Anti-gay group organizes in Anoka-Hennepin schools as community deals with gay suicides

Thank you so much Andy for reporting this. I had no idea there were suicides going on in Minnesota. I knew about the alleged harassment going on, but not this.

It amazes me that people actually lobby against tolerance… I guess in the land of the puritans, only the true god-fearing people get to set the standards, as long as they don’t apply to the people setting them…

I contacted the Pro-Bullying Parents organization with some scriptural reminder:

“How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Luke 6:42

I wonder if any of those poor kids who took their own lives knew about The Trevor Project? http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

How do you tell youth about the resources that are there to help them cope if no one, family, school, church is at least willing to say ‘We can’t/won’t help you, but here are people who will.’

I pity the children of parents in the Parents Action League and weep for the gay/lesbian children in those families.

I went to Blaine High School in district 11. Back in the late 1990s some teachers had rainbows on their name tags indicating they were gay friendly and there if anybody needed somebody to talk to. How is that not enough??? I was picked on in elementary school, middle school, and high school and I’m a straight male. Bullying is just a fact of life, heck I was even bullied by a boss at one of my first jobs. The fact is if your child is so depressed that they’re suicidal the parents are missing something there.

Parents United To Promote Bullying, Desparation & Teen Suicide. Good name for them.

Bullying is a “fact of life” only when we give it a pass. It is the refuge of people who don’t have the courage to face their own self hatred, so they induce it in others as personal relief. Since it causes only misery and personal destruction, it MUST be addressed as would alcoholism or drud addiction would be; social sanction plus treatment. A bully may resume functioning after they have surceased their behaviors.

Bullying is wrong and should not be tolerated regardless of your views about homosexuality.

These professional bodies unanimously state:1. Homosexuality is an normal, naturally occurring trait2. “Reparative therapy” or “conversion therapy” does not work and is harmful to those subjected to it.

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Sexual orientation and homosexualityhttp://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx

Homosexuality: Nature or NurtureRyan D. Johnson April 30, 2003http://allpsych.com/journal/homosexuality.html

APA Officially Rejects Reorientation Treatment for Homosexuals — Overwhelming research from the past hundred years rejected due to “serious design flaws.”http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/aug/09080608.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION

POSITION STATEMENT Homosexuality and Civil RightsApproved by the Board of Trustees, December 1973Approved by the Assembly, 1973http://www.psych.org/Departments/EDU/Library/APAOfficialDocumentsandRelated/PositionStatements/197310.aspx

POSITION STATEMENT Therapies Focused on Attempts to Change Sexual Orientation (Reparative or Conversion Therapies)Approved by the Board of Trustees, March 2000Approved by the Assembly, May 2000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

AMA Policy Regarding Sexual Orientationhttp://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/our-people/member-groups-sections/glbt-advisory-committee/ama-policy-regarding-sexual-orientation.shtml

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

Policy Statement: Homosexuality and Adolescence (RE9332)http://web.archive.org/web/20031212181440/http://www.aap.org/policy/05072.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS

Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issueshttp://www.socialworkers.org/resources/abstracts/abstracts/lesbian.asp

Position Statement: “Reparative” and “Conversion” Therapies for Lesbians and Gay Menhttp://www.socialworkers.org/diversity/lgb/reparative.asp?print=1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UNITED PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS REJECT “REPARATIVE THERAPY” also called “CONVERSION THERAPY”http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_expr.htm

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Counseling Association, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, American School Health Association, Interfaith Alliance Foundation, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers, and National Education Association formed the “Just the Facts Coalition.” They developed and endorsed “Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation & Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators and School Personnel” in 1999.

The primer says, in part:

“The most important fact about ‘reparative therapy,’ also sometimes known as ‘conversion’ therapy, is that it is based on an understanding of homosexuality that has been rejected by all the major health and mental health professions. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Association of Social Workers, together representing more than 477,000 health and mental health professionals, have all taken the position that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus there is no need for a ‘cure.’

“…health and mental health professional organizations do not support efforts to change young people’s sexual orientation through ‘reparative therapy’ and have raised serious concerns about its potential to do harm.” 

Listen to the original founders of Exodus now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDiYeJ_bsQo

http://www.soulforce.org

Soulforce began in 1998 and is named after Gandhi’s term “satyagraha”, which means “truth force” or “life force.” Gandhi defined this as a plan of action that developed inner lives while working to transform society. Throughout history, these principles have guided many nonviolent justice movements – including Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for racial equality.

Soulforce is determined to help end oppression against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people; determined to help change the minds and hearts of religious and political leaders whose words and influence lead (directly and indirectly) to that oppression; and determined to be guided in our every action by the principles of relentless nonviolent resistance as lived and taught by M.K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.. Soulforce ultimately seeks to challenge systems of injustice, not people. We are seeking a community wherein all can share health, safety, and liberty. One day we want to be in community with those in which we currently find ourselves divided. In the process of bringing hope and healing to our society, we find redirection and renewal for ourselves.

Soulforce began in 1998 and is named after Gandhi’s term “satyagraha”, which means “truth force” or “life force.” Gandhi defined this as a plan of action that developed inner lives while working to transform society. Throughout history, these principles have guided many nonviolent justice movements – including Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for racial equality.

Soulforce is determined to help end oppression against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people; determined to help change the… (read more)
Mission:
“The purpose of Soulforce is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer and questioning people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance.”

http://www.facebook.com/SoulforceOrganization

I am a professional life coach. A few years ago, I made myself available to the school district to begin an after-school resource for kids who are bullied for whatever reason. I was given the run-around. I’d be given a name to contact, only to not hear back for months, then to be told that the person I was told to contact was no longer in that area and given another name. Lather, rinse, repeat. I don’t know if the coaching group could have helped prevent any of these tragedies, but at this point, we will never know.

@ Matt. You were not the only straight male in a sea of bullying gays telling you there was something wrong with you, no resources, and no support. There is a world of difference. I’m sorry you do not “get it”, but these people are fighting against even the little ribbons, much like the recent efforts in Uganda to even provide comfort, housing and safe places. I dare say this effort comes from the same people.

I graduated Blaine High School in 1999, my rememberance of any policy against bullying was to be told smile and put up with it. I had a few really good teachers who I could talk to but every day I had to put up with being bullied from my fellow students and from the school administratrion who told me constantly I was too stupid to take even an honors course while I was aceing those courses. I’m straight and was bullied for a speech problem which had nothing to do with intelligence but from the first day of Kindergarten until I graduated I was treated as someone who they thought belonged in mentally challenged class. In the end, I graduated high school with highest honors. I think they probably still tell me I’m too stupid to this day.

From this article, obviously District 11 hasn’t changed much in 11 years to protect their students from any form of bullying.

You can’t judge what one student can handle over another one. Does the school know if they have parents who tell them they are wonderful? Most likely no, do they know if the kid has good friends who will support them? Most likely not. When it comes to bullying process they need to keep in mind they don’t know the whole story.

Matt, the neutrality policy now prohibits such stickers on ID badges and the neutrality policy requires that teachers refer gay students to their counselors. Teachers are not allowed to talk to gay kids about sexuality – it is a violation of the policy. Things were as you remember them then, and they are certainly not that way now.

http://www.lambdalegal.org/publications/out-safe-respected/

The anti-gay groups are created by the C.I.A. It’s a CIA plot to slowly suspend our constitutional rights, and in this matter being the talk and use of FREE SPEECH to talk about homosexuality. They already are “big brothers” by not letting us smoke and say “fuck” and “shit” on campus. It’s all fucking bullshit, and the government needs to be stopped, along with these C.I.A-controlled groups.

And I thought the schools were built and funded to educate kids, not perpetuate ignorance. Prejudice begins at home. Leave it there. Do not waste my tax dollars on it.

Bullying may be common, but it is still antisocial behavior. The entire Elk River varsity football program has been suspended while being investigated for hazing. Driving someone to suicide through bullying is a hate crime (or should be), and possibly murder.

http://wcco.com/education/hazing.elk.river.2.1880537.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/472262/mother_responsible_for_teens_suicide.html

Great story. But please, please PLEASE stop using the term “homosexual” to describe gay men and lesbians. It is an outdated diagnostic term that indicates a pathology in need of treatment or cure and is profoundly offensive to gay people. The Associated Press Stylebook (2008) makes clear the appropriate language for journalists to use when covering stories that include glbt people. Thanks.

Dawn from Maine,
Scientifically it is the correct term. Quit being a word Nazi.

well MN. shows itself to be another intolerant state to avoid…geez,might as well be the south. what a sad,pathetic hateful and bigoted country we live in with all too many FAKE christians.

Dawn, I actually prefer to identify as a homosexual queer, rather than gay, for political reasons.

Please speak for yourself instead of the LGBTQ community.

all schools should have a NO tolerance..Anti-Bullying program….no matter what the subject of the bullying. There is NO excuse for another child to feel alone,isolated and on the verge of suicide…STOP the MADNESS, and END THE HATE.

As a graduate of the class of 2004, and previously Very proud of the district where I grew up and spent my childhood, I am absolutely sickened by this. I am no longer proud of my school. How can people be so blind to intolerance, ignorance, and downright cruelty? That parents are actually funding and supporting this group is pathetic and criminal. Perpetuating hate doesn’t get you a medal, and it certainly won’t get you a pat on the back by jesus at the pearly gates. If I lived in the area any more, I would not hesitate to join forces with GET, and get very vocal at any and all school board meetings. My parents still live in Anoka, and they will be sad to hear of this. Shame on you anoka, and shame on the blindly hate-filled parents and that “organization” funding them.

President Barack Obama could end sll of this silliness with a stroke of a pen ~ if other brave presidents didn’t take such measures women would still not be able to vote, black and white could not marry, blacks would not serve in the military, etc., etc., etc.

Civil rights can NOT and should not be put to popular vote.

This is a human right matter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayurmRMhqrY

It always amazes me (or not) that these “family values” websites that pop up, have no disclosure… what cowards to continue to hide behind hate, and then call themselves “christians”

Gods message is a message of LOVE… if that is not your one and single goal each day, you’ve missed the point entirely.

Question your narrow beliefs and open your heart.

Speaking for myself as a man who is gay, I prefer the media to use “gay and lesbian” or “GLBT/LGBT/GLBTQ/LGBTQ” since that is what everyone understands.

As for the word “homosexual,” as Dawn from Maine said, it is a clinical term that is often used by anti-gay forces in the pathological sense when in fact, sexual orientation is morally neutral.

Dano, as one of the trolls here, it would not be surprising to me if you aren’t able to appreciate the power of words to hurt or malign others.

Progressively Queer, I respect that you prefer to label yourself “homosexual queer” for political reasons. However, identity politics especially in a minority community can be wearying and at times divisive; I should know because in addition to being gay, I also am deaf. “deaf” “hard-of-hearing” “Deaf” “CODA” “late-deafened” etc. etc. I thought you were a little too harsh on Dawn of Maine. Peace.

Disgusted American, I’m a college student in Minnesota. Let me assure you that this isn’t the average Minnesotan treatment of people. The Upper Midwest has always been a very accepting place in my experience, and I’ve lived here all my life (born and raised in Iowa).

Matt, it concerns me that you are so nonchalant about bullying. From the perspective of someone who was bullied in elementary school, I’m still dealing with social issues I gained from those experiences in college.

Dawn from Maine, I agree with you to a point; I don’t personally like the word “homosexual”, especially wince saying “straight” as its opposite is so widely used and using the word “sexual” in anything takes the focus right to, well, sex as opposed to love. However, every person chooses the words they use to identify themselves on their own, and some don’t mind homosexual. Their choice.

Brett, anti-gay groups aren’t created by the CIA. Also, what campuses don’t allow you to cuss on them. And not smoking on campus actually does have a positive impact on those of us with severe respiratory syndromes.

As a college student involved with his school’s queer student union, I hope that outside groups form outreach programs to school districts like Anoka-Hennepin. It’s even more pressing for my school since one of the other coordinators for our union graduated from that district, as did several of my other friends here. The experiences I’ve heard from GLBTQ students in the district is pretty much the same as described above. The district is simply alienating their students and then wondering why they don’t turn anywhere else.

Dawn from Maine, I re-read the article. The word “homosexual” was used in quotes which of course should be reported verbatim.

Otherwise the use of the word “homosexual” in a non-medical article is a tipoff as to the writer’s anti-gay bias.

While following the progress of the two gay votes in the 2009 ELCA Convention in Minneapolis, I eventually grew disgusted with the consistent use of the word “homosexuals” to refer to “those people” who are exactly as God made them. The day the Church stops using this word in all its official deliberations is the day that the Church finally has become inclusive. Otherwise, bah!

Lane, I didn’t mean to be harsh with Dawn, I was merely expressing that within the “gay community” there are those who don’t mind “homosexual” as a label (and clearly there are those that do mind), so to ask the author of an article to use one terminology over another because of personal preference (as Dawn was doing) is rather over the top. Especially since Andy Birkey isn’t exactly the straightest banana in the bunch.

As a 2004 graduate of Anoka I thought that my peers and I had made strides to prevent things like this from happening in our school and am horrified to find out that a group of hateful individuals continues to seek ways to reverse all that has been overcome in the past.

We allow too many children to suffer through bullying and the idea that schools should not show even enough empathy to provide children with information is a travesty. It is an unfortunate reality that not all children come from loving homes and that not all religions preach tolerance. All the more reason for our schools to be willing and able to provide help to all students if needed.

Is it not enough for these undisclosed individuals to speak hate in their homes and houses of worship? Must they bring their intolerances into our schools as well? Perhaps while the Parents Action League is promoting Exodus through the Day of Truth they should consider a few other areas of the Bible, such as:
1 Peter 3:8-11
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.”

Or if they would like to remain within their chosen book, they can consider the implications of other parts of Exodus including those which detail the fine points of slavery, including the guideline that a slave’s children are to remain with the master even should the slave be released:
Exodus 21:1
“Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone…”

I wish someone could tell these kids that there is a whole wide world out there where they will be accepted and loved for who they are. And I wish those people who refuse to accept them for who they are would just leave them alone and go about their own business. Who are we to judge?

Lane,

I had to choke back a guffaw when you said that the writer had an anti-gay bias.

“…you can’t go to your parents, where you face rejection from those you love the most.”

Way to hate your kids, (some) MN parents. What happened to unconditional?

Peter, it does look like I implied Andy who I know is gay has an anti-gay bias when that is NOT the case. Reviewing the article once again, he used the word “homosexual[ity]” in all the correct places – either as part of actual quotes or as accurate reporting of how the anti-gay group is framing this issue of school bullying; otherwise, he used the word “gay.” This writing style is such a contrast to how the word “homosexual” with its immediate association with sex at the expense of the person is purposely used by those in the anti-LGBTQ camp to stir up emotions and hatred; additionally, the anti-gay camp’s refusal to use “gay” “lesbian” “LGBTQ” is an ongoing attempt to deny the humanity of those who are LGBTQ which is why people like Dawn and me are very sensitive to how this word is used in the media.

PQ, stay progressive; just don’t get too radicalized. Smiles.

As a parent of a high-schooler and two college kids (none of which are gay, as far as I know) I find this whole story appalling. I think (sane) parents need to express their outrage to the school board and city and let them know that they would never consider moving your family to a district that has this climate toward a portion of its student body. This could also affect housing sales in the area for the same reason… In an already flooded market, why would someone move to such an intolerant community?

When I read this story, I had a visceral reaction of great sorrow, relief and anger. Sorrow at the suffering of the students who took their life and their families and the unconscionable intolerance they faced. Sorrow in the form of remorse that as a high school student in the 1990s I was homophobic and likely contributed to the torment of others.

Relief that the homophobia I suffered from in my youth did not escalate to this magnitude, or so I hope. Relief that I was able to learn how wrong I was to fear or hate someone because of their sexual orientation. A decade or so later, I do not recognize the person I was in high school in many ways — that’s part of growing up.

Anger that the Anoka-Hennepin school district and the Parents Action League perpetuate the homophobia. These are adults who should know better by now the importance of tolerance, respect and protection of the vulnerable. This inaction and intolerance hurts not only the immediate victims, but also the bullies who fail to learn how unfounded their hate and fear really is.

The state that used to be know for its progressive attitude and schooling is now REDNECK U.

Matt, bullying is NOT a fact of life, its a signal for help and corrective action. Stating that “its a fact of life” is no different than saying “its ok to bully others”. If anyone thinks its wrong their normal action should be to stop it. It must be a zero tolerance policy. If we can throw students out on a “weapon” offence for having a nail clippers (???), we damn well should do more on bullying. Thats a real problem.

Religion is NO EXCUSE for pushing bigoted viewpoints. This return of nonacceptance attitude seems to follow the trend of underfunding education. The children are our future, and if that future is to improve… then our children must learn to be better in ALL aspects. This means that the political people must be forced into making actions and not allowed to keep status quo so they can stay in their position. They must act or be removed from their positions.

School-board and School Officials, you must live with this death as you not only allowed it, but condoned by your minuscule actions. You killed this child, can you live with that? And the next death? How many children have to die before you have the humanity rise up inside you to say ENOUGH, and to act?

State and Federal Officials, it is pathetic to see you ask how countries like IRAN can be ruled by narrow minded religious zealots… only to watch you pass “Christian” laws sponsored by zealots here. Wake up, act on what is right and wrong. The only people who will not support the reduction of bullying are “the bullies and their mentors”.

Parents, your angry bigoted sentiments can become you childs subliminal instruction to bully those you hate. There is only 1 item that is intolerable, its intolerance itself.

Parent Action League, your afraid of the dark. Let someone give you a flashlight and teach you to use it. While I admire your commitment, you have no reasons other than you own phobias and bigotry to not support anti-bullying policy. They don’t have to teach straight or gay acts, but they need to teach tolerance. Where is your tolerance at?

In the long haul we all create the environment people will live in. You can act and own part of a solution, or sit still and be a part of the continuing problem.

Wait a minute. Shouldn’t “homophobia” be “gayophobia?” Don’t want to be politically incorrect ya know.

Dennis, there is no such word as “gayophobia.” The less homophobic a person is either internalized, towards others or even both, the more likely s/he will use “gay” “lesbian” “LGBTQ” in everyday dialogue.

It is most unfortunate that King Pawlessly vetoed the anti-bullying bill earlier this year.

Lane,
“Dano, as one of the trolls here, it would not be surprising to me if you aren’t able to appreciate the power of words to hurt or malign others.”

I freely admit I get a kick out of f’n w/people and do appreciate a good retort. Well played Sir! Hope you have a good weekend or dare I say a gay old time!

Dano, I noticed some time ago you have this perversion to saying outrageous things just to get a reaction. One of these days you’ll surely get a black eye instead of a good retort …

And yes, I shall have a gay ol’ time this weekend, thank you!

Have any of these schools tried to form gay-straight alliances? If not I think it would be a good way to stand up to the district policy of ignoring the existence of homosexuality. And if the schools try to stop anyone forming a gay-straight alliance they can contact the ACLU. No school has one a case against the ACLU over gay-straight alliance clubs so far.

Also, I just want to say that the districts policies are despicable,and the anti-gay protestors are deplorable.

Lane,
sweet, lol

> The state that used to be know for its progressive attitude and schooling is now REDNECK U.

For some strange reason, this reminded me of the surprise and pride I felt when I learned in a Star Trek novel that Amanda Grayson, Mr. Spock’s mother, was a school teacher originally from Minnesota. Given all that has happened here in the past couple of decades, I am not so sure that the author would have accorded our state this honor if he had written that novel today. Sad, isn’t it?

[...] The school district policy is officially neutral. However, efforts have been made by the district and teachers unions toward training of teachers. School year 2010-2011 is about to begin. Hopefully “suicide contagion” will not revisit the Anoka-Hennipen School District or other Minnesota school dostricts for that matter. More… [...]

Whatever happened to the separation of Church & State? Isn’t this Parents’ group attempting to force their narrow religious beliefs on the public school system?
If I wanted to get into the religious argument, the prohibition against homosexual behavior is from Exodus, & the arrival of Jesus was supposed to inaugurate a new system based on love, & sweep away the old. Doesn’t sound like that’s being done. Further, the whole Sodom & Gomorrah argument was not about sexual behavior, it was a greater violation- abusing hospitality, a much more serious crime in that culture & time.
Lastly, whether someone is LGBTQ is a matter of inborn identity. “Choice” is a matter of action, not identity.

@Anonymous
We have a GSA at anoks hs and in our school district , there’s three people in it ! Whopping three people. The fact that these kids didn’t cme ask fr help is they were afraid to why is everyone so homophobic? Justin aaberg was a close friend if mine nobody deserves what all these kids went through.

Bullying is indeed a fact of life and it’s pathetic to give it such attention and concern–but “bullying” as relates to schools has always been a word for something normal that happens between children; it’s unfortunately that it’s been consistently misapplied for years in these sorts of cases. Homosexuals aren’t committing suicide because they’re being bullied, but because they’re being harassed. There’s a difference, especially in connotation. The problem isn’t bullying, the problem is a pervasive attitude of hatred towards a group who have done nothing wrong–and this particular group is unable to change itself in response to harassment, so even those who would normally buckle and give in to social pressure are literally unable to do so in this case–not to mention the absurdity of dictating sexual orientation to someone in the first place–and so the harassment, which is itself unjust, builds up–in an unjust atmosphere of hatred–indefinitely and inescapably. No wonder there are suicides.

“Whatever happened to the separation of Church & State?”

Some people who can’t handle living in a free country pretend it doesn’t exist, or at least apply to their case.

I think what people miss out on is that this really isn’t a “gay issue”. Whether a student is gay, presumed gay, muslim, christian, athiest, black, asian, white, smart, athletic, any combination of anything or any presumptions of anything, that student is the CARE and PROTECTION of the school! If the administrations cannot ensure the safety of everyone in that building and on their property. This isn’t about gay/anti-gay, this is about student safety. If there is bullying, they need to find a way to combat it. PERIOD. When I have kids I want the knowledge that when I drop them off that they are there to learn and make friends and not being bullied. And if they are bullied and I ask the administration, I want the assurance that they take it serious. Kids bully for a number of reasons, I don’t care the reason. BULLYING SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED.

[...] of groups like GLSEN to clean up anti-gay school bullying. Let's not tell Candi about the three students in Minnesota who all committed suicide in the past year because … wait for it, wait for it … taunts [...]

Where in the world do any of you get the idea that you have a right to not be offended? I live in AH district 11 and I support the districts nuetrality policy. The reason for this policy is to leave the education of children on this matter up to the parents. The school district has NO right to indoctrinate my children in these matters. If it were up to me the school district would need to gain my permission to even give sexual education. The schools job is reading, writing, and arithmetic that is all. If the district needs to cater tpo everyone that may feel they are different in some way, where does it stop. If someone’s child thinks they are a horse, do they need to treat them as a horse?

What this boils down to for me is, I could care less what you do in your home, how or what you teach your child about sexuality, but don’t force me to teach my child something that I do not believe in. I would teach them when I feel it is right not the AMA,NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS,The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Counseling Association, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, American School Health Association, Interfaith Alliance Foundation, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers, and National Education Association or any one other organization you can cite. You are more than welcome to teach your children what you choose.

One last thing then you can have your way with me, if you think this author is anti-gay, you have no idea what you are reading. This is one of the worst examples of “unbiased journalism” I have ever seen.

hey Jason..Not sure where you are coming from via your comment! No Child should feel scared to go to school,ever….for whatever reason..NO child should be bullied….if that means covering all the bases as to ((WHY)) kids are Bullied so be it…no matter What the reaso or subject Kids in HS are not stupid…but many of thier parents are nitwits and Naive…Kids Can Be Cruel to one another / and they learn alot of it from home…surprise,surprise.

after reading Jason’s post again – it sounds liek he barely had time to comment here as he’s too busy making sure his kid(s)..know that its ok to beat up and harrass queers…right Jason?

After reading Jason’s immature outbursts, I am reminded of the many stories where the son unhappily obeys his father’s unreasoning dictate to follow Dad’s career footsteps when he’d rather pursue his life dream elsewhere. By the way, Jason, I give you a F for good parenting. UFF DA!

being gay is truly a curable disorder and usually involves some type of mental distress.

as was proven by the book, “The Born Gay Hoax”
http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/08a/born_gay_hoax/TheBornGayHoax.pdf

this article shows an increase in teens struggling with homosexuality that are committing suicide. not because they didn’t fit in or were harassed and need some additional ‘legal’ protection from bulling. but simply because they were sick and struggling with a disorder that the radical gay activists continue to support.

this article shows that the radical gay activists are a danger to society by promoting a dangerous lifestyle that should be illegal just like smoking pot so that our children can remain safe in school.

this school should try to find out were these students learned about this dangerous lifestyle and work to eliminate the source.

Is the book “The Born Gay Hoax” even credible?

A quick google on the author reveals Ryan Sorba to be a self-important political junkie with a huge ax to grind against gays being so fixated on sodomy; not only that, he also has a checkered legal history involving a restraining order at the age of 19 due to a domestic violence case involving his girlfriend and her brother and a ticket that he is proud of, a noise violation for disturbance at a polling place on election day where he was handing out Proposition 8 flyers.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/02/a-conversation-with-ryan-sorba.html

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/ryan_sorba_anti-gay_cpac_activist_court_records.php

Bah!

A missing comma requires this clarification: Ryan – not the gays – is the one who is so fixated on sodomy.

Tim’s post shows that flat-earth morons that usually can’t figure out how to stop babbling on endlessly about “Scripture” and can’t stand the thought that gay people might live in the open, are a danger to society by promoting willful ignorance and stupidity of dark ages proportions that should be illegal just like sex crimes so that our children can remain safe in school.

@Lane – Why are you trying to focus on the charactor of the author? This is not about author of the book, but the content of the book, which clearly proves that homosexuality is very dangerous – yet curable disorder.

I’m glad the nation has realized the dangers before this disorder is promoted or protected by laws and allowed to spread like a virus distroying society and the entire economy as it has done throughout history.

@Dave – Read the facts, as the wisdom of world leaders have realized time and again, homosexuality is a dangerous lifestyle that leads to social suicide. Even Jesus, who has been proclaimed to be the wisest teacher in the world understood this and preached again it. The wisdom found in scripture is not something to take lightly.

@Tim – The author is sorely lacking in the necessary academic and professional credentials that would lend weight to the content in his book which by the way is not peer-reviewed by credible experts. Given this, it then became important to find out what motivates him to hate gays.

Additionally, I’m not aware of even one single comment Jesus made on the subject of homosexuality.

Personally, the Bible is but a collection of writings by different men long ago in social contexts very different from today.

I would not go by either book as a guide to modern living.

@Lane – The book “The Born Gay Hoax”
http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/08a/born_gay_hoax/TheBornGayHoax.pdf

is full of references and quotes from highly credited national publications, periodicals and research papers. Therefore it makes a very valuable contribution to the current social debate about homosexuality.

And with regarding to your personal judgement of the credibility of the Bible.

Consider the work of Josh McDowell, with over 35 years of reseach, in his book “The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict”, which detailed the historical evidence for Christianity and the accuracy of the Bible.

Or consider the famus Journalist, Lee Strobel, who as an Atheist tried to dis-prove the scriptures but ended up with no choice but realizing that Jesus is who he said he was in his book “The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus”

These and many other credible works are why the Bible remains the most practical and popular book that the world has every know.

This is why the wisdom found in scripture is not something to take lightly.

@Lane – Also, regarding ‘hate’

The author of the book “The Born Gay Hoax”
http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/08a/born_gay_hoax/TheBornGayHoax.pdf

does not hate gays, he loves them enough to tell them the truth at great personal sacrifice.

The word ‘hate’ is used by the gay activist just like abortion activists use the word ‘choice’ in place of ‘death’.

Homosexual activists use the word ‘hate’ whenever they are faced with someone who does not agree with their radical agenda. The word is attached to the only people that actually care about the people that are trapped in this dangerous lifestyle.

If you had a friend that was an alcoholic, a bartender would never tell your friend to stop drinking because they stand to gain from your friend remaining a drunk, both financially and socially and perhaps politically. A true friend to an alcoholic is someone that will tell them that they need help and they are living a dangerous lifestyle that will shorted there lifespan and perhaps others around them.

If your alcoholic friend kills someone or themselves, their blood is on the bartender’s hands not the friend that tried to tell them the truth.

In the same way, the blood of these teens in this article is on the hands of the gay activists – not the author of the book “The Born Gay Hoax” who has helped save many lives from the destructive nature of homosexuality.

The word hate is exchanged for love, and love exchanged for hate, to mislead society into an emotional support to stop the only people that are capable of helping those that struggle with homosexuality – in order that a few would gain political and financial power at the expense of others.

The homosexual lifestyle reduces the average lifespan by 20 years. How could anyone who helps others reduce their lifespan by 20 years be considers anything but hate?

The real hate for people caught up in homosexuality comes from power hungry gay activists.

Here is an excellent video that further explains the value in telling people the truth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdytVMJ-Erg

Tim, I deal with people like you all the time, convinced they understand everything about human sexuality because they read their bible and get info tracts from groups like Exodus. If you were gay you might understand how patently ridiculous these people claims are. First they rarely differentiate between sexual arousal and sexual attraction, they have no respect for actual same sex relationships, and they dismiss without explanation the varied nature of human sexual expression.

Let’s be clear gays do not “recruit,” you cannot convince someone that they are attracted to someone that they aren’t. You could convince someone that same gender sex can be pleasurable but that is a far far cry from recruiting. All evidence from the last 40 years as well as the testimony from both the people that enter reparative theory and the actual scientists and researchers that evaluate such attempts is that we cannot alter someone’s sexual attraction. At best these programs just teach people how to hide in the closet better.
Look just at the surface evidence. Gays and lesbians are found in every human culture at the same percentage. All of human history including the bible speaks of same sex relations, as well older texts like Gilgamesh. Even if homosexuality is not genetic than it is a common womb or neurological condition in the human species. As a gay man I don’t think there is just one reason why people are gay. Some like me have never been attracted to a woman, others go back and forth. Some were abused, but we can’t even say that abuse turns people gay because many that are abused by their same gender go on to live normal heterosexual lives. This belief that people can be trained not to be gay is hurtful, dangerous, scientifically unsound, and patently ridiculous.
Before the internet let gays realize that they were not alone growing up gay in a religious household was lonely world. No matter how hard you pray or try to change nothing stopped my attractions to guys. I was never abused, never told about gays, never met another gay male. I had no role models and no idea what was happening. I was bullied and taunted at school daily. Most days I prayed that I would die and somehow take everyone in my school with me. That was my reality. What you are advocating is a return to that, and the blood of those that die is on your head. Try to see the humanity in your fellow citizens before pushing them off a cliff. What would be better? well adjusted gay kids growing up and living responsibly or scarred children being preyed on by all the dark forces in our society?

@Tim – Plenty of people write books about UFOs and Jewish conspiracy theories as well, and to someone (like you) that is dying to hear what he wants to hear (and that alone) … those books seem a convincing validation of ones preconceived notions as well. As any kind of argument on this matter, it’s pure trashy entertainment.

PS: It’s diffucult to honor the references of a man who is constantly lambasted, by the authors of the references, as willfully distorting them.

@Lane – I realize that life is not easy and certainly not fair. But you are not the first or the last kid to get picked on at school. I remember being beaten up many times in school, which caused me to learn to fight.

Your statements are misguided, “This belief that people can be trained not to be gay is hurtful, dangerous, scientifically unsound, and patently ridiculous.”

This is simply not true.

Thousands of gays have left the lifestyle and learned to life a better life.

And yes gays do “recruit” and many are involved in sexual abuse, like sodomy (sex with young boys).

You were likely recruited as your childhood fit the state of weakness that homosexuals are prone to target.

The gay activists are taking advantage of you at your expense.

Just because you had homosexual thoughts does not mean you need to spend the rest of your life living this dangerous lifestyle.

Also your statement, “I had no role models … ”

The role models you found do not have you in their best interest. The greatest thing you can learn is that Jesus is the only one that really gives a shit about you and he came to teach us who we are and how to live a better life – how to escape the slavery of sin.

Also you statement, “No matter how hard you pray or try to change nothing stopped my attractions to guys.”

The bible does not promise the remove us from temptations, it only gives us the power over temptations. Without Christ no one can resist the temptations we live with. Let me say that again: It is impossible for you to resist the temptations of sin that are at work to destroy you without the power of Jesus Christ.

“It is for freedom that Christ set you free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

Read the book and gain the knowledge that you need.

Ehhh. Even Jesus and believed that a minority of fully intact men [physically whole semen producers that could reproduce if they wanted] had an inborn disinterest in women. There are even early church writings that warned these men not to feel pride in their chastity with women, because by birth they had no intrest, no temptation or sacrifice in that regard. And if you go back further, things like the Leviticus prohibition wasn’t even enforced on gay men, because masculinity was defined by virility towards women. Basically, it was just ritualistically improper for a eunuch (born or not) to have active relations with a passive ‘man’ [IE, hetero boy in most cases]. A ‘gay’ ‘man’ didn’t exist in biblical times, as they were always refereed to as eunuch, third gender, etc. but never ‘man’ / ‘male,’ or, at least until the fourth century when they started really seeing condemnations.

@Tim, you are wasting time talking nonsense to my hand.

@Tim, you would be wise to consider the truths in what Tim-OK and JakeH have to say which are “not something to take lightly.”

It is well documented that gay reparative therapies are pseudo-science that is very harmful to the psychological well-being of gay people. Even the British Medical Association recently came to this conclusion, and is now recommending that this practice be banned.

But then something tells me I am wasting my time speaking the truth to your hand.

@Tim, I did check some of the references in the book. I rolled my eyes when the gay publications the Advocate and the Washington Blade were cited as sources. Just because something is published in a newspaper does not make that something a fact that will hold up to scientifically-based peer review or heck even in a court of law. This is even lamer than the stereotypical “limp wrist.”

Tim said: The author … does not hate gays, he loves them enough to tell them the truth at great personal sacrifice.

That’s another way of saying that the author loves gay people to their death. Literally.

Bah!

[...] teens at a Minnesota school district have committed suicide over the past year after enduring anti-gay bullying. The Anoka-Hennepin School Board claims that they take bullying [...]

“Thousands of gays have left the lifestyle and learned to life a better life.”

‘Thousands’ seems like a huge stretch (especially after how many “success stories” later rescind it all as a big deception), and “better” is subjective, BTW. If you think you see problems with homosexual relationships, you should witness the pointless trainwreck for all that is a gay man marrying a woman.

“You were likely recruited as your childhood fit the state of weakness that homosexuals are prone to target.”

Gays don’t go out and recruit. They don’t even think it possible, not to mention desirable (and generally beyond just the impossibility angle). This makes sense I think, given that virtually none of them had someone when they were growing up going around affirming or even egging on their attractions by any stretch of the imagination. And it is not like they are worried that gays are going to decrease in number anyway. They seem to exist everywhere with amazing consistency (no matter the local culture or laws) … and always have, and probably always will (regardless of local culture or laws). Sure, those with any sense of compassion want kids (gay or straight) to feel safe and have self-worth, but don’t pretend some vast conspiracy is beyond/behind that to somehow churn out more gays.

@TIM – “The author … does not hate gays, he loves them enough to tell them the truth at great personal sacrifice”

More like great personal profit! ‘Sacrifice’ is the wrong word for Sorba, even if he wasn’t running to the bank with it … or didn’t look like he enjoyed slanderous outbursts and attention so much. He LIVES (financially and spiritually) on this witch hunt …

[...] el último año tres adolescentes gays se han quitado la vida en el distrito de Anoka-Hennepin (Minnesota), víctimas de acoso escolar homofóbico. Pese a ello, [...]

I am originally from the area, and this is deeply sad, but I am still not convinced that the people involved in this feel sympathy towards the deaths of these children. The things that will allow, or even participate in, this level of torment — child abuse — plainly don’t have a conscious which the obvious outcomes of that can move.

I would suspect it only to be useful to talk to the pocketbooks, not the soul, of these characters.

Tim has shown in this and other posts that his planet is determined by his application of the Buy-Bull, and is immune to facts that dispute it, and readily accepts any that support it, even from known liars.

I am quite sure that he should not be allowed contact with children, as this vile disease is contagious.

Read more of his delusions here: http://minnesotaindependent.com/60948/islam-glbt-national-organization-marriage-granite-city

[...] #3: A group of “concerned (Christian) parents” formed the Parent Action League to fight this course of action. The reason? They claim to want to stop bullying, but they [...]

Then Jesus said, “Father forgive Tim, for he know not what he is talking about.”

@Lane, Dave, JakeH – The irony of your push for society acceptance of homosexuality, leads to the destruction of the society that you life in and an increase in persecution.

The promotion of homosexuality causes a moral breakdown of culture, as right and wrong become distorted and relative to popular opinion, leading to more government controls and special legal protections for different groups of people, leading to further rebellion and revolt against the increase in government imposed unfair favoritism, racism and unconstitutional laws against the freedom of speech and religion and liberty.

The confusion and chaos causes less people to be focused on productivity and less money going into business investments as is it redirected into lobby groups and legal entanglements – leading to a drop in economic activity and the destruction of our ability to produce wealth.

In the end, the entire nation will be bankrupt and under a tyrannical government who will decide when you or I need to be thrown into prison or killed as our rights will no longer exist.

This is the irony of the homosexual movement. Coming out of the closet and attempting to force society to accept their lifestyle as something other than immoral, will result in a loss of freedom, drop is national wealth and an increase in persecution and judgment against everyone.

If homosexuals truly want to remain free to live a homosexual lifestyle, their best strategy is to stay out of the public and political scene and enjoy the freedoms they already have.

Given this understanding that can be clearly seen playing out in current events, I don’t think the leadership of the radical homosexual advocates care if they destroy the lives of other homosexuals or the nation in the process.

The leadership is not really interested in gaining respect for homosexuals and is ‘recruiting’ them to support their suicidal agenda. Homosexuals would be better off denouncing their leaders and finding new leaders with a new strategy.

Now why am I suddenly reminded of the startling comment I read elsewhere in regards to notoriously anti-gay Focus On The Family’s recent launch of a website “to stop anti-bullying programs”?

“My old Southern grandmother from the hills of Mississippi — may she rest in peace — used to say, ‘Some folks just plain need killin’. I think even Granny would say these FotF cultists fit the bill.”

Hmmm.

(Mind you, I would NEVER do such an act …)

[...] Is Allowing Anti-gay Bullying Child Sex Abuse? Three teens at a Minnesota school district have committed suicide over the past year after enduring anti-gay bullying.  While the district says it takes bullying [...]

[...] Allowing Anti-gay Bullying Child Sex Abuse? Three teens at a Minnesota school district have committed suicide over the past year after enduring anti-gay bullying.  While the district says it takes bullying [...]

There are ex-gay commuties as well. They should be publicized as how they dealt with their struggle.

@Lane – So you are suggesting killing everyone that disagrees with homosexuality?

I’ll take that as agreement with my last comment.

Focus On The Family’s recent launch of a website “to stop anti-bullying programs”

IS advocating for child abuse. These people have blood on their hands.

@Tim, you know better than to hope I’ll believe any of your pitiful crackpot conspiracies that you come up with.

Just to make it clear to everyone out there, I do not believe in murder nor would I encourage anyone to contemplate such. Heck, I don’t believe in the death penalty.

However, hate, ignorance and intolerance towards those who are LGBT must be countered, confronted and ultimately replaced with the same respect that everyone deserves. I do this because I remember what I’ve gone through while growing up in East Central Minnesota – and do not want more of the same to happen to those who are now growing up and to those who are yet to be born.

@Lane – I get it. Promote homosexuality, destroy the nation and kill everyone else. That sounds like a lot of hate in your veins. Your goal is social and economic suicide.

Focus On The Family on the other hand wants to restore the nation, save the children from the abuse of being targeted by sexual predators sheltered by the homosexual lobby from sexual abuse and from being forced to accept evil as good disabling them for life from knowing the different, trapping them in a life of slavery to the very thing they have been forced to accept.

I refuse to allow that to happen. I love children too much to allow the abuse that you want for them. There is a better future for our nation and many homosexuals have already begun to realize just how dangerous the homosexual lobby has become.

If you are a homosexual you should reconsider your support for the current homosexual lobby and their promotion of sexual abuse of children and their ignorance their nation destroying strategies.

Instead, consider joining us or create a new organization with a peaceful strategy and denounce the sexual abuse and radically dangerous ways of the current gay lobby.

“I refuse to allow that to happen. I love children too much to allow the abuse that you want for them.”

…but not too much to teach them hatred, fear, and lies.

…like Tims’ entire 8:56 post, it’s just dripping with Tim’s idea of “love”.

As one who experienced bullying from grade school through college, I really appreciate the coverage the Independent has done on this subject. I was aware of the issue about the teachers’ harassment in Anoka, but it was news to me about the teen suicides. It is outrageous – and sad – that this story isn’t all over the media. Thank you for informing us what’s really going on.

“Thousands of gays have left the lifestyle and learned to life a better life.”

“There are ex-gay commuties as well. They should be publicized as how they dealt with their struggle.”

It’s like these people have never heard of bisexuals before.

[...] el último año tres adolescentes gays se han quitado la vida en el distrito de Anoka-Hennepin (Minnesota), víctimas de acoso escolar homofóbico. Pese a ello, [...]

@Tim. Your theory about homosexuality causing the “moral breakdown of society” is so ridiculous that *you* are transparent. Think about it.

“America’s primary international enemy—Islamic radicalism—insists on government by theocracy, curtails civil liberties, embraces torture, represses women, wants to eradicate homosexuals from society, and insists on the use of force over diplomacy. Remind you of a certain American political party?”

@Thomas Cassidy – Exactly! The very fact that thousands of homosexuals that were at one time convinced that they could never be anything but homosexual, have since become heterosexual – proving that homosexuality is a sexual lifestyle of choice and nothing more.

Without question, anyone can change their sexual lifestyle. Because of this fact, the gay movement is NOT part of the civil rights movement, like they try to claim.

Laws to give homosexuals special rights like the ‘hate crimes’ bill are the legalization of discrimination. These laws give homosexuals special legal rights over everyone else, discriminating against everyone that is not a homosexual.

Now the homosexual lobby wants to further legalize their discrimination by creating ‘anti-bullying’ laws. These laws are just as evil as laws that protected slavery.

How can they possibly claim they are for equal rights, while they clearly aim to legalize discrimination? They are clearly hypocrites.

Another fine example of willful ignorance and stupidity of dark ages proportions that should be illegal.

“For religious zealots, they never hesitate to bear false witness when it serves their agenda.”

@Tim You claim to know things that you do not. I was born gay and thats all there is to it, my parents were never political. Up until I was about 13 I had never even met or seen or heard of a gay person. I have always been attracted to boys. Always have and always will. You can not be cured of being gay because it is not a disease

@Donovan – You have been lied to.

Read “The Born Gay Hoax”
http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/08a/born_gay_hoax/TheBornGayHoax.pdf

Here is an excellent book for everyone who recognizes that the homosexual agenda must be stopped for the good of the individual, the family, the nation and for the good of those that remain in the homosexual lifestyle as well.

“Correct, Not Politically Correct; How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone”
http://www.amazon.com/Correct-Politically-Same-Sex-Marriage-Everyone/dp/1607081628/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283877315&sr=1-1

Apparently Tim who has by now amply proven himself an offensive bully has never heard of the right to be left alone along with the corresponding responsibility to self-regulate in order to avoid antagonizing or offending other people.

@Lane – I understand that you were bullied as a child, so was I and I wish that didn’t happen. I was brutally beat up many times as I mentioned before. But the current strategy of the homosexual activists is only going to create more bullying.

If we create laws to give some kids additional protection, we are in effect elevating their status. In the case of homosexuality, these laws would elevate kids based on their ideas or religious beliefs over other kids, and therefore we are legalizing the bullying of kids that do not share the same beliefs of the protected kids.

In effect, these laws would encourage and even promote bullying kids that do not share the same ideas about homosexuality.

In the end, more kids will be bullied rather than less because of what they believe and kids will learn very quickly how to lie about what they believe to gain the protection of the protected status.

What good would it do to trade bullying some kids for the bullying of other kids? In the end, this is a failed strategy that will only create additional problems.

These laws will not change mean kids into nice kids. This strategy avoids the source of the problem – just like the economic ballouts continue to avoid the fundamental problems with the economy.

Tim’s latest rationalization fails because it does not account for kids in Minnesota being bullied or harassed just because they either are or are perceived to be LGBT in the current absence of state anti-bullying laws. Additionally, he does not account for why school staff and administrators look the other way when such bullying takes place when they should be helping teach all children that anti-social behavior is not acceptable and tolerated. If this helps more children become more responsible for their actions and more respectful of others regardless of who they are, how can that be such a bad thing? Fewer mean kids and more nice kids – I’ll go for that any day!

BTW, Tim, you know nothing of the circumstances under which I grew up. I have no intention of discussing such in this public forum. Besides, your unsuccessful attempts at ingratiation with me and others are not sincere – and thus not appreciated.

> when they should be helping teach all children that anti-social behavior is not acceptable and tolerated.

… anti-social behavior is NOT acceptable and THUS NOT tolerated.

[...] Article from the Minnesota Independent, “Anti-gay group organizes in Anoka-Hennepin schools as… “Do you think my son Justin deserved to die because there are other kids who feel superior by picking on him and no staff member will stop them?” – Tammy Aaberg questions the Anoka-Hennepin District School Board (From the Minnesota Independent) // [...]

So, ‘The Parents Action League’ a secret organization having no legal public identity or function willing to say or do anything to get its bigoted way. Well, other than to terrorize children and their families. Who are they really? The KKK or the Taliban? I don’t think it really matters, after all, they are ALL terrorists.

I say if you don’t believe in same sex love then don’t do it. How can we say that Christ is in us when we violate his very first commandment that we Love one another as HE loved us? He loved us enough to streatch out his arms and die for us. To Matt (poster) you say you are striaght and was bullied…dude you have no idea what it can be like to be gay. The bullying doesn’t stop with school. I’m in my 50 and face harassement daily from my employer. I have to work to support me and my family so I have to take it. Ending it has sometimes been on my mind. People need to realize a person doesn’t chose their sex anymore than who their sexual attraction is.

Nobody bullies anybody sounds pretty equal and fair to me.

I don’t know what it all said as I had to stop reading (for the time being) after the “Day of Truth” thing. I just want to say that the group of parents in the Parent Action League are not only homophobic biggots, but they are both directly and indirectly promoting hatred, violence, murder, bullying, and projects that have been proven not to work over 70 years ago.

@ Tim, I too was born gay. It has been in the last couple of years that science supports this. In fact they can now tell by doing tests on the fetus if it is male, female or gay. The brain of a gay male is different than that of a hetrosexual brain. You claim that is totally incorrect about when gay arrived on the scene. Look up back in Egyptian times. There were many gay people. Those whom I have met that claimed to be cured from gay were never really gay and that is proven scientifically. They have done tests on many of those guys also. I believe that bi-sexual is a choice. But, gay isn’t. I’m a born again Christian and am gay. I was never touched as a child. I knew as early as five years old that I was attracted to men. So you wrote a book. Why don’t you write another one and tell black people they aren’t really black? Or better yet, women that they aren’t really women. They are just under developed men. Everyone knows that a penis is an elongated vigina. Sometimes it is the people who think they are educated that scare me the worst. Why Tim, why don’t you just put a loaded gun in someones and tell them it’s ok to just shoot us? I read your crap that you wrote and I can tell from your writing that you are a biggot and have no understanding. Nor have you truly sat down and studied anyone gay.

Bullying may be a fact of life, but it is still unacceptable. If there is a neutral policy now in regards to not addressing homosexuality, then I guess those rainbow tags on their names won’t be there anymore. It is not always a fault of the parent if a gay child is feeling suicidal. How much can a parent do if their child is getting bullied, harassed, and ridiculed everywhere they go. Not enough to fix the hurt.

These people are blind, and I truly hope they will soon see the light of what they are doing do these kids.

@Tim
I realize that you have heard more than enough arguments against you, but I cannot help but give you my own opinion as well.

You continuously bring up the phrase “dangerous lifestyle.” Being a homosexual is not dangerous. In fact, if the “lifestyle” were accepted by society, they would have relationships, break-ups, families (whose children may not necessarily be gay), and would be just like you. They might be religious and teach there children about God, they would teach them to accept people the way they are.

I, myself, and straight. However, I know that my attraction to men is completely natural to me. I never thought of another woman. Imagine if the world were turned around, and same sex attractions were normal, and heterosexual relationships were odd. We would be the odd one out. We can’t help that we are attracted to the opposite sex just like homosexuals can’t. You are surrounded by gay people everyday and you would not even know it. The man with a wife and children next door could be gay. Does he look happy, absolutely. Is he being true to himself and is he happy inside? No. Our society is driving these perfectly normal people into closets, and all of your “recruiting gay activists” are just trying to unlock the door and make people excepted.

Back in the 1800′s, being white was normal and being black was weird, unacceptable, and wrong. Now today we have a black president. Whether or not I believe with all of his views: that’s a personal opinion. The point is, our world is full of different religions, races, and genders. Do not discriminate on something you know damn well you would hate if it were turned the other way around. Matthew 7:12 “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” This is a colorful world. If God meant there to be one way and not the other, our world would just be black and white.

ppl r goin 2 say watever whenever they want, i have been gay 4 5 years nw && there have been ppl 2 say i am goin 2 hell && family have been known 2 hate me bt guess wat it is wat it is…life is nt goin 2 b easy all da time, ppl r goin 2 talk abt u regardless whether u r straight, gay, black, white etc…bt guess wat its up 2 u, 2 let ppl get 2 u…every1 is title 2 their own opinion abt gays, lesbians, transgenders etc…bt u cnt change ppl way of thinking…my grandma always said that u cn only pray 4 them && ask god 2 touch them

my heart breaks. it’s amazing the lengths that bigots will go to excuse the continued promotion of their bigotry and hatred.
the blood is on their hands.

what we LGBT people go through as youths would cripple most adults.

and the comments on here from more bigots are just as upsetting. Ex-Gays? Are you kidding me? Are you even aware that the ex-gay movement has more SUICIDE CASES than success stories? And even those “success stories” are just sad gay men and women who are LYING about their “conversion”.

The blood is on the hands of everyone who doesnt’ rise up against anti-gay discrimination.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ZnUO2pv4o

it might be interesting to know what church or churches that the Parents Action League people go to. These people might be obeying what their pastor or pastors preach from the pulpit.

Millions of children worldwide are bullied every day
This book may help
available on over 1000 web sites world wide including China

“Trust Me” by John Fisher

My story is a simple tale about a 49 year old man who goes over to his friend’s house and touched his latest
invention and suddenly finds himself in the year 1969. Invisible to everyone around him except for one person.
His 11 year old self. He remembers how shy and bullied he was as a child and convinces his younger self to let him navigate him though his rough times. Teaching how to dress, talk and walk. Greatly Improving his relationship with his mother and father.  Then it on to his 4th grade mean teacher. Making small leaps through time, he’s in middle school completely rocking the school with his knowledge of sex, dealing in a positive way with four bullies. PE coaches and their paddles.  In high school, he advises his younger self how to connect with his first crush. Saves his girlfriend and other girls from an evil boy. Though out my book, my character grow more confident and helps more of his classmates.
   Several opportunities to laugh and cry. My character returns to a world much nicer and more just

http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=161546266X

ISBN 978-1-61546-266-7

http://www.uujohn.webs.com

Why don’t the Fotf start focusing on the religious nut cases that are divorcing at 54% each day and leave the rest of our families to our peaceful lives. If they cared one bit about families they wouldn’t be out trying to wreck ours. Anyone associated with this immoral group of assassins gets an undisputed F for parenting.

When they came for the gays, I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t gay.

When they came for the bisexuals, I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t bisexual.

When they came for me, there was nobody left to speak up.

@Tim: I’ll go straight if you go Gay. If it’s a choice, it works both ways, no?

This is exactly why I am in school to become a high school teacher. I remember every day not walking down certain hallways and having to look at the word GAY scratched in my locker. There needs to be more safe places that don’t exists on a college campus or workplace and I want to make sure that there are at least some people who are there to help young glbt and straight community.

Homosexuality is co-morbid with so many different mental disorders that put people suffering from them at an increased risk of commiting suicide that three suicides of sexually deviant students per year in a school district of 40000 students should be considered a very lucky outcome for local LGBT community, community that seems so selfish that it cares only for their own and does not give a fig for anybody else.

If you go to the website, now taken down for the Parents Action League you see this message:

We have never been inundated with so much hate and disdain for a differing viewpoint than that of the pro-gay movement. Our group has NEVER written anything hateful on our site or to any member of the GET group with whom we strongly disagree. Apparently, tolerance, kindness and decency are only to be extended to the pro-gay viewpoint–talk about your bullying.

I don’t know why I’m still astonished every time the haters present themselves as victims when they are called on their actions. I still am though.

Have these people really run out of groups to hate that they target gay folk? Do you really need someone to constantly hate to get your political messages across?

Sadly, this is what the conservative party has come to. We have no stance, so we get you to hate those not in lock step with us in order to rob you of your virtues and freedoms.

And to think I was one of them just two years ago. Strange days, my fine internet friends. Strange days.

WOW!!! I’ve never seen a bigger flaming closet homo in total denial than Tim. Visit any local airport bathrooms in Minnesota lately?

Life Coach? Haha!

What is that? A shrink that was too lazy/not smart enough to go to college?

“it might be interesting to know what church or churches that the Parents Action League people go to. These people might be obeying what their pastor or pastors preach from the pulpit.”

And if they are?

Christ said that if you loved ME (Christ) then you would OBEY my commandments. If you do, you will abide in me, and I in you.

Christ said that a man is to leave his mother and father and become ONE with his WIFE. So, that means CHRIST said that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Christ told the woman at the well who had 5 husbands and the man she was now with wasn’t her husband. He said at the end of the verse… DON’T do it again.

So, Christ said a lot, but He said it in a CONTEXT. That context has NOT changed through the years, no matter what people want to say.

Christ said that we’re to OBEY ALL his commandments and to preach the WHOLE bible. Not just what one likes, and dismissing what one doesn’t like. I didn’t like a lot of what I heard before I was saved by Christ either.

“I say if you don’t believe in same sex love then don’t do it. How can we say that Christ is in us when we violate his very first commandment that we Love one another as HE loved us? He loved us enough to streatch out his arms and die for us. To Matt (poster) you say you are striaght and was bullied…dude you have no idea what it can be like to be gay. The bullying doesn’t stop with school. I’m in my 50 and face harassement daily from my employer. I have to work to support me and my family so I have to take it. Ending it has sometimes been on my mind. People need to realize a person doesn’t chose their sex anymore than who their sexual attraction is.”

“it’s amazing the lengths that bigots will go to excuse the continued promotion of their bigotry and hatred.
the blood is on their hands”

What is a bigot?

How, as a parent, can you condemn another parent’s child to die, or even just be unhappy, because of your religious views? Killing people is wrong, and yes, you can find that in the bible a LOT more often than you find references to homosexuality.

I’m an Episcopalian (always have been), and was a member of our School’s Gay Straight Alliance in High School. I’m not gay, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight to protect fellow school mates and co-workers from harassment from people who refuse to accept people’s differences.

At my church, we have 3 gay couples. Four of them have children that they’ve either adopted or had via sperm donor. Two of them have served on the vestry. Three in the choir. One of them organized a program to help inner city kids, including by sending 20 of them to camp for a week, buying them Christmas presents, and providing them food to survive. How can you look at these people and tell them that God doesn’t love them?

Being gay isn’t a dangerous lifestyle. You can get the same STD/STIs from females as from males, and vice versa. I honestly can’t even think of another way it would be dangerous, simply because it just isn’t. The most dangerous part of being gay is the reactions of your peers. Meaning that WE have something to fix, not them.

Man up and respect your fellow citizens. They’re just as loved as you.

[...] The following is an excerpt from a story by The Minnesota Independent: [...]

“Being gay isn’t a dangerous lifestyle.”

I don’t know who is feeding you that line, but that is a complete fallacy! HIV/AIDS occurs in homosexuals way more than in any other group. Bisexuals while not ‘accounted’ for, has to be higher as well. In any case, any sexual activities outside the ‘norm’ risk a much higher rate of STD/AIDS/HIV infection rates than in a heterosexual, monogamous relationship.

Check the CDC if you don’t believe it.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/basic.htm#hivaidsexposure

Horrified… I have a brother who is a homosexual, so I do not want to condemn anyone to death. Especially my own brother! I do not want anyone to be ‘unhappy’, commit suicide, cut themselves, drink or drug themselves to death, or any other thing like that.

Yes, killing people is wrong and people are being killed because they are active in the lifestyle. I send the link to the CDC website, so it isn’t ME that’s making accusations. It’s based on factual information. If you look at all the rates of AIDS/HIV/STD’s and the like, they ALL have one thing in likeness.

They are NOT living in a lifestyle that God’s Word says. I know what your church is teaching you, but it’s a road that God doesn’t want anyone to go down. And, I would ask you please show where the bible states any other relations are God ordained based outisde of a man/woman MARRIAGE. Scripture only please as God said we can’t add or delete from scripture ANYTHING.

Not based on what our hearts, or minister’s tell us.

Blessings

“Matthew 7:12 “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” This is a colorful world. If God meant there to be one way and not the other, our world would just be black and white.”

Sarah…. Jesus doesn’t want constant liar, adulterer, blasphemer, person full of pride, envious or murderous person either. Does that mean they get to constantly break Jesus’ commands?

Is there gray area in those as well?

Blessings

Skeet, there is NO evidence of being born a homosexual. People may have proclivities. But, someone might have a proclivity to be a murderer.

What if there’s a murderer gene? Would that be acceptable?

What about a liars gene? Would it be ok to constantly lie to people?

What about an adulterers gene? Would that be acceptable?

blessings

Blessings

@lr, you might want to revisit JOHN 15:9-12 (RSV):

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

This is not just one more commandment He added to a list. This one commandment summarizes all the others: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

NOTE: “Love one another” means “love all people,” not just “love other Christians.”

Since you asked, definitions of a bigot include:

•a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own

•A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices

•bigotry – the intolerance and prejudice of a bigot

•bigoted – blindly and obstinately attached to some creed or opinion and intolerant toward others; “a bigoted person”; “an outrageously bigoted point of view”

•bigoted – Being a bigot; biased; strongly prejudiced; forming opinions without just cause

I’ve never understood how so many people do not constantly question what their minister or priest or rabbi or spiritual leader passes their dogma or opinion as “fact,” holding them in such esteem as to be totally unwarranted.

@karol, your unfeeling words prompt me to ask if you are even human. Sheesh!

When I was a kid I was mocked because I had a lazy eye and wore glasses. people called me all sorts of names. Should I have received a special law?

Lane,
I suggest you ask who Christ was talking to in the verses you asked me to revisit. You may want to do it yourself.

Even based on your assessment. If Christ said that you should ONLY love man and woman in MARRIAGE, and that FORNICATION is NOT abiding in Christ, I LOVE you by telling you that you are NOT abiding in Christ.

Same as if a child puts their hands on the stove. Do I tell them not to do that, OR… do I let them touch the burner thereby inflicting damage to their hands?

I think we know the answer.

On bigot…. would that mean you’re not tolerant of my views?

That makes YOU a bigot of my position doesn’t it?

So, now that we both understand that that’s NOT what we’re talking about, want to please not use words that really are truthful?

Blessings

@lr, HIV is just a virus that has nothing to do with sexual orientation. HIV respects no one. If you are going to be high and holy about this, you should be a lesbian in a long-term committed relationship since this group has the lowest risk.

I don’t need to point out the tragic situation in Africa where most of those living with HIV/AIDS and those who have died from AIDS are heterosexual.

You would be well-advised to decouple HIV and sexual orientation – and address both on its own merits.

As for your brother who is gay, I suspect he does not love you all that much given your anti-gay bias. Sad.

Lane… what commands is Jesus talking about? Could it be all of them? Not one jot or tittle will pass away…..

Jesus told the woman at the well ‘to go and sin no more’. She was married 5 times and shacking up with another man.

Jesus said that marriage and sexual relations are between a man and a woman in a monogomous relationship.

Since we know that ANY sexual relations outside of marriage is sin (because JESUS said so) then how am I showing you love by saying it’s “OK”?

We’re not even touching on the Corinthian passages either.

Blessings

@lr, it is my duty to confront Christianists such as you who use the Bible to justify their intolerant, homophobic stances. Because I am calling you on your words, you are now presenting yourself as a victim. How typical – but not surprising really. Sheesh!

@lr, in case you didn’t see this:

This one commandment summarizes all the others: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

NOTE: “Love one another” means “love all people,” not just “love other Christians.”

Lane,

HIV is ‘just a virus’ that affects homosexual men and deviant behaviors waaaay more than anyone else. I don’t want you to argue with me on this. Argue with the CDC and medical profession on whether homosexuals are more apt to get AIDS/HIV. I sent the link. You can poo-poo it if you want, but you show less love when ‘brothers’ of yours are dying because of a lifestyle choice. Based on all data, that is the case.

I agree that HIV respects no person. Just like alcohol is. Especially people who are in deviant behaviors. I like being a heterosexual man thank you.

Africa doesn’t have homosexuality issues? Hum..

Do you know what this means?

dan daudu”

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123973509

Also, would African countries making laws OUTLAWING some activity mean that it doesn’t happen there? Homosexuality in Africa has been poo-poo’d and hidden for a long, long time. Sorta like bisexuality is hidden here.

If it weren’t the case, then countries wouldn’t be making laws OUTLAWING homosexuality. I mean, that’s pretty

I think bisexuality proves the point that it’s not a gene, but that’s for another day I suppose.

“As for your brother who is gay, I suspect he does not love you all that much given your anti-gay bias. Sad.”

We laugh, cry and share during good times and bad and we send and receive email back and forth on a daily basis. Sad that you would say that, but it’s not surprising you say that when you have no ammo.

Blessings

This one commandment summarizes all the others: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

NOTE: “Love one another” means “love all people,” not just “love other Christians.”

Again Lane… who was Jesus talking to?

Again, I love when I warn you NOT to put your hand on the stove burner.

it is my duty to confront Christianists such as you who use the Bible to justify their intolerant, homophobic stances. Because I am calling you on your words, you are now presenting yourself as a victim. How typical – but not surprising really. Sheesh

I asked you a real question Lane. It really did happen, and quite honestly it still hurts today. I try to hide it when someone looks at me today and thinks I’m looking at turns around to see if I’m really talking to them or not.

Lane… did Jesus allow Peter to cut Malcus’ ear off? Did Jesus tell Peter that he did wrong? Did Peter ‘abide’ in Christ?Did Jesus still LOVE Peter even though he denied Christ 3 times?

Did Jesus still LOVE Peter?

John 14:21

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

What I see is a group of people for are afraid to understand what GLBT students go through on a daily basis and who show no compassion to those children or there parents. All they want to do is push their religious beliefs on others no matter the price to someone else. This is selfish. The fact that they will not identify themselves or other information about their group is also cowardly. If the tables were turned and heterosexual people were treated the same way you would be doing the same thing that the GLBT community is doing. Put yourself in our shoes and show some compassion and understanding.

I once asked Planned Parenthood to give me the names of the people who funded one of their ‘umbrella’ organizations. They didn’t do so.

What’s the difference?

@lr, I think Jesus is trying to talk to YOU, only you aren’t listening.

Just because you have a brother who is gay does not excuse you from persisting in your ignorance and bigotry.

“Just because you have a brother who is gay does not excuse you from persisting in your ignorance and bigotry.”

Again Lane. You don’t ‘tolerate’ MY viewpoint. Does that make you a bigot?

I didn’t say you can’t be a homosexual. I said I DISAGREE with homosexuality. And, gave supporting information from numerous NON-CHRISTIAN sources. (exempt biblical passages)

> but you show less love when ‘brothers’ of yours are dying because of a lifestyle choice.
@lr, you would be showing more love by recognizing that sexual orientation is an innate trait that is morally neutral and by working towards a more just society that validates everyone as they are regardless of sexual orientation or gender or gender identity, that validates and reinforces responsible behavior and healthy relationships including equal access to civil marriage for those loving couples regardless of gender.

> I like being a heterosexual man thank you.
@lr, I love being a gay man, thank you.

@lr, why should I tolerate an inherently harmful viewpoint whose foundation is based on erroneous assumptions that have been amply discredited again and again and again? It gets tiring – and makes me crotchety at times.

Who cares if you disagree with homosexuality or not? If you feel that way, then just don’t have sex with another man. And keep it to yourself, too. Simple as that.

The catch phrase “traditional family values” when referring strictly to heterosexual relationships is erroneous. Homosexuality has always existed, therefore, making a LBGT person/family/relationship just as “traditional” as any other.

Bigots hiding behind a group name in order to bully people makes them nothing but a bunch of cowards.

@Lane, Jason – Your primarily concern is that homosexuals struggle with bullying and no one understands how difficult it is for them that have a natural attracted to men.

I understand that, but your solution to create laws that give homosexuals more rights than everyone else is a failed strategy that I have already pointed out.

So here is perhaps the best explanation you will ever find to explain why homosexuals believe they are born the way they are.

The personality of God as revealed in the scriptures is the key.

The God of the universe is deeply committed to relationships with us. So much so that he sent his son to die in our place so that we could be in relationship with him.

He calls his followers the ‘bride of Christ’, not out of sexual perversion, but because of his desire to have an intimate relationship with them that love him. When Moses led the people out of Egypt God wanted to talk directly to the people but they were afraid and wanted Moses to talk to God and then tell them what He said. God wants to know us and for us to know Him on a personal level, this is not found in any other religions in the world.

In the same way, we are all created in the image of God, deeply desiring intimate relationships with each other and with God. We are all born this way. Sex is an afterthought yet it is part of our humanity and a very important part of our intimate relationships.

In most cases the male sex drive is stronger than a male’s desire for relationship and the female desire for relationship is stronger than their sex drive.

But in the case of homosexuals, one partner usually has a strong sex drive and is unable to find a female willing to accompany. The other partner usually has a strong desire for an intimate relationship with a male and is willing to accompany their partner’s sex drive in exchange for the intimate relationship – just as many wives accompany their husbands in exchange for an intimate relationship.

The breakdown of marriage because of the last decade of the feminist movement has resulted in fewer females willing to partner with men and accompany their desire for sex.

The result is pretty obvious. Men have turning too homosexually, just as predicted by scripture.

So in the sense that homosexuals were created with a desire for a deep desire for a committed relationship, yes this is true. The sex that follows the relationship is something that is part of the relationships they create.

This also explains how homosexuals become heterosexuals, when they find a female with the right mix of relationship and sex to fit their desires.

@Tim – When you say “more rights than everyone else” what rights are you referring to, specifically?

My grandchildren live in Minnesota,they are in gradeschool and I am not sure what district they are in, it is my hope that if now or at anytime in the future they or one of their classmates are gay or lesbian that they be treated with the same care and respect as any other students, and especaially by the principals,teachers,etc. They are the leaders and is their job to make sure there is no bullying, threats, etc.
Gay people are no different than anyone else, I am tired of hearing of the gay agenda. I have had no one try to recruit me into the gay lifestyle. ( I am straight), yes there are some that are druggies, I also know many straight people who have done drugs. The difference is in who they choose to LOVE, not just have sex with but LOVE. I am 65 years old and for the life of me I have no idea what all of this homophobia is about.

It saddens me so to see people limit the power of God. My God is so powerful and loving that “all God’s children” deserve the right to have the same BASIC rights my husband and I enjoy.

Those who judge on Earth with be judged when they leave this Earth. If my greatest sin is I treated ALL people with decency and respect, I believe the gates of heaven will be opened quickly to let me in.

My thoughts and prayers are for the family, friends, of these students as well as the staff, school board, and misguided parents who feel the need to perpetuate hatred.

i am so so very sorry. watching the video with this beautiful boy living life with his friends, and hearing the lovely music he made has filled my heart with incredible sadness today, and tenderness for this boy, who was a boy like my boy, just wanting to be happy and accepted like any other kid. I am filled with despair that there exist parents out there who would question that and condemn a child. Such smug stupidity and lack of love in someone’s heart that they would condemn a child for being his own sunny, creative self as this boy was. thinking of his mom with love, from another mom of a boy.

@Lisa – Treating all people with decency and respect is commendable, but acknowledging sin is completely different.

It’s dangerous to talk yourself into thinking that God wants people to sin and homosexuality is clearly a sin against God.

Failure to acknowledge sin is to hate God because God hates sin. Believing that homosexuality is anything but sin puts you in conflict with God. Your relationship cannot be reconciled while you remain tolerant of sin.

You are also at a disadvantage to helping others that are trapped by sin because only by acknowledging sin can you help someone trapped by sin.

Christians that claim to be Christians yet do not acknowledge sin are not what they think they are.

Further, scripture condemns those that approve of the things that are unrighteous to God.

“Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also APPROVE of those who practice them. You therefore, have no excuse.. “ (Romans 1:32)

Approval of homosexuality is a sin.

@Tim, we live in a secular constitutional democracy – not a Christian theocracy.

FSM’s noodly appendages tell me that all this talk of sin is just plain silly and should be ignored.

To the bible-thumping bigots who keep spewing passages, trying to fortify their hateful beliefs, remember that you are not the only religion in this world.

Right now you speak as the Radical Muslims speak when they bomb cities in the name of their God.

Believe in faith, but do not be blind.

God is Love and in Love there is no Judgement.

If we are to recite passages like they’re going out of style, would you like me to recite the passages in which Moses encourage murder, rape and enslavement?

(Numbers 31:7-18 NLT)

“They attacked Midian just as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men. All five of the Midianite kings – Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba – died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. Then the Israelite army captured the Midianite women and children and seized their cattle and flocks and all their wealth as plunder. They burned all the towns and villages where the Midianites had lived. After they had gathered the plunder and captives, both people and animals, they brought them all to Moses and Eleazar the priest, and to the whole community of Israel, which was camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the people went to meet them outside the camp. But Moses was furious with all the military commanders who had returned from the battle. “Why have you let all the women live?” he demanded. “These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the LORD at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the LORD’s people. Now kill all the boys and all the women who have slept with a man. Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves.”

Now, be right back as I go find myself some young virgins to keep for myself.

To the family and friends of this young man, my condolences. There is no deeper sadness than in suicide.

To those bullies who have brought him to such a place, your hands are stained red with his blood. Only God can save you from going to Hell, now.

I graduated two years ago from Edina High School and went all through school being bullied for being gay. I came so close to taking my own life because of all the hate I had to go through. I do not care if you think homosexuality is a sin or not. Kids are dying because of your hatred! I can’t stop crying because I know if just one person came up to Justin, he could have realized he was so loved for who he was. I never had the pleasure of meeting him but I miss him. Please let your children know that you will love them unconditionally and NOTHING will change that. It only takes one person to make a difference in someone’s life.

This is just another example of how this nasty thread of Christianity has come to believe that it has a civil right to suppress the rights of people it doesn’t agree with and enact a theocracy. Anything less than allowing them to put a Christian Ayatollah in place as the Supreme Leader of the United States is, therefore, a violation of their civil rights, in their eyes.

@Katie B – It is Christianity that supports the religion freedoms we have, not the theocracy that other religions demand. Your proposing that we legalize religious beliefs, which is the creation of a theocracy.

Validate? No, that’s impossible. I don’t validate alcoholism, adultery, taking the Lord’s name in vain, so I’m not going to do so with this.

Just don’t think Jesus is happy with it.

@lr, I’m just not going to ‘validate’ assholery that everyone wants to admit is not beneficial for you.

Just don’t think Jesus is happy with it, honey.

@Tim – All religious beliefs, and all lacks of religious belief, are legal. That is the meaning of the First Amendment. “Congress shall pass no law respecting the establishment of religion, or restricting the free exercise thereof” (which can be abridged on the grounds of public safety – Rastafari may not legally smoke Ganja, even though doing so is a religious ritual). In that sense it is not possible to “legalize” my religious beliefs because they are already legal.

What you want to do is outlaw religious beliefs that conflict with your own on the subject of the rights of LGBT individuals to safety. In your world, you cannot imagine a legitimate non-religious viewpoint which holds individual sexual and gender expression to be fundamental to the individual. So you believe and profess that bullying gay people is a religious right. However, in the history of American jurisprudence, “The right to wildly swing your fist in space ends an inch in front of another person’s nose.”

@Tim – Specifically, the insistence that Christians are in favor of religious freedom rings very hollowly. In the history of Christianity there have been groups of Christians who have been very much in favor of religious freedom. But overall, Christians have traditionally been very much in favor of imposing their religion on others, for their own good, and you demonstrate this in full dark bloom in these comment threads, where you routinely repeat Christian orthodoxy about the supposed lack of genetic and hormonal links of sexual orientation and gender identity variation – despite there being much evidence of macro-scale, identifiable variance in brain structure between a gay person’s brain and a straight person’s brain within the same sex; and evidence of the similarity of a trans person’s brain to a non-trans person’s brain of their identified sex. Many devoted conservative Christians continue to deny the presence of this evidence – literally as if Thomas were to have felt Christ’s hands and side and subsequently denied his presence in that very room – because it is inconvenient to their narrative about “deviant” behavior being nothing more than “choice.”

tsu,

“God is Love and in Love there is no Judgement.”

Who is judging the world? Jesus
Who is Jesus? God come to earth

They followed Balaam… that’s why. They worship other gods.

I’m just not going to ‘validate’ assholery that everyone wants to admit is not beneficial for you.

Just don’t think Jesus is happy with it, honey.

Oh Lane… I’m sorry the data and scriptures don’t support your position. I feel sorry that you’ve stooped that low.

Blessings

Oh lr, I’m sorry the reality don’t support your position. I feel sorry that you’ve stooped that low.

Blessings

BTW, lr, the atheist in me chuckles at the thought-picture of those in the pursuit of a heavenly afterlife, umpteen virgins and other such celestial rewards make life on Earth hell for themselves and those around them in the name of their imaginary god only to not being able to discover there is no such thing at the moment of death when the bodies rejoin entropy. Much is to be said for the usefulness and practicalness of rational humanism along with the Golden Rule which is to treat others as you would have them treat you. The Golden Rule is all the religion I need.

Why do you christian people always expect the non-religious or people of other religious to adhere to their ridiculous dogma? I am an atheist, does that mean my marriage is not legally valid? And what about the “procreation” clause that you so eagerly toss around? Should people over child-bearing age or those physically unable to have children not be allowed to get married?

Lane,

I don’t have upteen virgins waiting for me. I’m quite satisfied with my wife thank you! LOL You might want to say that to a Muslim though!

It is quite funny that given your side which would be the ‘evidence of science’, and you still want to flame. It is understandable though since you can’t refute your own evidence. The evidence given from the CDC is that of a scientific nature…. yet, you still want to argue it.

I argue the scriptures because you wanted to do so as well. As for the “Golden Rule”.

I would want someone to tell me not to put my hand on the stove since that’s the best thing for me.

T9…. “Why do you christian people always expect the non-religious or people of other religious to adhere to their ridiculous dogma?”

Ok… let’s argue your evolutionist dogma. That dogma states that homosexuals can’t procreate and they die earlier than people who are not homosexuals. It also states that people who adhear to sexual relations other than one man and one woman in a mono relationship contract STD’S, AIDS/HIV and other diseases at at much higher rate.

Which way would seem better to you? THe athiest way of clap, gono, AIDS/HIV vs. none?

Not only that T9…

Your way the world ends in one generation.

Oh lr, I’m sorry the reality don’t support your position. I feel sorry that you’ve stooped that low.

You don’t have to support my position. This is a forum of debate. Your position isn’t really supported by your own position.

Blessings

lr – All evidence that being gay is unhealthy falls into one of two categories:

One is misconstrued. The anti-gay industry misquotes a number of studies on homophobia as if they were studies of homosexuality itself. Particularly vicious is the misquoting of studies on drug and alcohol use by gay people that have found that homophobic societal beliefs contribute to gay and lesbian drug use.

And the second is simply made up. The commonly cited by the religious right figures on things like average number of sexual partners, STD, HIV, disease infection rates are simply fabricated out of whole cloth.

lr – that would be presupposing that all people are much more inclined to same-sex relations than opposite-sex, which is simply not true (you are also ignoring the fact that yes, lesbians can and do reproduce – all it takes is a turkey baster and a willing sperm donor). Lesbians are not ALLERGIC to anything male, lesbians simply prefer not to have sex with men. In actual fact, very simply, the vast majority of people are NOT gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered and will go on breeding (too fast) the same way they always have. The GLBT percentage of the population is maybe 10% (probably closer to 7-8%).

Hi Katie,

Please argue with the CDC on those whether homosexuals have higher rates or not. It’s quite clear based on their data, that it is. It’s also quite clear based on World Health Organization as well.

“And the second is simply made up. The commonly cited by the religious right figures on things like average number of sexual partners, STD, HIV, disease infection rates are simply fabricated out of whole cloth.”

I’m not sure how you taking CDC numbers which are govt. based and saying that’s a ‘religious right’ thing. The CDC has had the same basic numbers through many administrations.

Katie,

How many lesbians can reproduce without a man’s sperm?

Suffice it to say Katie

1. The world would end if you don’t procreate. That’s how you got here.

2. Don’t know what the ‘real’ numbers are and neither do you.

3. As stated yesterday. Anyone who is ‘bi-sexual’ proves that there isn’t a homosexual gene.

4. Nobody said lesbians were allergic to anything. Don’t know whether you have hay fever or not. However, if you don’t have male sperm, don’t matter about the turkey baster.

Also, the turkey baster theory shows that it’s unnatural

@Ir, you are operating under the assumption that just people aren’t married they won’t have sexual relations. Not to mention the fact that allowing LBGT people to marry could possibly help to curb the transmission of STDs in the gay community.

@Ir, “3. As stated yesterday. Anyone who is ‘bi-sexual’ proves that there isn’t a homosexual gene.”

How so? Do you have scientific data to back up that assertion? Do ambidextrous people prove that right/left handedness is not genetic, too?

What debate, lr?

You attempt to argue from authority – i.e. the Scriptures. “Appeal to authority is a fallacy of defective induction, where it is argued that a statement is correct because the statement is made by a person or source that is commonly regarded as authoritative.”

You cite CDC statistics. I’ve never denied that reality. There are ongoing efforts to address this, and part of these efforts include remediation for the harm caused by people like you with hurtful comments that deny us our humanity just because we are LGBT. I do not accept religious-inspired arguments citing sexual promiscuity within the LGBT community given that society at large still does not recognize that humanity, that capacity to form relationships and provide for means to encourage long-term relationships which includes equal access to civil marriage. Besides, a lot of heterosexuals play around.

In your worldview, the CDC statistics indicate we should all become lesbians and enter into long-term committed relationships since this is the lowest risk group for HIV and STDs/STIs. Of course, that’s silly.

A lot of heterosexuals engage in the same “deviant behaviors” as homosexuals which mean that HIV and STDs/STIs are a public health concern that EVERYONE should be concerned with.

Abstinence is not realistic. People will have sex sooner or later – even the Roman Catholic priests.

Finally, there will always be people who are LGBT in every generation in every culture and society. Always has been, and always will be.

HIV and STDs/STIs don’t care about religious beliefs or lack thereof just as these viruses don’t care if you are straight or gay or lesbian or black or white or yellow or smart or dumb or man or woman or …

Homosexuality as a pathology has long since been abandoned. If you want sources, check wendy(Get EQUAL) in the earlier comments to this article.

You bore me already, but you have my blessings to go forth and open your mind – and when you finally do, I think your gay brother will appreciate this far more than you’ll ever realize.

A couple more things for lr to consider:

A lot of gay men do not engage in anal sex. Surprise!

I chuckle at some of the numbers the religious right often sling around because by golly, wouldn’t it be nice if I did have that MANY sexual partners? Sheesh!

“you are operating under the assumption that just people aren’t married they won’t have sexual relations. Not to mention the fact that allowing LBGT people to marry could possibly help to curb the transmission of STDs in the gay community.”

Being married has no bearing on whether you’re acting properly sexually. Many people who are either homosexual aren’t mono. Many heterosexuals are not either. Bi-sexuals be ‘nature’ can’t be anyway.

“How so? Do you have scientific data to back up that assertion? Do ambidextrous people prove that right/left handedness is not genetic, too?”

There isn’t any scientific evidence of a ‘homosexual gene’, so there can’t be for bi-sexuals.

I happen to be ambidextrous, but it was a learned trait.

Lane,

Scripture was referenced because you and others wanted to debate scripture. My advise is; don’t argue a point you’re not ready to defend. And, admit that your defense is wrong. Your ‘scripture’ arguments are.

Yes, I cite CDC stats. I’ve given PROOF from NUMEROUS sources that are NON-CHRISTIAN. You haven’t. Just your own opinions. I can give you WTO stats as well. I can give you AMA, APA, or any other evidence you’d like as well and it will ALL show there is NO evidence of a “homosexual gene’. Just like there’s no evidence of an adulterer gene.

I will make this even more personal. I once loved to hook up with ANY & ALL women. Didn’t matter who they were, what they looked like. I no longer do that. Did I stop that because I like women less?

No, I LEARNED not to do things that are counter to natural law. It’s the EXACT same reasons I gave for being against homosexuality, bi-sexuality and adulterous affairs.

I’ve said nothing hateful. I do not have the same position that you do, so you want to say hateful. I certainly can make the case that YOU hateful! I could say you and others are ‘Christophobic, but I haven’t.

I am against someone ‘bullying’ on others based on their sexual proclivities, age, nationality, or the fact that they have a lazy eye!

Did I EVER say heterosexuals didn’t fool around??? NO!

Can you point out in any of my replies when I’ve said it’s acceptable? No!

So, we’re not arguing whether one does or doesn’t. The divorce rate among heterosexuals and Christians is horrific! I’m down with that. It’s hard to talk to others about something if you’re not presenting the opposite side. I’ve been married for 26 almost 27 years. She’s my HS sweetheart and love her dearly.

I’ve maintained that ALL sexual relations OUTSIDE or one man/one woman marriage is wrong. Why it’s wrong, and which one is more dangerous healthwise among other issues.

Blessings

“Homosexuality as a pathology has long since been abandoned. If you want sources, check wendy(Get EQUAL) in the earlier comments to this article.”

Pathalogical

altered or caused by disease; also : indicative of disease

being such to a degree that is extreme, excessive, or markedly ABNORMAL

There are many who have had mental illnesses that have been deemed to be non-pathalogical. The bottom line is in definition #2

Is it ABNORMAL?

Yes, a very minor portion of the population does it. Just based on that alone it’s abnormal.

Is it natural?
No!

Can it reproduce itself.
NO!

Is it MORE harmful than NORMAL sexual relations?
Yes

Based on “NORMAL” criteria for OTHER sexual relations, it is not normal.

I can cite pysche’s who believe adultery is ‘normal’.

There are doctor’s who believe it’s perfectly fine to kill a 3 year old child because it’s born ‘abnormal’. That’s being pushed to be delisted as a pathalogical condition/disease.

Doesn’t make them right either.

Blessings

lr, why all this incoherent babble unless you are starting to realize that the world around you is a lot more complicated than you ever thought it would be? Again, you have my blessings to continue to go forth and open your mind even further.

[...] programs pointed out by the district are important, and indeed, as local activists like Peter Gokey noted in the Minnesota Independent, the school district has taken some very important steps to address this crushing epidemic. The [...]

[...] And if you still need convincing that SSIA is the way to go, check out this article: http://minnesotaindependent.com/64047/anti-gay-group-organizes-in-anoka-schools-as-community-deals-w… [...]

I graduated from Anoka Senior High School in 1993, and it breaks my heart to read that a young people, who just want to be who they are, and loved as they are, have to go through hell from other students that may not understand. Bullying is such a disgusting thing, whether it be adults or children. Why can’t we accept and love one another for who we are? I pray that everyone is loved as Jesus loved….WITHOUT CONDITIONS!

@Lane – Look like Ir has your cornered.

Au contraire, Tim. When people like you and lr start to repeat-babble the same discredited talking points, all I have to do is step aside and let you continue to fall flat on your face – especially when I’ve said all there is to be said on my end. But you too have my blessing to go forth and open your mind.

Some genius says, “I’ve maintained that ALL sexual relations OUTSIDE or one man/one woman marriage is wrong.”

It’s not for you to say. Mind your own damn business. If you don’t like living in a free country, leave.

@Dave – I agree. Mind your own damn business. If you don’t like living in a free country, leave.

We don’t want your humanism religion converting America into another Iran.

FWIW, in New Zealand:

“The Charities Commission says the Exodus Ministries Trust Board is not performing any public benefit, because being gay is not a mental disorder and does not need curing.

“The trust is affiliated with the United States-based Exodus Global Alliance, which promises ‘freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ’.”

There is now a similar effort underway in Canada.

http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_9254.php

The full decision (only FIFTEEN pages) by the New Zealand Charities Commission can be found at http://www.charities.govt.nz/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=n67zG23d3EE%3d&tabid=250

I hope that all that tormented this young boy, adults, students and educators included, will burn in hell. You call yourselves educated, but you are the most ignorant of all. For if you were educated, then you would know that people are born gay, it is not a choice. Who would choose to live a life of torment and oppression. Get with it fools!

@Susie – I’m sorry you feel that way and I’m sorry you have been recuited into the cult of homosexuality. I’m sorry you have been lied to about this dangerous lifestyle and I pray that someday you will find a way out, as thousands of others have already done.

Consider reading, “The Born Gay Hoax”
http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/08a/born_gay_hoax/TheBornGayHoax.pdf

Tim, I think I feel worse for you. First of all, I’m pretty sure that “thousands” have NOT found their way out. The American Medical Association doesn’t list homosexuality as a disorder, and it explicitly discourages attempts to “reprogram” people who are gay. These therapies are bogus excuses for religious nutcases to make more money and usually cause great psychological harm and damage to self-esteem. A person claiming to be “cured” has simply been shamed into silence or is consciously repressing their sexuality in the hopes of being socially accepted.
As far as being “lied to”– who, exactly, was lying to me when, at the age of nine, I thought that the girl sitting next to me was pretty? Who, exactly, was lying to me when I daydreamed about getting a special valentine from her in my decorated shoebox? And I’m pretty sure that a “lie” would not elicit actual physical arousal in me when I see a particularly beautiful woman.
As far as the “cult” label, well, yes, I suppose I’ve been recruited into the “cult of homosexuality”. Just like I’ve been recruited into the “cult of people with green eyes” and the “cult of people who wear size seven shoes”.
If you have problems with homosexuals (and you obviously do) my suggestion is that you at least articulate your opinions in an educated, reasonable way, with evidence to back your statements up, and for heaven’s sake, don’t pray for me! I daresay I’m enjoying being myself far more than you’re enjoying condemning me.

Lane,

I gave you a definition of which you said I should use since it’s by the professionals you said we should be using. I did that. Answer how I use YOUR definition by YOUR professionals and you still don’t like YOUR answer.

“It’s not for you to say. Mind your own damn business. If you don’t like living in a free country, leave.”

So, what’s YOUR defintion of ‘tolerant’???

I see YOU’RE not tolerant of others viewpoints. I never asked you to leave this country did I?

“I hope that all that tormented this young boy, adults, students and educators included, will burn in hell. You call yourselves educated, but you are the most ignorant of all. For if you were educated, then you would know that people are born gay, it is not a choice. Who would choose to live a life of torment and oppression. Get with it fools!”

Sister Suzie,
Can you please provide EVIDENCE of people are BORN homosexual?

Blessings

“Why can’t we accept and love one another for who we are? I pray that everyone is loved as Jesus loved….WITHOUT CONDITIONS!”

Jesus said that if you love me you will obey ALL of my commandments. Marriage between a man and woman IS one of His commandments.

Love does NOT equal ACCEPTANCE of behavior. Jesus LOVED the woman at the well, but He told her to do what?

Go and sin NO MORE!

“These therapies are bogus excuses for religious nutcases to make more money and usually cause great psychological harm and damage to self-esteem. A person claiming to be “cured” has simply been shamed into silence or is consciously repressing their sexuality in the hopes of being socially accepted.”

What is a person who claims to be cured of being a murderer? Are they STILL a murderer, or can they change to be a non-murderer? What if there was found a ‘murderer’s gene’? Would that person always HAVE to be a murderer? I mean, daily go out and murder people because they can’t help it because their murderers?

I was once a fornicator. I’m not now.
I was once a druggie. I’m not now.
I was once an alcoholic. I’m not now.

These ultra-religious groups are simply despicable. I have no tolerance for such views, no argument can be put forth to justify violence against LGBT students, anywhere, at any time. We are talking here about students who, if their school environment was more open and tolerant, would still be with us today. And anti-gay groups are against laws preventing that kind of things from happening, preventing students from taking their lives?

I am really sick and tired of the bullshit that the religious right can come up with. Really, it’s becoming ridiculous, and your hatred is killing people, every year. People are born gay. Period. It’s not a choice we make, and EVEN if it were, there are certainly NO justification for the harrassment, hatred, homophobia and prejudices that LGBT individuals must live through, every day of their lives. It’s not a behavior either, and we’re certainly not on a mission to convert everyone to homosexuality.

And Suzie: so, tell me: when did YOU decide to become a heterosexual? When did YOU realize/made the conscious choice that you are attracted to someone not of your own gender?

And also: the American constitution is based on a separation of church and state. Stop smashing your Bible in our face, stop attempting to save us. Because really, we have NO, but absolutely NO, lessons to take from you.

Oh, and lr: yes, these therapies are bogus. Bogus, from beginning to end. At best, they simply do not work. At worse, they cause even more distress, hatred of oneself, and suicide.

There is no reason why we should repress who we are. We will NOT accept being shamed and silenced. WE EXIST. We are here to stay, like it or not. And we will demand our rights, for as long as it is needed. First: our civil right to marry. Then: MUCH, much tougher laws against the kind of hatred that goes on in this so-called marvelous country called the USA. There are still lots of battles to be won against homophobia and discrimination. We will not be silent. And we will certainly not accept seeing students kill themselves simply for not being able to accept who they are.

And more importantly: we will NOT accept being subjected to the doctrine of Christianity, we will not be subjected to the bigoted and dangerous extremist views of a handful of nutcases.

Tim, lr, and al: are you shitting us??? The hoax about being born gay??? You have to be joking. Please, tell me you are joking: I don’t want to believe that people in the USA are still that ignorant, are still full of prejudices and are still entirely driven by their Bible…

Please! There are PLENTY of evidences that homosexuality is not a choice. Talk to the majority of those who have attempted those homosexuality “cures”: they’ll ALL tell you they don’t work.

You don’t chose to be homosexual. Just like you don’t chose to be heterosexual. You don’t chose whom you fall in love with, it’s as simple as that. I don’t love someone of a different gender than mine. I just don’t: not that I havn’t experienced heterosexual relationships. I have. Many times. But I don’t love someone who’s of a different gender than mine. I just don’t: this fact bears repeating. And never will.

Christians have bullied people since the beginning, they pushed the pagans out of their natural places of worship and forced them into churches, they threatened with burning people at the stake, they practiced genocide in the crusades, and they continue to do everything they can to force their ridiculous world view on others even in our modern society. God is imaginary, and religion is delusion. Judaism, Christianity and islam are all bullies, religions that teach intolerance and ultimate torture for those who hold different views. They are not compatible with a civilized, educated society.

Tim- Look around you at your relatves, How many ‘single, never married’ relatives do you have? They are more likely that not gay/lesbian. The family probably has an excuse that ‘ their heart was broken young, and they never found anyone else.’ These relatives are/were gay but couldn’t accept the scorn of their parents, social group, or society.

Jesus had but one message, though he told it in many parables. “GOD is love, period.” HE loves all of his creations. If you have a god of hate, then you are worshiping a false god, and you know that GOD said “Thou shalt not worship false gods, nor have any god’s before me.” We are all to Love GOD, do good, shut up and go home.

It’s that simple. It is GOD’s job to straighten out gay’s IF he sees fit, because they are his children too.

I am a teacher in the UK and am deeply saddened by this news. My school has an anti bullying policy, which specifically references homophobia, and we do not tolerate the bullying of gay students. It is exactly the same as racism and should not, under any circumstances, be tolerated. Religion is not an excuse to circumvent these policies.

@Skulander, if you could re-read Susie’s one and only post dated September 12, 2010 @ 9:11 pm, you’ll see she understands correctly that sexual orientation is innate rather than a choice.

Those Christianist bullies are WAY BEYOND UFF DA, aren’t they?

Lane: you are absolutely right. Thanks for clarifying this. My apologies to Susie: I was reading a comment by lr, and I read too quickly.

So, lr: I am still waiting to hear from you about when you made the conscious and deliberate choice to become a heterosexual.

Tim and Ir are the reason I was ashamed of myself; I’m 16 years old and gay. DO NOT tell me I chose to be this way. I thought I was evil, wrong, and hell-bound for 3 horrible years of my life – simply because people like you told me I was.

And I believed you. I believed that I could change myself if I really wanted to. So for the next 3 years I tried to become straight. I really did. And it was awful. I was miserable. I wasn’t suicidal, mind you, but on the inside I was depressed.

And after all that trying, all that agony, all that suffering, it didn’t work. Not an ounce of straight in my body.

You CANNOT change your sexuality. I finally figured that out. And for the first time in years, I truly felt happy.

Since then I have come out to my friends and immediate family, all of which was hard to do. But I was met with love. My parents are afraid for me, and rightfully so; this world can be homophobic.

So far, I haven’t had to deal with any bullying. Even on the swim team (yes, I am an openly gay athlete), no one cares.

Now, to say that’s how EVERYONE feels would be stupid. I know there are homophobic students in my school, it’s just never been directed at me.

I’ve also learned this: your sexuality is merely part of you. The sex you love is what makes you, you (cheesy, I know).

If I was bullied for being gay, I wouldn’t try to let it get to me. Plus, my school has a stringent no-bullying AND harrassment policy. We have a GSA (which isn’t working out, but not for homophobic reasons), and discrimination is also not tolerated. This is in suburban Chicago.

One more thing: there’s nothing wrong with me. I play sports. I sing rather well. I’m going to be inducted into the National Honors Society this winter. The fact that I’m gay doesn’t effect nor change that. Because it doesn’t matter.

Please forgive any bad grammar or spelling above; I’m quite exhausted after a long day of school.

It’s saddens me to read this story. So much hatred in-front our faces, yet so many of us will continue on in our daily lives without doing a thing to change it. What makes me even sadder is that people use the words of God to justify their own feelings and bigotry towards others. I believe in God whole-heartedly and believe in complete equality. God makes people gay or whatever it may be. Just because they are different and do not represent the majority of a population does not mean that they are sick or choose to be that way. It’s this kind of garbage that makes people think all Christians think alike and that they condemn anyone who may be different. Do “we” choose to be heterosexual? No, the attractions come naturally to us just as those do to homosexuals. It’s time we get over this age-old problem and stop “TOLERATING” and start accepting people for who they are.

TJ: Thanks for a very moving testimony. of course there is nothing wrong with you. :-)
What’s wrong is those religious far-right bigots, who promote hatred and homophobia and denying people of their rights, as well as condoning violence (whether against LGBT people, or any other group, makes no difference). That’s what’s wrong.

Can we please agree that we are talking here about students, more than 1 student, who have killed themselves because, every day, they had to suffer homophobic remarks, slander and hatred at school? And that the SCHOOL who was supposed to protect them did nothing? And that, far from trying to redress a situation that should never have happened anyways, some religious groups are trying to justify that violence?

Regardless about how one feels concerning homosexuality, violence against anyone, should NEVER be justified. Never. Under any circumstances. 3 lives (but so much more across the US) have been shattered. There has to be something done about this.

Shame on the Anoka-Hennepin school board for not standing up against violence and hatred, and failing in its duties to protect students.

Thanks for sharing, TJ. I wish you the best. Do yourself, your family and all of us who truly care proud!

Lucia, this discussion thread may seem to have gone “off track” at times in relation to the article, but it is necessary to expose the role of organized religion in fomenting homophobia which leads to bullying among other social issues including discrimination, violence and denial of full equality towards those who are LGBT who BTW are/were children once. As you said, this has to change.

Lane: absolutely! This issue has everything to do with religion, and the way they breed fear, homophobia and hatred in people’s minds. This HAS to be pointed out, again and again. The damage which some extremist religious views can do, and has done, MUST be condemned. On this point, Lane, we absolutely agree. No religion should be allowed to tolerate or justify violence, wether against LGBT individuals or against any group whatsoever. Regardless of how one feels about homosexuality, AND ESPECIALLY regardless of any religious views, student’s safety should be the No. 1 priority. Making sure everyone is safe at school certainly isn’t going against anyone’s religious freedom, I would hope…

@Lucia – But homosexuality is dangerous, as the evidence shows that one’s lifespan is decreased by 20 years, and therefore teaching homosexuality to students vialates your No. 1 priority – student safety.

@lr, your ignorance is amusing to me. If you were receptive to the scientific literate, which you keep throwing around by way of mentioning the CDC; you would realize that more genes for homosexuality have been discovered than for left-handedness. Pair this with the in utero hormonal research that has been conducted, and you discover that little, if any, of the “cause” of homosexuality is due to lifestyle. Now please don’t throw some biblical verse at me and say, “well that’s what Jesus said…” Arguments such as that are best left to children. I implore you to educate yourself on matters regarding scientific literature. If homosexuality was so detrimental to the human condition, do you really think every major medical and psychosocial administration would regard it as normal human variation? I speak from personal experience, my psychological and emotional self along with my self-esteem have greatly improved after coming out. You have to idea, and therefore no right, to talk about homosexuality when you can’t even comprehend what it’s like to live that way. To the contrary, most homosexual/bisexual members of society can understand what it’s like to live (or attempt to live) a heterosexual life, as most of us feel a pressure to “play it straight” for a good portion of lives. I’m sure I’m wasting my breathe but I really wish you would just try to understand where we come from, even if you don’t agree with it. Then I will respectfully agree to disagree with you. But do me a favor, try!

@Tim,

Tim I’m a pharmacy student. Have you ever in your life taken a prescription? I’m going to assume you have, at least once. Taking a prescription drug is dangerous too. Within an hour you can go from mostly healthy (maybe you have a bug) to dead. You could have a terrible adverse reaction to the drug and your life could be cut short (significantly, and more than 20 years let me tell you). Just because something has inherent danger, doesn’t make it bad. Take Coumadin for example, this drug is a blood-thinning agent prescribed ad nauseum. It’s a great drug, and it’s saved thousands of lives. It’s rat poison, so yes, it’s dangerous! I hope my point is clear.

Tim: no, homosexuality is not dangerous. That’s just bullshit. Get your facts right. GLBT individuals live just as long as any other individuals provided they have the same living conditions, the same means to thrive. Unfortunately, in many states this is not the case. Strong laws must be put in place against discrimination in the workplace, against harassment, and against bullying. Gays and lesbians must be allowed to marry to get the same advantages of straight couples and provide their children with an even more financially stable home. Discrimination is what is killing us and making us sick. Not homosexuality.

And we don’t “teach” homosexuality in schools!!! That’s another wild, wild, wild affirmation. What schools must provide is a safe environment. How could we teach homosexuality anyways? It’s not something that can be “taught” as it’s not a behavior, not a lifestyle. It’s not a choice either. And we’re certainly not on a crusade to “convert” anyone to homosexuality (????). Quite franckly, I never got that part of the argument… “Convert” someone to homosexuality? How? By having churches? Handing out leaflets?

What MUST be fostered in schools is respect and a non-discriminative environment. Anywhere is there any question of “teaching” homosexuality… On which planet do you live?

You know what else decreases student safety? Bullying people for who they are.

Also, how am I dangerous to society? I’m not a freak. I’m not attracted to children. I’m not attracted to animals. I’m attracted to men. How is that dangerous? There are just as many risks of being straight as there are being gay, minus homophobia.

Also, thanks Lane and Lucia! I’m glad I’m finally happy.

@ryan – If you don’t want children bullied what good will you do to legalize the bullying of Christians by creating a theocracy?

You say that you don’t like other religions, but you’re just as religious about homosexuality as anyone else. So legalizing your religious beliefs about homosexuality is just an attempt to control the will of the people through government controls as the expense of our nations religious freedoms.

You think your ideas are innocent, when they are actually evil because they are the beginning of the creation of a theocracy. Why turn America into another Iran?

Your claim to hate religions contradicts your desire to legalize your religion. You are double minded and have talked yourself into believing a lie.

@TJ – You are dangerous to society because you are helping the gay lobby establish a theocracy in America by legalizing religion, which may eventually lead to the deaths of millions as it has in other nations.

You are also a danger because the gay lobby protects many sexual preditors that target young boys for sexual abuse.

You are also a danger because your risk of infectous disease is much greater and your medical costs will be shared by society.

TJ: glad you’re happy!!! You deserve it, and we’re with you on this fight for safer schools. And you are NOT a freak and certainly not dangerous to society. Those who are dangerous are individuals like Tim, who refuse to have safe schools. Their religious close-minded views kill students across the United State, and there is no justification for that. No appeal to the freedom of religion can justify the violence against LGBT students, or students who may not be, but who are suspected of being gay and lesbians, or simply different, not conforming to gender stereotypes. Such views have no place in schools, and certainly no place in a just and non-discriminatory society either.

You know, Tim: we are not bullying Christians. Gays and lesbians have never condoned violence against Christians, and anyways, anti-discrimination, anti-bullying laws should be directed to prevent any type of such behavior, whether against gays and lesbians, or, perhaps, yes, against Christians. However: try to deprive us of our rights, try to prevent our schools from being safe and psychologically sound for ALL students, and you’ll find us in your way.

It’s really quite amazing to hear Christians complaining about being bullied, when they sit and do nothing to prevent violence against students. Playing the victim a little, aren’t we?

Tim: the biggest threat to little children comes not from people like TJ. They come from PRIESTS who have yet to be held accountable for their behavior.

For the record, Tim, and because really, your education has to be redone from scratch: pedophilia IS NOT homosexuality. Both are not linked. Not at all. Not even one bit. Nope. Not even close.
Countless studies show this. Look around, inform yourself: it’s amazing what you’ll find. You’ll also sound a bit less ridiculous.

And again, for the record: the gay lobby (???) does not protec sexual predators. We turn them over to the justice so they can be held accountable for their actions.

You don’t think straight people are dangerous to society? Straight people can contract AIDS just as easily as gay people.

And guess what, all of the STD rumors at my school? All of them are straight (I neither condone nor encourage gossip; I am simply making a point).

Are you implying that in the future I’m going to target young boys? Most pedophiles are heterosexual, not homosexual.

@Vall – I do not intend to pray for you. Would you like me to explain why I believe the homosexual lobby has become a cult?

TJ: bingo. STD are a danger both for gays and straight people, and everyone is responsible for protecting themselves during sexual intercourse.
But OR COURSE, perhaps if schools accepted to teach anything about protecting oneself against STD and unwanted pregnancies, that would help a bit. But no. People like Tim will insist on “no education” and thus, THEY are the ones dangerous to society because THEY prevent teenagers from getting the information they need to inform and protect themselves.

And yes, pedophiles are mostly straight men. Gays can be, too, of course. But most pedophiles remain straight men. Unless they’re priests…
Same goes with bestiality too, btw. Bestiality is a sexual practice, NOT a sexual orientation. Most of those practising bestiality fall in love either with a man or a woman.

Kudos to you TJ, you discovered in yourself what took 5 years longer for me to discover in myself. I have no doubt you will achieve great things in your lifetime. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise!

For those of you that would like to slam those of us that are attracted to the same sex, please read on.

I’m 22, at my age I have a clear path of what I’d like to do with my life which include attending pharmacy school and obtaining my doctorate. Akin to my heterosexual peers I’ve been in good relationships, bad relationships, and with no significant differences to my cohort. I too, seek monogamy, mutual respect, compassion. Yes, I have been in sexual relationships, and no, I have not every contracted an STD. Gays are often portrayed as hedonist pigs, that fornicate with every male in sight. I can tell you this is not the case. Yes, I do on occasion experience sexual attraction to an attractive male. What adult doesn’t experience lust? Just because I’m sexually attracted to someone doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with them, nor does it mean that I want to sleep with them. I have some great friends that know that I’m gay. I have straight guy friends, that know that I’m physically attracted to them, but also know that I respect them enough as a person to not every act on that attraction.

Like my peers, I would like the opportunity to get married, and raise children. Now tell me, besides my attraction to men, how am I significantly different than my peers? If you can’t answer that, then why must my subgroup face discrimination based upon a non-significant attribute?

I don’t ask you to agree, just respect!

@Lucas, TJ, Vall – In my September 8, 2010 @ 2:49 pm post of this article, I explain how homosexuals are born.

I don’t even have to read it; I was born because god intended for me to end up with a man, not a woman.

Lots of affirmation, Tim, lots of unsupported arguments. Lots of stuff based on religion, too, which doesn’t fly very high.

Most homosexual men could very well find a female to “accompany” them, thank you very much. And some do, denying who they are. They enter into a loveless marriage, and are not being honest neither to themselves, or to their partner. Others, and thankfully they are the majority today, refuse this scheme of life, and simply live with the person they are in love with.

As for the feminist movement undermining marriage, that’s another wild affirmation, which you just state without supporting. Or, perhaps you entertain fantasies of women being docile, submissive, without thoughts, remaining at home? That’s not how women view their lives, and I believe that’s not the kind of woman most men want either.

@TJ – Why not? I read your comments?

The radical activists do not have you in their best interest. They are taking advantage of you at your expense.

Just because you had homosexual thoughts does not mean you need to spend the rest of your life living this dangerous lifestyle.

The greatest thing you can learn is that Jesus is the only one that really gives a shit about you and he came to teach us who we really are and how to live a better life – how to escape the slavery of sin.

Let me guess, no matter how hard you pray or try to change nothing stops your attractions to guys.

That’s fine, I also live with the constant desire to have sex with every woman that I’m attracted to – yet I resist and enjoy my right standing with the Lord, knowing that my relationship with Him is more valuable then my personal lust.

God does not promise the remove us from temptations, but only gives us the power over temptations. Without Christ no one can resist the temptations we live with. Let me say that again: It is impossible for you to resist the temptations of sin that are at work to destroy you without the power of Jesus Christ.

“It is for freedom that Christ set you free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

Be radical, read the scripture and find out what the Lord thinks of you and discover your true identity in His kingdom.

Problem is, Tim, you can’t force anyone to live the way YOU would like US to live. You want to resist your impulses to have sex? Fine by me, too. But don’t impose it on me. Not everyone believes in Jesus, the Lord, God, whatever. No, really. Not everyone does. Some of us are atheist, and we really don’t like the kind of Bible-smaking-in-our-face that you are doing here. It’s downright disrespectful. Not to mention that, overall, we really don’t have any lessons to take from Christians.

And this is an issue that, in a way, shouldn’t involve how one feels about homosexuality at all. You feel it’s sinful? Fine. As long as I get my rights, and I intend to get them and have them respected, I’ll respect your beliefs. However: no one should fear going to school because of who they are, or even, for being suspected of who they MAY be. No one should suffer depression from being bullied, whether it is because they are gay, lesbian, black, handicapped, it doesn’t matter. No one should feel the need to end their life because of their going to school every day, and because of hateful, homophobic comments.

And Christian call themselves pro-life? How about we start by respecting the lives of those already born? And that means, having laws against discrimination instead of hiding our heads in the sand.

Tim to ask someone to be deprived of sexual contact their entire adult life is inhumane. Countless psychological research shows that humans fair much better in life if they have a partner. You draw all of your evidence from one single source, and one in which there is no empirical evidence. Be glad doctors and scientist don’t follow your thought process, lest we’d all be in the stone ages. Seriously, educate yourself outside the bible. I’m not saying the bible is bad, it’s mostly good if you take it outside it’s literal sense and understand the messages that it try’s to convey. Remember, it was written by man, and man is fallible. You understand nothing but your narrow-minded view. Do you have children? If so, imagine they were gay (whether you believe it born or acquired) and not about/able to change, whatever the case. Would you love them any less?

I’ve noticed a lot of “religious” people are really good at something called conditional love. “I love you if…” You should behave more like your God. That is, “I love you…period” NO IF!

What is it like to be gay? http://www.thetransblog.com
Please help educate people and send this link to anyone you think may benefit. (By the way, Jesus loves you the way you are).

TJ, please ignore Tim and others of his ilk’s rantings and focus on being true to yourself and doing well in school.

Paul Schmelzer, I’ve been more than patient with Tim in the interest of dialogue, but as evidenced by his comments directed at TJ, he definitely crossed the line and is now actively bullying a young 16-year old gay man. Please consider banning him from commenting on this website at least for a while. I am serious about this request.

Tim,

Please trip walking down the street and get run over by a Wal-Mart truck.

Sincerely,

Tim,

Please trip walking down the street and get run over by a Wal-Mart truck.

Sincerely,

C – an illegal drug dealing gay muslim immigrant.

BTW – This post is supposed to be funny. In case Tim doesn’t get it, and gets offended or somethig…

@Lane – You have called me plenty of names and continue to encourage others to do the same, which clearly qualifies as bullying.

Paul Schmetzer, I’ve been more than patient with Lane in this discuession, but he has obviously crossed the line. Please consider banning him from comments on this website.

@Lucas – I don’t have a problem with someone that wants to be gay. I just don’t want to start creating anti-bullying laws based on sexuality that gives special rights to homosexuals – because that is legalizing religion, the creation of a theocracy.

Every school and every teacher does everything they can to stop kids from bullying. Kids get bullied for everything from being fat, short, having glasses, wearing clothes that is not in style, etc. This has gone on since the beginning of time. Gay students already have the same rights as everyone else. No school bans gay kids from anything.

Why do we suddenly need anti-bullying laws and what is the hidden agenda? This is the question that this school and every parent and school should be asking.

You mentioned you want your ‘rights’ but what additional ‘rights’ do you mean that you don’t already have? Why does the gay lobby need additional rights?

Just got the sad word about Billy Lucas in Indiana …

http://www.care2.com/causes/education/blog/bullied-indiana-teen-commits-suicide/

@Lane – This is indeed very sad news. Billy Lucas was a kid just any anyone else. He was just as valuable as anyone. I will pray for his family that God would comfort them in this loss. I hope that no one would take their own life for any reason. I wish that everyone at this school realizes how they effected Billy Lucas’s decision and considers how they could have prevented this tragedy. There are a lot of people that loved Billy Lucas and he will indeed be missed.

“I don’t have a problem with someone that wants to be gay. I just don’t want to start creating anti-bullying laws based on sexuality that gives special rights to homosexuals ”

I hope that you barely survive a car accident and never walk again. I hope that you lose your fingers in a garbage disposal accident. I hope that you wake up and find that your genitals have swollen to the size and shape of a canned ham. I hope that I open the paper and find that congress has granted you the special right to be castrated by wolverines.

Your disingenuous, glib posturing is the marrow of dead childrens’ bones. You are human dirt and I cannot wait until your generation is rotting in the ground.

“Paul Schmelzer, I’ve been more than patient with Tim in the interest of dialogue, ”

That’s commendable, but I’m not sure where in his unending, sneering disrespect for your position or the life and death of children you saw an opening for an honest exchange of ideas. We’ve been sold a comforting fantasy that the worst of us may be brought into the light through mutual respect and understanding, but the truth is that “people” like Tim cultivate their filthy persona because it pleases them and is culturally acceptable.

The “tolerance” that these cretins fawningly appropriate is nothing less than a new manifestation of privilege and dominance. Marginalize and publicly humiliate them before they can do far worse to us.

@batman – I feel bad that our differences in opinion brings you to such rage, anger and hatred against me and other Christians that you wish us harm and even death.

But my point remains…

If anti-bullying laws are created to contain language specifically listing sexual preference, which then becomes public law, we are legalizing a religious position and therefore creating a theocracy – which is clearly unconstitutional and has no place in a free society. Unless you are willing to forgo our freedoms and allow our nation to become a theocracy like Iran.

Also, such a law would legitimize homosexuality as something that people were born with, when no-evidence exists to make that claim and a lot of evidence exists to claim the opposite.

5000+ teen suicides occur every year for a variety of reasons. All these children are important, not just some of them. Many of these kids are teased for things that are truly genetic, like being fat or tall and other things that are out of their control like being rich or poor or not having a father or being a Christian.

There are an infinite number of reasons kids tease each other, and so an anti-bullying law would need to list an infinite number of reasons so that it was not to discriminate.

But if we were to create a not-discriminating anti-bullying law that contained everything that kids tease each other about, what would we accomplish? Every school already has rules to stop kids from bullying each other.

And here lies the truth…

The radical gay activists are not truly interested in stopping teen suicides. If they were there are plenty of national teen suicide prevention organizations they could focus their time and money on.

They are clearly using this situation to market their way to legitimize homosexuality and force the public to legitimize their religious position, willingly disregarding our religious freedoms and the destructive path their theocracy laws will pave.

Everyone would be better if the radical homosexual agenda is stopped and thankfully the majority of the public realizes this and the rest is catching on.

batman, I have no illusions about reaching a mutual understanding with people like Tim and lr. Based on some excellent advice I received a couple of years ago, I instead engage in dialogue with these people to draw out into the open what they are thinking and thus allow others as well as I to debunk what they are saying along with supplying factual information to the best of our abilities. My participation is always with those readers in the “movable middle” in mind – not these bigots.

As for marginalizing and humiliating them, I don’t need to because so far, they are doing a very good job themselves.

As for Tim’s September 13, 2010 @ 10:39 pm post addressed directly to TJ who is a 16-year-old gay student from Chicago, he crossed the boundary from heated, testy dialogue to outright cyberbullying hence my request for intervention from the webmaster.

So sad…Parents, teachers and students who judge others will have their judgment day. When they stand before God and experience all the pain they have inflicted onto others.

Thanks Lane. :) As if I give a crap about what Tim tells me. The only part that baffles me is that he thinks I’m a danger to society.

Gay people have been and currently are doctors, firefighters, police officers, teachers, etc. Any profession that benefits society. They’ve helped people in so many enriching and heroic ways. I work during the summer as a lifeguard. My job is to save lives.

Yet somehow I’m still dangerous to be around.

Oh well. I’m not going to change his opinion.

Also, this story makes me glad to go where I go now. For starters, Illinois recently passed anti-bullying laws that benefits LGBT students (it was passed ALMOST unanimously, if I remember correctly.)

There is no “neutrality” policy; the library contains books covering such topics (one of which I’m currently reading. It’s a humorous fiction book about a boy my age coming to terms with being gay). There are quite a few openly gay students, some of whom are in relationships. We also have a gay teacher.

To say it’s all rainbows and harmony and la-di-da is of course, stupid, but it feels good to know that my school strives for equality, or at least it feels that way.

But I’m glad I can walk the halls and not be afraid.

I’d also like to express my condolences for Billy Lucas and his family. It goes to show that some places still have a lot of work to do in the fight for equality. I know he’s in a better place now.

What goes around comes around, Christians. Just you wait.

“The radical gay activists are not truly interested in stopping teen suicides. If they were there are plenty of national teen suicide prevention organizations they could focus their time and money on.”

I am truly interested in raping you with a claw hammer. I don’t know what kind of blindness it takes to talk that kind of shit, and I don’t care. You are a diseased person and I hope that you are kept away from children.

Tim: one is born homosexual. Period.

You are a despicable human being. People like you should die, not students who simply wished to live the way they are. When we finally get our rights, we’ll have to push towards much, much stronger laws that prevent the kind of bigotry and hatred issuing from close-minded, despicable individuals driven by their Bible which they smack in everyone’s face.

You are the living proof that we need anti-bullying laws specifically to protect LGBT students from people like you. I shudder to think that some people hold the kind of views that you do. THIS is what’s harmful. THIS is what’s killing us. And THIS is what will bring down this country. Stop to try save us: I personally couldn’t care less. When I hear the kind of rhetoric you utter, I run away the other way as fast as I can. YOUR kind of religious views? YOUR idea of a “just” society for all? Thanks but NO THANKS!

“My participation is always with those readers in the “movable middle” in mind – not these bigots.”

That’s a very reasonable goal, sorry for assuming otherwise :-)

“@batman – I feel bad that our differences in opinion brings you to such rage, anger and hatred against me and other Christians that you wish us harm and even death.”

No, you festering necrotic prick, our *difference in opinion* doesn’t bring me rage, anger and hatred. A difference in opinion is what might come up if we were talking about sports, or the weather. What you are doing is casually injecting your broken mind into a situation that you are wholly ignorant of and uninvested in.

Guess what, motherfucker? This is a 60 minutes special to you and the meat and potatoes boys your wife sees on the side, but to us it’s life and death. You don’t get to prattle on about “special rights” and who “really cares” about teen suicides and then expect some equitable place at the table. You definitely don’t get to play dishonest word-games that reduce straightforward values of secularism and tolerance to shamanistic nonsense. Go back to the drawing board, you banal evil, no one cares.

You can play the snide saint for as long as you like, but it doesn’t fool anyone. A dog dick in a velvet glove is still a dog dick. Keep it away from our children.

People like Tim, who are driven by their Bible, are extremely dangerous to society. Difference of opinions is one thing. Attempting to justify the unjustifiable is totally another. Tim: we don’t give a shit about what you think. I couldn’t personally care less about your hateful, homophobic, bigoted views. But such views prevent important laws protecting us from being put in place. Your views KILL US, TIM!!! Do you get the message?

In the end, you are no better than ultra religious activists setting off bombs in faraway countries. The same kind of logic is happening, RIGHT HERE. It’s downright scary.

We need to seriously understand the harm that the ultra-religious-conservative-bigoted right is doing to us. Some of these individuals plain deserve jail time for the violence and killing their views support.

And for your information, Tim: plenty of studies show homosexuality is natural. I suggest you have a look at the following:

Baily and pillard 1991
Bearman & bruckner 2002
Hershberger 2001
dunne 2000
Dean Hamer 1993
Mustanski 2005
Brocklandt 2006
Blanchard & Klassen 2007
Swaab & Hofman 1990
Gorski 1992

When you don’t know what you’re talking about: you shut up!

Tim, it probably comes off as unnecessarily harsh for me to tell you that you ought to practice radical activism on your face with an iron bar. You could probably grow into a real person someday, like if you had a gay kid.

Only problem is, there isn’t a single gay person I hate enough to wish that they were your child. We’re back to square one: if you can’t keep your bad ideas to yourself, you should do everyone a favor and jump off of a pier.

You know, I can’t even believe we’re having this fucking conversation right now. Who cares if homosexuality is a choice or not? Who cares what ones thinks about it, whether one believes it’s immoral or not.

THIS IS ABOUT PROTECTING KIDS. This is about preventing absurd tragedies from happening again. It’s about having laws preventing the targeting of potential gay and lesbian kids, whether they are actually gay or not. It’s about making sure no one will be harmed for not conforming to strict gender behaviours, i.e. not acting “feminine” for a man, “masculine” for a female student. HOW the hell, HOW THE HELL can this be so hard to understand???

And WHERE are the other so-called moderate Christians to speak loud and clear against such bigoted, hateful and intolerant views???

Freedom of religion? Sure! I’m all for it. But how about we respect MY RIGHT to feel safe, wherever I go??? HOW ABOUT we start with that, for a change?

“People like Tim, who are driven by their Bible, are extremely dangerous to society. ”

The funny thing about people like tim is that they are driven by the same old bullshit – gays are pedophiles, they recruit children, god says kill them all – but society has moved on from that and they’re left trying to manipulate modern cultural mores into clumsy, embarassing dog whistles. That’s why Tim belted out those sloppy lines about “legitimizing” homosexuality, about tolerating “both sides” of the whole should-we-let-gays-be-comfortable-in-their-own-skin question, and about how conventional psychology and basic equity values constitute “religion”. It’s why NOM has those ridiculous commercials about children being “confused”. It’s why we are told to fear “special rights”.

It’s all one big sad code from people who can’t move the fuck on. You see the same thing from white racists muttering about “urban” environments. I would pity these dinosaurs if it didn’t cause so much pain.

Batman: I couldn’t agree more.

Geez, I can’t wait until these people like Tim, and NOM, are held accountable for the violence, harm, despair, and killing which their views provoke or, at the very least, justify.

“Freedom of religion? Sure! I’m all for it. But how about we respect MY RIGHT to feel safe, wherever I go??? HOW ABOUT we start with that, for a change?”

Look, feeling safe while being anything other than straight, white, male, and christian is what we educated people call a “special right”. You can’t have special rights without threatening the totally normal right of straight, white, male christians to exert privilege at your expense. That’s why when gay people claim they care about freedom and happiness they are secretly actually lying and want to throw you in Secret Gay Hitler Prison. I mean come on.

TJ, I was saddened to hear of the bafflement you felt which confirmed you were cyberbullied.

I want to make it quite crystal clear that you are NOT a danger to society just because you are gay! I don’t want you to give this one more thought – and just go back to reading that humorous gay novel. Be true to yourself. Study hard in school. Make plans for college. The world is yours if you want it!

Smiles and (((HUGS)))

LOL! Love your irony, Batman.

Yes, these people are driven by their fears and hatred. They are despicable and you are right, they wouldn’t be worthy of any kind of attention if their views weren’t so dangerous.

They fear and hate anything that’s not white, male, Christian and straight. That’s absolutely right. They don’t even take the time to inform themselves. Not only about gay issues. About black people. About muslims, illegal immigrants. About “socialism” which has become a new threat of late. About lots of things. And thing is, they just can’t be reasoned, because their sight doesn’t go further than their little Bible.

Well, their little Bible, which they smack in everyone’s face, is driving more and more people away from religion and churches. And perhaps that’s not such a bad thing, after all, seeing some of the comments made by Tim. *shudders*

It’s not only come on. It’s downright scary, that violence can be justified and legitimized in that way.

Lane: I understand your well-meaning, but why does this needs to be pointed out? OF COURSE TJ is not dangerous to society. Such assertions are so ludicrous the only thing they deserve is a good laugh…

Lucia, that was a one-on-one with young TJ. I sense he needs to hear what I just told him even as most decent adults would just laugh it off.

Thanks Lane. :) It does make me feel better. It’s amazing what people can say when they’re behind a computer screen.

Lane: of course. I didn’t mean to be offensive, and I did sound a bit harsh, so my apologies. These things always bear repeating. :-) What a world we live in… I’m glad TJ is happy, and in particular, I’m glad to hear that his school has inplemented safe spaces for LGBT students.

For those complaining about freedoms being lost, I would think that the loss of life is the ultimate loss of freedom.

Joe: true! But they have never been concerned about other people’s lives though. They don’t care that homosexuals die as long as they have it their way, as long as they can continue affirming that homosexuality is immoral, and as long as they can continue to discriminate against it.

It’s the same with abortion. They don’t care that women die every day, every week from botched abortions, as long as they have it their way, as long as an unborn foetus gets to live.

This is a text book example of what social psychologist call Dehumanization. If you can find an attribute about a group that you don’t like, you focus on it so strongly that you view members of said group as sub-human. It’s sad to me that in a decade after the new millennium, people are still so closed minded and bigoted. I guess we’ll never past it. Oh well, I intend on fighting the good fight until the end. I encourage others to do the same. As hard as it is not to react, don’t give them the satisfaction. Fight with knowledge and persistence, and don’t stoop to their level. We’re better than them!

And a side note, Tim say whatever you want to the adults, but leave those under 18 out of it. Not that I don’t think TJ can handle himself, because I’m sure he could. It just seems low to be badgering someone that is not even technically an adult yet. (Again, not at all to sound like I’m patronizing TJ).

This is amazing. I attended schools in this school district 40 years ago and was bullied myself. There was one particularly vicious bully, Jeff H., who went as far as breaking BOTH of my arms, but the “accident” was dismissed as boys being boys….

I cannot believe in this day and age we are STILL dealing with this level of stupidity and ignorance.

I am a mother of two gay sons who I love very much unconditionally and I am blessed to have. I am very proud of them both. I feel they are as god created them to be and should be allowed all rights any human being is allowed. People are meant per the bible ” To love thy neighbor” it doesn’t say only those that are just like you. Tim was saying that there wasn’t any facts to show that they are born as they are and preaches about the Bible. The Bible was written by man about what happened back in those times but have you seen or heard any of the things you preach of from Jesus or our Lord yourself? Your beliefs come from what you have been taught. Some may say theres no proof there is a god or that Jesus ever was, but you are going on blind Faith so you can’t say you know for sure what God thinks or feels or that he didn’t create people as they are. I am a Christian and I feel it is all about love and acceptance, thats what its all about. I also believe the only choice in the matter would be for them to live their life in a lie or to be true to who there are and be happy. I want my sons to have a full happy life with all the things they deserve to have and that includes love with a partner. People don’t have to understand but live and let live. People have to stop the hate and breeding hate, teach love and acceptance, thats what a true christian would do. No child should be bullied rather they are gay , lesbian, fat , poor or what ever and those bully laws are needed to protect our children. Adults have more protection in the work place against mistreatment then a child does in the schools.To me those that are against homosexuality is no different then the KKK against the blacks. We need change so everyone can live with out fear and isolation.

Hey TJ. Congratulations to you in your coming out process as well as sharing your experiences with us. No matter what hateful messages you read or hear, please try not to let that get you down. You sound like an AMAZING person.

There will always be haters in this world. There will be those who you can educate, and there will be others who will continue to hate no matter what you say. Remember to “Educate, Educate, Eduacte; BUT don’t educate the uneducable”. It’s not worth your time to even deal with those people.

You definitely have the power to change the world with your message. In fact, you already have just by what you have posted on here. Thank you for sharing your story.

Best of luck to you!

The children doing the bullying are taught that those they bully are ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ and the bullier is justified because – because why? It is interesting to see the opposition and ‘hate’ in our own city and find people that justify it with the bible or whatever and watch children take their own lives. Then to watch the news and hear the same scenario half way around the world (again religion at the core) and again watch children and young adults die for the same opposition and ‘hate’. The example is set – the rules are written and unless people stand up and remember that this country was taken over so every one could live the life that best suits them it’s game on and more children will die – either suicide or homicide. Its what we teach our children. I don’t remember Jesus or Buddah or ? ever saying ‘you be the judge – you decide who gets to be happy and who doesn’t’.

SEVEN SUICIDES?

How could you people let seven of your kids die? I mean, I don’t understand it, if you have such a problem with bullying in your schools, and it’s not just the gays, that you have SEVEN people end their lives then there is something inherently wrong with your culture.

Now, I ran the numbers, your suicide rate is 16.9 per 100,000 That more than twice the average for the rest of the United States which itself is 6.9 The State average is 11.0 which means that there is something is going wrong. A collapsing economy could have explained from 2008 to 2009 but not this last year, there haven’t been any changes in the military or religion that I am aware of. So that means it is either a family or local social problem. I’m pretty sure it is a local social problem because of the widespread nature of the problem. There is a choice here, either deal with the social interactions that are causing intense mental and physical anguish or don’t.

It appears that this group of individuals that are organizing do not particularly care about children. When I say they do not care, they do not care that those kids are living, they are more scared that their own children may be influenced by the “gay” community.

As an outsider, I cannot comprehend a group of people who single out another group of people for their behaviors that do not influence anybody else. These organizations are literally killing your kids, stop them.

[...] to an article in The Minnesota Independent, there is a secretive group calling themselves Parents Action League that is campaigning to make [...]

[...] the programs aren’t able to get as far as they should. According to sources like ABC News and The Minnesota Independent, it’s often because parents’ groups and religious anti-BLGT groups do everything they can to [...]

[...] whose sole purpose is to ensure that school districts do not adopt stronger anti-bullying laws.  Anonymously, of course.  But none of these people or groups has provided a explanation as to what the parents [...]

I am glad there are discussions like this going on now.

I recently wrote a blog post on the subject of gay suicides and I invite you to take a look at it:

http://adrianzupp.blogspot.com/2010/10/gay-suicides-is-anyone-getting-this.html

Take care,
Adrian Zupp

These people are just bigots. They teach their kids to hate homosexuals and I’m sure some of them even encourage their kids to bully gay teens. But their just following the teachings of Christ, right? After all, I think he was really big on the hating your neighbor, no?

One question for those who believe in ex-gay therapy:

Would you want your daughter to marry a man who claimed to be ex-gay?

Tim,

You have no idea if the ones who died were virgins or sexually active, yet you attack them and force them to bear a stigma which you’re not man enough to bear yourself.

If there’s anyone here who’s asking for damnation, it’s you.

Tim, you kind might as well be handing TJ rope and razor blades. They need to be allowe d to live their lives without being hunted and persecuted by freaks like you. In fact freaks like you need to be hunted and persecuted.

[...] am sure you are aware of the many instances of youth suicide in the news recently. Justin Aaberg took his own life this summer just one town away, in Anoka. As a 2005 graduate of Champlin Park, I [...]

bigotry, hatred and fear wrapped up in flag and bible, alive and well in the “heart”land!
teach your children well

I loved up to you’ll receive carried out proper here. The comic strip is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. however, you command get bought an nervousness over that you wish be turning in the following. sick for sure come more previously again as precisely the similar nearly very ceaselessly inside of case you defend this increase.