In the stillness of the night, what does a homosexual activist believe in now?

The record is clear. Two-thirds to three fourths of voters in at least 13 states this year chose to keep marriage traditional. They don't accept the "equality" of homosexual behavior with the lawful union of a man and a woman.

Those Americans who receive a paycheck from the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the American Civil Liberties Union or any other national or local homosexual rights group, may have always wondered, but now they know: They are dealing with formidable opposition.

In the kitschy cafes of Manhattan, or the trendy bars in Dupont Circle, or on Ivy League campuses, or in Episcopal churches in greater Boston, it may have seemed you were in the mainstream, Mr. or Ms. Activist, but it is now clear. You are not. You are far, far out of touch with real America, and so are your claims and assertions.

Do all these people actually "hate" you? Or are they stupid? Can you continue to say with sincerity that your Aunt Trish and Uncle Bob from Kalamazoo are the kind of dimwitted homophobes who will perpetrate hate crimes on the innocent homosexual? That their simple belief in the goodness of males and females as married people is a genuine threat to your survival?

Can you look yourself in the mirror and not realize that you are the face of the very power and oppression that you claim to be fighting against?

I know that not every activist believes what their organizations say. These groups make outrageous demands, maintain positions based on falsehood, and expect people to buy it. Some, of course, do. But many, many Americans see right through it. They know that people are not born this way, that the behaviors are risky, and that the dysfunction often goes beyond sex. They know that vulnerable youngsters are experimenting with same-sex peers as we accelerate the promotion of homosexuality.

They read the AIDS and sexually transmitted disease statistics, and are learning the truth about "gay" bathhouse behavior. They know about the quickie liaisons in public parks all over this country. They can see the hideous face behind the mask of "equality" and they know that our children are the ones most at risk.

I know that somewhere, there are "gay" activists who have their doubts. Who really do care about kids, and whose hearts break at the thought of child sexual abuse and exploitation. And they know that this movement is enabling it.

Last week, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force met in St. Louis for their conference, "Creating Change," with workshops on "civil rights" for not only adult homosexuals, but adolescents. Workshops were also held by the bisexual caucus, the leather caucus, and those who advocate polyamory – sexual relationships among three or more people. The "genderqueer" caucus had a voice as, of course, did the transgendered – those who want to be the opposite sex. Whether it involves cross-dressing, hormones or surgery, it is claimed to be a "right" for teens as well as adults. Some groups say it's a right for children as well.

Is there any "gay" activist out there ready to quit this nonsense? There must be some who can step back, be objective and say, "You know, the majority of Americans may be correct. This stuff is awful." Is there any among them who can see how demeaning it is to every person who works for such "justice"? In their hearts and often quick intellects, can any among them finally connect the dots and see how this is not progress for our culture, but regress into barbarism?

I've debated a number of homosexual activists, and there are several for whom I had an immediate affinity. They may have secretly despised me and all I stand for, but outwardly we were able to relate as civil humans, chatting about homes, family, traffic, etc. And it must be that way for these folks throughout their lives as Americans, with neighbors, aunts, checkout clerks, cab drivers. Because the vast majority of Americans, even us conservative Christians, treat even those we know are involved in homosexuality with politeness.

And most "gay" activists know this. They know we are not the enemy. It is not us they are fighting, but the truth of God in their hearts, and all that acknowledgement of Him would do to their carefully crafted lives built on deception.

Humans all have a tendency to retreat to the familiar and the easy, even if it's painful and flawed, even if we know that change is a choice we do have. Alcoholics drink until terminal damage is done. The abused wife returns to the abuser. It's a lot of work to change, and the transition can mean loneliness, hardship and regret. Those who've left homosexuality say they did so with difficulty, having to unlearn habits of response and redirect emotions. It can't start without first, a different frame of mind.

Most of us are not fortunate enough to have Christ confront us directly as He did Paul on the road to Damascus. "Why are you persecuting Me?" Christ asked Paul in a vision. "I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting. It is hard to kick against the goads." And so Saul, the accessory to murder, became Paul, the greatest apostle. It started with a profound confrontation with truth, and deep repentance before the One he was really fighting.

When and if any should want to come before Him, no matter what they've done, He will forgive and repair. That miracle is open to all, without exclusion.

Won't you at HRC, NGLTF, GLAAD and the ACLU come and find the love and peace you've always wanted, now, in the real Christ?

Linda Harvey is president of Mission America, a pro-family organization which monitors homosexual activism in youth culture.