The National Day of Silence is upon us. Sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) which is part of a larger network known as GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance), GLSEN has become a formidable force with over 40 chapters across the US.
The GSA/GLSEN network strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. This is good, but is already in place. This national organization wants to stop discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on the above two criteria. Led by youth, this organization pushes the fight against “homophobia” and “transphobia”. Unfortunately, the GSA labels are two misnomers that do not relate to ‘fear’ of either type of sexual mutation.
Any assault, whether verbal or physical, is certainly not Christian and espouses none of the traits taught by Christ. Certainly Lawrence King (allegedly gay) who was shot and killed earlier this year was an assault that should never have occurred. And it seems obvious that anyone guilty of such does not espouse Christian principles.
Wanting special treatment for an injustice done to you is not new. However, if someone is harassed, bullied, or even killed, they are a victim, regardless of the motivation behind the injustice. And the perpetrators deserve the same punishment for such cowardly and violent acts.
GLSEN was first founded in 1990 as GLSTN (Gay and Lesbian Independent School Teachers Network). But in 1997 GLSTN changed over to GLSEN. There are very few ‘straights’[S] in the GSA network as a whole. The registered number of GSAs was over 3000 as of 2006. California has over 650 clubs, representing 50% of the state’s high schools.
Most GSA alliances are located in high schools, but a few are in colleges. Saskatoon’s (Canada) newest high school, Bethlehem, recently established a GSA after failed attempts at other Catholic high schools in the city. In most high schools with GSAs, the organization is placed into a “non-school sponsored” status. Many worry about the institution of dating clubs.
From the first ever Day of Silence in 1996 at the University of Virginia, participants handed out cards saying: “My deliberate silence echoes that silence [by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people], which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination.” That day is April 25.
Two things immediately occur to one upon hearing those words. 1) Where are the teachers who are the first line of protection against such behavior? 2) Wouldn’t such actions of silence exacerbate any abuse that could occur? Liberty Counsel relates that activists would like you to believe that the Day of Silence is about kindness and tolerance. In reality they day seems to be more about getting all students to accept radical and destructive ideas about sexuality.
Disturbingly, GLSEN has now co-opted Martin Luther King Jr. day trying to capitalize on his theme of social justice. They erroneously use the quote: “We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny. An inescapable network of mutuality.”
There are two major problems with their whole initiative. First, it assumes that sexual orientation is something you’re ‘born’ with. Second, it assumes that existing law does not provide protection. Both assumptions are wrong. People change orientations in both directions all the time. And no scientific data exists that proves this tendency is genetic.
When House Representative Sally Kern (OK) called homosexual practices more dangerous than terrorism in a speech, she received 17 thousand e-mails, which the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is examining for legally threatening content. Kern’s speech was accessed more than 500,000x the week after the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund posted it on youtube.com. Kern assured people her terrorism speech contained no hate speech, but reflected mistakes made by the GSA. She continued, “They want to silence anyone who does not approve their lifestyle. They want their freedom but don’t want those who disagree to have their freedom.”
Maybe “straights” should organize their own alliance. They sound like the ones who are endangered. Same-sex unions are against the Natural Law and considered a non-negotiable in the Catholic religion—that is, always wrong.
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Kevin Roeten can be reached at roetenks@charter.net or kevin@kevinroeten.us.
