect the innocence of the next generation by defeating the Homosexual Classrooms Act ?

Or are you passionate about preserving the sanctity of REAL marriage by making sure the Offense of Marriage Act NEVER repeals the Defense of Marriage Act?

Will you help me raise what Public Advocate needs to win?

In order to make sure the Homosexual Classrooms Act NEVER becomes law, I've calculated that I need you and a majority of other pro-family Americans to contribute $50 right away .

But there's also the Gay Bill of Special Rights and the Offense of Marriage Act... We have to fight those too!

No, Mr. Delgaudio does not have to fight any of these as they are not real, at least not real as he depicts them.  Fighting against civil rights is morally wrong.  Pocketing money while claiming to fight against civil rights is even worse.

If you're like me, nothing short of fighting AND DEFEATING every single one of these bills will ever be enough!

But for you and I to win I need you to give more than ever.

Correct English would be "But for you and me to win ...."  Correct morality would be for Mr. Delgaudio to follow the Golden Rule.

I've calculated that winning every one of these battles will require you and other supporters to give $150, or even $200 each.

A few paragraphs ago, $50 was enough.  I guess that while he was typing, Mr. Delgaudio figured out how he could enjoy spending more money from those he is begging.

Can I count on you to give that today?

Please chip in your contribution, along with your Membership Poll with your advice on which battle is most important to you.

Again, I have deleted a link, but none of the associated text.

Whether your most generous contribution is $50, $100, or $150; give what you can to keep the Family strong.

Thank you, in advance.

Yours for the family,

Eugene Delgaudio
President, Public Advocate of the United States

There is a p.s. with repetition of the lies and more begging for money.  There is also the following notice:

Because Public Advocate of the U.S. is a nonprofit, charitable organization that fights the radical agenda of the Homosexual Lobby, contributions are not tax deductible for IRS purposes. This email was not produced or e-mailed at taxpayer expense. Public Advocate's phone number is (703) 845-1808, its address is 5613 Leesburg Pike, Suite 17 Falls Church, VA 22041, and its website is http://publicadvocateusa.org/ .

I find it offensive that he gets tax breaks to harass the LGBTQ Community with his lies and work against equality.  Disgusting.

19 December 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.
11 January 2012, FollowUp 1.
14 January 2012, FollowUp 2.

15 March 2012, FollowUp 4.
13 June 2012, FollowUp 5.
12 July 2012, FollowUp 6.

FollowUp 4: California's SB-48

The Bay Area Reporter notes that attacks on California's SB-48, The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act are continuing.  While Richard Rios, who had filed petitions for two separate ballot propositions to remove the effectiveness of FAIR, has dropped his efforts, Lou Sheldon is picking up the slack.

The proposal, submitted by Lou Sheldon of the anti-gay Traditional Values Coalition, repeals SB 48′s requirement that instructional materials recognize those contributions.

Sheldon also wants to undo the law’s provision that prohibits instructional materials that reflect adversely on people based on their sexual orientation and other characteristics.

Backers of Sheldon’s initiative have until June 25 to collect the 504,760 valid signatures needed to get the proposal on the state ballot.

Fortunately, unlike the bigotry of Mr. Rios and Mr. Sheldon, there is level-headed news.

One measure (SB 48), requiring public schools to include the contributions of LGBT individuals and “other cultural groups” in social studies courses, could take years to implement. That’s because schools review and approve textbooks years in advance.

The law has stirred controversy, but officials say it promotes inclusion. Maureen Latham, assistant superintendent of instructional support services for the Beaumont Unified School District, told the newspaper, “Just as we look for balance in represented groups like the Hmong culture or the Morongo Indians, we will be sure to include any contributions to society of all groups. Maybe textbooks that highlight the accomplishments of Harvey Milk (the state’s first openly gay politician who was killed in 1978) will be appropriate.” 

The last article also has information on three other new laws in California that seek to treat all Californians, including those in the LGBTQ Community, fairly.

Thanks to Joe My God for the heads up.

12 October 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.

23 October 2011, FollowUp 1.

28 November 2011, FollowUp 2.

9 December 2011, FollowUp 3.

Repudiation: AFA OneNewsNow Misquotes AP News

The American Family Association's "News Network" ran a story today Andrew Welsh-Huggins under the Associated Press source.  The catch is that AFA altered and perverted the meaning of the original.  It begins with paragraph one (italics added where story was adulterated).

Girls seeking abortions in New Hampshire must first tell their parents or a judge, employers in Alabama must verify new workers' U.S. residency, and California students will be the first in the country to receive mandatory pro-homosexual indoctrination under state laws set to take effect at the start of 2012.

Here's the first paragraph of the original (underlining added where AFA made changes above).

Girls seeking abortions in New Hampshire must first tell their parents or a judge, some employers in Alabama must verify new workers' U.S. residency, and California students will be the first in the country to receive mandatory lessons about the contributions of gays and lesbians under state laws set to take effect at the start of 2012.

The changes are subtle.  I almost missed them when I first read the article.  But these change the meaning of what Mr. Welsh-Huggins wrote.  The first change obscures the fact that the employers are those who do business with the state (see section 9 of the Alabama Immigration Law).

The second change is standard for those who seek to maintain a caste system, with homosexuals on a lower tier.  There is no indoctrination component to California's Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act.  I've covered SB-48 a few times, most recently here.

The distortions regard FAIR continue further down (italics added where story was adulterated).

Also in California, a new law will add homosexuals to the list of social and ethnic groups whose contributions must be taught in history lessons in public schools. The law also bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions.

Again, here's the original (underlining added where AFA made changes above).

A California law will add gays and lesbians and people with disabilities to the list of social and ethnic groups whose contributions must be taught in history lessons in public schools. The law also bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions.

By excluding people with disabilities, AFA wants proponents of FAIR to seem heartless.  In fact, distorting facts is what is heartless.

Falsification of data, misquoting, and plagiarism are among the guarantees that a student earns an 'F' in my classroom.  AFA is alters information to sway those who don't catch the subtleties.  This was not an accident.  Had they simply copied the story, there would be no adulteration of the original.  This was deliberate and they should be ashamed.

7 January 2011, FollowUp 1.

Repudiation: Linda Harvey's "Gay Abuses"

Linda Harvey runs Mission America, a supposedly Christian organization countering the dangers of witchcraft and homosexuality.  I've written previously about an item she wrote objecting to protecting homosexual students from discrimination.  She recently wrote an article for World Net Daily on the "Top 10 'gay' Abuses of 2011".

So, No. 10 on my list is the growing number of incidents where homosexuals are trying to put Christians out of business, get them fired, get them expelled from college programs and so on. Example: A bed and breakfast owner in Illinois is being sued for refusing to rent out his facility for a homosexual civil union ceremony and reception.

The link provided by Ms. Harvey is to Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, a Southern Poverty Law Center designated hate group.  The law in Illinois is that public businesses must not discriminate.  Mr. Walder, the proprietor of the bed and breakfast admitted to the Chicago Sun Times that he does discriminate.   Please note that Mr. Walder does not run a church and was not being asked to officiate at any ceremony.  Ms. Harvey, like Mr. Walder, does not believe in equality and does object to the laws of Illinois.  This is not about trying to put Mr. Walder out of business, it is about fair and equal treatment.

No. 9 is the assault of the sex change agenda on our children. Two lesbian women in California are raising their adopted 11-year-old son as a girl, a process they started when he was just eight. These twisted adults with their own apparent issues have lined up tragically misguided doctors to give this boy hormone -blocking drug therapy. We should all pray for this young boy and his adoptive parents.

The assumption that Ms. Harvey is using is that the parents are forcing this on the child.  The assumption is that lesbians only want to raise lesbians and thus want their son to be a daughter.  This assumption is belied by the article to which Ms. Harvey links that indicates that there are two older sons.  There is even a picture of Tammy, the trans-girl, with her older brother and both parents.

To understand more of what is happening for such a youth, begin with the American Psychiatric Association's Facts, with information on transgender persons beginning on page 46 of the pdf.  Then continue with the American Psychological Association's Helping Families.

My No. 8 incident of homosexual abuse is Macy's Department Store and its cooperation with sex-change anarchy. The clothing store fired an employee in San Antonio, Texas, who refused to let a man use the women's fitting room. She claimed her religious rights under employment law; Macy's claimed transvestite rights superseded faith. What happened to the Constitution? And what's happening to America? I hope America avoids Macy's after this anti-Christian, anti-family, anti-woman decision.

I've already addressed this issue and the lies told by both the employee and Liberty Counsel.

No. 7 includes a new arrow in the "gay" activist quiver: unapologetic violence. Vandals were caught on the security camera in an Oct. 15 attack against the pro-family group, Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, or AFTAH. Chunks of concrete with a threatening note were hurled through the window of the Christian Liberty Academy in suburban Chicago the morning before an AFTAH conference was held at the school. A homosexual radical claimed responsibility on the Internet, yet no arrest has been made. This frightening incident would have been headlines if the victims had been homosexual, but the media mostly ignored it.

The means the LGBTQ Community uses to combat bigotry are verbal, written, and sometimes loud.  Not violent.  The attack was by an anonymous individual or group ... probably not a gay or lesbian.  I wrote more on this at the time.

And abuse No. 6 is the slander and libel against New Jersey teacher Viki Knox. Last fall, special education teacher Viki was very troubled by a pro-homosexual bulletin board display at the high school where she taught. She shared her dismay based around her Christian principles with a few close friends on Facebook. Before she knew it, her comments were headlines in the New York Times, she was suspended from her job, and state and national homosexual pressure groups were leading anti-"hate" demonstrations at the school calling for her dismissal.

A teacher who discriminates in the classroom should be suspended from her job.  I wrote more.

Now, here's No. 5: the passage of S.B. 48 in the state of California. This fact-free legislation that no one ever thought we would see in America, calls for sweeping pro-homosexual indoctrination in the public schools beginning Jan. 1, 2012.. Children will be compelled to learn about homosexuality, and those lessons must affirm this negative, high-risk lifestyle. California parents are outraged at such a discriminatory mandate, but short of repeal, their option is to remove their children from the schools or exit the state.

No, the legislation is not fact free, does not include indoctrination, and homosexuality is not just a lifestyle.  See my earlier writings on SB-48.  The law is positive and good for all students.

No. 4 on my list is the global homosexual agenda of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Just a few weeks ago, the White House and Secretary Clinton announced that United States foreign aid and support will be related to how well a country pushes homosexual behavior as a so-called "human right." This agenda is not backed up by U.S. law, and is another example of warped priorities and inappropriate use of authority by this administration.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are heroic defenders of human rights.  See my earlier writings on Secretary Clinton's speech.  Also my repudiation of Michael Brown's arguments against Ms. Clinton.

No. 3 is the deceptive "It Gets Better" video campaign organized by Dan Savage, a homosexual writer known for his sleaze and vulgarity, extreme even for a "gay" activist. This campaign exploits vulnerable children, as celebrities, regular folks and teens themselves post videos with the goal of discouraging suicide. That would be a worthy objective, if not combined with "gay" rights mythology. Kids are encouraged to stay the course, adopt a homosexual identity and thereby expose themselves to lifelong risk. Even the president has jumped into this effort, mischaracterizing this propaganda as an "anti-bullying" effort.

To understand the importance of Mr. Savage's It Gets Better campaign, it is probably best to read about the impact on children.  I wrote about this in reviewing the All Children Matter report.

No. 2 is the attack on the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have announced they won't defend this federal law against lawsuits initiated by homosexual activists. Who knew that presidents get to choose which federal laws to protect and defend? Obama even told the "gay" pressure group, Human Rights Campaign, that he favors repealing DOMA.

I have written quite a bit on the importance of repealing DOMA.  President Obama is correct in not wasting taxpayer dollars in defense of a law that is obviously unconstitutional.

And the No. 1 abuse of homosexual activism in the United States in 2011, was the implementation of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," allowing open homosexual behavior in our military. No one can yet know how damaging the repeal of the ban on sodomy will be – we can only guess – but there's no question that it will damage the character of our armed forces and undermine their effectiveness.

Again, this is an area where I have written a lot.  Let's clear up a few details here:  Sex is still private in the military.  One simply no longer must hide whether one is heterosexual or homosexual.  The initial reports are all good, the repeal of DADT is strengthening our mililary.

Ms. Harvey and other bigots will continue to work against equality.  She will continue to denounce anything that brings me on legal par with her as somehow hurting herself.  It is a big set of lies that she will continue to tell, continuing to break the 9th Commandment.

Thanks to Joe My God for the heads up.

Repudiation: Eugene Delgaudio Lies About Legislation Again

The last time I wrote about Mr. Delgaudio, he was telling lies about California's SB-48, the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act. Now he is telling lies about proposed national legislation, the Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2011.  Unlike last time, I am just copying and not correcting typing errors or other weirdnesses in Mr. Delgaudio's letter.  All emphasis is his own.

Dear Pro-family American,

The Radical Homosexuals infiltrating the United States Congress have a plan:

Indoctrinate an entire generation of American children with pro-homosexual propaganda and eliminate traditional values from American society.

Their ultimate dream is to create a new America based on sexual promiscuity in which the values you and I cherish are long forgotten .

This is just silly.  If the LGBTQ Community wanted more sexual promiscuity we would not be fighting for marriage equality.  Oh, and as an American citizen, born here like my parents and grandparents on so on back for well over a century, I am not infiltrating.  Mr. Delgaudio's rude rhetoric is part of why I rarely post anything to do with him despite his frequent e-mail.

I hate to admit it, but if they pass the deceptively named "Student Non-Discrimination Act," (H.R. 998 & S. 555) that’s exactly what they’ll do.

Better named the "Homosexual Classrooms Act," its chief advocate in Congress is Rep. Jared Polis, himself an open homosexual and radical activist.

Representative Polis is a duly elected Member of the House of Representatives.  He was elected to introduce and vote on legislation and he does so.  The proposed bill, which stands no chance of passage in the current House, is correctly named.

And it's dangerously close to becoming the law of the land.

H.R. 998 already has 150 co-sponsors in the House!

And S. 555 already has 34 co-sponsors in the Senate!

The latest status on the Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2011:  Latest Major Action: 3/21/2011 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

The bill now languishes without any chance of going before the full House.  Mr. Delgaudio is a liar.

That’s why I need you to act quickly -- right away -- to protect our nation’s youth.

I have prepared the official "Protect Our Children’s Innocence" Petition to Congress for you to sign .

Please click here to sign it right away so I can rush it to the Capitol with thousands more.

You and I must defeat this disastrous legislation.

Apologies for removing the link to the petition.  Filling out anything on Mr. Delgaudio's website gets you on the mailing list.  Usually my e-mail starts with "Dear Some," despite Some Teacher being a rather obvious nom de plume.

You see, the Homosexual Classrooms Act contains a laundry list of anti-family provisions that will:

*** Require schools to teach appalling homosexual acts so "homosexual students" don’t feel "singled out" during already explicit sex-ed classes;

*** Spin impressionable students in a whirlwind of sexual confusion and misinformation, even peer pressure to "experiment" with the homosexual "lifestyle;"

*** Exempt homosexual students from punishment for propositioning, harassing, or even sexually assaulting their classmates , as part of their specially-protected right to "freedom of self-expression;"

*** Force private and even religious schools to teach a pro-homosexual curriculum and purge any reference to religion if a student claims it creates a "hostile learning environment" for homosexual students.

And that’s just the beginning of the Homosexual Lobby’s radical agenda.

No, none of the *** bullet points are true.  Let's look at a little of the bill.  From Section 2:

(b) Purposes- The purposes of this Act are--

(1) to ensure that all students have access to public education in a safe environment free from discrimination, including harassment, bullying, intimidation and violence, on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity;

(2) to provide a comprehensive Federal prohibition of discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity;

(3) to provide meaningful and effective remedies for discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity;

(4) to invoke congressional powers, including but not limited to the power to enforce the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and to provide for the general welfare pursuant to section 8 of article I of the Constitution and the power to enact all laws necessary and proper for the execution of the foregoing powers pursuant to section 8 of article I of the Constitution, in order to prohibit discrimination in public schools on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; and

(5) to allow the Department of Education to effectively combat discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in public schools through regulation and enforcement, as the Department has issued regulations under and enforced title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and other nondiscrimination laws in a manner that effectively addresses discrimination.

There is nothing except protecting students from discrimination.  The problem with Mr. Delgaudio's rant is that he isn't arguing anything where there are facts to debate, making this entirely an emotional appeal to get people worked up against reasonable provisions to prevent discrimination.  His real purpose is at the bottom of his letter.

And along with your petition, would you please send a generous contribution of $250, $100, $50 or even just $35 .

And every dollar counts in this fight so even if you can only chip in $10 or $20, it will make a difference.

11 January 2012, FollowUp 1.
14 January 2012, FollowUp 2.
16 February 2012, FollowUp 3.
15 March 2012, FollowUp 4.
13 June 2012, FollowUp 5.
12 July 2012, FollowUp 6.

FollowUp 3: California's SB-48

Here we go again.  Social conservatives are again trying to get rid of California's SB-48, The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act.  I wrote about the details of this law which mandates inclusion and respectful teaching of various minority groups.  There was an attempt to put a repeal of SB-48 on the November 2012 California ballot which failed.

Now Stop SB-48 is trying yet again to put a repeal of SB-48 on the November 2012 California ballot.

Capitol Resource Family Impact along with other pro-family individuals and organizations remain committed to the goal of reversing SB 48, California’s so-called “gay history” bill. Today, a broad coalition of sponsors filed an initiative with the California Attorney General designed to reverse the overreaching aspects of that legislation.

When he signed SB 48 into law this past July, Governor Jerry Brown rationalized his actions with the claim that “History must be honest.” But the bill he signed specifically required an incomplete and inaccurate presentation in all social science classes in our public schools.

No.  That was not just a rationalization.  There is no requirement that history be taught in an incomplete or inaccurate way.

Senate Bill 48 required curriculum that is positive toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other minority figures. But it also prohibited curriculum that reflects adversely on the same groups. The Los Angeles Times condemned the new law by noting, “Real history is richer and more complicated than feel-good depictions.”

No, that's not what the bill says.  It says that texts and instruction shall not contain any matter reflecting adversely upon persons on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, or because of a characteristic listed in Section 220.

By way of a parallel example, a text can be critical of a church for instigating a particular war but cannot use that example in a way that reflects adversely upon members of that religion.  In specific, a text can cite the Roman Catholic Church as causing many deaths in the Crusades, but cannot do so in a fashion that reflects adversely on Christians or Catholics.

In contrast, the initiative presented today assures that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other minority figures are not excluded from inclusion in California curriculum while requiring accurate historical portrayals of all individuals.

No.  The initiative to repeal SB-48 removes the requirement of inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender figures as well as Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, and other cultural minorities.

Jack Hibbs, one of the sponsors, noted SB 48 simply went too far. “We all know that the issue of homosexuality is controversial. It is unacceptable to require that our schools shine a spotlight on this lifestyle on the one hand and then demand that history books and teachers censor shortcomings on the other.”

This is one of the reasons that SB-48 is so important.  Homosexuality should not be controversial.  People are whatever sexuality they are and it is part of who a person is.  If homosexuality is the course of study, then it is reasonable to look at shortcomings, but that is not what SB-48 is about.  It is about acknowledging that great people in history, like Alan Turing and Oscar Wilde, are presented as whole people including that each was a homosexual.  There is no need to slur homosexuals when talking about individuals who are of that group.

Kevin Snider of Pacific Justice Institute Center for Public Policy believes the proposed initiative provides an appropriate balance. “We drafted an initiative that responds to the perception that some want to ignore the contributions of certain individuals. This initiative prohibits history book exclusion of anybody based on their membership in a protected class. But it requires an accurate, historical portrayal of any individual.”

Accuracy is good.  There is nothing in SB-48 that prevents accuracy.  It prevents a lecture on the supposed evils of homosexuality when discussing historic figures who were homosexual.  Mr. Hibbs and Mr. Snider are upset because they cannot use history as a launching ground for religious-based bigotry in public classrooms.

They will have twice as many times to gather signatures this time as they had in their first petition attempt.  Despite what they say, this is about repeal of a bill that brings fairness and balance into textbooks and into history and social studies curricula.

The State of California has put up an SB-48 FAQ webpage.  I'm sure those who are opposed to equality will not both to read it.  Why let a short page of facts get in the way of a bigoted rant.

12 October 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.

23 October 2011, FollowUp 1.

28 November 2011, FollowUp 2.

28 January 2012, FollowUp 4.

FollowUp 2: California's SB-48

Social conservatives are again trying to get rid of California's SB-48, The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act.  I wrote about the details of this law which mandates inclusion and respectful teaching of various minority groups.  There was an attempt to put a repeal of SB-48 on the November 2012 California ballot which failed.

Last week the Christian Coalition of California's Chairman, Richard Rios, filed two petitions to effectively undo FAIR, each sponsored by a separate organization.  Talking Points Memo discusses the petitions.  The first removes inclusion language for the LGBTQ Community.

The Committee to Repeal SB48’s initiative would eliminate the part of the law that mandates lessons about the contributions of “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans,” because, as the filing says, “the public school system is responsible to educate our children in the basic education of reading, writing, and math and not to promote political and sociology dogma to students as young as five.”

The second is an opt-out for families.

The one submitted by the Committee for Parental Rights for Education would allow parents to write a note that excuses their kid from lessons if it conflicts with “religious training and beliefs.”

The Bay Area Reporter includes an interview with Mr. Rios.

Rios said the committees behind the ballot proposals, on which he sits – the Committee to Repeal SB 48 and the Committee for Parental Rights in Education – have just started raising money. He said they have about 400 distribution centers committed to their effort, for activities such as distributing petitions, but he wouldn't share any details, such as where they are.

He also wouldn't say much about their fundraising plans. However, he said, "We've got commitments in the six figures right now." Rios estimated each campaign around the proposals he submitted would cost about $13 million to win approval from voters in November.

This round of defending FAIR may be complicated because Equality California is struggling with new leadership and endeavoring to regain its footing (see the bottom of the Bay Area Reporter article).  There is an online effort to protect FAIR.


This is very important as the anti-equality groups are going to do their best to eliminate FAIR.  For example, Political Vel Craft writes

SB 48 mandates positive teaching of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lifestyles to children of ALL ages.  That means that any child attending public school starting with kindergarten on, in the state of California will be indoctrinated to accept lifestyles that God refers to as being an ‘abomination’ and punishable by death; Lev. 20:13 (God’s words, not mine).

According to them that which does not "reflect adversely" must be positive.  SB-48 is not about indoctrination, but that highly charged word will scare some people.  And Leviticus 20 includes prohibitions of worshiping Molech, witchcraft, cursing one's parents, adultery (hello Mr. Cain and Mr. Gingrich), incest, sex during menstruation, being naked with relatives, bestiality, psychics, and necromancers.  Nearby chapters include prohibitions on eating shrimp and bacon, wearing clothing of blended materials, tattoos, and much more that are commonly violated by those who only remember prohibitions against the LGBTQ community.

FAIR is about equality, not brainwashing and not indoctrination.  It is going to take a lot of effort to get the truth out there and prevent the half million signatures from being gathered.  There are going to be even more lies this time.

Thanks to Joe My God for the heads up.

12 October 2011, Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.

23 October 2011, FollowUp 1.

9 December 2011, FollowUp 3.

28 January 2012, FollowUp 4.