In the wake of increased media reporting of suicides caused by antigay bullying, Focus on the Family has retaliated against concern for the bullied by portraying itself as the victim of efforts by “homosexual activists” to “promote homosexuality” and the “homoseexual agenda” in public schools.
Focus only infrequently details these supposed sex promotions, and unfortunately the news media almost never demand that Focus on the Family document these promotions.
In an August 12 statement to OneNewsNow, Focus on the Family defined the three conditions that it considers “promotion”:
- Acknowledgement in federally recommended antiviolence programs that antigay violence is not, unfortunately, excluded from the definition of “bullying”
- Schools’ acknowledgement to elementary-school students that same-sex couples exist — an acknowledgement driven by the simple fact that these youngsters are seeing same-sex couples in their neighborhoods and meeting classmates who have same-sex parents
- Diversity training for high school teachers and students, acknowledging that non-heterosexual colleagues and classmates deserve the same respect and treatment as everyone else
Focus’ full disclosure is, frankly, a disappointment. I was hoping for revolting accounts of lurid pictures, sex toys, and adult-child solicitations. The reality seems hardly worth the self-pitying and paranoid anger and hate that Focus has unleashed upon the victims of antigay bullying.
