Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) appears to have played a key role in organizing the caucus, but its current role in the caucus is unclear.
As past XGW messages indicate, PFOX has lobbied in favor of discrimination against gays and opposed antibullying programs in schools. Until last year, its webmaster (operating under the pen name “Burning Black Triangle”) also operated a personal web site that parodied old gay-revolutionary literature by advocating death to homosexuals, the burning of gay churches, and the immolation of gay activist Wayne Besen.
CNSNews.com says:
“We regard it as their right to lobby the NEA,” said NEA spokesperson Kathleen Lyons in a press release confirming the registration of the Ex-Gay Educators’ Caucus.
Lyons added that official recognition of the Ex-Gay Educators does not mean that the National Education Association endorses the group’s viewpoint. In fact, the NEA has promoted a booklet that argues against the possibility of changing one’s sexual orientation.
By registering the “ex-gay” group, the NEA settles a long-simmering dispute.
Wayne Besen commented on the dispute here.
Focus on the Family article about the caucus.
Agape Press article quoting Warren Throckmorton.
Here’s the press release:
Ex-Gay Teachers Form National Education Association Caucus
February 17, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of ex-gay teachers has formed a recognized caucus of the National Education Association (NEA). The new NEA Ex-Gay Educators Caucus is chaired by Jeralee Smith, a former lesbian.
The NEA is the largest teachers’ union in the United States. An NEA caucus is an internal entity recognized by NEA for the purpose of attempting to influence NEA governance. Caucuses do not speak for, or act on behalf of the NEA, but advise and lobby NEA governance.
According to Smith, the Ex-Gay Educators Caucus will work to prevent discrimination and intolerance against ex-gay students, teachers, and their supporters. It will advocate a safe environment for all diverse populations, including ex-gay education employees and questioning youth.
Said Smith, “Our caucus will work with NEA to develop policies that recognize the needs of ex-gays in our education system. We believe education is the best way to overcome society’s phobia of former homosexuals. The caucus will also advocate alternatives to homosexuality in school curriculum to ensure diversity.”
Contact: Jeralee Smith, Chair, NEA Ex-Gay Educators Caucus
1-888-532-4678, admin@nea-exgay.org
Interested persons can subscribe to the caucus email newsletter by sending an email to: NEA_ExGay_Caucus-subscribe@topica.com
Is there any indication that this NEA Ex-Gay Educators Caucus is anything other than a web site? I found no reference to it on the NEA web site whatsoever. https://www.nea.org/
It sounded a bit fishy to me, too — out of character for the NEA. I have asked a teacher friend who’s active in state chapter activities to look into it.
This would explain why Bush has increased their funding, and why the freepers at National Review are more gungho about NEA lately.
What a horrible thing to do to gay kids in middle and high school. They’re already confused and self-hating enough. This will only drive them further into the arms of homophobia, self-hatred, addiction, and suicide.
Shameful.
I don’t know how we can take 4 more years of this man. Honestly. I’ve never been so frightened by a President.
Hi.
I’m Mike’s friend, referred to above, who was looking into the development of the ex-gay caucus.
It has been a topic of great … discussion among the leaders of the NEA Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Caucus. I don’t speak for the caucus, but I am member.
The GLBT caucus leadership encouraged NEA to consider whether the ex-gay caucus’s application met NEA’s guidelines for establishment of caucuses, including whether an ex-gay caucus could, by its very nature, be supportive of NEA’s constitution.
NEA’s national leadership approval of the ex-gay caucus really highlights, IMO, that NEA still has a great need for education on the whole question of what it means to claim to be ex-gay. NEA has a lot of institutional issues around GLBT issues to deal with. It is by no means the great “promoter” of homosexuality that the right-wing makes it out to be.
Inclusion of GLBT history in curriculum, training GLBT folk for association leadership, and promoting/supporting the active recruitment of GLBT people just as teachers (and then as association leaders) are ongoing efforts that are in only the early stages.
Re: the National Review, I’m unsure where this image of it being “gungho” about the NEA comes from. See this article for a view very counter to that: https://www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.asp?ref=/kob/kob200312031139.asp