True Tolerance: Do You Know How to Spot Homosexual Activism in Schools? As a parent or concerned citizen, it’s easy to feel a bit powerless and intimidated when trying to navigate large, bureaucratic school systems.
But the good news is, you are not alone – and you are definitely not powerless. That’s why we’ve created TrueTolerance.org to equip parents and citizens with excellent resources to help them present their viewpoint in a loving, reasonable and fact-based way.
Red Flags Parents Can Watch For As a parent or concerned citizen reading the information on this Web site, you might be wondering, How can I tell whether any of this is happening in my neighborhood schools?
It’s easy to feel a bit powerless and intimidated when trying to navigate large, bureaucratic school systems.
But the good news is, you are not alone–and you are definitely not powerless. That’s why we’ve created this Web site–to equip parents and community citizens with excellent resources that will enable them to present their viewpoint in a loving, reasonable and fact-based way.
To help get you started, below we’ve listed four red flags to watch for–indicators that can help alert you about whether homosexual advocacy groups might be influencing what’s happening in your public school classrooms–as well as suggestions for how to respond.
1) Books Promoting Homosexuality Many parents across the land are discovering that books for children as young as kindergarten–sometimes even preschool–are being used to acquaint children with the idea of same-sex relationships and things like bisexuality and transgenderism. (See this list of books that have been recommended to educators by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network).
So one of the easiest ways you can start researching what’s happening in your school district, is to check out the public school libraries. Nowadays, most schools have online library catalogues for all grade levels, and you can use key words to search the content in the database.
The school library is an important indicator of what’s happening in the rest of the school because, technically, the library is supposed to reflect and support the larger school curriculum. And teachers often draw from the library to supplement lesson plans. So if you see an unusual number of sexually explicit books or content that promotes homosexual activism popping up in the search list, that’s a strong indicator that you might want to start asking more questions about if and how these materials are used in classrooms or for student assignments.
2) Videos and other Supplemental Materials You can also ask about whether videos or other materials are being used to supplement and expand the regular curriculum. Even though they may not be listed as an official part of the curriculum, unbeknownst to parents, oftentimes videos promoting same-sex relationships–or materials, such as crossword puzzles that teach kids the meaning of terms such as “transgender”–are available for use by teachers to supplement their regular lesson plans. Read more about parents who discovered these sorts of materials being used in their schools in these articles:
"Under the Banner of Tolerance" -- http://fota.cdnetworks.net/
"Parents Beware" -- http://fota.cdnetworks.net/
3) “Family Diversity,” “Tolerance,” or “Safe Schools” Instruction You’ll also want to start asking questions if your school announces a so-called family diversity course and/or “tolerance” or “safe school” programs. Oftentimes, homosexuality promotion is couched within these programs (or within lessons labeled as “anti-bullying”) without parents being notified. By categorizing homosexual-themed teaching within a subject like “family diversity” or “social justice,” school officials often try to skirt parental control. They argue that since this teaching is categorized as a social issue — and not labeled as sex education — they no longer have to give parents prior notice and/or the ability to exempt their children from the class.
One way to begin researching this is to visit your school’s Web site. Many school Web sites have something similar to a “Curriculum and Instruction” category listed under the “Departments” heading. That’s the best place to start. You can look for certain flag words or titles which have a likelihood of having homosexuality teaching incorporated into the program without parents knowing. You can also click on the “school board” section of your school district’s Web site and actually examine the board agenda & minutes and do a search for key words, such as “diversity” or “tolerance.”
4) School laws & policies that single out “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” Homosexual activists groups have waged a national campaign lately to pressure school districts across the country to enforce so-called anti-discrimination or anti-bullying policies that spell out categories such as “sexual orientation” or “gender identity.” While these campaigns sound well-meaning and compassionate, the problem is that the policies are often used as leverage to undermine parental rights and mandate homosexuality lessons in the classrooms. Read more about that trend here.
What can you do if you discover these warning signs in your school district? For more information, read:
'How to Respond to Homosexual Advocacy in Your School District" -- http://www.truetolerance.org/
© 2009—2011 Focus on the Family
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