Chairman’s Desk
By Beverly LaHaye
September/October 2001 Family Voice

I write my column with a disturbed and heavy heart. For years, leftist education elitists have worked in the National Education Association (NEA), the U.S. Department of Education, and a variety of lobby groups, state governments, and local school boards to further their agenda through the school system.

Their purpose has always been to mold children with their values, beliefs, “morals” and ethics. We have seen it consistently as we have fought battle after battle over sex education, Darwinism vs. creationism, parents’ rights, and “revised” history, to name just a few. We have also seen it as they have fought to normalize homosexual behavior among students.

NEA President Bob Chase scoffed at the protest, calling it “demagoguery.” He said we are ignoring the needs of homosexual children. He promised that, “We are not in any way backing away from this issue. … It’s … to make sure we do what we need to do to help all these kids.”

Help these kids? For years the NEA, among other liberal groups, has pushed relentlessly to “educate” children about sex, exposing them to material and discussions that are inappropriate and harmful. They have deprived children of their natural innocence. Yet they wonder why we continue to see high rates of premarital sex, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents.

And now they want to “help” students struggling with homosexuality by exposing them to curricula, programs, and teachers that promote this dangerous behavior.

The task force recommends that curricula in all subjects and at all levels portray homosexuality, bisexuality, and “transgenderism” in a positive light. They call on the California Department of Education to “create positive, gradeappropriate visual images that include all sexual orientations and gender identities for use in school common areas throughout the school year.” They recommend posting one person at each school to ensure that AB 537 is implemented, and that policies against “hate violence,” “hate incidents,” and “hate speech” are enforced.

In addition, students would be forced to take personal attitude and behavior surveys. This is not just an effort to promote “tolerance” for homosexuality. The task force states schools should work toward indoctrination: “changing cultural beliefs and perceptions” of students.

Parents, let me be clear: The acts of homosexuality are dangerous, and students trapped in that lifestyle are susceptible to high rates of suicide, dropping out of school, and serious health risks. These students need the truth, not a program or a poster or the lies of a gender-tolerance police guard. And these radical recommendations seek to teach every child that homosexuality is just another way people are created.

But we must continue to fight. Your voice and actions will make a difference. No matter where you live, attend school board meetings to watch for these recommendations. Become involved in your local school, and share this information with other parents. Some of the money for AB 537 has been earmarked to send their guidelines to other school boards across the country.

Will you diligently pray with us about this issue? Pray that the California recommendations will not be supported, and that the mind of every child in those schools will be preserved. Pray also for your own school, school board, and teachers. They need your active support to ensure school is about academics—not about immoral beliefs.

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