"Safe Schools" Czar

 One of President Obama's appointments needs to be discussed... with parental discretion advised. The president has tapped Kevin Jennings to be Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.  Jennings will operate as a sort of Safe Schools Czar.  Safe for whom?  In particular, for open homosexuals and transgendered students.

Kevin Jennings is cofounder and, until recently, Executive Director of GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network. In the name of preventing bullying of homosexual and transsexual kids, GLSEN provides resources for teachers, clubs, and other programs for youth.  All of these inform kids... expansively ...about homosexuality.

Here's how one Hayward, California teacher made use of GLSEN's resources: During a celebration of National Ally Week, she passed out cards produced by GLSEN to her class of kindergartners.  The cards asked signers to be 'an ally' and to pledge to 'not use anti-LGBT (that's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) language or slurs. This is nice, but how do you explain to a kindergartner what a lesbian is?

GLSEN  is also the driving force behind the annual 'Day of Silence" where middle and high school students are encouraged to remain silent for an entire day in celebration of homosexuality. 

And then there's a GLSEN sponsored conference that occurred in Massachusetts in March of  2000.  It included a youth workshop titled 'What They Didn't Tell You about Queer Sex & Sexuality in Health Class' -advertised to 'youth only ages 14 to 21,'  The instructor, prompted by a teen's question, verbally guided the students on the mechanics of 'fisting,' an activity I will not describe.

 As a Harvard-educated high school teacher, Jennings'  vision to create GLSEN grew from his own agony over his decision to out himself . He wants to protect students from the kind of harassment he experienced as a child. GLSEN works to get gay kids affirmed, and straight kids to affirm them.  The goal is not "tolerance" of homosexuality; it's "celebration of the lifestyle.That means teaching everybody a lot about homosexuality, and that's what Jennings will push in his new job.

In a 1997 speech at a GLSEN' conference in New York, Jennings revealed that he was no longer going to try to counter the accusation that GLSEN was promoting homosexuality in schools.  Why be defensive about it?  Now he has a bigger platform to redefine the next generation's view of homosexuality beginning in kindergarten.   Peter LaBarbera, President Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, writes that GLSEN  "...has repeatedly exposed children to harmful and promiscuous 'gay' sexual behaviors and exhibited a recklessness toward  children that should disqualify him (Jennings) and GLSEN from working in any school anywhere."  

 Jennings' appointment doesn't require Senate confirmation.  Peter LaBarbera is asking Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to withdraw his recommendation of Jennings.

Barring that, parents can count on safe schools, safe, that is, for the promotion of homosexuality.