Education Turned Perversion

June 2006

Dear Friends,

The year was 1990, and Gary Bauer and I were collaborating feverishly on a new book titled Children at Risk.1 Our purpose was to warn parents, teachers and church leaders about the coming assault on the hearts and minds of kids. It had become obvious for several years that homosexual activists and their allies on the far left had crafted an alarming new strategy to gain control of children. It focused on public education and textbooks, children's entertainment and literature, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the nation's legal apparatus, and especially, the massive arms of government. Even liberal churches were in the crosshairs.

This effort represented an audacious attempt to reshape the beliefs and attitudes of an entire generation, beginning with the youngest and most vulnerable. In so doing, they hoped to undermine the Judeo-Christian system of values in two or three decades and open the door to radical ways of thinking and behaving. It was a brilliant plan, hatched in Satan's own lair.

Not since Adolf Hitler prepared a generation of German and Austrian youth for war has so grand a strategy been attempted. Kids were then, and still are today, sitting ducks for those who would subject them to carefully designed propaganda. This is precisely what was beginning to unfold in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, many parents seemed largely unaware of the threats to their kids and considered our urgent warnings to be overstated political ramblings. Either that, or they were simply too busy to notice.

It was this growing concern that led to the writing of Children at Risk. The book represented a desperate attempt to awaken and motivate adults to the looming danger and to urge them to defend their own flesh and blood. Surely, Gary and I thought, informed parents whose kids were in harm's way would fight to protect them. Alas, the book sold only 150,000 copies, fewer than anything I had written to that time. And the campaign to capture the minds of kids rumbled on.

Here are a few excerpts from the book, which turned out to be prophetic:

• "Children are the prize to the winners of the Great Civil War of Values. Those who control what young people are taught and what they experience — what they see, hear, think, and believe, will determine the future course for the nation. Given that influence, the predominant value system of an entire culture can be overhauled in one generation, or certainly in two, by those with unlimited access to children."2

• "The campaign to isolate children from their parents and to indoctrinate them with humanistic ideas is being waged primarily in the public schools. That is where eventual victory or defeat will occur. At this moment, the traditionalists are being mauled. Gay and lesbian leaders have [even] begun a campaign to have topics of concern to homosexuals included in textbooks used in California schools."3

• "We want to see that the contributions and triumphs of gay and lesbian people are talked about as openly as any other segments of the population," said Rob Birle, 33, a teacher in Antioch and a member of Bay Area Network of Gay and Lesbian Educators. Birle said gay leaders want textbooks to include information on the sexual orientation of famous people in history and on the modern gay movement. Birle concluded his comments by saying, "We're gearing up for a long-term battle."4

Well, that was in 1990. Let's fast forward now to June, 2006 to see how Birle and friends have fared. Almost all of the early goals related to children have been achieved in California and Massachusetts, the two most liberal states in the nation. Can the rest of the country be far behind? The California Legislature, which is controlled entirely by gay activists and radical liberals, is able to sit in planning meetings and dream up whatever suits their fancy. Thus, they can impose the most extreme social experiments without serious opposition from conservatives. Liberal Democrats have succeeded in re-districting the state so as to always be in the majority. With this hegemony, they can do whatever they want to children, provided they can get the governor to go along. Too often, he does. Sean Kilbourn, director of an organization that advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, is quoted as saying about Schwarzenegger, "He's passed more pieces of legislation befitting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community — except for gay marriage — than any other governor."5

This time, Governor Schwarzenegger has threatened to veto SB 1437, the legislation we have been discussing. Who knows whether or not he will keep his word. State Senator Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, an avowed lesbian who wrote and sponsored the legislation, was outraged by the prospect. She made this statement after hearing the news, "He [the governor] hasn't made up his mind. I don't care what some of his underlings have said. I expect to talk to the governor and expect to get it through. There's nothing controversial about it. The right wing [meaning conservative parents and their advocates] has drummed up a lot of old fears. Once people understand what it really does, the response is usually okay."6

When I learned of these devious plans and the assurances that everything was "okay," this Scripture came to mind: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20, NIV). Subverting the morals of children is evil, no matter what its promoters call it.

The activist Legislature in California did not stop there. Apparently to celebrate June as Gay Pride Month, it has cooked up two additional bills that will enhance the effect. AB 606 would authorize the California Superintendent of Public Education to withhold two-thirds of a school district's budget from any district that does not, in its judgment, promote homosexuality, transexuality and bisexuality in school policies.7 That is in-your-face politics.

A third measure, AB 1056, would authorize $250,000 in taxpayer's funds, from an almost bankrupted state treasury, to promote homosexual, transsexual and bisexual lifestyles as part of their so-called "tolerance education." It would require students to "respect" homosexuality in an unspecified active fashion, stating emphatically that tolerance "does not mean a passive allowance or indulgence of beliefs or practice."8

Is there any doubt about the commitment of these people to the task of controlling children's minds? All the ranting and raving about "tolerance" is a ruse. The real purpose here is to promote sexual "lifestyles" among the young. Hence, the fate of California's children, and by extension, the children of the nation, hangs in the balance.

At the risk of being redundant, let me say it one more time for emphasis: If the three bills pass, which is almost certain to occur, and are subsequently signed by Governor Schwarzenegger, every public school boy or girl in the state of California must be taught the contributions made to society by homosexuals, bisexuals, and transsexuals. This required curriculum will begin in kindergarten and continue through grade 12. It must be worked into the lesson plans of every subject, from math and science to language and social studies. Remember that nearly 70 percent of students in public schools can't even read at grade level, but the big priority will not be on academic instruction, but adult, perverse behavior.

May I ask you to think for a moment about what else these laws will mean in day-by-day practice?

Picture a room packed with five-year-olds sitting cross-legged on the floor. God made them vulnerable for a time to everything adults tell them. Indeed, they can be made to believe that reindeer fly and Santa Claus climbs down the chimneys of every house in the world in a single night. Because of this uncritical acceptance of what they are taught, teachers and administrators have enormous power either to inspire and elevate their developing little minds, or to inculcate within them all manner of base, immoral and harmful ideas. I know this as a former teacher. I always considered my responsibility to the children and their parents to be a sacred trust that demanded the highest degree of integrity. I'm convinced that the vast majority of educators today identify with that high sense of calling. They are dedicated to their profession and are doing a marvelous job under what are often very difficult circumstances. But there are others, including a majority in the California Legislature, who would seize the opportunity for manipulation of children and abuse it for political gain. If they are allowed to do so for 13 formative years of a child's life, he or she will never fully recover from it. Nor will the society they ultimately inherit.

Let's return to the kindergarten classroom as Mrs. Jones pulls her chair closer to the kids and begins to talk in quiet tones. If the three dangerous bills become law, she will be required to explain what homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals are and do. How will she go about telling them what that means? And what if she is a committed Christian who believes that exposing young minds to sexual perversion is wrong and deeply harmful? It will make no difference, because the law is the law. She must describe the great contributions made by those in "the lifestyle" and put the most positive spin on the words she uses. Of course, Mrs. Jones cannot mention the contributions to society made by people of faith, or the role that Christianity played in the lives of Pilgrims and the Founding Fathers, or the meaning of the Judeo-Christian concept of morality. That would bring lawyers for the ACLU and People for the American Way running to the school administrators, frothing at the mouth and writhing in pain. Lawsuits would be threatened. School boards would be intimidated. And the state superintendent of public instruction would withhold two-thirds of the school district's budget. As for Mrs. Jones, she has several difficult choices: She can either resign, be reprimanded and silenced, be fired or she can dutifully knuckle under and teach the required curriculum. Alas, Sheila Kuehl and her compatriots in the Legislature want it that way.

But what about the parents? What do they want? Unfortunately, it matters not one whit of difference what they want. Their influence has been completely neutralized! On November 2, 2005, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California (which we call "the Ninth Circus") ruled that parents in nine Western states have no right to challenge what is taught in schools. Children are at the mercy of educators, and there is nothing even their moms and dads can do about it. It is still difficult to believe that the court appears to have gotten away with so brash an usurpation of parental rights, but it is true. This is precisely what Gary and I were trying to warn about when we sat down to write 16 years ago. We failed.

There is one other dimension to the pending laws that should raise the blood pressure of parents. If they pass, textbooks will have to be rewritten and republished. They will have to depict same-sex couples in romantic and family settings. All references to gender will be eliminated — such as girl and boy, mom and dad, mother and father, and bride and groom. And since many of the curricular materials in California are adopted by other states, these new textbooks will be used across the nation. The law specifically states that nothing negative about gays and lesbians can be taught, which presumably prohibits references to sexually transmitted diseases occurring among both heterosexuals and homosexuals.

Here are still other examples of assaults on children in California and elsewhere:

• Two teachers at Port Washington High School in Wisconsin distributed a highly intrusive survey about sex and sexuality to approximately 400 students. It included this outlandish question: "If you have never slept with someone of your same gender, then how do you know you wouldn't prefer it?" No parental notification was given prior to the distribution of the questionnaire.9

• New York City's Department of Education recently mandated that all five-year-olds must now learn about AIDS and HIV in their kindergarten classrooms. My good friend, Dr. William Donohue of the Catholic League, recently reacted by saying that "this represents a coordinated effort on the part of city officials to sexually engineer our children."9 Dr. Donohue is right. It was intended to do just that.

• The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (remember it?) ruled that it is unconstitutional for a sex offender to be required to register with the government because it might "ostracize" him from the community.10 How's that for wisdom from those who have been called our black-robed masters? Fortunately, this outrageous decision was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.11

• Another California initiative recently put children in grave danger. It centered on a ridiculous decision by the State Probations Department to place 23 registered sex offenders at public expense in hotels within the vicinity of Disneyland!12 A state assemblyman remarked that doing such was like "putting the fox in charge of the henhouse."13 Common sense (and a public outcry) finally prevailed; some officials were fired in the aftermath.

• In Lexington, Massachusetts, a second-grade teacher at Estabrook Elementary School enthusiastically read aloud the book, King and King, in which a prince passes up several princesses before falling in love with another prince. Included is a candid illustration of their wedding kiss. Paul Ash, superintendent of the school district, said since gay marriage is legal in the state, teachers are just teaching about the world kids live in.14

• The "grand strategy" to manipulate KIDS now extends to adoption practices. Nine states allow openly gay and lesbian couples to adopt jointly: California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.15 Even homosexual singles can now adopt children in Mississippi.16 And, in a related example of judicial despotism, U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron struck down an Oklahoma law last month that prohibited the state from recognizing same-sex couples from other states and countries.17

Of course, there was a time when citizens could challenge such outlandish policies at the ballot box, but now the unaccountable judiciary appears to be determined to thwart majority opinion whenever it chooses. This past May, a county judge in Atlanta by the name of Constance C. Russell struck down Georgia's ban on gay "marriage."18 An overwhelming 76 percent of Georgians voted in support of the constitutional amendment,19 yet this judge overturned the will of the people with the stroke of a pen. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue was incredulous and said that "the people of Georgia knew exactly what they were doing …"20 Officials are expected to appeal the case to the state Supreme Court.

• A new threat is now posed by powerful billionaires, such as George Soros and Michael Moore, who are pledging their fortunes to the election of activists and the passage of the homosexual agenda. One of them, Tim Gill in Colorado, has reportedly dedicated $10 million of his vast empire to this purpose between now and November. An associate is quoted as saying, "You have to create an environment of fear … the only way to do that is to get aggressive and go out and actually beat them up …21

So, what are we going to do about these outrageous circumstances? The only hope is that parents, grandparents, pastors and teachers will prayerfully rise to the challenge. We can and will continue to represent you on the front lines, but ultimately, there has to be an army marching behind us. Let me say it again. It is our kids who are at risk. I beg you to join us in battle.

I'm willing to take the heat if you will remember us in your prayers. Believe me, I will pay a price for writing this letter, but it matters not. I'm beyond caring about things like that. A generation of children is at stake, and that is what matters.

Here's a little analogy that may illustrate the state of our families: Suppose you and your loved ones are living in a warm and cozy house where your children are being cared for. You are feeding, guiding and bringing them up "in the fear and admonition of the Lord." Focus on the Family is dedicated to helping you nurture these precious youngsters.

Unfortunately, there are predators around your house that want to gain access to your sons and daughters. They will, if given an opportunity, twist, warp and molest them. Indeed, they are tinkering with your locks today and seeking to break open the windows. Focus on the Family also stands ready to assist with the defense of your family. This is why our motto reads "nurturing and defending families worldwide." We care about both the inside and the outside of your home. All we need is your invitation to help. Let's work together to save the next generation.

I'll leave you with this request for your financial participation. We are behind budget for the year, and your contributions will be graciously appreciated. Jim Daly sends his warmest regards.

Blessings to you all,

James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
Founder and Chairman

P.S. Enclosed is a questionnaire that can be used to reflect how you feel about the content of this letter. I would appreciate you taking three or four minutes to answer the following nine questions. Thank you so much for your concern and involvement.

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