July 3, 2008 7:54 AM
Gay pride and politics - a wake-up call for families
At one time, I tried to split politics onto another blog, but I didn't like the results. As a radical leftist/feminist in the 70s, I learned the mantra The personal is the political. I still believe that to be true - and also believe the political is the personal.
Moms, you are so busy raising your children, but you need to know that you must never stop praying for our country and our leaders. And somehow you must prepare your children for the world they will inherit.
I've raised children in the 80s and am still raising children today. I can barely believe the rapidity of the cultural decline which has occurred, and the acceleration as the forces of social and moral confusion have infiltrated our government, schools, media and public square.
As Peggy Noonan once put it, our children swim in a cesspool of violence, sex, drugs, indolence, and perversion. Think about it from their point of view. We can't even go through the checkout stand or buy them a Slurpee without a full frontal assault on their innocence. And so much concentrated right at their eye-level, teaching them words like orgasm and concepts like "Fifty Ways to Make Him Beg for You."
I am writing this today because even if you do your best to shield your children, you yourself need to know what is going on.
I lived in San Francisco for 8 years and Marin County for 22. I've been to the Gay Pride parade and know how sick it was 30 years ago. But the MSM (mainstream media) does not carry coverage of this because their desire is to promote the nice, clean aesthetic of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. They would like you to think that homosexuality is just another lifestyle choice and that if you don't want it promoted in your public schools or workplace, you are an ugly, evil bigot.
If you are prone to cower at all before those charges - and I know how hard it is to withstand the hatred that comes when you make the slightest peep in opposition to the gay juggernaut - I ask you to visit and scroll through all the pictures here:
Massachusetts Governor degrades self and insults state, marching in depraved homosexual parade.
If you are a person who is not filled with hate toward homosexual people and yet finds offense at these public displays - and at public school indoctrination of your children - it is not you who deserves the label ugly and evil. What deserves the label ugly and evil are the forces which would take psychologically sick behavior and "celebrate" it - and DEMAND that we celebrate it too.
MassResistance is a group that has tried to document and draw attention to growing depravity resulting from Massachusetts' caving in to the demands of the gay lobby, which now controls their education system (Arline Isaacson is not only the chief lobbyist for the Massachusetts Teachers Association, but also chief lobbyist for the Mass. Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus).
Is this the will of the people of Massachusetts? Not necessarily.
With the media ever ready to shape the truth to fit its own agenda, and the pouring in of hundreds of millions of dollars from gay activists nationwide - but especially from Tim Gill, a man you need to know more about:
From the Atlantic Monthly, an article called They Won't Know What Hit Them:
The software mogul Tim Gill has a mission: Stop the Rick Santorums of tomorrow before they get started. How a network of gay political donors is stealthily fighting sexual discrimination and reshaping American politics.Read entire article here
Or from the perspective of traditionalists, read Citizen's perspective:
In the Image of Gill
by John Paulton, manager of special projectsBehind the scenes, software mogul Tim Gill is ambitiously campaigning to remake American politics in accord with homosexual activism.
Editor's note: Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, Action, has said Tim Gill and two billionaires have essentially ‘bought’ the Colorado Legislature and are responsible for the recent passage of SB 200.
You don't want to get on Tim Gill's bad side. Marilyn Musgrave could tell a few war stories.
Musgrave, a three-term congresswoman from Colorado, was a lead sponsor of the original Federal Marriage Amendment. Gill, a Denver-based software tycoon (founder of Quark), is perhaps the most powerful force for homosexual activism in American politics. So Musgrave is most definitely on Gill's bad side — and even in the often vicious world of politics, his efforts to get her booted from office have been way over the top.
When Musgrave ran for re-election in 2004, Gill funded television attack ads showing a woman portraying Musgrave — dressed in a pink suit — picking money from the pockets of soldiers on a battlefield. Another showed the same actress stealing a watch off of a corpse.
Read article here.
What can you do? All I can say is do whatever God calls you to do - whether it be prayer or financial support of organizations that are trying to defend the family against this all-out assault.
But even if you can't do much, stay informed. These are not problems that are going away. The gay lobby has a lot more money, time and energy to spend on advancing their agenda that you do. And most of them are very confused, walking in lockstep with their political cohort.
Which is why I like Camille Paglia, who is an outspoken lesbian and philosophy professor who is comfortable enough with her own sexuality to not feel that it needs to be forced on everyone else in a political way - and who has been very open with her disagreement on gay indoctrination in public schools and trying to recruit teenagers to declare themselves gay.
Dear Camille:I am a black, conservative female. I am proud to say that you are one of my heroes. I would like your opinion of the following press release, which I am forwarding to you. It's regarding the Gay Youth Pride Day. Now, according to some, I may have no right to have an opinion about this, because of my heterosexuality. However, I think some in the so-called "gay community" take this pride thing a bit too far. As a 19-year-old, openly straight female, I really don't understand the need for the self-anointed leaders of the gay rights movement to draw gay youngsters into their self-indulgent politics. Am I misguided or insensitive in my approach to the "young gay dilemma"?
Your conservative admirer in Va.
Dear Conservative:
The psychological turmoil of adolescents at sexual awakening cannot be underestimated. Everything is in flux -- impulses, fears, dreams, with simultaneous longings for independence and for protection by adults. What I dislike about the push of organized gay activism into high schools is that it imposes a rigid political paradigm on a stage of life that is in rapid, painful transition for everyone, gay or straight.
As an equity feminist, as well as an open lesbian, I oppose special protections for any group, including my own. Teachers and administrators should obviously not permit physical harassment of any kind on school property, but verbal epithets, however offensive or hurtful, have First Amendment protection. The PC thought police, having been defeated on college campuses after the court-ordered banning of the fascist speech codes, are now oozing their way into high schools. "Hate" cannot be stopped by authoritarian manipulation but by slow social change, which may take generations.
Read entire response by scrolling to the second letter here.
We can take some lessons from Paglia in having the guts to stand up - a la The Emperor's New Clothes - and say no matter how un-PC, we cannot "celebrate" this lifestyle. Nor should we be forced to.
This is just some food for thought as you do the laundry, pray, and let God speak to you about how a mom should respond to this cultural crisis.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Look for the hope, too! I recently met a former lesbian who is now the happily- married mother of two sweet young children. Not only was her sexual identity as a lesbian, but her entire life, as she was the Chair of the Queer Studies Department at a very well-known and respected university. When God called her - through the patient love of a Christian who spent two years just loving her - she came out of everything she knew - her social network, livelihood, everything - to follow Him.
God is bigger than any circumstances.
And for more evidence, including my background and how my opinions were formed, see How to Treat Homosexuals or my book Reaching the Left from the Right: Talking About Social Issues with People Who Don't Think Like You. Lately, I've been talking a lot about the power of God to redeem our lives - he certainly redeemed this once-sexually-confused-now-faithful-wife-and-mother-of-12.
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Comments
I like the way that you approached it. I am a firm believer in family and that the homosexual lifestyle should not be forced into our faces. I have to be honest, I am not homophobic as I know many people who are homosexual and I don't judge them, I just pray for their happiness. I am not here to judge anyone, I have my own life and my own children to worry about - I teach them the best that I can and hope that the media does not influence them in any way.
My homosexual friends also do not believe in the way that "Gay rights" are being pushed into the forefront of every political discussion, every school debate, etc. They prefer to lead their lives privately and without pomp. Heck, I did not know that they were gay until they began talking about their relationship.
Again, I do not judge them because I am not here to judge. The only thing I can do is love them as God has loved me and given me the opportunity to love and hope that His grace will shine on them some day.
Thanks for this eye opening blog - makes us realize how our world is changing so rapidly and we need to grab it by the horns and make sure we do what we can for our future.
Posted by: Krystal - momofautism | July 3, 2008 11:10 AM
As a pro-gay activist, and openly homosexual male, I cannot emphasize the importance of gay pride celebrations within the gay community. Over and over I hear the argument, "Just because I'm straight doesn't mean I parade around and tell everyone about it, so why do you because you're gay?" Well, I'm sorry, but these situations are fundamentally different. Being straight may not be a huge part of the average heterosexual's identity, but being gay is, by far, an enormous part of many homosexuals' identities. This goes for any minority status of marginalized groups in society. I don't think it is fair to argue that gays are forcing their lifestyle on people just because they take one day out of the year to celebrate it. These parades, even in the largest cities, are segregated to no more than a couple square miles, that's on the larger end. In Detroit, Michigan, where I live, gay pride celebration is confined to three very small blocks in a suburb about 20 minutes north of the city. I don't think it's too much to ask for everyone to put up with this one day a year, because that's all we've ever asked for.
Posted by: Jamie | July 3, 2008 2:56 PM
I don't think it's too much to ask for everyone to put up with this one day a year, because that's all we've ever asked for.
Well, Jamie - it's obviously not all you've ever asked for. . . .
And if you are as mild-mannered as you sound, aren't you at least a little embarrassed at the association of the simple gay pride you feel entitled to with perversion and human indignities? And how about the recruitment aspect?
Posted by: barbara | July 3, 2008 3:13 PM
Barbara,
Thanks for another great post! As a Californian, I see the impact of the gay agenda as it rolls across my state. Or at least, the beginnings of the impact.
Posted by: Elizabeth M Thompson | July 3, 2008 3:50 PM
Barbara,
Thank you for you effort to remind women that we must be the change we want to see in the world and work hard to instill those values in the next generation.
What I'm about to say my offend some of your readers (or even you), so if you don't publish it I'll understand.
I personally think that the "gay pride" movement is much less of a social threat than other issues of morality that the vast majority of people, even Christians, don't think twice about.
While I'm sure the members of MassResistance are well intentioned, I wonder how many of them have been divorced, had extra-marital sex, have had an abortion, allowed their teenage children to have co-ed sleepovers, watch Sex and the City, let their young girls wear heels, make-up, shorts with writing across their bottoms, turn a blind eye to underage drinking, use profanity, drink to get drunk, etc, etc, etc...
These are all things that people I know, who are self proclaimed conservative Christians, engage in without a hint of irony. They are also the things that concern me more than the gay pride movement.
I believe that the biggest indication of our country's moral decline is not that gays and lesbians are pushing their agendas on society, it is that the church allows divorce, that mothers are watching Sex and the City, and that no one blinks an eye about such things, or even calls them to question.
I would much rather my child participate in a gay pride parade than get divorced, use the morning after pill, watch immoral TV shows, and use profanity.
Again, it is not my intention to offend anyone, I just wanted a chance to express what I feel to be an even bigger threat to children. And by no means am I saying that I am without reproach; I've been know to use bad language and have done things in my past I'm not proud of.
May the peace of the Lord be always with you,
~Anna
Posted by: Anna Keiter | July 3, 2008 4:20 PM
Jamie,
You say " Being straight may not be a huge part of the average heterosexual's identity, but being gay is, by far, an enormous part of many homosexuals' identities."
This is, I believe, the biggest problem with homosexuality and the one that leads to the saddest consequences.
I think that very often people looking for acceptance find acceptance in the gay community. This would be fine, except for the fact that this often leads to huge internal struggles as well as open hostility to people who, though outside the community, would be otherwise supportive of the person.
One example I'll give is that of a cousin of a good friend. This young man comes from a very loving Christian home, and has very "accepting" parents. He has homosexual tendencies, and has become more and more depressed over the issue.
You see, he is told by the homosexual community that the being gay is *wonderful* and that he should embrace his homosexuality. He has since rejected God because he can't understand why he was given a burden that, according to the gay community, he has no control over and must embrace. He feels like he has been rejected by God, and has twice tried to kill himself.
What we so desperately want him to know is that yes, homosexuality is a struggle. It may be a struggle that a person deals with for his entire life. However,(and this is a BIG however)it is NOT something that should simply be blindly embraced and even celebrated.
As Anne mentioned, we all have personal demons and tendencies that have been placed in our lives. For example, I'm very prone to emotional outbursts. It would be foolish and hurtful for me to say "well, I'm going to *embrace* my hurtful rages, because God made me this way, and so obviously it is the way I'm supposed to be!"
Yes, God did create me, but we live in a world that is fallen and every single one of us has some remnant of that sin that burns especially deep within us. Instead of framing our entire lives around this dark element, we should work to overcome it.
The homosexual community sends the message that it is ok to indulge our sinful nature. This does more to hurt and destroy than the actual sin of homosexual relations. It stops people like our friend from seeing the truth about how God created us, and instead only illuminates the damage satan has done.
Posted by: Lauren | July 3, 2008 6:02 PM
Based on the education I have gotten from my less conservative peer groups online, it would seem that simple homosexual relations is practically prudish compared to the "alternative" lifestyles that are becoming more and more mainstream. Polyamorous families, trans families, BDSM... It is all part of a new wave of feminism that seeks to destroy every taboo that our society has left.
Acceptance is the ultimate virtue for some, and this is why they walk the streets demanding recognition for their strangeness. They want to desensitize us to the oddest things, so that acceptance becomes easy.
I believe it is desperation for love that leads a person to flaunt themselves in the most unattractive and degrading way they can imagine. What they are basically saying is "if you can't accept me at my ugliest, then you don't really love me." And they are right, if we can't see past the taboo behavior then we don't love them, we are not living up to the virtues that Jesus demands of us. The heart breaking part of it all is that they can't see that real love isn't acceptance of anything and everything. Rather it is a sincere desire for goodness. Love is not acceptance, because acceptance does not demand what is good. Love wants the ultimate good for the other. Love cringes at the self-degradation because it isn't for their ultimate good-- not because it is offensive to our sensibilities.
These poor people in these linked to photos are mocking themselves as a pre-emptive strike to being mocked. It is like that whole "take back the language" movement. Women call themselves whores and blacks call themselves niggers so there is no power left in the word.
Righteous indignation will not reach anybody's heart. Unconditional acceptance of their strange behavior won't do it either. I believe that evangelizing to these people requires a sincere gift of ourselves. It means seeing God in them, underneath the leather and wigs. I think this means ignoring the most flamboyant behavior, and when confronted notice only that which isn't intended to get your attention. Next time you see a man in a mini-skirt, don't act shocked and horrified. Just ignore the skirt, and try to connect to the real person hidden underneath the outlandishness.
Posted by: paigeu | July 3, 2008 10:55 PM
paigeu-
you are absolutely right about our response to individuals - I talk about that in my book and suggest ways to let the Lord recondition our minds to overcome the shock and fear.
but we still need to work politically to limit the political confusion engendered by this demand for acceptance - which has now reached the halls of Congress and seen the passage of many state laws affecting even such mundane things as bathrooms.
I always value your insights and contribution here. You definitely filled in some gaps with this response. Thank you.
Posted by: barbara | July 4, 2008 3:02 AM
Dear readers -
I have removed a couple comments in which Anna and I went back and forth over what she wrote earlier.
In my comment, I said that I felt Anna had an axe to grind against Christians. That is absolutely untrue and I have no idea where I came up with that opinion - perhaps I mixed up something someone else said once upon a time?
I am so sorry for misrepresenting Anna, who has made an important contribution here - even guest-blogging on eating disorders and taking the risk of being perfectly transparent. Besides, she has left many thoughtful and helpful comments.
I am so sorry, Anna. And I apologize to my readers for this mistake.
Posted by: barbara | July 5, 2008 10:57 PM
Barbara,
Thank you for your gracious apology. It is yet more proof that you are a woman of great integrity.
To clear up my earlier comment -- and prevent the spread of rumors that I want my children to participate in gay pride rallies! -- the point I so clumsily tried to make (and apparently failed!) is this:
I am concerned that the greater threat to society are not the immoral behaviors that Christians immediately recognize as immoral (such as the disgusting display of the gay pride rally), but rather it is the immoral behavior that Christians do not recognize as immoral (divorce, immodest dress, watching TV shows that boarder on pornography).
If we as the body of believers no longer recognize such things as contrary to the will and teaching of God, I believe we are much to complacent and have accepted behaviors that are of the world, not of God.
In conclusion, I think it is very easy for Christians to take a stand against things such as a gay pride rally, but it is much harder for a Christian to leave her congregation should the pastor decide to divorce his wife. I believe that to be true to Christ, we must be willing to do both.
Thank you, Barbara, for the ability to clarify my earlier remarks, and thank you again for your apology. It was obviously heart-felt and sincere. I'm proud to call you a friend :)
Peace in Christ Jesus to all,
Anna
Posted by: Anna Keiter | July 5, 2008 11:59 PM
Hi Barbara,
I just wanted to say thank you for the link to the article about Tim Gill. I am proud to be a 5th generation Coloradoan, but my family and I have seen the conservative citizens of our beautiful state being terribly misrepresented by our elected officials and have not understood the dichotomy. This article explained what has happened! My husband and I are being able to use it to help others here (both Christians and non-Christians) understand what is going on and maybe be able to help reverse it!
Thank you again,
Terri
Posted by: Terri | July 7, 2008 4:07 PM
