PFOX Comments

Somebody pasted PFOX's response to the new curriculum into our comments this morning. Not surprisingly, PFOX doesn't like the new curriculum.

But the way they put it is fascinating, in the same way that a gory traffic accident makes you look.

From their web site:

The board has demonstrated its bias and arrogance in ignoring the March 7, 2007 Order of Maryland State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick that states that the Maryland Board of Education will render a decision in July on the legal appeal of the curriculum. PFOX, Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, and Family Leader Network had filed an appeal of the proposed curriculum, citing factual inaccuracies and violations of state and federal law. The local board’s action in adopting a final curriculum without waiting for the state board’s decision as to the legality of that curriculum tramples on the rights of parents and violates the intent of the Superintendent’s Order.

In her Order, Grasmick cites the curriculum’s attempt to address harassment problems relating to sexual orientation and gender identity. PFOX has documented how the curriculum fails to provide instruction on tolerance of ex-gays -- a group that is the object of harassment encouraged by Montgomery County public school staff and students, a fact which the Montgomery County Board of Education does not deny.

First of all, come on, don't treat the world like they're a bunch of idiots. There's no way the Montgomery County schools were going to sit around doing nothing while they waited for the state to rule on the ridiculous complaint by CRC, PFOX, and that other group. That complaint is riddled with lies and misdirections -- the chances that the state will reverse the county's decision based on that is minute. It would be dumb to wait.

The second paragraph, now we're getting somewhere.

First of all, "how the curriculum fails to provide instruction on tolerance of ex-gays." Yes, the schools fail entirely to mention "ex-gays." There is no "instruction on ex-gays," and no "instruction on tolerance of ex-gays." Also, nothing about unicorns.

Second, the good part: "a group that is the object of harassment encouraged by Montgomery County public school staff and students, a fact which the Montgomery County Board of Education does not deny." (Note: the Montgomery County Board of Education also does not deny the harassment of unicorns.)

There is a quick sleight-of-hand here that would be, I guess, clever, if it worked. PFOX wants you to assume that harassing them is the same as harassing "ex-gays."

If I was "ex-gay," I'd resent that. It's like if somebody said something bad about the President, and I was supposed to think they were harassing me as a straight person.

Let's be clear. Let's say a person used to be gay, and now they're straight. I don't know if that happens, but plenty of people do go the other way: it's called "coming out of the closet." So, let's assume some people go into the closet, too. Now the question is: who is against that? Another way to phrase the question is: who cares? A gay guy wants to be straight, it's his business. Really. Nobody cares. Why would anybody harass him?

How would anybody even know?

When PFOX distributed flyers to the high schools urging tolerance of the ex-gay community, the faculty at multiple schools cooperated with Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) student clubs to oppose our message of tolerance.

A typical example was Winston Churchill High School where GSA students were allowed to place trash cans in the school hallways and carry trash bags labeled “PFOX” to urge all students to trash their ex-gay flyers. The principal, Dr. Joan Benz, stood by the trash cans to ensure that the protest against ex-gays would not be disturbed.

At Wootten High School, a gay teacher and co-sponsor of the school’s GSA club warned PFOX to stay out of the public schools, compared sexual preference to African-Americans’ skin color, and also compared PFOX to the Ku Klux Klan.

OK, they have given two examples of people showing a lack of appreciation for PFOX. None of these acts are against any "ex-gay" person, people just don't like PFOX. That is a b-i-g difference.

For one thing, the acronym "PFOX" doesn't stand for "ex-gay people." That would be "XGP," if you kept the "X" for "ex" like they do. Otherwise it would be "EGP," which is at least almost pronounceable. The people who put out these fliers aren't "ex-gays" themselves. They are supposedly "Parents and Friends" of "ex-gay" people, though both of those words can be questioned.

This discriminatory treatment is not corrected by the curriculum on teaching tolerance for sexual orientation because former homosexuals are not included in the curriculum. Why did the Board approve a curriculum that is supposed to teach respect for diverse sexual orientations when it excludes former homosexuals -- the only sexual orientation that is subject to intolerance by both students and teachers?

We wait for the Maryland State Board of Education to correct the failings of the local board and protect the civil rights of all groups, and not just gays, bisexuals and cross-dressers.”

The fact is, nobody is fooled by this. There is no evidence of anybody ever being harassed for changing from gay to straight. People don't like PFOX because their message is a direct insult to those who are open about their sexual orientation. They say "You can change," but you can't, and you wouldn't want to, if people like PFOX weren't trying to make you feel like there was something wrong with you.

I would like to see where anyone, ever, has reported an actual case of harassment or mistreatment of a person because they were "ex-gay." I don't mean somebody standing on a soapbox preaching about it, I mean a person who changed their sexual identity from gay to straight and then was harassed because of that.

Come on, that's an invitation -- point us to a case of "harassment of ex-gays."

Actually, while we're at it -- can anybody tell me the name of one person who belongs to PFOX who is actually a parent of an "ex-gay" person?