Confusing verbal taunts and insults with Orwellian “truth,” Exodus International is preparing to re-launch, in April, a Christian Rightist effort to disrupt efforts by K-12 and college students and faculty to stop antigay bullying. And gay news media such as The Advocate are beginning to take notice.

Bullies have long been explicitly coached in intolerant behavior by antigay churches, Christian Right political networks such as Exodus International, and SPLC-certified hate groups such as the Traditional Values Coalition and Peter LaBarbera’s former employer, the Illinois Family Institute.

Since antigay violence and prejudice have long enjoyed calculated support from elements of local communities, it only seemed fair that someone should help communities form antiviolence efforts to counteract the hatred and violence.

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s annual Day of Silence was one such effort. Launched in 1996, it employs silent vigils at schools to commemorate the youths who have been physically assaulted, killed, or driven to suicide by relentless harassment, humiliation, and ostracism.

GLSEN‘s vigils — now in 8,000 schools — have, along with research into the chronic epidemic of antigay violence — inspired the formation of antiharassment programs and Gay-Straight Alliances against violence in thousands of schools nationwide.

The Christian Right, unfortunately, has evolved since the early 1980s to view ignorance, violence and intimidation as integral and indispensable core values of its less-than-Christlike “religion.” And so, in retaliation, the Alliance Defense Fund — a Christian Right legal-attack organization which sues schools and employers that oppose antigay violence and discrimination — formed the Day of Truth in 2004 with the purpose of empowering antigay students to disrupt the silent vigils.

Marketed with pious godtalk and liberal-sounding words such as “conversation” and “dialogue,” the ADF’s Day of “Truth” rallied antigay youths and parents — ranging from skinheads to fundamentalists — to disrupt vigils with vocal proclamations damning LGBT students, their parents, teachers, and friends to hell. The event urged the passage of school rules to silence any talk of tolerance and to mandate the promotion of fundamentalist ex-gay brainwashing in public schools. In recent years, Exodus conference speaker and antigay preacher Ken Hutcherson joined the ADF’s right-wing parade by organizing loud and disruptive protests and boycotts at Seattle-area schools in order to shut down classes rather than permit students to conduct their solemn vigils in memory of bullied and murdered peers.

In 2009, Exodus assumed control of the Day of [Orwellian] “Truth.” Its marketing objective remains the same: Damn students to hell with a smile, engage tolerant students in one-way conversation, insult LGBT sexuality with unchallenged falsehoods derived from antigay propaganda, and flatly exclude LGBT students from protection under any antiharassment programs.

Exodus tellingly offers no restraints on what antigay students may say or do, provided that the bullies don’t subjectively feel that their misconduct constitutes name-calling or bullying.

Nor does Exodus offer any help to antigay students who discover that their own enthusiasm has motivated peers to resort to verbal, physical, and spiritual abuse; as it has always done, Exodus absolves itself of responsibility for the violence that it inspires.

Exodus’s FAQ reassures the public:

Exodus and Day of Truth strongly opposes bullying, name-calling and acts of aggression against any individual or group of individuals for any reason.

This is a shameless lie, unfortunately: Exodus expressly opposes — in press releases, blog posts and advertising — the explicit protection of LGBT students from violence and verbal abuse. Exodus also opposes newly expanded federal law which explicitly protects Americans from felony violence committed on the basis of sexual orientation.

The Exodus FAQ for the event also tells antigay bullies to contact the ADF for legal assistance if school officials seek to curtail their efforts to disrupt classes and taunt classmates.

Exodus’ dependence upon violence and harassment, as tools of coercion, seems to be its primary reason for re-launching the Day of [Orwellian] “Truth.”

In the past decade, the ex-gay movement has utterly failed in its one-time objective of sexual recruitment through voluntary persuasion: Despite television, newspaper, and billboard ad campaigns, Exodus’ referral network of local amateur counseling groups has shriveled. Exodus’ bold move into the politicization of churches since 2002 has occurred precisely because Exodus has discovered — through the failure of its voluntary ministries — that people will seek out ex-gay organizations and their discredited amateur counselors only if they are pressured to do so through overt government-, school-, church-, and business-based discrimination, intimidation and ostracism.

Cases in point: Lance Carroll, Zach Stark, and Bryce Thompson. These three young men are just a few of the hundreds of teen-agers and young adults who have been forced involuntarily into ex-gay detention facilities such as Love In Action in Tennessee and a variety of secretive Exodus facilities in the Deep South.

Exodus’ secondary purpose for the D.O.T. is to assert that conservative Christians are the intended sole benefactors of the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom.

When Exodus states that the D.O.T. seeks an “honest conversation about relationships, sexuality, and faith,” it may be helpful to remember that Exodus believes the Christian Right is the sole arbiter of what constitutes true faith and politically correct sexuality. Expression of any other faith perspective and any other view of sexuality is presumed by Exodus and its antigay church network to be demonic, immoral and exempt from any Constitutional protection.

Exodus has made its redefinition of “conversation” apparent in countless locations here and abroad:

• in Ohio, where veteran board member Phil Burress has raged against the presence of LGBT people in workplaces and against LGBT groups’ and individuals’ access to public facilities and the media;
• in Tennessee, where Exodus refused to cooperate with the state regarding suspicions of sexual abuse and intimidation at its flagship Love In Action residential program, and instead relabeled the detention facility as a religious “retreat” that is now exempt from public scrutiny;
• in Florida, where for years Alan Chambers vocally opposed antidiscrimination and pro-adoption legislation, as a means of silencing “conversation” by making people homeless, jobless — and parent-less;
• in Barbados, where Exodus Global Alliance published ads defending vigilantism and criminalization of homosexuality as a means of coercion into fraudulent ex-gay therapy;
• in Uganda, where Exodus board member Don Schmierer — with encouragement from president Alan Chambers — has spent seven years working with Scott Lively, Martin Ssempa, Rick Warren, David Bahati, Stephen Langa and others to foster the belief that homosexuals pose a dire threat which must be silenced and eradicated through abusive parenting, strict imprisonment, and involuntary ex-gay “treatment.”

Day of Silence supporters have coped with melees at Day of Truth events in previous years, but GLSEN puts a brave and diplomatic face on the situation this year. According to The Advocate:

GLSEN representatives see the competing event differently. “We find it unfortunate that the ADF and now Exodus International tries to spin a message counter to ours, that anti-LGBT bullying is wrong,” GLSEN spokesman Daryl Presgraves said. “Students today feel more welcome and accepted, and have a sense of belonging that didn’t exist 20 years ago. Part of the Day of Truth is to take away from that, to spread the mistruths about ‘conversion therapy.’”

Presgraves added that “it doesn’t look like [Exodus] is saying that bullying is OK. However, the fact that they have this counterevent a day before the Day of Silence on April 16 is telling.”

Perhaps more than just “telling.”

Peter LaBarbera and Linda Harvey are on their neverending Warren Throckmorton witchhunt again. It must be one of the most painful things in the world to be the Last Bigots Standing, but Pete and Linda bring it upon themselves, so no pity! Hold your nose, we’re going to have Linda time now:

A broad coalition of pro-family groups recommends that parents keep their children home on the deceptive, pro-homosexual “Day of Silence,” to be observed this year on April 16, 2010, but one “gay”-affirming counselor started what he calls the “Golden Rule Pledge” instead.

Yet, the “Golden Rule Pledge” actually functions as a disinformation tool and a divisive wedge in schools and among Christians. It is insidiously misleading and would bring harm to kids. It grieves me to take this position, but there’ no choice, because lives are at stake.

That’s right, Linda. Lives ARE at stake! Gay kids attempt and commit suicide at a much higher rate than the rest of the population because of the pig ignorant bile you leave everywhere.

[Warren Throckmorton] has expressed his preference for students remaining in school on the “Day of Silence” and hearing pro-homosexual propaganda, and learning to sympathize with those practicing these behaviors, rather than taking an unequivocal, biblical stand against these harmful practices by remaining home.

Refer to post title.

Throckmorton doesn’t even like the Exodus-sponsored “Day of Truth,” which encourages kids to remain in school and have a frank conversation, in love, with friends while presenting the biblical view of homosexuality. Throckmorton calls this “offensive.”

Well, why would he like the “Day of Truth,” since the people who sponsor it value actual, verifiable truth like pedophiles value children?

Throckmorton’ support of the “Day of Silence” will do incalculable harm to many young people. Misleading professionals like Throckmorton in positions of influence can make our sons and daughters become comfortable with entering into, staying in, or approving of homosexuality, bisexuality and gender change.

Wrong! Again, we deal with actual truth, not “I hide my bigotry behind Bible verses I don’t understand” truth. Helping make our sons and daughters comfortable with their biology, their sexual orientation, and helping them along the path of healthy development is a GOOD thing. And guess what? I can point to tons of high school kids who are living this reality right now. Meanwhile, Linda continues to have nothing more than some bur in her nether regions that she inexplicably blames on gay people.

If I were a parent who discovered my minor child had been counseled in this way, I’d bring the largest and most aggressive medical malpractice suit I could launch against this counselor at Grove City.

Well, to be fair, no one accused you of being a good mother, Linda.

Jesus would never make a person feel more comfortable about:

• Young males having sex with males, the incidence of which rose over 12 % per year between 2001 and 2006 among males ages 13 to 24 1;
• Young “lesbians” choosing a fatherless life for any future children, since they can never conceive children with female partners;
• Hoping in such relationships for a false “marriage” in violation of Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9, where Christ told us that “from the beginning” people were created male and female, and that one man and one woman form a marriage;
• Teens and even younger children believing they should change genders. As with homosexuality, we should be doing everything possible to counsel these kids and prevent these behaviors among youth.

I could swear up and down that because Curious George doesn’t refer to the Man in the Yellow Hat owning any other color hats, that’s because other colors are evil, and I could swear up and down that Curious George was written by a supreme deity, but I’d still be a malevolent bigot, hiding behind a book.

And yes, it’s the same. For that matter, you don’t know what Jesus would say, because he ain’t here, and he didn’t see fit to discuss these subjects. Although there’s a strong case to be made that he was confronted with men he knew to be in a sexual relationship with each other, and didn’t have a word to say about it. AND, there were gender variant people all over the Bible, and Jesus didn’t seem to have an issue with that either. AND, since medical science is indeed figuring out that people are born with brains that are gendered in a way that doesn’t match their physical gender, AND since medical science should theoretically be considered by Christians to be the study of God’s wondrous creation, Christians should be the first to get on board with its findings.

Game, set, match, crazy cat lady.*

As the piece continues, Linda takes issue with the Golden Rule itself:

Hmmm. “…The way I want to be treated.” So, if a student is about to enter, or has entered, a high-risk practice that is called an abomination by our Lord, and has shared this with classmates, a “true” Christian should attend school to support a day that affirms this behavior and scorns any warnings to that student? Some friendship!

Here’ a biblically-based alternative: “Friends don’t let friends do homosexuality!”

Uh, actually, Linda, since you have no proof for anything you say (not the high-risk part, not the abomination part), actually you’re just a malevolent woman who feels she has a right to impose her backwards worldview on innocent children. Perhaps the admonition should be “Friends don’t leave their children with lying Fundamentalists.”

I wouldn’t leave my kids with a deranged imam, and I certainly wouldn’t leave them with Linda Harvey.

No, the “Day of Silence” is about propaganda. The goal is to shame and label Christians and tradition-minded students and teachers, silence their authentic witness, and even silence any public health warnings. Real safety would be to scream from the rooftops about the harm homosexuality or gender change will bring to these young lives. And since no one is born homosexual, these desires are demonstrably changeable, so no one is left without a positive alternative.

My god, these people never show their work. Show me how monogamous sex between two same gendered individuals is harmful, please? Show me how safer-sex practices work for straight people, but not for gay people? And then show me how transgender people expressing their appropriate gender in whatever way they choose is harmful. And then show me your proof that people aren’t born gay. (And don’t give me that unscientific crap about how no “gay gene” has been found yet. A first year student of genetics, even from a Christian school, could explain how stupid that argument is.) And then show me all the people who have “demonstrably changed” their sexual orientation. I mean, even John Smid is now admitting that he’s still into dudes. They all do, eventually.

This is such a travesty that if we were all ancient Israelites, we’d be rending our clothing and putting on sackcloth and ashes!

Really, she just said that. But since Linda’s not an ancient Israelite, she’s going to stick with the frumpy separates and wild and crazy pink headband she got at TJ-Maxx last week.

Please join me in praying for Warren Throckmorton, for his repentance, and also for his duplicitous dealings to be revealed so no further harm is done to our precious and impressionable kids.

And please help me pray that the emotionally manipulative “Day of Silence” is revealed for what it is ‚Äî adults exploiting precious kids.

Uh, no thanks. We’ll stick with the reality-based world that Warren is becoming more of a part of every single day.

*No, I do not have any personal knowledge of how many cats Linda Harvey has. My educated guess is “47.”

GLSEN’s Day of Silence is still a month-and-a-half away, but Exodus International is already mobilizing antigay teens in schools across North America with Exodus’ misnamed “Day of Truth” campaign.

The DOT mobilizes antigay churches and students to harass LGBT students and their friends, and — under the guise of so-called “conversation” — to lobby schools to exclude LGBT students from schools’ antibullying policies.

In a press release last week, Exodus applauded its past successes in convincing antigay youths to be ignorant, misinformed, and sanctimonious toward their lesbian and gay “friends.” (If you’re wondering why Exodus doesn’t mention transgender students, it’s because the organization effectively denies the existence of people who are not conventionally male or female, equating them with drag queens.)

Here are some of Exodus’ “success” stories:

“One girl in particular asked me if it was hard because I have a friend that is a lesbian. I told her that “yes” it is hard, but I’m not going to give up on her. I think that God has so many awesome plans for that girl and for the rest of us. The Day of Truth is something that is so awesome!” – A high school freshman in Arizona

“I was so glad to hear about the Day of Truth. My daughter is a freshman.. and we have both been in shock that the school counselor would promote a club to encourage gay lifestyles. We need to pray for these kids and people encouraging this sinful and deadly lifestyle and give our kids a voice to proclaim the truth.” – Pam, a parent

“I still disagree with your views, and I always will. However, you’ve expressed your views in a polite and forthright manner, without being confrontational, and I wanted to tell you that I very much appreciate that.” – An adult who does not support Exodus International’s views on homosexuality

Please note that Exodus lacked sufficient integrity to identify these people for purposes of confirmation; that none of these people indicate any knowledge of specific truths about their friends and children; none of them acknowledge the violence and harassment that is happening against their LGBT classmates; none of them admit the truth that Exodus ex-gay counseling programs are a dismal failure; and that the two antigay poster-persons view the task of having gay friends or relatives as a chore — or worse, a threat. That’s Exodus-style “love” for you.

Truth Wins Out urges schools and GSAs around the country to become alert to Exodus’ possible formation, in coming months, of affiliate student groups that intend to harass and ostracize religious and sexual minorities — and to sabotage nascent efforts by parents and friends of assaulted youths to make schools safer for LGBT students.

Eight religious-right organizations — three of them, identified as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center — are escalating a war of words against antibullying programs in U.S. schools.

Exodus International, Focus on the Family, Americans for Truth, Liberty Counsel, Mission: America, MassResistance, Illinois Family Institute, and Abiding Truth Ministries are leading three campaigns to smear the Day of Silence, which is an April 17 event planned at 8,000 U.S. schools to “just say no” to verbal, sexual, and physical assault.

All eight organizations oppose antibullying programs unless they exclude gay youths. Instead, these organizations want same-sex-attracted youths to be compelled by abusive peers and school faculty to be admitted — or worse, involuntarily detained — in amateur-operated and unsuccessful ex-gay boot camps.

Because of these organizations’ callous indifference to violence, youths are dying and parents are suing school districts for negligence, reckless endangerment, and complicity in violence committed by the children of antigay parents.

Exodus this year has assumed responsibility for a Day of (Un)Truth which encourages antigay students to ignorantly and mistakenly assert that anyone can change their sexual orientation and therefore — Exodus reasons — no antiviolence programs are necessary in schools. Exodus defines organized opposition to antigay violence as a sinister promotion of the “homosexual agenda.” Exodus claims that its event, scheduled for April 20, aims to promote conversation in schools. But in fact Exodus refuses to engage in discussion of antigay violence either in North America or in Uganda, where Exodus continues to be complicit in a campaign to promote vigilantism, involuntary ex-gay detention, and imprisonment against gay Ugandans.

Focus on the Family, meanwhile, is collaborating with Exodus to espouse one-way tolerance of antigay students in a “True Tolerance” campaign which redefines tolerance to permit 1) privileges for antigay evangelical bullies to relentlessly insult and threaten classmates during school hours on school property, combined with 2) character assassination and official efforts to silence those who oppose antigay violence and who, therefore, are accused of promoting a supposed “homosexual agenda.”

Six other far-right organizations are, if nothing else, honest about opposing conversation in schools: They support a “walkout” — a pseudo-Christian excuse for antigay students and misinformed or negligent parents to play hooky on the day when their peers are taking positive steps to stop on-campus violence. Scott Lively’s “Abiding Truth Ministries” headlines the recent Uganda ex-gay conference which launched a campaign of antigay vigilantism in that nation. Americans for Truth is a nameplate for antigay activist Peter LaBarbera, whose sexually graphic website produces offensive homoerotic pornography for consumption by antigay donors and antigay private-school assemblies.

Box Turtle Bulletin offers a detailed analysis of each campaign by self-styled Christians to defend antigay violence and oppose positive steps to restore safe learning in schools.

It’s been a heady couple of weeks for gay activists — and it keeps getting better. There were twin marriage victories in the unlikely states of Vermont and Iowa — doubling the number of places where gay people can get hitched. If that wasn’t enough, the New York Times reports that New York Gov. David Paterson will unveil plans this week to introduce marriage equality legislation.

On New York City’s Upper West Side, The Jewish Alliance for Change presented a benefit concert on Monday evening for marriage equality that featured a stunning array of stars. I spoke at the event and followed Linda Lavin — who played the lead in the television show “Alice.” It was exhilarating to be among the Broadway glitz and glamour. Most important, the event encapsulated what the movement has worked decades to achieve: broad mainstream support and cultural acceptance.

Unfortunately, while our movement bathed in the well-deserved spotlight, not everyone felt its warm glow. There are still gay people — particularly of school age — who feel the cool sting of homophobia. They are teased, harassed, humiliated and beaten on a daily basis. They enter the schoolyard in sheer terror — as if it were a prison yard ruled by fearsome gangs. (Read More)

Exodus International’s Day of Truth is a campaign to oppose students and faculty — especially in public schools — who oppose anti-gay bullying.

For 13 years, the Day of Silence has encouraged students and faculty to end the silent tolerance of antigay violence. This year, Days of Silence are planned on or around April 17. Several thousand schools across the United States have established anti-bullying programs to stop the harassment of minority students, including gay youth.

Exodus has yet to endorse a single antibullying program. Not one.

The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, which coordinates Day of Silence vigils, explains why antiviolence programs are necessary:

GLSEN’ 2007 National School Climate Survey found that 9 out of 10 LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and more than 30% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. The Day of Silence helps bring us closer to making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’ schools.

GLSEN encourages participating students not to be unnecessarily disruptive:

GLSEN advises all students to secure school permission for the event. We believe that such support is critical for many reasons. We encourage students in those schools where support is unlikely to build campaigns to try and secure that support or work with their administration on compromises of activities the school will allow. We also encourage students to identify events and ways to participate outside of the school.

If your administration does not support an official Day of Silence event there are alternative activities that you can engage in. Please refer to: “Tips for the Last Minute Organizer or Those Whose Administration Has Said No” [PDF].

Exodus, unfortunately, refuses to acknowledge that antigay violence is a serious problem for U.S. schools.

Instead, Exodus grossly mischaracterizes those who oppose antigay violence in schools. According to Exodus Youth:

The Day of Silence is a national program of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which asks students to remain silent for an entire day to express their support for the promotion of the homosexual agenda in the public schools.

In Exodus’ view, it seems, anyone who stands firmly and unconditionally against antigay violence and harassment is guilty of “promotion of the homosexual agenda.”

Exodus — and its ally in the project, the fundamentalist legal-attack group Alliance Defense Fund — assert that organized, explicit, and unconditional opposition to violence is un-Christian. What is Christian, in their view? Sadly, they appear to consider it a Christian mandate to verbally harass gay youth and the friends of gay youth at the same time that these youths are opposing school inaction against violence. They also affirm conservative evangelical conversion of gay youth in public schools, even when the youths are already Christian or when they and their families are members of minority faiths. Finally, they encourage hostile faculty to coerce gay youths to seek help from discredited and disreputable ex-gay counselors — again, regardless of the wishes of the youths’ families. And if schools seek to limit antigay harassment in order to ensure that gay youths can learn like everyone else, then Exodus and its ADF lawyers recommend:

If a principal, teacher or someone else in authority asks you to stop, ask them graciously to check with a supervisor first. If this does not resolve the issue or the school official persists in confronting you, stop immediately and call 1-800-TELL-ADF so that we can resolve the situation quickly.

The Day of Truth is, in short, has nothing to do with clearing up misinformation in schools regarding homosexuality — misinformation that is deliberately created by religious-rightist bigots in the first place. Nor does the Day of Truth foster understanding or support for so-called “ex-gays.”

The DOT is a lobbying day for religious-right trial lawyers who proclaim a supposed right of conservative Christians to harass gay youths, their family members, and youths from minority religious backgrounds — throughout school hours, on school property. It also encourages conservative Christians to ignore the physical violence that occurs around them; to make any reduction in violence conditional upon unilateral acceptance of antigay and anti-minority bigotry; and to misuse religion to incite violence and ostracism against members of minority social and religious demographics, including Christians who affirm or tolerate same-gender attraction.

Of Exodus’ Day of Truth, GLSEN observes:

Those who do not support the Day of Silence often protest, but rarely contribute positively to finding ways to end anti-LGBT harassment. Some individuals and groups organize events in response to the Day of Silence. These events grossly mischaracterize or simply misunderstand the basic purpose of the Day of Silence. Bringing attention to these events only adds a false credibility to their misinformation about the Day of Silence, GLSEN and the thousands of American students taking action on April 17th. If you face hostile students or organizations in your school on the Day of Silence remember to remain calm. We encourage you to not get into a debate, make gestures, and certainly not to get into a physical altercation. If you continue to be harassed, we encourage you to contact your GSA advisor or other ally school staff person.

Until Exodus and its religious-right allies unconditionally oppose antigay violence — until they renounce their implicit support for harassment and bullying in the United States and their public support for antigay vigilantism, imprisonment, and murder from Jamaica to Nigeria to Russia to Uganda — there remains a compelling need for Days of Silence to stand vigil over those who equate violence with “Truth.”

Days of Silence seek to restore schools as a safe learning place for all students, regardless of orientation or choice of religion.

Exodus’ Day of Truth seeks to turn schools into centers of harassment and relentless fundamentalist ex-gay proselytization.