In the first part of my set of posts on this I debunked a good portion of Linda Harvey's "Basics" section.
Today I'll be delving into her second section "The Gay Agenda Targeting Youth" debunking her posts one by one
in an effort to make sure that her bigotry is countered.
Her first article A Safe Place for Kids to Learn Homosexual Sex: THE REAL STORY ABOUT COMMUNITY 'GLBT' YOUTH CENTERS (http://missionamerica.com/articletext.php?artnum=146)
Oh where to start, this long article has way too many problems that I can't fathom the stupid mind that wrote it. The introduction builds a fear based argument right from the get go. She talks about how LGBTQ youth centers that exist in cities across the country are a "no parents" platform to indoctrinate kids into homosexuality and the gay lifestyle. She references Hope's Voice a group of teens and adults who go to different LGBTQ centers to teach about safe sex and the use of condoms.
"“No parents” plus homosexual approval is the reason these centers call themselves “safe” places. There is a homosexual youth center now in virtually every medium or large city in the U.S. Many are funded by private foundations or connected to a local adult center for “GLBT” (“gay, lesbian bisexual and transgendered”) people. Some are even funded by United Way.This of course ignores a few important facts about why youth centers, be it LGBTQ or otherwise exist. Most youth groups cater to kids who are at risk for abuse by families. With kids having sex earlier and earlier than in the past (actually most statistics show that kids have been having sex in the US as early as twelve as far back as 1930 when records on the subject began to be kept. It is just that the public is more aware of it now than back then) the need for more concrete safe sex education is all to clear. Further studies show that kids at risk of abuse are also more likely to have sex earlier. In communities that advocate abstinence only sex education, many teens are not informed on safe sex practices gay or straight.
And this summer, a traveling group of HIV positive young adults called “Hope’s Voice” will be visiting these centers all over the country, giving speeches, interacting with local kids, talking about “safe sex” and condom use -— and affirming the homosexual lifestyle. As a part of this tour and other contacts with local AIDS groups, your sixth grader could get a free HIV test right then and there, without your consent or knowledge."
Youth centers provide a safe space to discuss one's sexual development as well as other issues like familiar abuse, bullying, etc as well as a place to get help with homework and to socialize with other people who may be experiencing the same problems. So if we take Nick and Joel the two sixth graders that are hypothesized about who are lying about homework to their parents to go to a gay youth center, one should be asking why? If they fall into the same statistics on bullied kids or kids abused by parents, it might just explain why they're hiding their attendance to the youth center. But hypothesized kids aren't a valuable argument base, as they're not real.
But abuse is, by both peers and parent's alike. Violence Prevention Works is a great resource for statistics on bullying.
http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/bullying_sexual_orientation.page (Replicated below)
"Bullying Based on Perceptions about Sexual Orientation
- As many as 93 percent of teenagers hear derogatory words about sexual orientation at least once in a while, with more than half of teens surveyed hearing such words every day at school and in the community.1
- Negative name-calling and harassment about sexual orientation can be harmful to all students. Three out of four students who are bullied with such remarks are not identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (GLBTQ).2 These derogatory comments are often used broadly to inflict harm in a school setting.
- Seventy-eight percent of gay (or believed to be gay) teens are teased or bullied in their schools and communities, a percentage significantly higher than for heterosexual youth.3
- According to findings from the Indicators of School Crime and Safety report, in 2003, 12 percent of students ages twelve to eighteen reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them, and 36 percent of students saw hate-related graffiti at school during the previous six months. One percent reported that the hate-related words concerned their sexual orientation.4
- A national survey of 760 students, ages twelve to seventeen, indicates that the most likely group to be bullied are "kids who are gay or thought to be gay." Most teens (78 percent) said that they disapproved of anti-gay teasing or bullying.5
- In a nationally representative sample of nearly 3,500 students ages thirteen to eighteen, one-third reported that students in their school are frequently harassed because of their perceived or actual sexual orientation.6"
-
Bullying and harassment can have negative effects on the development and mental health of GLBTQ students, such as extreme anxiety and depression, relationship problems, low self-esteem, substance abuse, and thoughts of suicide. These students are also at much greater risk of physical assault than other children and youth.7
-
Students who had experienced anti-gay harassment are four times more likely than non-harassed youth to be threatened with or injured by a weapon.8
-
Twenty-two percent of GLBTQ students had skipped school in the last month for safety concerns and are three times more likely to drop out of school.9
-
GLBTQ students are also at risk for not getting the support they need when they are being bullied due to their perceptions that adults at school may have intolerant attitudes or may not provide confidential help in which to deal with their situation.10 Four out of five GLBTQ students say they know of no supportive adult at school.9
About Sexual Orientation
-
It is estimated that approximately 5 to 9 percent of youth are gay or lesbian, bisexual, or uncertain about their sexual orientation.13
-
The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association changed their stance on homosexuality in the 1970s, stating that it is not a disorder and that sexual orientation is not a person's individual choice, nor can mental health professionals "change" the sexual orientation of their clients.14
Adult Responses Are Important!
These are things adults can do:
-
No child or adolescent deserves to be bullied. Do not tolerate any anti-homosexual slurs.
-
Work with student government and other school clubs to hold programs on respect, school safety, and anti-bullying.
-
Be alert to signs of youth who may be in distress.
-
Encourage any young person who is bullied to tell a teacher, counselor, or parent.
-
Provide confidential help-consult with a school counselor or other mental health professional if you feel uncertain about how best to support a student.
-
Support training and education for staff about these issues.15
References
American Psychological Association. 1998. Answers to Your Questions about Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
D'Augelli, A. R., and L. J. Dark. 1994. "Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youths." In Reason to Hope: A Psychosocial Perspective on Violence and Youth, ed. L. D. Eron, J. H. Gentry, and P. Schlegel, 177-96. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
DeVoe, J. F., K. Peter, P. Kaufman, A. Miller, M. Noonan, T. D. Snyder, and K. Baum. 2004. Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2004
(NCES 2005-002/NCJ 205290). U.S. Departments of Education and
Justice.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Available
online at http://nces.ed.gov.
Harris Interactive, Inc. and GLSEN. 2005. From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, A Survey of Students and Teachers. New York: GLSEN. This report can be accessed at www.glsen.org/binary-data/GLSEN_ATTACHMENTS/file/585-1.pdf.
National Mental
Health Association. 2002a. "Bullying in Schools: Harassment Puts Gay
Youth at Risk." This article can be accessed at
www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/children-s-mental-
health/bullying-and-gay-youth.
---. 2002b.
"National Survey of Teens Shows Anti-Gay Bullying Common in Schools."
This article can be accessed at
www1.nmha.org/newsroom/system/news.vw.cfm?do=vw&rid=474.
Russell, S. T. 2001. "Adolescent Sexual Orientation and Suicide Risk: Evidence from a National Study." American Journal of Public Health, 91:1276-81.
Safe Schools
Coalition of Washington. 1999. Eighty-Three Thousand Youth: Selected
Findings of Eight Population-Based Studies. Seattle,WA: Safe Schools
Coalition. This article can be accessed at
www.safeschoolscoalition.org/83000youth.pdf.
Sexuality
Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). 2001.
"Fact Sheet: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Youth Issues." SIECUS Report, 29, no. 4 (April/May).
Tomsho, Robert. 2003. "Schools' Efforts to Protect Gays Encounter Opposition." Wall Street Journal. (February 20). Available at www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/1312.html."
For more stats please check out http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics.html
http://www.nyaamerica.org/2010/11/07/gay-bullyin/ The National Youth Association of America
tells us this:
"LGBT Bullying Statistics:
The fact is that gay kids are far more likely to be abused or bullied, and parental reaction is crucial. It is also crucial to provide safe spaces where issues including one's sexual orientation can be discussed without prejudice or bias. That is why the next section of this article by Linda Harvey is quite sickening.
"Preying on vulnerable teens and pre-teens, these centers provide instant access by homosexual adults to kids who have the unfounded notion they are “gay.” These misguided youth can adopt this high-risk identity and become sexually involved with peers and/or older homosexuals, all without a parent’s or guardian’s knowledge or even an objective bystander to watch over them." (Linda Harvey)
Harvey suggests that these places allow gays to influence kids into "adopting this high-risk identity and become sexually involved with peers and/or older homosexuals" without any proof, and with extreme bias. She makes the false equivocation that gays are pedophiles (indirectly) and that adult gays would actively seek sexual relations with the hypothesized sixth graders Nick and Joel from her introduction.
The problem here is that Linda Harvey's perception of gays is based on fallacy and unsupported facts. This is exemplified by the rest of her article. She asserts that "The centers often provide training in “gay” activism, infusing impressionable youth with hard-core hostility toward traditional values and faith. The kids also get recruited for local demonstrations, and are usually welcome at the city-wide “gay” pride parade, its accompanying parties and events." "Staff and adult volunteers frequently teach workshops with questionable content. BAGLY, the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth features ongoing courses called “Queer College.” One of these courses is called “HIV.” Conducted by a male staff member and “peer leaders,” the course content is described on the BAGLY web site as follows:
SEX! Yeah, we know you’re doing it. But how safe are you? We could all use info on sexy new ways to use condoms and barriers. We’ll have open, honest, judgment-free conversations about sex toys, oral sex, bare-backing, mixing sex and drugs, how to keep it safe and advocate for yourself during group sex, anonymous sex, and sex on the go! We’ll have something for everyone!
This course was held in April 2006 at the BAGLY meeting site, which is St. John the Evangelist church in Boston."
Oh no, they're talking about safe sex and common sex practices with adults...oo scary. Meanwhile the assertion that it is kids that are going to these talks is far from the truth. On their website (http://www.bagly.org/) the particular quote that Linda presented isn't even available, and the programs they have are supported by parents and teachers.
Throughout the rest of the article Harvey attacks Gay-Straight Alliances, teachers and community leaders who promote GSAs and Community Centers, claiming ostensibly inaccurate facts and otherwise showing an extreme bias. Nothing she says is true and most things that might be true are taken out of context and exaggerated.
In her latest article Ally or Two-Face Friend Linda makes some pretty awkward claims.
"Ally Week started a few years ago and it's another project of the controversial Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, GLSEN, a radical pro-homosexual and pro-transgender group. GLSEN advocates homosexual behavior among youth, and they are doing everything possible to silence parents, teachers, or other students who don't agree. They convince kids some people are born homosexual or born in the "wrong sex body," so gender change is justified and no big deal."
Her long ranting exemplifies her claims here and the radical christian delusion she has about Ally Week.
Ally Week started as a means to teach kids about bullying in schools, and except for a handful of people across the country, most teachers agree that bullying needs to be stopped and is harmful to kids. GLSEN advocates that kids be allowed to be who they are, gay or straight or transgender, and they're doing everything in their power to bring to light the many problems that surround the anti-gay ideology that seems rampant in our schools.
If you are follower of Mission America or Linda Harvey and are a Christian, I really do suggest you reconsider your position on homosexuality. I've already debunked that the bible claims homosexuality is bad, and her continued avarice is disturbing.
In yet another blurb by Linda called Boy Assault is a crime, not sexual debut she states;
"When teenagers reveal that they had sexual experiences before age 13, shouldn't every effort be made to find out something about their sex partners?
That concern is missing from recent reports about the "risky behavior" of teens who call themselves homosexual, where these students report much higher pre-teen sexual experience than their heterosexual peers.
The good news is that America as a whole is still horrified by child sexual abuse." She has a longer version here http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/11/boy_assault_is_a_crime_not_a_sexual_debut.html
The problem again with her understanding of what is happening here is that most of these kids who are having sex at young ages are having sex with other kids of their own accord. Not because they were abused, or because they were coerced. Yes, in some cases kids are being abused in this sense and if any evidence arises that shows this to be the case it should be investigated, but the report on first sexual encounters was to get an idea of the shift in sexual initiation and by what age it was occurring not as to whether the kid was sexually abused.
In Brave Teachers Challenge Left-Wing National Education Association: RADICAL "TRANSGENDERED" AGENDA SURFACES
Linda again gives no citation or sources. However the discussion is interesting, a small group of a super conservative christian teachers at the National Education Association meeting tried to get several topics prohibited, including; abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and a few other issues. All of which were defeated motions by the rest of the comity. The reason why they were defeated, according to Linda, a transgender and gay agenda within the ranks of the comity.
Let's think about this for a moment; either there is a massive conspiracy against the conservative right among some 9000 members of the NEA or maybe, just maybe, the majority of the NEA members aren't homophobic idiots.
The sheer number of articles on this page prevent me from writing and debunking every single one of the articles. However, after skimming most of the other articles in this section, the vast majority come down to the same argument. Homosexuality bad, supporters of homosexuality are "corrupting our youth" be it through the boy scouts, the government, the NEA, and we must stop it to protect our kids.
The facts, however, disprove all of her claims. Nothing she has stated in her list of anti-gay homosexualitymisia, homophobic BS is supported by facts.
***
So what exactly is the "gay agenda"? Well, honestly, there isn't one. The so called gay agenda is really the same agenda as any other disenfranchised group of people. The only difference is that the gay agenda is harder to associate with any one group of people. Homosexuality and Transgenderism are not a racial or gender specific thing. So traditionally defined limits like the Black Rights Movement or the Women's Right's Movement don't perfectly fit the Gay Rights Movement.
Some of the key aspects of the Gay Rights Movement or so called Gay Agenda are as follows:
Equal treatment under the law (like the ability to marry and all the tied to benefits of marriage)
Recognition of homosexuality as a sexual orientation like heterosexuality, with a diverse group of people with their own personal preferences.
Non-discrimination based on sexual orientation or alternate gender~ this includes bullying, religious discrimination, etc.
Why are Christians afraid of gays and transgenderism?
This is probably the hardest question to answer. I think that the first and foremost reason is fear in general. Fear of god, of change, of different things. Fear is a motivator, as more things change and move towards a secular world the more threatened the extremist christian feels. Their world is built around their religion and the bible and when that religion and belief system is challenged it is seen a challenge to their beliefs and ultimately their assumed social authority.
Beyond this it is deep seeded prejudice. I'd argue that the current avarice stems from early prejudice in the church of people who opposed certain concepts and broke off from the Catholic Church or the other major church of the time. This separation of people based on belief that people who leave the church are outside of the grace of god. But as always those radical christian voices violate the rules of god and teachings of christ to scare people into coming back to the church or to scare people from leaving.
Both issues derive from a belief in sin and a need for salvation and perpetuated by the teachings of the bible to convince people through the spreading of the gospel that they need to be saved. The first sin which through the religion all people share, is one of the flesh. So things that are inherently natural, like sex, kissing, lust, greed, sloth, anger, are all sins. Even sexuality, both homosexuality and heterosexuality is seen as bad. Only married people should have sex and for the sole purpose of procreation.
While all of these are the foundation of fear, the rational is secular. While the bible and early religious books actually advocate early childhood sex (to the chagrin of christians and others) modern concerns of pedophilia and gays are hyperbole and not supported facts. Yet it is probably the single most derisive assumptions and charges made against gays.
All in all the christian view of gays is based on factless blind faith. It is a position not held by all christians but it is one that seems most prevalent among the radical right.
That's pretty much it.
Next post will be part III
Till then thanks for reading,
Lord Kristoffer Martin
http://www.nyaamerica.org/2010/11/07/gay-bullyin/ The National Youth Association of America
tells us this:
"LGBT Bullying Statistics:
- 9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment at school.
- LGBT teens are bullied 2 to 3 times as much as straight teens.
- More than 1/3 of LGBT kids have attempted suicide.
- LGBT kids are 4 times as likely to attempt suicide then our straight peers.
- LGBT youth with “highly rejecting” families are 8 times more likely to attempt suicide than those whose families accept them."
The fact is that gay kids are far more likely to be abused or bullied, and parental reaction is crucial. It is also crucial to provide safe spaces where issues including one's sexual orientation can be discussed without prejudice or bias. That is why the next section of this article by Linda Harvey is quite sickening.
"Preying on vulnerable teens and pre-teens, these centers provide instant access by homosexual adults to kids who have the unfounded notion they are “gay.” These misguided youth can adopt this high-risk identity and become sexually involved with peers and/or older homosexuals, all without a parent’s or guardian’s knowledge or even an objective bystander to watch over them." (Linda Harvey)
Harvey suggests that these places allow gays to influence kids into "adopting this high-risk identity and become sexually involved with peers and/or older homosexuals" without any proof, and with extreme bias. She makes the false equivocation that gays are pedophiles (indirectly) and that adult gays would actively seek sexual relations with the hypothesized sixth graders Nick and Joel from her introduction.
The problem here is that Linda Harvey's perception of gays is based on fallacy and unsupported facts. This is exemplified by the rest of her article. She asserts that "The centers often provide training in “gay” activism, infusing impressionable youth with hard-core hostility toward traditional values and faith. The kids also get recruited for local demonstrations, and are usually welcome at the city-wide “gay” pride parade, its accompanying parties and events." "Staff and adult volunteers frequently teach workshops with questionable content. BAGLY, the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth features ongoing courses called “Queer College.” One of these courses is called “HIV.” Conducted by a male staff member and “peer leaders,” the course content is described on the BAGLY web site as follows:
SEX! Yeah, we know you’re doing it. But how safe are you? We could all use info on sexy new ways to use condoms and barriers. We’ll have open, honest, judgment-free conversations about sex toys, oral sex, bare-backing, mixing sex and drugs, how to keep it safe and advocate for yourself during group sex, anonymous sex, and sex on the go! We’ll have something for everyone!
This course was held in April 2006 at the BAGLY meeting site, which is St. John the Evangelist church in Boston."
Oh no, they're talking about safe sex and common sex practices with adults...oo scary. Meanwhile the assertion that it is kids that are going to these talks is far from the truth. On their website (http://www.bagly.org/) the particular quote that Linda presented isn't even available, and the programs they have are supported by parents and teachers.
Throughout the rest of the article Harvey attacks Gay-Straight Alliances, teachers and community leaders who promote GSAs and Community Centers, claiming ostensibly inaccurate facts and otherwise showing an extreme bias. Nothing she says is true and most things that might be true are taken out of context and exaggerated.
In her latest article Ally or Two-Face Friend Linda makes some pretty awkward claims.
"Ally Week started a few years ago and it's another project of the controversial Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, GLSEN, a radical pro-homosexual and pro-transgender group. GLSEN advocates homosexual behavior among youth, and they are doing everything possible to silence parents, teachers, or other students who don't agree. They convince kids some people are born homosexual or born in the "wrong sex body," so gender change is justified and no big deal."
Her long ranting exemplifies her claims here and the radical christian delusion she has about Ally Week.
Ally Week started as a means to teach kids about bullying in schools, and except for a handful of people across the country, most teachers agree that bullying needs to be stopped and is harmful to kids. GLSEN advocates that kids be allowed to be who they are, gay or straight or transgender, and they're doing everything in their power to bring to light the many problems that surround the anti-gay ideology that seems rampant in our schools.
If you are follower of Mission America or Linda Harvey and are a Christian, I really do suggest you reconsider your position on homosexuality. I've already debunked that the bible claims homosexuality is bad, and her continued avarice is disturbing.
In yet another blurb by Linda called Boy Assault is a crime, not sexual debut she states;
"When teenagers reveal that they had sexual experiences before age 13, shouldn't every effort be made to find out something about their sex partners?
That concern is missing from recent reports about the "risky behavior" of teens who call themselves homosexual, where these students report much higher pre-teen sexual experience than their heterosexual peers.
The good news is that America as a whole is still horrified by child sexual abuse." She has a longer version here http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/11/boy_assault_is_a_crime_not_a_sexual_debut.html
The problem again with her understanding of what is happening here is that most of these kids who are having sex at young ages are having sex with other kids of their own accord. Not because they were abused, or because they were coerced. Yes, in some cases kids are being abused in this sense and if any evidence arises that shows this to be the case it should be investigated, but the report on first sexual encounters was to get an idea of the shift in sexual initiation and by what age it was occurring not as to whether the kid was sexually abused.
In Brave Teachers Challenge Left-Wing National Education Association: RADICAL "TRANSGENDERED" AGENDA SURFACES
Linda again gives no citation or sources. However the discussion is interesting, a small group of a super conservative christian teachers at the National Education Association meeting tried to get several topics prohibited, including; abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and a few other issues. All of which were defeated motions by the rest of the comity. The reason why they were defeated, according to Linda, a transgender and gay agenda within the ranks of the comity.
Let's think about this for a moment; either there is a massive conspiracy against the conservative right among some 9000 members of the NEA or maybe, just maybe, the majority of the NEA members aren't homophobic idiots.
The sheer number of articles on this page prevent me from writing and debunking every single one of the articles. However, after skimming most of the other articles in this section, the vast majority come down to the same argument. Homosexuality bad, supporters of homosexuality are "corrupting our youth" be it through the boy scouts, the government, the NEA, and we must stop it to protect our kids.
The facts, however, disprove all of her claims. Nothing she has stated in her list of anti-gay homosexualitymisia, homophobic BS is supported by facts.
***
So what exactly is the "gay agenda"? Well, honestly, there isn't one. The so called gay agenda is really the same agenda as any other disenfranchised group of people. The only difference is that the gay agenda is harder to associate with any one group of people. Homosexuality and Transgenderism are not a racial or gender specific thing. So traditionally defined limits like the Black Rights Movement or the Women's Right's Movement don't perfectly fit the Gay Rights Movement.
Some of the key aspects of the Gay Rights Movement or so called Gay Agenda are as follows:
Equal treatment under the law (like the ability to marry and all the tied to benefits of marriage)
Recognition of homosexuality as a sexual orientation like heterosexuality, with a diverse group of people with their own personal preferences.
Non-discrimination based on sexual orientation or alternate gender~ this includes bullying, religious discrimination, etc.
Why are Christians afraid of gays and transgenderism?
This is probably the hardest question to answer. I think that the first and foremost reason is fear in general. Fear of god, of change, of different things. Fear is a motivator, as more things change and move towards a secular world the more threatened the extremist christian feels. Their world is built around their religion and the bible and when that religion and belief system is challenged it is seen a challenge to their beliefs and ultimately their assumed social authority.
Beyond this it is deep seeded prejudice. I'd argue that the current avarice stems from early prejudice in the church of people who opposed certain concepts and broke off from the Catholic Church or the other major church of the time. This separation of people based on belief that people who leave the church are outside of the grace of god. But as always those radical christian voices violate the rules of god and teachings of christ to scare people into coming back to the church or to scare people from leaving.
Both issues derive from a belief in sin and a need for salvation and perpetuated by the teachings of the bible to convince people through the spreading of the gospel that they need to be saved. The first sin which through the religion all people share, is one of the flesh. So things that are inherently natural, like sex, kissing, lust, greed, sloth, anger, are all sins. Even sexuality, both homosexuality and heterosexuality is seen as bad. Only married people should have sex and for the sole purpose of procreation.
While all of these are the foundation of fear, the rational is secular. While the bible and early religious books actually advocate early childhood sex (to the chagrin of christians and others) modern concerns of pedophilia and gays are hyperbole and not supported facts. Yet it is probably the single most derisive assumptions and charges made against gays.
All in all the christian view of gays is based on factless blind faith. It is a position not held by all christians but it is one that seems most prevalent among the radical right.
That's pretty much it.
Next post will be part III
Till then thanks for reading,
Lord Kristoffer Martin
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