April 25th Day of Silence for Gay-Straight Alliances

[blessedtoo]

And also, the Gay Straight Alliance doesn’t make people gay or say you should be gay if you’re not.

What the Gay Straight Alliance, and all the other activist gay groups do, is say that you should ACT on your orientation, that homosexual acts are the moral equivalent of heterosexual acts. Not one Catholic here is going to argue that BEING gay is a sin, or that those with this orientation should not be treated equally with all others.

But a confused teenager has an orientation - they just don’t know it yet. It can’t be swayed

Ill-informed assertion. ALL teenagers are cofused about their sexuality. They are awash in a hormonal tsunami. Many kids find themselves conflicted by NORMAL feelings that they may have for members of their same sex. Forty years ago, when I was a youngin’, such feelings would not have been encouraged and most children emerged from adolescence with normal heterosexual inclinations. Today, if a boy has “conflicted” feelings for another boy, or has a “bi-curiosity” (a term coined by the homosexual activists), he can absolutely be swayed into ACTING on his feelings by groups like the GSA.

something I had known about since I was 5 - that I realized nothing could overcome.

Sorry. This is just impossible. A five year old can not “know” they are “gay”.

but Stephen Bennet was clearly not happy being homosexual, as many are.
A generation ago there were no GSA’s in schools - yet there were no less gay people…so there you have it

Your fond of making sweeping statements without backing them up with proof.

Do you know Stephen Bennet? Do you know what the stats are for depression, suicide, drug addiction, alcoholism, STD’s, and mortality are for the homosexual community?
Do you have stats to back up your claim that a “generation ago there were no less gay people”? Many of us belong to that “generation long ago” and can testify that there were NOT as many gay people.

a gay person could never sleep with men and get married to a woman and all that, but they would stull be gay.

It is quite possible that before homosexuality rose from the ranks of sin and immorality to the heights of complete acceptability that many actually did get married and tried to live a normal life. Their reward will be in heaven.

I’m sure all gays would agree that their life would be eaiser as straight - that’s my point - if these reparative therapies definately worked, everyone would be doing them.

Again, sweeping statement. Again, wrong. Do a tiny bit of research about how the homosexual community views the possibility of changing their orientation. What if the elusive gay “gene” is found? It may currently be science fiction, but as the notion of designer babies gains popularity, parents may want to have that corrected before birth. The gay community has already expressed outrage over that scenario. Why? If life would be easier for them as heterosexuals, why would they object?

but this is also a very accepting area - which I think goes to show that much of the promiscuity and other problems are caused by rejection and persecution by society at one point or another

Really? I live in a city that has the second largest gay population in the country. Everyone I knew from my former life was unhappy. Beyond my own personal experience, I’d like to know how happy is this group of people that exerts so much effort, time, anger and rage at attempting to tear down everything that smacks of traditional values? Look into the early feminist movement and the leaders of the homosexual rights movement. You may be surprised by what you find.

 

[East_and_West]

Men have a taming effect on me - and women certainly don’t. Coming from the purely emotional side of things - while I have never been with a man, I can say there have been some that have made me feel complete - even one or 2 I was completely in love with - but never any of this with a woman.

I was totally in love with my boyfriend of two years. Never felt that with a woman.But that did not tame me. When I was with him I did things I would never have done with a woman.

 

[buffalo]

And to buffalo - I know about natural law and all that - duh - Part a fits into part B by nature yeah - but some people are just gay…it happens- if we always abided by natural law there would be no medical intervention.

Some people have a weakness for pedophilia. It just happens.

 

[Maxply]

I agree that women have a “taming” effect on men, for better or worse, usually, truth be known, for the better. Fewer fights, less drinking, etc.! At least that’s been my experience.

I also agree that there’s USUALLY (I won’t say always; it’s too easy to overstate things) the homosexuals I’ve met have been:

-narcissistic and vain
-exploitative of persons around them
-frequently manipulative of others
-openly disrespectful toward any kind of social restraint/morals/mores; not just sexual restraint imposed by society
-disrespectful toward government and toward organized religion
-some I have met look down at the notion of women’s equal personhood.

I know I’ll get killed for summing all this up with this notion, but to me, a lot of homosexual men I’ve met have appeared childish as a result. VERY self-centered. This is a stark contrast to the situation faced by married men, where, like it or not, you have to be less and less selfish: you have to do and do for your family, your wife, your kids, your neighbors. There are a lot of guys who are Little League coaches or scoutmasters, who really would rather not be wasting a weekend that way, but would rather be golfing or reading, for instance.

 

[East_and_West]

I agree that women have a “taming” effect on men, for better or worse, usually, truth be known, for the better. Fewer fights, less drinking, etc.! At least that’s been my experience.

I also agree that there’s USUALLY (I won’t say always; it’s too easy to overstate things) the homosexuals I’ve met have been:

-narcissistic and vain
-exploitative of persons around them
-frequently manipulative of others
-openly disrespectful toward any kind of social restraint/morals/mores; not just sexual restraint imposed by society
-disrespectful toward government and toward organized religion
-some I have met look down at the notion of women’s equal personhood.

I know I’ll get killed for summing all this up with this notion, but to me, a lot of homosexual men I’ve met have appeared childish as a result. VERY self-centered. This is a stark contrast to the situation faced by married men, where, like it or not, you have to be less and less selfish: you have to do and do for your family, your wife, your kids, your neighbors. There are a lot of guys who are Little League coaches or scoutmasters, who really would rather not be wasting a weekend that way, but would rather be golfing or reading, for instance.

AMEN!!! One of the reasons that I don’t participate in the Gay life style is that I don’t want to be all of those negative things you listed. I am hoping that as I distance myself from all of the chilsihness I will develop a healthy sexual attraction to women.

 

[peduzzi89]

“What the Gay Straight Alliance, and all the other activist gay groups do, is say that you should ACT on your orientation, that homosexual acts are the moral equivalent of heterosexual acts. Not one Catholic here is going to argue that BEING gay is a sin, or that those with this orientation should not be treated equally with all others.”

The day of slince isn’t making people join the gay straight allience, so if you don’t agree with what it does, don’t let your kinds join.

“Ill-informed assertion. ALL teenagers are cofused about their sexuality. They are awash in a hormonal tsunami. Many kids find themselves conflicted by NORMAL feelings that they may have for members of their same sex. Forty years ago, when I was a youngin’, such feelings would not have been encouraged and most children emerged from adolescence with normal heterosexual inclinations. Today, if a boy has “conflicted” feelings for another boy, or has a “bi-curiosity” (a term coined by the homosexual activists), he can absolutely be swayed into ACTING on his feelings by groups like the GSA.”

I was raised catholic, and homosexual behavior was ALWAYS discouraged at ALL times. I even dated a girl for 2 years that I thought I loved - but oops I still turned out gay. Sorry, it doesn’t work like that.

“Sorry. This is just impossible. A five year old can not “know” they are “gay”.”

WAY crossing the line. No one, NO ONE can even being to tell me what I know, feel, or when I feel it. If it makes you feel better, I didn’t attatch a label to it until I was 8 - but I knew what sex and marriage and all that were when I was 5, and I knew that while most people were attracted to the opposite sex, I was attracted to the same sex. Don’t tell me what I feel.

“Do you know Stephen Bennet? Do you know what the stats are for depression, suicide, drug addiction, alcoholism, STD’s, and mortality are for the homosexual community?
Do you have stats to back up your claim that a “generation ago there were no less gay people”? Many of us belong to that “generation long ago” and can testify that there were NOT as many gay people.”

I have read up on Stephen Bennet - and per his own testimony on his website, he was not satisfied being gay. But most gays are - that was my point. And I think what you are referring to as gay people and what I am referring to as gay people are not the same. I am talking about anyone who is attracted to the same sex - before it was more accepted in society, many of them got married and did all that “normal” stuff. So, yeah there were less people who were “out” if that’s what you mean.

Oh and I think one of my statements earlier was ambiguous - What I meant was that if you are attracted to men, but still get married and live a lie to yourself, you are still homosexual - that is not changing.

I’m not trying to change your morals! Or make you believe something you don’t wanna believe! That is in fact what you are doing to me - you think you’re belief should dictate my rights. Wrong.

To East and West:
That’s great for you, but not the rule. Men have a taming affect on me. I am the opposite - I have never had a boyfriend - never even held a man’s hand. I dated a woman for 2 years, thought I loved her - but it just didn’t work. On the contrary, just being around certain men has a calming, taming effect on me, even not ever having dated one.

To buffalo:
Pedophilia harms innocent children and takes advantage of an adults authority over a child. Not a useful argument when talking about 2 consenting homosexual adults.

 

[peduzzi89]

As I said in another thread - what you guys are referring to is the stereotypical gay lifestyle. It is in the media a lot and you see it all the time, because they are the ones who make noise. But there are plenty of gays like myself out there who are conservative, discrete, tasteful, prubent, happy, and NOT promiscuous.

 

[buffalo]

"

To buffalo:
Pedophilia harms innocent children and takes advantage of an adults authority over a child. Not a useful argument when talking about 2 consenting homosexual adults.

I was speaking of the tendency, the orientation. By most “gay” arguments sexual orientation is the issue. That’s where you push that civil rights are being denied gays.

 

[peduzzi89]

Yeah but nobody is advocating rights for pedophilia for that reason - it harms and infringes on the rights of other people. If I were to get married to a man it would not infringe on any of your legal rights - or anyone else’s.

 

[buffalo]

Yeah but nobody is advocating rights for pedophilia for that reason - it harms and infringes on the rights of other people. If I were to get married to a man it would not infringe on any of your legal rights - or anyone else’s.

Who decided that this behavior is harmful?

 

[He_Man]

Well you couldn’t really define it so cleanly that way - but they shouldn’t take away the day because of religious objections. The point of the day is to try to promote tolerance and acceptance in people who don’t know much about homosexuality and to create openmindedness - if that’s not gonna happen for you, oh well. Nobody’s gonna tell you what to believe or not to believe.

I assume you also support a day of acceptance for liquor and pornography. They are both legal, after all.

Is this correct? If not, why not?

 

[blessedtoo]

peduzzi,
Your emotionalism makes me think you are young. Because of that, I will grant that you may THINK and FEEL that all these assertions (some of the quite wild) are TRUE, but some simply are not. I understand that at five years of age you may not have felt “the same” as everyone else about yourself. But if you are insisting that a five year old can comprehend the meaning of human sexuality and marriage, then I would say you are on the verge of some revolutionary scientific breakthrough.

You’ve stormed the CAF boards claiming that you want open discussion, stating you are a Catholic who is gay, out, and happy about that. You make sweeping statements about homosexuality (and some individuals) without ever giving any proof to back your assertions up. When you are challenged, you accuse US of forcing our beliefs on you. That’s rather silly, wouldn’t you say? Is it open dialogue you want or not? If your position is correct, you should be able to defend it, without resorting to anecdotal “evidence” and personal experiences. And, as an aside, many of us here (like myself and East and West) have lived the homosexual lifestyle and speak with some frame of reference that can not be dismissed out of hand. As suggested before, a quick search of the threads here would likely answer any question you could imagine. This topic has been discussed ad nauseam.

You can start here:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=151591

 

[East_and_West]

But there are plenty of gays like myself out there who are conservative, discrete, tasteful, prubent, happy, and NOT promiscuous.

I think you and me made up the entire population of Gays that you describe here. In all seriousness, what you are talking about is really, really rare. Certainly not the norm amongst gay men. The interesting thing is that the few that are like that tend to be the ones who actually struggle with their sexuality and whether or not they are pleasing God. They attempt to integrate both homosexuality and the faith into their lives and often find it impossible. Some reject the gay life and return to the orthodox Catholic/Christian faith. The others end up rejecting their faith and become the gay stereotype.

 

[Swan]

There seems to be some confusion about what the Day of Silence is all about. It was started in response to the murder of a gay teenager as a protest about the verbal and physical violence perpetrated on these kids which often goes unreported and unpunished. We may disagree on the sins of gays but surely we can agree that they should not be the victims of violence because of their sexual orientation. This is just wrong. Unfortunatly, there are folks out there who feel that punishing the “sinner” is well and good. That’s where the teaching for tolerance comes in. This event is happening in the schools because that is where the violence is happening.

From the website:

dayofsilence.org/content/news.html

*This year’s National Day of Silence on April 25 will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old California student who was shot and killed at school in February by a 14-year-old classmate because of King’s sexual orientation and gender expression.

The Day of Silence is held by students every year to bring attention to anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) name-calling, bullying and harassment. The senseless tragedy at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, Calif., brings even more meaning to a day that has brought hope to millions of students.

Hundreds of thousands of students are expected to participate by taking some form of a vow of silence for the entire day or part of it. Their efforts will be supported by hundreds of community-based “Breaking the Silence” events at the end of the day. Together, concerned students will create a powerful call to action in order to prevent future tragedies.

Students hand out speaking cards during the Day of Silence that read:

“Silent for Lawrence King:
Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment. This year’s DOS is held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15 year-old student who was killed in school because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today.”

There are simple steps that all schools can take to make schools safer for all students and to end the endemic name-calling and harassment that LGBT students and their allies face every day. We need to act now so that Lawrence King and the countless others who endure anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment will not be forgotten, and so that we can create an enduring legacy of safer schools for all in their names.

GLSEN’s 2005 National School Climate Survey found that four out of five LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 29% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. The Day of Silence is one way students and their allies are making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’s schools. *

 

[He_Man]

A day to promote a Christian attitude of love for all mankind and an end to harrassment is great, as long as it doesn’t morph into promoting whatever the brunt of the harrassment was to begin with.

No one can in good faith support cruel treatment of other humans, even when disagreeing fundamentally on an issue, behavior, or lifestyle.

 

[Dale_M]

A day to promote a Christian attitude of love for all mankind and an end to harrassment is great, as long as it doesn’t morph into promoting whatever the brunt of the harrassment was to begin with.

I’m not quite sure what you are saying. Could you re-state it?

 

[gam197]

originally posted by Swan
5th Day of Silence for Gay-Straight Alliances
There seems to be some confusion about what the Day of Silence is all about. It was started in response to the murder of a gay teenager as a protest about the verbal and physical violence perpetrated on these kids which often goes unreported and unpunished. We may disagree on the sins of gays but surely we can agree that they should not be the victims of violence because of their sexual orientation. This is just wrong. Unfortunatly, there are folks out there who feel that punishing the “sinner” is well and good. That’s where the teaching for tolerance comes in. This event is happening in the schools because that is where the violence is happening.

From the website:

dayofsilence.org/content/news.html

This year’s National Day of Silence on April 25 will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old California student who was shot and killed at school in February by a 14-year-old classmate because of King’s sexual orientation and gender expression.

The Day of Silence is held by students every year to bring attention to anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) name-calling, bullying and harassment. The senseless tragedy at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, Calif., brings even more meaning to a day that has brought hope to millions of students.

Hundreds of thousands of students are expected to participate by taking some form of a vow of silence for the entire day or part of it. Their efforts will be supported by hundreds of community-based “Breaking the Silence” events at the end of the day. Together, concerned students will create a powerful call to action in order to prevent future tragedies.

Students hand out speaking cards during the Day of Silence that read:

“Silent for Lawrence King:
Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment. This year’s DOS is held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15 year-old student who was killed in school because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today.”

There are simple steps that all schools can take to make schools safer for all students and to end the endemic name-calling and harassment that LGBT students and their allies face every day. We need to act now so that Lawrence King and the countless others who endure anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment will not be forgotten, and so that we can create an enduring legacy of safer schools for all in their names.

GLSEN’s 2005 National School Climate Survey found that four out of five LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 29% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. The Day of Silence is one way students and their allies are making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America’s schools.

“Day of Silence” began in 1996 in high schools and now they are expanding to junior high schools. It is an agenda driven format at 4000 schools.

massresistance.org/docs/downloads/glsen_2008/GLSEN_Conf_Program.pdf. Here is the Conference book from the March 29, 2008 youth conference (14-16 year olds) held in Boston.

 

[sarah_anne_628]

the problem is the new definition of tolerance is acceptance, I have no problem with tolerance but I am not going to accept homosexuality as anything other than gravely disordered.

Amen. Amen.

 

[sarah_anne_628]

what they are doing goes way beyond simply having guidelines for tolerance, it is advocacy.

when you move from simply having a tolerance policy to having a special day of observation it has turned into an advocacy movement.

Once again, Amen.

 

[sarah_anne_628]

You know, every single gay person I know is unstable, unhealthy, promiscuous, vain, over sexed and vain. I say this, again, as a man who has lived the gay life style before. I that this is pretty much the universal experience.

Well, I wouldn’t go that far…but what I can say about homosexuals with a degree of certainty is that I have NEVER met a gay person who has not had some sort of issue growing up…often sexual abuse, but not always.