A team of legal experts at the United States Justice Foundation is calling on the U.S. government to quit discriminating based on sexual orientation.
They have sent a letter to Kevin Fenton of the National Center for HIV/AIDS in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was written on behalf of PFOX, Parents and Friends of ExGays and Gays, which pointedly noted that the groups and resources cited by the federal government fall short of a scientific standard.
“How do these links ‘meet scientific standards supported by published, evidence-based studies,’ as the CDC claims?” asked Regina Griggs, PFOX’s executive director.
The letter explains that the CDC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health Youth Sources website links to homosexual activist organizations and homosexual resources. It also includes links to sites that “warn others against the use of therapy for diminishing unwanted same-sex attractions.”
For example, it links to the GSANetwork, which is described as “empowering youth activists to fight homophobia and transphobia in schools” as well as “campaigns to …. empower youth activists to create changes that will transform schools.”
“The website also contains links to anti-heterosexual publications and organizations, such as PFLAG, which openly denigrates former homosexuals, and the infamous anti-ex-gay publication ‘Just the Facts,’ which advocates against Christian ex-gay ministries and lists only those religious organizations that affirm homosexual behavior,” the letter says.
“Why is the federal government spreading intolerance against the ex-gay community and Christians who support the religious testimony of former homosexuals?” the letter asks. “The promotion of these negative anti-heterosexual comments spreads hate towards the ex-gay community. Is the federal government singling out a certain class of people to denigrate?”
The letter also takes issue with the government’s links to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “which creates unsafe communities by promoting intolerance against the ex-gay community and actively targeting Christian organizations who disagree with their political beliefs.”
“We do not see how these and other links ‘meet scientific standards supported by published, evidence-based studies,’ as you also claim. Fore example, your link to ‘Trevor Space: News and Networking’ describes itself as ‘a social networking site for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth ages 13 through 24.'”
The facts, the letter contends, are quite different.
“Research shows that far from being fixed, adolescent sexuality is quite fluid – not only with respect to sexual conduct but with respect to underlying sexual attractions as well. For example, the largest and most comprehensive data set on adolescent health and sexuality is the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health … Ritch Savin-Williams of Cornell University, a homosexual who is probably the nation’s leading researcher on gay youth, reported this finding: ‘[Of] boys who indicated that they had exclusive same-sex romantic attraction, only 11 percent reported exclusive same-sex attraction 1 year later; 48 percent reported only opposite-sex attraction, 35 percent reported no attraction to either sex, and six percent reported attraction to both sexes,'” said the letter.
“The CDC’s current list of links results in ex-gay bashing, does not provide complete factual information to youth and their parents, and sends the wrong message that unpopular sexual minorities like former homosexuals are not entitled to protection or respect,” said the letter, signed by Senior Staff Attorney Nathaniel Oleson.
“By copy of this letter, we are sending our concerns to President Obama and asking his administration to intervene.”
PFOX noted that the government has spent $100,000 encouraging school children to become “youth activists” for homosexuality.
“Why is the federal government spreading intolerance against the ex-gay community and Christians who support the religious testimony of former homosexuals?” questioned Griggs.
