US News
Teens Battle Gay Agenda in Schools
By Michael F. Haverluck
CBNNews.com
April 7, 2007
CBNNews.com -- Many Christian teens in America's high schools are no longer content with having their biblical views silenced while the homosexual agenda is actively promoted on their campuses.
That's why on April 19, more than 5,000 Christian students from more than 1,000 high schools in 50 states will participate in the 3rd annual "Day of Truth" event.
The Day of Truth, sponsored by the Alliance Defense Fund, gives students a platform on which to stand against the promotion of homosexuality. Students initiating the event at their schools are offered special assistance by ADF.
Students participating in the Day of Truth present their Christian views on homosexuality in a peaceful and respectful way, during non-instructional time. They hand out informative DOT cards, wear DOT shirts, hang DOT posters, and engage in compelling dialogue to raise student awareness about the dangers and spiritual darkness of a homosexual lifestyle.
DOT is held each year on the day following the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network's Day of Silence, which calls students to remain silent throughout the entire day as an expression of their support of the homosexual agenda. Posters, T-shirts and literature are also used as promotional tools.
GLSEN reports that "over 6,000 participants" are expected to join in the Day of Silence this year. ADF's National Media Relations Manager Greg Scott remarked that this is quite a difference from what he considers a deceptive disclosure last year that "500,000 students from 4,000 schools" participated in the event, indicating an apparent doctoring of numbers for 2006.
Opposing the truth
Some school officials readily advocate humanistic and politically correct programs, and have little tolerance for most Christian views running contrary to their secular and political agendas.
Scott asserts that while "schools roll out the red carpet for the Day of Silence, they try to shut down the Day of Truth."
To promote the homosexual agenda through the Day of Silence and encourage teacher participation in the event, some school administrators have organized employee groups on campus.
Students at four schools were not allowed to hold Day of Truth events. The ADF considered this unconstitutional and a direct violation of their first amendment rights. It took the school systems to court. In one case, New Jersey's Northern Highlands Regional High School ended up allowing students to participate in a "make-up" Day of Truth.
For distributing materials outside of class time during last year's Day of Truth event, Benjamin Arthurs was suspended from North Carolina's Midway High School. Representing Arthurs in a lawsuit, ADF won a settlement that made the school revise its unconstitutional policies that prohibited religious speech, events and T-shirts. The suspension was erased from his record.
In many cases such as these, Scott declares that "Christians across the country have been treated as second-rate citizens and criminals" in schools when exercising their freedom of speech- particularly against the homosexual agenda.
Christians have rights too
The Day of Truth has worked to reestablish the rights of Christians inside the school gates in many ways.
"The First Amendment rights of students do not cease once they step on campus," declared ADF Litigation Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. "Allowing students to have a Day of Silence without allowing students to have a Day of Truth limits free speech and the free exchange of ideas, and that limits the ability of students to make good decisions."
Tedesco continued, "Silence doesn't teach anyone anything. An open, honest, and respectful discussion, however, allows the truth to surface."
ADF's Delia van Loenen agreed.
"Sadly, some Day of Silence supporters seem to be more concerned with silencing other viewpoints than providing complete information to students," she said.
ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman reminds parents that "Christian students should be allowed to express their viewpoint just like any other student, as school officials do not have the right to prohibit a student's speech simply because he or she is speaking from a religious point of view."
Shining the light
Christians are taught in the Bible to be a light where darkness prevails. ADF's Day of Truth gives Christian students an opportunity to expose the lies and dangers behind the gay agenda.
Teaming up with ADF is the ministry known as Exodus International, which educates and councils youth who are questioning or experimenting with homosexuality. Information about Exodus is disseminated by participants in the Day of Truth.
The Day of Truth is also working internationally against the homosexual agenda, as Tokyo, Saipan and the United Kingdom are now involved in this event.
Sources: CBN News, Alliance Defense Fund, Exodus International, GLSEN
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