Mothers of Boys

Good, bad and ugly stories from the field.

“Do you want to be "normal", just another faceless drone of society?? Neither do we!! Come to the GSA (gay straight alliance) every Wednesday after school in the lecture hall to learn how to be more accepting of your differences and the differences of others.”
So went the homosexual club’s pitch during the morning announcements at Maryvale High School in Arizona a few months ago, leading up to the club’s promotion of the ‘Day of Silence.’

The Day of Silence is an event held in April for the past twelve years, sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). They say the purpose for thousands of students taking a vow of silence for a whole school day is to highlight the bullying and violence directed toward “GLBT” students (that’s “gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered”). We say it’s a manipulative effort using kids as vulnerable puppets to gain sympathy for high-risk, deviant behaviours that have no appropriate place in schools.

And when schools support this, we believe it’s educational malpractice.
That’s why Mission America posted on our web site the names of schools we believe participate in the Day of Silence, taken from listings of homosexual clubs, local reports, and media coverage of Day of Silence in prior years.
The effort in 2008 was the largest yet, as we were joined by major pro-family groups like the American Family Association. In the month of March 2008 alone, our web site received over 7 million hits! Parents were motivated, and their calls prompted many schools to contact us to have their names removed from the list.
Unfortunately, many schools did not contact us and supported the observance of this misleading event.

Students who take the vow of silence are usually from the school’s homosexual club, if the school has one. Often, they add to their numbers by recruiting sympathisers from among the student body at large. Increasingly, many schools do have homosexual clubs. GLSEN claims there are almost 4,000 homosexual clubs now in American high schools and middle schools. To put this in perspective, there were only a handful of such clubs in American schools in the early 1990’s. The growth is totally attributable to relentless “gay” activism.

GLSEN is the organization that networks with kids, bypassing parents and schools, to encourage students to start these school clubs. With increasing numbers of middle school clubs, that means this organization is fine with 11-year-olds declaring themselves “gay” or “transgendered” and it’s fine to do so without a parent’s knowledge.
Meanwhile, back at Maryvale High School, those close to the school told us about the pro-homosexual atmosphere.

This particular school’s “gay” club promotes homosexuality unhindered through posters all over campus. They also make regular school-wide audio announcements. Very few parents, however, seem to know about the existence of this club.
Teachers are required to attend meetings in a classroom which also happens to be the gathering place for the homosexual club meetings, activities, etc. Several students and fellow teachers have expressed a high level of discomfort every time they are required to meet in this lecture hall. The room is plastered with rainbows, pro-homosexual propaganda, news articles promoting homosexual tolerance as well as posters and articles naming persons, institutions, businesses, etc., that are "against" their cause. At one teacher’s meeting, the GSA advisor was allowed to present to the entire staff regarding the 2008 Day of Silence. The club’s members would wear signs around their necks all day and pass out homosexual awareness/tolerance cards, she told the teachers. Parents, however, were not made aware of these activities.

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What about other schools? Here are some “snippets” to show how the Day of Silence was observed—and sometimes opposed— throughout the country in 2008.
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One parent wrote us: “Kirksville High School in Kirksville, Missouri, IS participating in this Day of Silence and when speaking with both the principal and superintendent, they were very belittling. When asked if the students were allowed to not be in school that day or dissent, they basically laughed. They called me a narrow- minded bigot and refused to give excused absences. Please add this school the list so other parents in my town will know what is going on with their children.”
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In Maple Grove, MN, one 11th grade student was told he would be marked truant and his grades lowered if he did not attend school on the Day of Silence.

Liberty Counsel of Orlando handled legal questions from parents all over the country about the Day of Silence and the rights of students to stay home and not be subjected to this propaganda. In Florida, a principal told a father that if his son didn’t attend school on the Day of Silence, the boy would fail the school year. A public school in Indiana participated in the Day of Silence against the wishes of some parents. Parents were told it’s "against the law" to cancel the program and that any absences would be unexcused that day.

In Iowa, a school board member told a former student that refusing to speak on the Day of Silence wouldn’t be any more disruptive in a school setting than a "Christian wearing a cross." In Oklahoma, a high school graduate wrote her former principal to protest the celebration of the Day of Silence. The principal said that if he did not allow the Day of Silence, he could not allow Bible clubs and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In South Dakota, a student was told that if she was absent on the Day of Silence, she would be required to write a paper explaining her non- participation.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel (part the Day of Silence Walk-Out coalition), and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: "When it comes to the Day of Silence, silence is not an option. Students have the right not to remain silent. Students can refuse to attend school. They may mount a counter-protest in support of purity and the traditional family. While schools may be required to allow clubs to meet on campus, schools do not have to promote the Day of Silence. Students do not have the right to remain silent when called upon by teachers. In those states that require abstinence instruction, schools may not tolerate clubs that promote sexual promiscuity."
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How students behave on the DOS ( from a blog):

“What I like to do on that day is explain why my friends aren’t talking and argue with the teacher if the teacher is being insensitive. So maybe recruit one of your more assertive and argumentative friends to argue your case….Warning the teachers a couple days in advance will also help.”
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Germantown High School near Milwaukee, WI:
The school sold Day of Silence T-shirts in the cafeteria in the weeks ahead of the observance. A parent was told by an administrator that she expected about one-third of students to observe the Day of Silence, but that the day was not a pro-homosexual day, but its objective was tolerance of all people, and as part of the observance, the school linked it to the mistreatment of Jews by showing a clip from the movie, "Exodus."
This kind of misrepresentation is typical. The Day of Silence organisers try very hard to attach it to legitimate causes and to disguise the real purpose, which is to normalise homosexual behaviour by creating sympathy. At Germantown, one mom decided to stand on the side walk in front of the school several days in advance and hand out material to other parents opposing the pro-homosexual Day.
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Mount Si High School, Washington State—In a protest of the Day of Silence led by Pastor Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church, who has children at the school, hundreds of parents and students peacefully demonstrated outside the school. Counter-protesters also joined the crowd. Over six hundred students stayed home from school that day, however, according to the pastor, as reported by www.americansfortruth.com , one of the Day of Silence Walk-Out coalition members.

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Over 400 students stayed home from Raymore Peculiar High School in Missouri. Rumors had been circulating about planned disruptive incidents at the school the following day, according to news reports by KCTV-5, but nothing materialised.
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How do kids get their ideas about this “student- led” homosexual event? Through well-orchestrated, school-sponsored support. Francis Howell High School (Missouri) held a convention for area homosexual clubs on March 8, 2008, a few weeks before the Day of Silence. The attendees received free lunch and a T-shirt. The meeting was advertised on a link to the school web site.
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At Desert Ridge High School in the Phoenix area, the Arizona Republic reported that between 200- 250 students remained home on the Day of Silence, yet Mission America was told by a parent in the area that a more realistic figure was actually several hundred more than that. One parent who opposed the Day of Silence held a pool party at his home for his son’s friends, students who didn’t want to be part of the Day of Silence. Yet someone sent his son a text message with a death threat, and a group of gay and lesbian students were questioned by police after they were observed hanging around near the poll party home
(http://www.kpho.com/news/15995835/detail.html). Meanwhile, back at the school, an estimated 275 students remained silent to observe the Day.
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In Charlotte, NC, several weeks ahead of time, school board member Kaye McGarry proposed letting students have excused absences if they wanted to stay home on the Day of Silence, but the proposal was voted down. “Anti-gay” graffiti was allegedly scrawled on a visible rock and discovered the morning of the Day of Silence, but removed before students arrived at Providence High School, according to police reports. Otherwise, no incidents occurred. The principal said that few students observed the Day of Silence.
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An example of how the event manipulates the sympathies of impressionable students, is the following from the Raleigh News –Observer:
"This year’s Day of Silence is in remembrance of a 15-year-old California student who was killed by a classmate in February because of his sexual orientation. Bullying is the reason that Deirdre Leary, a freshman at Broughton High School in Raleigh, said she intends to be silent today and hand out cards explaining her reasons. ‘I believe in taking a stand for those who are mistreated by their peers on a daily basis,’ Leary said."
(http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1049447.html)
Mission America’s position is that the tragic death of the young boy in California should never have happened, and we hope that the troubled teen who murdered him is brought to justice.

However, bullying and homosexuality are separate issues. Most people oppose homosexuality and yet never harm anyone. The motivations for each are quite separate and the tendency for schools to include approval of homosexuality as a condition of a “successful” anti-bullying program, is way off-base. Many people other than homosexually-attracted kids are bullied. Bullying standards and punishment should be equal across the board. And responsible schools should simultaneously oppose any encouragement of homosexual or cross-gender behaviour.
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In Wisconsin at Craig High School, one board member and his wife were concerned that the school’s “gay” club was allowed to hang signs for the Day of Silence all over the school, reported one newspaper, yet observance proceeded anyway. The Day of Silence participation at the school tripled this year to 60 students, according to the article. (http://gazettextra.com/news/2008/apr…aws-more-ever/ ).
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At Chaska High School in MN, the Day of Silence has been expanded into a week of activities on “diversity.” A memo was sent to all staff outlining the events throughout the week. T-shirts would be sold all week and teachers were directed to accommodate the silent students and even join them if they wished. Community-wide events included a Sioux pow-wow, small discussion groups (before the silent day), and a big wrap-up pizza dinner featuring the Mayor at the office of the Human Relations Commission. Indoctrination and sympathy for homosexuality is apparently well-entrenched in this community.
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In Tampa, FL, Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair urged parents to oppose the Day of Silence. He said homosexuals weren’t the only ones who are bullied. (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/commu…,1297205.story )
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Congress even got involved in the Day of Silence. Rep. Lois Capps (D), a congresswoman from Santa Barbara (CA), introduced a resolution recognizing the Day of Silence and the 15- year- old cross-dressing boy, Larry King, who was murdered at school in CA, according to the Ventura County Star. The DOS event this year was dedicated to the memory of Larry.
Mission America believes this dedication is an attempt to shamelessly exploit a tragic personal situation and lay the blame for his death at the feet of all who oppose homosexuality. The truth is that the boy who shot him is going to trial and will be punished for his individually-committed crime, as is appropriate.
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At Feinstein High School in Rhode Island, 130 students and some teachers observed the Day of Silence. It was “touching” to one gender- confused boy:

"Yesterday, students seemed moved by the experience, none more so than Charvy Doung, a 16-year-old transsexual who said that the sea of gray T-shirts made him realize how much support he has among his classmates."
(http://www.projo.com/news/content/Sc…5.35793a1.html )
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At Pershing Middle School in Houston, one “straight” 14- year- old girl organized a silent protest because her best friend is “gay.” Her mum thought this was great.
(http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5722972.html )

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At Franklin High School in Reisterstown, MD, a few weeks ago, the promotion of the Day of Silence was in full swing. Posters were up throughout the school, some promoting “gay” marriage or making derogatory remarks about those who disagree, with terms like “homophobic,” etc. The student president of the Christian Culture Club was troubled by this, since their club had never been allowed to hang posters with any slogans or beliefs. So she wrote a letter to the principal outlining the inequality of the situation and also had a meeting. To her surprise, the principal agreed, and the DOS posters were taken down.
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As Matt Barber of Concerned Women for America (part of the Day of Silence Walk-out Coalition) said, “This year’s DOS Walkout was an amazing triumph for righteousness and is terrific news indeed.
http://missionamerica.com/