FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Contact: John Becker, Director of Communications
Phone: 920.265.6023
Email: john@truthwinsout.org
Truth Wins Out Condemns Anoka-Hennepin School District for Appointing Hate Group Member to Anti-Bullying Task Force
School Board’s Actions Cast Doubt on District’s Commitment to Ending Bullying, Says TWO
BURLINGTON, Vt – Truth Wins Out condemned the Anoka-Hennepin School Board today for appointing Bryan Lindquist, a prominent member of the Parents Action League, as a community member of the district’s Anti-Bullying/Anti-Harassment Task Force. The Southern Poverty Law Center lists Parents Action League (PAL) as one of 27 active anti-gay hate groups across the country, specifically for demonizing and lying about LGBT people.
As an anti-gay activist and PAL spokesman, Lindquist has labeled homosexuality a “lifestyle choice” and a “sexual disorder,” spread the false claim that homosexuality is a health risk, and demanded that the district include scientifically discredited “ex-gay” propaganda on its website and place so-called “ex-homosexual” and “ex-transgender” materials in high school guidance offices and media centers.
“Students who identify or are perceived as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender are significantly more likely to be bullied at school than their peers,” said John Becker, Director of Communications for Truth Wins Out. “It is absolutely shocking that the Anoka-Hennepin School Board has appointed Bryan Lindquist – a spokesman for an anti-gay hate group and a bully himself – to serve on a task force charged with combating bullying.”
The Anoka-Hennepin School District, based in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, became notorious for a teen suicide epidemic so extreme that the state declared it a “suicide contagion area.” Several suicide victims were either LGBT or perceived to be. A pervasive climate of anti-gay bullying flourished as a result of the district’s “Sexual Orientation Curriculum Policy,” which the school board enacted at the urging of local evangelical activists. It required employees to “remain neutral” on matters involving sexual orientation, but its definition of “neutrality” was so ambiguous that teachers and staff were afraid to intervene when LGBT students were harassed by their peers for fear of being reprimanded.
An investigation by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education found that the district’s “neutrality policy” contributed to a hostile environment for LGBT teens. The policy was invalidated earlier this year as part of a settlement agreement between Anoka-Hennepin and six bullied students who sued in federal court. As a condition of the settlement, the district agreed to implement a host of anti-harassment policies; the task force was part of a statewide response to the bullying problem.
Community member Tammy Aaberg – whose 15-year-old son gay son Justin committed suicide in 2010 after relentless anti-LGBT bullying – applied to serve on the Anti-Bullying/Anti-Harassment Task Force but was not appointed. The application of Jefferson Fietek, faculty advisor to the local Gay-Straight Alliance and an anti-bullying trainer, was also rejected.
“In addition to being shockingly tone-deaf, the exclusion of equality-minded community leaders like Fietek and Aaberg in favor of Bryan Lindquist represents a slap in the face to LGBT students, as well as parents and families that have lost an LGBT child to bullying-related suicides,” said Wayne Besen, TWO Executive Director. “Further, it calls into question the district’s commitment to ending bullying and harassment.”
A letter written by School Board Chair Tom Heidemann to the editor of the Anoka County Watchdog, a local conservative blog, raises further questions. In it, Heidemann defends the board’s decision to settle the bullying lawsuit and reassures blogger Harold Hamilton that despite the school board having repealed the neutrality policy, they had “maintained [its] intent” and “did not make any changes to curriculum.” He also wrote that by doing this, the board had “preserved several core principles.”
“That a so-called ‘neutrality policy’ which essentially denied the existence of LGBT teens and enabled their harassment could be deemed a ‘core principle’ of the Anoka-Hennepin School District is simply outrageous,” said TWO’s Besen.
In an emailed response to Melissa Thompson, a parent who expressed concerns about Lindquist’s appointment and whose application to the task force was also rejected, Heidemann claimed that Lindquist was named to ensure that task force members reflected “very diverse points of view.” He also said that the board was “firmly committed” to addressing bullying and harassment.
“Legitimizing a hateful anti-gay worldview under the pretext of ‘diversity’ is utterly repugnant,” said Becker, “especially since that view has created a climate that drives LGBT kids to take their own lives. The Anoka-Hennepin School District has a choice to make: it can either embrace the radical ideology of Bryan Lindquist and the Parents Action League or it can honestly address its infamous anti-gay bullying problem and protect its LGBT students. It can’t do both.”
Truth Wins Out (TWO) is a nonprofit organization whose goal it is to create a world where LGBT people can live openly, honestly, and true to themselves. TWO monitors anti-LGBT organizations, documents their lies, and exposes their leaders. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating, and fighting for LGBT equality.
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When the bogus settlement in the Anoka-Hennepin case was announced as some sort of victory, I saw all the problems with it but was heavily criticized for criticizing it. With the theocratic gay bashers clearly back in control in the school district, the federal Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights should step in, and move the case to trial. Don’t hold your breath, though. Imposing a “biblical” view of a minority through means of the hierarchy of a public school violates the United States Constitution.
Who will their next appointee be, a member of the KKK?
I feel sorry for EVERY student in that district. Brain cells must die the moment a student walks through those doors.
okay John, so when and which of the people involved in the settlement are going back to the court and demand that the case be reopened because the school board is not in compliance and is acting in bad faith towards the intent of the settlement?
who has direct contacts at the ACLU to make sure that those parents have legal representation?
This is awful!! Why doesn’t someone try posting on change.org and see if you can start a petition? Get Anderson Cooper involved? These students deserve Jeff Fietek, someone who will help not hinder their development. I don’t personally know Jeff, but I saw him on Tv and have been following him since. He would be a logical appointment
This is a petition I created to to make others aware of the less than responsible and mature behavior going on in Anoka.
Please support us
http://www.change.org/petitions/hey-halloween-capital-of-the-world-don-t-bar-anti-bullying-gay-kids-group-from-your-halloween-parade
I also applied to be on the anti-bullying task force and was ALSO denied!
Stop the Bullying!!!
http://www.change.org/petitions/hey-halloween-capital-of-the-world-don-t-bar-anti-bullying-gay-kids-group-from-your-halloween-parade
Keep shining a spotlight on this grubby tale until national media take it up.
What is the make-up of the whole board – are there any allies at all? If a strong anti-gay like Lindquist is appointed are there any members to balance him? If not then Heidemann’s response of having “very diverse points of view” is a lie. Or does their idea of diversity just range from “kill the gays” to “feel slightly sorry for the gays who kill themselves”.
[A view from London]
Jeez. Those clowns will just never learn
[...] which millions of people all across the country wear purple to raise awareness of and stand up to anti-LGBT bullying, in support of LGBT youth. It was started in 2010 by a Canadan teenager named Brittany McMillan; [...]
[...] night, Truth Wins Out revealed in an exclusive report that the school board of Minnesota’s Anoka-Hennepin School District, notorious for an [...]
I grew up in Minnesota in the 40s, 50s and 60s and I can’t believe how far it has degenerated. I was always so proud of the fact that Minnesota was the first to ban smoking in public and had smoking sections in restaurants. They were first in the clean air industry. No more black smoke coming from their smokestacks. But, now it’s popular to be right wing extremists so that people will be made to feel “less than” in everyday situations. Minnesota has NOT risen to the challenge in their quest for evolution. Shame on them. I’m glad I live in California now.
[...] who the school district did not name to the task force. As Think Progress’ Zack Ford writes: Truth Wins Out points out that Anoka-Hennepin has made some troubling choices in who it has appointed to its new [...]
[...] Truth Wins Out points out that Anoka-Hennepin has made some troubling choices in who it has appointed to its new anti-bullying task force, and who it has rejected. Tammy Aaberg, whose son Justin was one of the students who committed suicide and who has since dedicated her life to anti-bullying efforts, was rejected from the task force. So too was Jefferson Fietek, an anti-bullying trainer who serves as the faculty advisor for the local Gay-Straight Alliance. But the task force has appointed Parents Action League spokesman Bryan Lindquist, an anti-equality activist who has described homosexuality as a “lifestyle choice” and who was the primary proponent of promoting ex-gay therapy in the school. [...]
The president of the local teacher’s union, Julie Blaha, was also rejected. She did a lot of work on putting together detailed research and rationales for improving the policies from the teachers’ perspective. She is generally on committees like this at the district. But, heaven forbid, she also spoke out against the bad old policies. The common denominator seems clear.
[...] Truth Wins Out reports that Tammy Aaberg, whose son Justin committed suicide, was rejected from the committee—as was [...]
I live in Anoka and am ashamed with the Anoka-Hennepin School District for its LGBTQ policies or lack thereof; but unlike Merrily Snider, I do not condemn the entire state of MN for what a handful of people are doing. Right now, there are many of us who are working very hard to defeat the Marriage Amendment that will be on the ballot in November; it’s a close race but we just may be the FIRST state in the union to defeat such an amendment!
[...] like Fietek and Aaberg in favor of Bryan Lindquist represents a slap in the face to LGBT students, as well as parents and families that have lost an LGBT child to bullying-related suicides,” TWO Executive Director Wayne Besen said in a statement. “Further, it calls into question the [...]
My name is Jamie Lee, I am a GLBT Advocate. I posted Justin’s story on my blog in support of hie.
To see my how I posted it. Please visit
http://jamieleescrystalconnection.wordpress.com
Jamie Lee
[...] Wins Out reported last week on the appointment of Bryan Lindquist, an anti-gay activist and spokesman for an anti-gay [...]
[...] look, Bryan Lindquist — spokesman for an SPLC-certified anti-gay hate group and the newest member of the [...]
This Gay-Lesbian gabbage must be source of hell to many societies with the practice. All well meaning humans must take the cue from some of these nasty things the youth and childern in these parts of the world are going through and do all it takes to avoid it completely
The only source of hell is hatred and oppression like yours Eresu. If people like you didn’t work so hard to make abuse of anyone different a “good” thing, these problems wouldn’t exist.
Eresu, hell is where they imprison and execute innocent people – that is Uganda.