Response to the Traditional Values Coalition:
If one wants to keep gays out of the schools to prevent them from counteracting the mischaracterizations that are the daily experience of many how would one go about it? The most efficient and effective way is to appeal to the fear parents have when it comes to their kids. Nothing makes a parent move swifter or with more purpose than when they think their children are in harm’s way.
The Traditional Values Coalition has attempted to use the parents of school age children to further their purpose of denying gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people equal treatment under the law and inhibit their ability to counteract the falsehoods spread about them. They attempt to accomplish this by claiming a LGBT presence in the school system presents a danger to children.
They set the stage by using language that is meant to alarm, inflame and frighten…
“homosexual allies want to decriminalize sex with our children”…
“are pushing for aggressive recruitment programs in public schools.”
“sexual predators"
“homosexual militants”
They play on the ignorance or lack of understanding of Homosexuality or Gender Issues.
They equate homosexuality with pedophilia. They claim age of consent issues are gays wanting sex with kids. This sends parents into protection mode. What bigger fear does a parent have than their child being sexually assaulted or molested?
Let’s take a look at the myths that TVC want parents to believe.
1. Homosexuals are pedophiles
2. Homosexuals adopt/bear children for sex.
3. Homosexuality is recruitable.
4. That their ‘experts’ know best and are qualified to discuss homosexuality.
5. Gay kids are not more at risk to commit suicide.
MYTH #1
In regards to the attempt to equate pedophilia and homosexuality it has been long established, despite the writings of the “experts”, that there is no connection between homosexuality and pedophilia.
This area has been studied thoroughly discounted by a variety of sources and professionals. There is no link between being gay and being a pedophile.
See:
MYTH #2: Homosexuals adopt/bear children for sex.
THE TVC wants parents to believe that gay people adopt or seek to have children for sexual gratification and when they cannot get their own will go after those of others.
“… since homosexual couples can’t reproduce, they will simply go after your children for seduction and conversion to homosexuality.”
However; noted authority Dr. A. Nicholas Groth wrote:
“…. There appears to be practically no reportage of sexual molestation of girls by lesbian adults, and the adult male who sexually molests young boys is not likely to be homosexual (Groth & Gary, 1982, p. 147). “
In fact:
“Dr. Carole Jenny reviewed 352 medical charts, representing all of the sexually abused children seen in the emergency room or child abuse clinic of a Denver children's hospital during a one-year period (from July 1, 1991 to June 30, 1992). The molester was a gay or lesbian adult in only 2 of the 269 cases in which an adult molester could be identified – fewer than 1% (Jenny et al., 1994). “
Sexual abuse groups as well, cite the most likely person to molest a girl or boy is the children’s heterosexual father, stepfather or mother’s lover.
How does the TVC say that these homosexuals are going to get at the kids?
Through Gay and Straight Alliance clubs and the like.
This leads to
MYTH #3 That homosexuality is recruitable:
Interesting that the TVC will ignore that fact that most of the gay population believes homosexuality to be an inborn trait. If that is the case, then recruiting is impossible.
They claim that these clubs consider children as “initiates” into the homosexual world. Initiates for what?
“Mission Statement “ for the Gay Straight Alliance.
“Gay-Straight Alliance Network is a youth-led organization that connects school-based Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) to each other and community resources. Through peer support, leadership development, and training, GSA Network supports young people in starting, strengthening, and sustaining GSAs and builds the capacity of GSAs to:
1. create safe environments in schools for students to support each other and learn about homophobia and other oppressions,
2. educate the school community about homophobia, gender identity, and sexual orientation issues, and
3. fight discrimination, harassment, and violence in schools.
Rather that reveal the truth the TVC would rather claim these groups are a front for recruiting children “into the homosexual world” and see them as a pool of potential victims. If parents believe this about gay support groups, they will support suppressing them or shutting them down all together. They claim that these support groups are to undermine and oppose the authority of parents and place children and parents in adversarial roles. Again what better way to scare parents than to tell them others are seeking to turn their kids against them.
The TVQ claims the Gay Straight Alliance Groups make parents:
“…a constant source of exasperation and amusement….” The TVC wants parents to believe that rather than promoting tolerance the GSA’s goals are to create kids who are” trained to reject the moral beliefs of their parents.”
If it were true that parents hold such a huge influence over their child’s sexual orientation and beliefs that the GSA would be actively trying to break that bond for their own ends then why are so many GLBT persons come from straight families?
MYTH #4 : The TVC’s ‘experts’ know best and are qualified to discuss homosexuality.
The TVC tries to use “experts” to bolster their arguments; however, their “experts” have been identified over and over again as biased and unqualified.
Not to mention many of the “experts” quote from the same source:
MYTH #5 : Gay kids do not commit suicide.
One of the main reasons why Gay Straight Alliances were created was to combat the serious issue of depression, self harm and suicide by LGBT teens who felt they were “evil” “perverted” or had no where to turn. The TVC seeks to deny that and claim that gays kids are at no greater risk than any other group. They accuse the GSA of using this as a “front” for their recruiting. In fact, it has been established quite solidly that LGBT teens are indeed more at risk for suicide or self-destructive behaviour. The TVC claims “Activists used bogus teen suicide statistics …” But The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Centre discusses suicide amongst teens. In an unbiased and factual manner. It states: “Suicide was the third leading cause of death for young people 10 to 19 years old in 2000…In 2000, 1921 young people ages 10 to 19 died by suicide in the United States…..Several state and national studies have found that gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens are more likely to seriously consider and attempt suicide than heterosexual teens”
Interestingly enough, the TVC asserts that Gay “Activists used bogus teen suicide statistics” to further the gay agenda and claim that there is no correlation between how gay kids are treated and suicide but then go on to quote Dr. Gary Remafedi who argues that young people who self identify as gay are at a higher risk for suicide.
“For each year’s delay in bisexual or homosexual self- labeling, the odds of a suicide attempt diminished by 80%.” [9]
Thus, the most important risk factors in gay youth suicide attempts are: 1. Early self-labeling; 2. Early sexual experiences; and 3. Acting like a member of the opposite sex.”
As a result, many self- identified “gay” teens may be tempted to kill themselves because
of internal conflicts over their behavior.”
As a result, they ADMIT many self- identified “gay” teens may be tempted to kill themselves because of internal conflicts over their behavior. They want to delay this self-identification, as it will lower the risk of suicide. They contradict themselves.
But rather that allow the teen to discover who they are in a safe, supporting equal environment, and create a school environment that does not attempt to ridicule, harm or devastate youth the TVC would rather assert that those who could give the teen the idea they might be gay and support their rights to be safe and freed of harassment and harm must be kept away from the teen at all costs.
Sex education for heterosexual children is at times grudgingly accepted but accepted nonetheless. Any sexual education dealing with gay issues is automatically viewed as pornographic and a “recruiting” tool. Even the simple statement of “some are gay, some are not” is unacceptable to the TVC.
The TVC has not brought up anything new that those who seek to truly understand sexual orientation issues or who are gay, bisexual or Transgendered have not already seen and know to be false. But TVC appeals to the deep dark fears those parents who either choose not to or have not educated themselves. They have found an effective way to control what they support by using the parents’ fears.
The TVC is very, very right about one thing. They are concerned about this statement and so they should be;
“Finding the effective frame for your community is the key to victory. It must be linked to universal values that everyone in the community has in common.”
The LGBT community is not about to stop attempting to refute the TVC’s lies. They are not going anywhere and will not stop until LGBT teens are treated equally and have a safe and supportive learning environment. If that means ruffling the feathers of the likes of the TVC, then so be it.
Copyright October 2, 2005, by CDMum. All rights reserved, except that free
distribution via any medium is permitted as long as author's credit is given and no profit is involved.
The TVC Propaganda Piece is located here.
