Deerfield High School 'Confidentiality Agreement': How the anti-gay industry distorts reality

In my last post, I talked about the Deerfield High School controversy (see last post). Central to this controversy is a "confidentiality agreement" that students were supposedly made to sign.

The American for Truth (in name only)web page just posted the alleged confidentiality agreement.

And if this is the document that has been causing a lot of controversy, then Americans for Truth (in name only), Concerned Women for America, and all of the bloggers who have been hyping the Deerfield incident up as an attempt by the lgbt community to "indoctrinate" children have a LOT of explaining to do.

The so-called confidentiality agreement is a small part of the list of rules that those participating in the program agree to follow. These rules govern their conduct in the program.

No one is encouraged to keep things from their parents. In fact, they are encouraged to seek help if there is a problem.

This is what the part about confidentiality says (and I am transcribing):

Our agreements and commitments to each other

Confidentiality

Every person keeps what comes up in class confidential, unless it is dangerous to do so - that is unless a situation in class requires us to get outside help.

We do not repeat what someone says in class outside of class except if we have permission of the person that said it.

We will not continue a conversation outside of class without permission from all the people that were involved during the class.

Bottom line: What happens in our classroom stays in our classroom.

Exceptions to the confidentiality in which case (the teacher's name - I will not repeat it) will get outside help are:

If someone in the class reports being hurt;

If someone reports that they are hurting someone else; or

If someone reports that they are hurting or want to hurt themselves.

The rest of the two page document continues to give rules about respecting each other's right to talk and not making judgements on someone because his or her opinion. If students agree to abide by all of these regulations, they sign the form.

There are four other attachments to the commitment agreement that was posted. Americans for Truth (in name only) makes the claim that they are a part of the agreement.

But I doubt it.

It obvious that they were added by whoever posted the agreement on the webpage in order to enhance the lie of "gay indoctrination."

In short, the Deerfield Confidentiality Agreement controversy is yet another lie by members of the anti-gay industry.

Let me simplify the situation:

Deerfield High School has been conducting this program for years to help students adjust to high school. Five years ago, it added a panel discussion about gay students.

Parents got angry over the fact that gay students are going to be open about themselves. They sought help from anti-gay industry groups to stop the panel.

Someone from the either the parents group or the anti-gay industry groups took the list of rules that the participants of the program agreed to abide by and hyped the portion about confidentiality into a lie that claimed students were "encouraged" to sign a confidentiality agreement about one particular part of the program (the gay panel discussion.)

This lie was spread by various anti-gay industry groups, web pages, and bloggers all over the internet.

Boom! You got yourself a moral panic.

Let me predict what happens next.

I noticed on the Americans for Truth (in name only), it is announced that one of the parents opposing the gay student panel discussion will appear on the Laura Ingraham Show.

This parent is obviously going to repeat the lies of "gay indoctrinations" and "confidentiality agreements" until it is hyped all over talk radio. Then comes television.

And this is sad because the program that started all of this is a good idea. Students entering high schools should have some way to speak their minds and clear their heads.

More programs like this would mean less Columbine incidents.

But all because a group of parents do not like the fact gay students are encouraged to speak about their lives, the program is in danger of being misconstrued.

In pursuit of their so-called moral image, these parents have sold out their integrity.

I sincerely hope they don't regret what they have done.