“Academics have been compromised, and family values are under attack in California’s public schools.” Or at least that’s what the Campaign for Children and Families (CCF) wants parents to think. On Monday the agency launched its new website RescueYourChild.org the latest instrument in their campaign against the gay civil rights movement.

In 2006, 38% of Californians supported gays and lesbians in the freedom to marry. In 2007, 43% supported same-sex marriage. As the acceptance gap has narrowed, these homophobic faith based groups are feeling an urgency to fight back.

RescueYourChild.org radically urges California parents to remove their children from public school. The site provides information regarding homeschooling and putting your child in a private Christian school. The site says parents must do whatever is necessary to save their children from the “homosexual agenda” in public schools that “promotes transsexual, bisexual, homosexual indoctrination.” Can’t afford to quit your job or put your child in a private Christian school? The site links directly to an article telling parents that they shouldn’t worry about finances.

“Christian schools cost money. A lot of money,” the site concedes. “But before we get too carried away with fiscal concerns, we need to ask ourselves an important question: Do we have a moral obligation to give our children a Christian education? If so, then God will do for us what He does anytime He gives us a command. He’ll give us the means to obey it.”

Randy Thomasson, the president of CCF spoke at a news conference on February 11th regarding the site and “treat” of recent “sexual indoctrination laws.” Thomasson is referring to California bills SB 777 and AB 394 which the website dedicates a considerable amount of space vilifying. “Imagine a teacher saying, ‘Class, for our contemporary social studies non-discrimination bias component, we have a special speaker today. He will share his amazing story of growing up as a male trapped in a woman’s body.’ This is the type of gender-bending education which students may have to endure unless their parents rescue them from the increasingly negative public school environment.”

The organization says SB 777 “requires public school instructional materials and school-sponsored activities to positively portray cross-dressing, sex-change operations, homosexual “marriages,” and all aspects of homosexuality and bisexuality, including so-called ‘gay history’.” In actuality the bill itself prohibits educators and governing school boards from discriminating based on “disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation” where as the code once merely protected based on “race, sex, color, creed, handicap, national origin, or ancestry”. SB 777 also differentiates gender for biological sex. Nowhere in the actual bill does it mandate that anything be taught to school children.

The organization goes on to attack AB 394 saying it “requires public schools to distribute controversial material to teachers, students, and parents which promotes transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality, all under the guise of ‘anti-harassment’ training.” The truth here is also different. AB 394 holds the State Department of Education responsible for ensuring that schools adhere to antidiscrimination laws. The “controversial material” referred to are handouts detailing the rights of students and outlining the policies against discrimination.

The exaggerations might be enough to mobilize resistance to the LGBT struggle for equality. While the gay community might not take issue with teaching gay history, many Californians are on the fence about LGBT issues — maintaining the “I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t force your beliefs on me” mentality. In truth, while the laws don’t mandate any sort of LGBT education, they would protect a teacher or a school’s right to teach such material. Religious groups have challenged the bill’s constitutionality but are hoping to collect enough signatures to get initiates on the November ballot reversing these bills and defining marriage as an institution between a man and a woman.

Tags:AB 394, Campaign for Children and Families, christian right, homophobia, RescueYourChild.org, SB 777

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Matt Falber is the Editor-in-Chief of Real Gay L.A. Matt was formerly an editorial assistant at Frontiers Magazine. He served as a regular contributing writer for Frontiers for two years and also wrote for IN Los Angeles, its sister publication. Matt has a flare for the arts and when we don't have him chained to his desk, he can be seen singing and acting in various L.A. venues.
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