On Sunday during an interview with
The Christian Post concerning the
Tyler Clementi case, Family Research Council leader Tony Perkins made a
comment which should lead many of us gay bloggers to scratch our heads with amazement:
"Some have even laid blame not on the actual bullies but on Christian churches and conservative politicians. It's wrong to politicize these tragedies. Instead, we should focus on preventing the bullying of young people – for their sexual orientation, appearance, religion, or any other reason."
Perkins was claiming that the lgbtq community would use the verdict of this case ( Former Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi was convicted Friday of anti-gay intimidation for using a webcam to spy on his gay roommate's love life. The roommate, 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, committed suicide after realizing that he had been watched) to supposedly push an alleged "gay agenda" (whatever that is).
But the irony with Perkins' statement about keeping gay students from being bullied is that FRC has never supported any anti-bullying programs geared to the gay youth
Instead, the organization nd Perkins have been
extremely vocal and active in opposing anti-bullying programs which would include the lgbtq community.
In August of last year, Perkins made very negative comments about the "It Gets Better" campaign, a campaign in which gay leaders and allies of the lgbtq community created videos telling gay youth to not allow bullies to bring down their self esteem.
In the following letter, Perkins called the campaign "disgusting" and an attempt to "recruit children into the gay lifestyle:"
In June 2011, FRC
issued a public prayer to God that efforts by Health and Human Services to combat the bullying of gay youth would fail:
• May God help us to not to "bully" anyone, but to graciously yet urgently speak the truth in love to young people who are hurting themselves with the "LGBT" lifestyle. May believers across America not be "bullied" by our government's efforts to promote harmful and sinful sexual practices among our youth and instead determine to stand courageously against these misguided efforts which can only lead to God's judgment!
In general,
according to People for the American Way, FRC has been a strong opponent of programs which would prevent the bullying of gay students:
The Family Research Council is a major propagator of the falsehood that bullying prevention initiatives are attempts by gay rights activists to “recruit” students, and lobbies states to pass laws curbing students from joining Gay-Straight Alliance clubs. Peter Sprigg, FRC’s senior fellow of public policy, authored a booklet on how the “pro-homosexual movement” is “indoctrinating impressionable school children” through safe schools initiatives and anti-discrimination rules. He regularly criticizes organizations like the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which helps formulate safe schools programs, for allegedly trying to “promote a homosexual agenda in schools.”
So basically, Perkins' comments about protecting gay students has less to with
actually protecting gay students, and more of a CYA statement (cover your ass) statement in the face of this awful situation.
But words don't mean anything. If Perkins is truly sincere about protecting gay youth from bullying then he and his organization should stop creating road blocks to this effort.
And we all know that isn't about to happen.
