Kevin Jennings - GLBT Ground-Breaker
Oct. 31st, 2009 10:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wwcitizenKevin Jennings is the ground breaker who founded GLSEN in 1990 and was appointed by Obama as the "Education Czar" in 2009. The Right Wing HATES this guy because he's not a Christian and he's battling (uphill in the snow both ways) to make sure that schools have anti-bullying standards. The Right Wing has launched a broadening smear campaign against Kevin Jennings. I think Jennings' work is commendable. He's gay, he's forward-thinking, he's against gay bashing, and he's scaring the crap out of Republicans. YAY!
My father forwarded me a note yesterday that contained references to Kevin Jennings and Mr. Jennings' efforts - spewing with overblown statements and misguided judgments. Part of me got perturbed about getting such an email - especially from my dad - but he's 85 and simply forwards sensationalistic things around, which he thinks will incite someone to do "something" - right or wrong. Whereas I don't believe 5/6ths of what the email says (and rightly so, because it is a lot of fear mongering - "The Sky Is Falling!"), the email got me to research and find out about Kevin Jennings, which is GREAT! He's an interesting guy.
As I looked him up online, I came across a myriad of ultra-conservative, Fox-News-loving websites that projected so much hatred toward the gay community because of "our agenda". "Our agenda" is equality. "Our agenda" pushes against all hatred and hopes for a world where little girls aren't ostracized because they like other little girls and boys aren't beaten up on the corner of the playground because they like other boys. "Our agenda" promotes understanding that we're not queer by choice; who would choose to be outcasts and hated?? People choose all the time to fight against who they really are, deep down inside (e.g. Larry Craig, Jim McGreevy, etc.) and live lives that destroy others' lives because they're not living honestly and following their souls' truth.
These uncovered sites include (be aware that there are a lot of lies and hatred on these sites; if you're not ready for it, don't read much on them. It's important to understand where the "other side of the issues" is coming from):
The American Thinker (headed up solely by men)
Liberty Action
Atlas Shrugs
Saving Common Sense (another unsubstantiated claim against Kevin Jennings)
Sadly, I even found a posting on an AARP site about the whole thing from this email already. When all the truth comes out about the reality behind the lies, I hope that these people have enough dignity and integrity to issue apologies. But, then again, the Right Wing never apologizes for hateful things they do or spreading biased lies and sensationalism.
Here's the email I received (sorry it's so long, but it's behind the cut for those who don't want to read it):
Subject: Jennings calls for 'queering' elementary schools
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel
Sara,
Thanks again for signing Liberty Counsel's petition calling for the removal of Kevin Jennings, President Obama's appointee as "Safe Schools Czar." Thanks to you, we are already half way to our initial goal of 25,000 signers. But with each passing day, we learn more outrageous facts about his sordid past and radical ties.
For example, his homosexual "partner" states that Jennings was a leading member of Act Up, a militant homosexual group that invaded St. Patrick's Cathedral during a Mass in 1989 (I am posting the link to this because none of these emails or sites are looking for the information sources!!), harassing the congregation and desecrating the Sacraments. Act Up was responsible for many other outrages, including throwing the ashes of dead AIDS victims onto the White House lawn (ACT UP was the leader in global AIDS activism in the 1980's - because NO ONE ELSE was doing anything about it while our friends died).
Jennings also wrote the forward to a book entitled, "Queering Elementary Education" which boldly calls for pushing the homosexual agenda in the earliest grades. I've included my original message below. This is an URGENT request: Please forward this to your friends and ask them to join you in signing. Thanks and God bless you.
Mat
______________________________________
Kevin Jennings isn't a household name, but we've been watching his actions very closely. The reason is that Jennings poses a severe threat to our Nation's school children, yet he is President Obama's choice for "Safe Schools Czar"!
Let me be absolutely clear: Kevin Jennings is unfit to serve in ANY position related to our public schools. Recently, over 50 Congressmen formally demanded that President Obama remove Jennings from his post. Here's what motivated this unusually strong action...
The congressional letter states, "As the founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Mr. Jennings has played an integral role in promoting homosexuality and pushing a pro-homosexual agenda in America's schools-an agenda that runs counter to the values that many parents desire to instill in their children."
You can read the full letter here:
http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?u=22455&PID=22583515
"Safe Schools" will mean "Pro-Homosexual Schools". Jennings' intent is to use his platform as Safe Schools Czar to aggressively promote -- and even celebrate -- homosexuality in our schools. He is an outspoken proponent of a radical pro-homosexual curriculum, including so-called "diversity" training at the elementary school level! This is deplorable. It is not to be tolerated! On top of his unacceptable, strident stand on the homosexual agenda, Jennings has even admitted to the use of illicit drugs, showing no signs of remorse. This man is totally unqualified to serve as a policymaker and role model in the Department of Education!
Tell the President: "Jennings is unsafe! Dismiss him now!" I'm asking you to stand with me on behalf of our Nation's school children. Join me, along with many congressional leaders and tens of thousands of outraged citizens, in demanding that the President dismiss Kevin Jennings from his post at once.
I want to rally at least 25,000 signers in the next two weeks so we can send a very strong message in support of the growing call to remove Jennings.
Liberty Counsel fights in courtrooms across America to protect our faith and family values. Appointments like that of Kevin Jennings only increase the attacks we must deal with in court.
And each day Kevin Jennings is in office, the platform for radical homosexual activism in our culture will expand. We must take action now!
Thank you for taking a stand, and may God richly bless you.
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
P.S. We believe that Kevin Jennings' history of radical homosexual activism and his deplorable personal ethics make him totally unacceptable as a role model and policy maker in our Nation's Department of Education. Join us as we urge President Obama to remove Kevin Jennings from his appointed post immediately!
Note: Please do not "reply" directly to this e-mail message. This e-mail address is not designed to receive your personal messages. To contact Liberty Counsel with comments, questions or to change your status, see the link at the end of this e-mail.)
Comments? Questions?
http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=22454&CID=308&RID=22583515
Liberty Counsel, with offices in Florida, Virginia and Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family. Liberty Counsel . PO Box 540774 . Orlando, FL 32854 . 800-671-1776
In order to be taken seriously by truly thinking folks, it would help the Right Wing's cause to find the reasons behind the things these folks do. Do an ounce of fact checking. People don't just get up out of bed and think, "Oh, I want to collect my friends ashes and spread them on the White House lawn today. I think they would have appreciated that!" Why did those folks do that? Because when no one listens to you speaking, your actions have to speak louder! "Actions speak louder than words" - so true!!!
Kevin Jennings (growing up in Winston-Salem, NC) must have been bullied in elementary school because he was "different" or "a fag", as I was. He must want other children not to have to face those kinds of ordeals and hope for safer schools for children, as I do. Schools where kids can attend classes without the fear of getting beaten up by kids whose parents foster homophobic fears. Homophobia, much like racism, is taught; it's not inborn. Kevin Jennings is combating that where others fear to do so.
My father forwarded me a note yesterday that contained references to Kevin Jennings and Mr. Jennings' efforts - spewing with overblown statements and misguided judgments. Part of me got perturbed about getting such an email - especially from my dad - but he's 85 and simply forwards sensationalistic things around, which he thinks will incite someone to do "something" - right or wrong. Whereas I don't believe 5/6ths of what the email says (and rightly so, because it is a lot of fear mongering - "The Sky Is Falling!"), the email got me to research and find out about Kevin Jennings, which is GREAT! He's an interesting guy.
As I looked him up online, I came across a myriad of ultra-conservative, Fox-News-loving websites that projected so much hatred toward the gay community because of "our agenda". "Our agenda" is equality. "Our agenda" pushes against all hatred and hopes for a world where little girls aren't ostracized because they like other little girls and boys aren't beaten up on the corner of the playground because they like other boys. "Our agenda" promotes understanding that we're not queer by choice; who would choose to be outcasts and hated?? People choose all the time to fight against who they really are, deep down inside (e.g. Larry Craig, Jim McGreevy, etc.) and live lives that destroy others' lives because they're not living honestly and following their souls' truth.
These uncovered sites include (be aware that there are a lot of lies and hatred on these sites; if you're not ready for it, don't read much on them. It's important to understand where the "other side of the issues" is coming from):
The American Thinker (headed up solely by men)
Liberty Action
Atlas Shrugs
Saving Common Sense (another unsubstantiated claim against Kevin Jennings)
Sadly, I even found a posting on an AARP site about the whole thing from this email already. When all the truth comes out about the reality behind the lies, I hope that these people have enough dignity and integrity to issue apologies. But, then again, the Right Wing never apologizes for hateful things they do or spreading biased lies and sensationalism.
Here's the email I received (sorry it's so long, but it's behind the cut for those who don't want to read it):
Subject: Jennings calls for 'queering' elementary schools
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel
Sara,
Thanks again for signing Liberty Counsel's petition calling for the removal of Kevin Jennings, President Obama's appointee as "Safe Schools Czar." Thanks to you, we are already half way to our initial goal of 25,000 signers. But with each passing day, we learn more outrageous facts about his sordid past and radical ties.
For example, his homosexual "partner" states that Jennings was a leading member of Act Up, a militant homosexual group that invaded St. Patrick's Cathedral during a Mass in 1989 (I am posting the link to this because none of these emails or sites are looking for the information sources!!), harassing the congregation and desecrating the Sacraments. Act Up was responsible for many other outrages, including throwing the ashes of dead AIDS victims onto the White House lawn (ACT UP was the leader in global AIDS activism in the 1980's - because NO ONE ELSE was doing anything about it while our friends died).
Jennings also wrote the forward to a book entitled, "Queering Elementary Education" which boldly calls for pushing the homosexual agenda in the earliest grades. I've included my original message below. This is an URGENT request: Please forward this to your friends and ask them to join you in signing. Thanks and God bless you.
Mat
______________________________________
Kevin Jennings isn't a household name, but we've been watching his actions very closely. The reason is that Jennings poses a severe threat to our Nation's school children, yet he is President Obama's choice for "Safe Schools Czar"!
Let me be absolutely clear: Kevin Jennings is unfit to serve in ANY position related to our public schools. Recently, over 50 Congressmen formally demanded that President Obama remove Jennings from his post. Here's what motivated this unusually strong action...
The congressional letter states, "As the founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Mr. Jennings has played an integral role in promoting homosexuality and pushing a pro-homosexual agenda in America's schools-an agenda that runs counter to the values that many parents desire to instill in their children."
You can read the full letter here:
http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?u=22455&PID=22583515
"Safe Schools" will mean "Pro-Homosexual Schools". Jennings' intent is to use his platform as Safe Schools Czar to aggressively promote -- and even celebrate -- homosexuality in our schools. He is an outspoken proponent of a radical pro-homosexual curriculum, including so-called "diversity" training at the elementary school level! This is deplorable. It is not to be tolerated! On top of his unacceptable, strident stand on the homosexual agenda, Jennings has even admitted to the use of illicit drugs, showing no signs of remorse. This man is totally unqualified to serve as a policymaker and role model in the Department of Education!
Tell the President: "Jennings is unsafe! Dismiss him now!" I'm asking you to stand with me on behalf of our Nation's school children. Join me, along with many congressional leaders and tens of thousands of outraged citizens, in demanding that the President dismiss Kevin Jennings from his post at once.
I want to rally at least 25,000 signers in the next two weeks so we can send a very strong message in support of the growing call to remove Jennings.
Liberty Counsel fights in courtrooms across America to protect our faith and family values. Appointments like that of Kevin Jennings only increase the attacks we must deal with in court.
And each day Kevin Jennings is in office, the platform for radical homosexual activism in our culture will expand. We must take action now!
Thank you for taking a stand, and may God richly bless you.
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
P.S. We believe that Kevin Jennings' history of radical homosexual activism and his deplorable personal ethics make him totally unacceptable as a role model and policy maker in our Nation's Department of Education. Join us as we urge President Obama to remove Kevin Jennings from his appointed post immediately!
Note: Please do not "reply" directly to this e-mail message. This e-mail address is not designed to receive your personal messages. To contact Liberty Counsel with comments, questions or to change your status, see the link at the end of this e-mail.)
Comments? Questions?
http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=22454&CID=308&RID=22583515
Liberty Counsel, with offices in Florida, Virginia and Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family. Liberty Counsel . PO Box 540774 . Orlando, FL 32854 . 800-671-1776
In order to be taken seriously by truly thinking folks, it would help the Right Wing's cause to find the reasons behind the things these folks do. Do an ounce of fact checking. People don't just get up out of bed and think, "Oh, I want to collect my friends ashes and spread them on the White House lawn today. I think they would have appreciated that!" Why did those folks do that? Because when no one listens to you speaking, your actions have to speak louder! "Actions speak louder than words" - so true!!!
Kevin Jennings (growing up in Winston-Salem, NC) must have been bullied in elementary school because he was "different" or "a fag", as I was. He must want other children not to have to face those kinds of ordeals and hope for safer schools for children, as I do. Schools where kids can attend classes without the fear of getting beaten up by kids whose parents foster homophobic fears. Homophobia, much like racism, is taught; it's not inborn. Kevin Jennings is combating that where others fear to do so.
