Groups Hand Out Positive Flyers in MCPS
The Montgomery County Public School District quarterly passes out PFOX flyers to students falsely suggesting they can overcome their homosexual feelings and learn to identify as straight people. The Superintendent of schools has said that the flyers are "disgusting and reprehensible," but the schools continue to distribute them to MoCo schoolchildren.
Starting today, a coalition of several prominent groups will be distributing positive flyers in MCPS schools with a message that is scientifically accurate and is in line with the school district's health curriculum.
From a press release issued this morning:
Beginning this morning, PFLAG, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Equality Maryland Foundation will distribute nearly 50,000 flyers in all 25 Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) high schools. The flyer addresses issues raised by dangerous anti-LGBT materials previously circulated to students, and will be distributed to all high school students within MCPS as part of the school system’s flyer distribution program.[1]The flyers provide schools with resources for LGBT students, and also counter misinformation spread by a group known as Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX), which recently distributed flyers in some MCPS high schools asserting that gay people "can seek help and information on overcoming their feelings." The PFOX flyers also urge readers to go to the PFOX website, which directs readers to therapies that purportedly can change one's sexual orientation.[2]“It is vital for young people in Montgomery County to have access to accurate information,” said Christine P. Sun, the director of SPLC’s LGBT rights project. “While spreading this kind of misinformation is dangerous to the well-being of LGBT youth, not having the facts is a threat to all students.”The notion that sexual orientation can be changed has been rejected or highly criticized by every American mainstream medical and mental health professional association.[3]For example, the American Medical Association "opposes the use of ‘reparative’ or ‘conversion’ therapy that is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon a prior assumption that the patient should change his/her homosexual orientation."[4]The mainstream groups “have all taken the position that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus is not something that needs to or can be ‘cured.’” [5]As the American Psychiatric Association explains, the “potential risks of reparative therapy are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior.”[6]“There have been too many stories of suicide arising from such therapies for us to remain silent in the face of the PFOX flyers,” said Patrick Wojahn of the Equality Maryland Foundation.MCPS Superintendent Joshua P. Starr has called the PFOX flyers "disgusting and reprehensible."[7]“We applaud the superintendent’s position. But it is unfortunate that the MCPS health education curriculum does not address this issue, nor does it permit health teachers to convey to students the conclusions of the mainstream medical and mental health professional associations that being gay is not an illness – unless a student specifically asks,” said David S. Fishback, of Metro DC PFLAG. “Fortunately, the Board of Education's Citizens Advisory Committee on Family Life and Human Development and MCPS's health education advisors from the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended the inclusion of this information in the health education curriculum, information that would counter the PFOX canards. We have urged MCPS to adopt these recommendations.”The coalition formed by PFLAG, the SPLC and the Equality Maryland Foundation is distributing flyers with this information so that LGBT students will know they are being supported by the adults in the community, and to fill in the gaps currently existing in the health education curriculum. The absence of such knowledge contributes to bullying.The coalition is working together to expose the dangers of conversion therapy and ensure that all LGBT youth are protected.
posted by JimK at 9:50 PM
7 Comments:
"The Montgomery County Public School District quarterly passes out PFOX flyers to students falsely suggesting they can overcome their homosexual feelings and learn to identify as straight people."
what's false about that?
homosexuals are just as capable of abstaining as heterosexuals and they have a right to self-identify in any way they choose
"The Superintendent of schools has said that the flyers are "disgusting and reprehensible,""
well, if that's his opinion about the opinions of a significant part of our population of parents, he should resign
he's a public servant, not a judge
"but the schools continue to distribute them to MoCo schoolchildren."
at least he obeys the law
"Starting today, a coalition of several prominent groups will be distributing positive flyers in MCPS schools with a message that is scientifically accurate"
the message that PFLAG wants to distribute is an opinion and not a scientific fact
"and is in line with the school district's health curriculum."
not accroding to Davy Fishback who later whines:
“it is unfortunate that the MCPS health education curriculum does not address this issue, nor does it permit health teachers to convey to students the conclusions of the mainstream medical and mental health professional associations that being gay is not an illness – unless a student specifically asks,”
boy, that Davy is a snivelly whiner
it's nice that the lunatic has decided to simply express their own opinion and stopped trying to impede the free speech rights of others
let the conversation begin:
"From a press release issued this morning"
press release from PFLAG not MCPS, that is
"The flyer addresses issues raised by dangerous anti-LGBT materials previously circulated to students,"
and by "dangerous", they mean that they may be conflicted about whether to pursue change
why don't they make the same complaint about every other self-help program?
every life decision involves some degree of stress and psychological discomfort
"“It is vital for young people in Montgomery County to have access to accurate information,” said Christine P. Sun, the director of SPLC’s LGBT rights project. “While spreading this kind of misinformation is dangerous to the well-being of LGBT youth, not having the facts is a threat to all students.”"
again, we're talking opinions, not information about facts
"The notion that sexual orientation can be changed has been rejected or highly criticized by every American mainstream medical and mental health professional association."
if not, they wouldn't qualify as mainstream under PFLAG standards, right?
it's kind of a Catch-22
"For example, the American Medical Association "opposes the use of ‘reparative’ or ‘conversion’ therapy that is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon a prior assumption that the patient should change his/her homosexual orientation.""
if they make such a value judgment, that is an opinion
"As the American Psychiatric Association explains, the “potential risks of reparative therapy are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior.”"
if psychiatrists ran the world, it would be a brave new world
"“There have been too many stories of suicide arising from such therapies for us to remain silent in the face of the PFOX flyers,” said Patrick Wojahn of the Equality Maryland Foundation."
yeah right, how about all the suicides among people who can't help being alcoholics and are made to feel bad about it by AA?
"The absence of such knowledge contributes to bullying."
bullshit
or should I say bullycrap?
"The coalition is working together to expose the dangers of conversion therapy and ensure that all LGBT youth are protected."
how about protecting ex-gays from the psycholgical damage done by lunatic fringe groups claiming they don't exist and are lying?
WaPo has the story too
Gay-rights groups ‘flier back’ against anti-gay leaflets in Montgomery schools
boooring!
The term “ex-gay” implies heterosexuality, and by extension, that sexual attraction, in-and-of-itself, is a matter of choice -- a meme designed purposefully to mislead the public into thinking that LGBT persons do not deserve legal protections. Ergo, lie.
Any “psychological damage” done by pointing out this fact is of their own making.
The term sexual orientation implies that homosexuality, and by extension, sexual attraction, in-and-of-itself, is not a matter of preference -- a meme designed purposefully to mislead the public into thinking that LGBT persons do not deserve the right to change their mind. Ergo, a cult.
Any “social damage” done by pointing out this fact is of their own making.
When did you choose to be heterosexual?
Post a Comment
<< Home