A guide for making schools unsafe.
A review of the 2005 Safe Schools Manual
By Barb Anderson
Webster’s Dictionary defines the word safe as “free from damage, danger, or injury, giving protection, involving no risk, trustworthy.” These words do not describe the Safe Schools Manual that has been used in the public schools in Minnesota since 1999. It appears that, in this context, the word “safe” has a different meaning altogether.
The 2005 Safe Schools Manual (which appears to be the fourth edition) contains information that is based on false claims from dangerous, pro-homosexual organizations. Much of the information contained in the Safe Schools Manual is injurious and damaging to the mental, emotional and physical health of school-age children.
Unfortunately the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has taken an active role in promoting the Safe Schools Manual for classroom use by Minnesota educators. Despite the MDE endorsement, teachers who use the information contained in the manual will be indoctrinating students with false pro-homosexual propaganda based on the fraudulent conclusions of Dr. Alfred Kinsey and harmful lessons from the child-exploiting organization—the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
Relying on Kinsey
Much of the content of the Safe Schools Manual is built on the fraudulent foundation of Dr. Alfred Kinsey and his fabricated conclusions contained in his infamous Kinsey Reports: Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953).
Dr. Alfred Kinsey was a sexual psychopath and zoologist at Indiana University. After he published the Kinsey Reports, he became the authority on human sexuality—all based on his barbaric abuse of children and his fraudulent research designed to separate sex from love and marriage. His grand scheme was to remake American morality and destroy the laws that protected women and children. All of this was based on lies.
The “Myths and Facts” section on pages 49-54 of the manual lists many Kinsey-based false conclusions as fact. One “Myth” states, “I don’t know any gay men, lesbians, or bisexuals.” The “Fact” response says, “Yes, you do! Alfred Kinsey, in his study published in 1947, estimated that 13% of the male population and 7% of the female population were more or less exclusively gay or lesbian. Kinsey also found that over half of the adult population has had at least one homosexual experience.” Note: this was not a factual finding. Several studies put the percentage of homosexuals at 2 – 3%.
The “Fact” section goes on to say, “Many experts view sexuality on a continuum, recognizing that many or perhaps most people are not exclusively gay, lesbian, or heterosexual throughout their entire lives, and that people’s identities may not match their behavior.” The reference footnote is to both books of the Kinsey Reports.
On page 26 a full-page Kinsey Continuum six-point graph is shown with this description: “The landmark Kinsey reports of 1948 and 1953 found that human sexuality is often more fluid than either heterosexual or homosexual. Kinsey identified a spectrum of human sexual behavior, with a 0 identifying persons whose sexual contact is exclusively with members of the opposite sex, and a 6 identifying those whose sexual contact is exclusively with members of the same sex.” The Kinsey continuum is part of the “Test Your Knowledge” quiz on page 61.
The Safe Schools Manual denies any possibility of people changing from gay to straight: “No scientific evidence exists to support the effectiveness of any of the conversion therapies that try to change one’s sexual orientation.” (Page 60) The Safe Schools Manual warns about counselors who are not supportive of homosexuality: “Remember that there are still members of the ‘helping professions’ who have strong anti-gay prejudices.”
How ironic that the same gay activists that adamantly insist that one’s sexual behavior is genetically hard-wired and a part of one’s identity, also insist that one’s biological sex is fluid and merely socially constructed.
The Kinseyan view of fluid sexuality is reflected in the writings of T. Rowan on page 35 of the Safe Schools Manual: “My sexuality is as fluid infinite, undefinable, and ever-changing as the north-flowing river that runs through the valley where I have spent nearly all my life. The continuum of sexuality is long, and I am always slip-sliding from one side to the other and most often stopping to rest somewhere in the middle. Sexuality is not black or white…it is gray, and comes in infinite shades, more than could ever be contained in the biggest box of drawing pencils.”
The Kinsey influence in the gay-rights movement and sex education has led to increased sexual confusion. It is a travesty that our taxpayer funded Minnesota Department of Education endorses and promotes materials based on Kinsey’s junk science like the Safe Schools Manual, that continue to lead our children and culture into sexual chaos.
Causing Gender Confusion
Warning! The Safe Schools Manual has changed the meaning of “gender.” “Sex” and “gender” are separated and have different meanings. This is their explanation: “Sex is the set of biological traits we use to classify persons as male or female. Gender involves how one thinks and feels about one’s body and the characteristics of masculinity and femininity that one adopts. In this regard, gender is more of a construct than biological sex. A person’s biological sex does not always match that person’s gender.” (Page 44)
Page 53 repeats that same idea: “…a person’s gender identity may not match their assigned sex.” Try explaining that to a five-year old!
Feeling anxious and unhappy? Here is advice from the Safe Schools Manual: “Most people who accept their ‘real’ gender identity say they feel calmer, happier and more confident.” (Page 22)
Distorting Language
The Safe Schools Manual contains a “GLBT Glossary” beginning on page 38. The first paragraph says, “Language is dynamic; it grows, changes, and develops. This is particularly true with the language of diversity and terms (“labels”) we use to identify ourselves.”
Many of the terms in the GLBT Glossary are either fabricated words, or else have gone through what George Orwell termed in his classic book, 1984, the “Department of Truth.” Words have been reworked and changed to mean something completely different. Orwell described this as Newspeak—a topsy-turvy language. The Safe Schools Manual glossary shows that Orwell’s make-believe world of 1984 is very real in 2014.
Words are powerful. They shape thoughts and ideas and influence behavior. Misused words can hurt and destroy individuals; they can also hurt and destroy society. The definitions provided in the Safe Schools Manual confuse our youth and harm our culture. Some of the bizarre terms include: bigenderist, biphobia, heterosexism, compulsory heterosexuality, erotophobia, sexphobia, xenophobia, homophobia, interpersonal homophobia, institutional homophobia, cultural homophobia—the list goes on.
“Heterosexism” is defined as the belief that “heterosexuality is inherently superior to and preferable to homosexuality or bisexuality.” (Pages 10, 39) If you believe that to be true, you are a heterosexist.
On page 5 of the manual, the Riddle Scale is used to score the attitudes of students. The negative attitudes are Repulsion, Pity, Tolerance, and Acceptance. The positive attitudes are Support, Admiration, Appreciation, and Nurturance.
Did you catch that? Tolerance is not good enough. It is now considered to be a negative attitude. While homosexuals have repeatedly demanded tolerance for themselves, they never extended it to others, and now their demands are increasing. Children are being taught that they must not just tolerate and accept homosexuality; they must support, admire, and appreciate all sexually deviant behavior.
Even well-known terms have taken on a new meaning. Gender no longer means male or female; it is a chosen sexual identity based on feelings—with a growing list of acronyms for a never ending variety of genders. Note: Facebook now lists 58 genders.
Distorted terms are being used as weapons to combat and silence any disagreement regarding the homosexual lifestyle. Personal homophobia is defined as “prejudice based on a personal belief that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) people are sinful, immoral, sick, inferior to heterosexuals, or incomplete women and men.” (Page 42) In other words, if a student believes the Bible—that homosexual acts are sinful—that student is recognized as having personal homophobia. The goal of the manual is to “reduce,” “combat,” and “end” homophobia. This involves a direct attack on the long-held religious values and biblical views of many students.
Turning Morality on its Head
The topsy-turvy language of the Safe Schools Manual turns morality on its head. Homosexuality is presented as healthy and normal, while those who oppose it have a phobia! Any moral disapproval of homosexuality is labeled “homophobia” and must be stamped out.
Along with the language, morals are being perverted. Without parental knowledge or consent, children are being indoctrinated to affirm immoral lifestyles. What was once considered to be sinful and disordered homosexual behavior just a couple of decades ago, is now being taught to school-age children as equivalent to natural sexual intercourse.
Children are taught: “It is not ‘unnatural’ to have sexual relations with members of one’s own sex…Same-sex bonding is a normal, natural, biological, and social occurrence.” (Page 49)
On page 86 the “Teaching Suggestions” include: “Sexual orientation is morally neutral….Young people have the right to determine for themselves the nature of their sexual identity without pressure from anyone.”
The manual has advice for parents: “Don’t try to force your child to conform to your ideas of proper sexual behavior…Do be proud of your child’s capacity to have loving relationships…Don’t insist that your morality is the only right one.” (Page 19)
What about transgender behavior? In the past transgenderism has rightfully been classified as a disorder. The Safe Schools Manual teaches an opposing view: “Transgender behavior is not a mental illness. It is a positive expression of your personality. To the estimated 1-5 percent of the population that are transgender, being a differently gendered person is very natural.…We really only know that your transgender feelings are natural and an extraordinary quality that makes you who you are….Healthy and secure transgender people will tell you there is no need to be ‘cured.’ The best advice we can give you is learn to accept and love yourself for who you are…” (Page 21)
Note: the percentage of “transgenders” is wildly exaggerated. A recent study by The Williams Institute of the UCLA School of Law shows that an estimated .3 percent of Americans are transgender—a far cry from 1-5 percent.
Redefining Family
Homosexual activists are bent on redefining the family. This institution is viewed as a barrier to the social engineering they hope to accomplish. To accomplish this, beguiling storybooks for children are used in the classroom to indoctrinate kids as young as kindergarten that any family arrangement is good.
One of many pro-homosexual books for first-grade is Heather Has Two Mommies (Page 136). This story describes how two lesbians became mommies when one was artificially inseminated by a “special doctor.”
The Safe Schools Manual brings in a new definition of “family.” The traditional definition of family is “a group of individuals who are related to one another by marriage, birth or adoption.” The Safe Schools Manual teaches that a family “includes two adult lifetime partners whose relationship is long-term and characterized by an emotional and financial commitment and interdependence.” (Page 51) However, this new definition is not adhered to in the storybook All Families Are Special where children learn that Harry, the live-in boyfriend, is family.
Same-sex parenting is characterized as being just as good for kids as mom and dad parenting: “Since the 1970s, studies of children raised by homosexual parents and by heterosexual parents reveal no developmental differences between the two groups in the areas of intelligence, psychological adjustment, social adjustment, popularity with friends, development of social sex role identity or development of sexual orientation.” No mention is made of studies that have arrived at the opposite conclusion.
Combating Religious Beliefs
Children of the Judeo-Christian faith will be very uncomfortable having their teacher read books from the pro-homosexual Families All Matter Book Project list (Page 134) like Two Moms, the Zark, and Me (Page 136). In this story a young boy with two moms meets the McFinks who are the ‘religious’ family and respond harshly to him:
“Two moms? And no dads? I’m shocked!” said McFink.
“It’s wrong! It’s a sin! Not at all how I think!”
The story goes on to portray the McFinks as angry, grim people who “love to condemn any family that isn’t precisely like them…” The story concludes with this admonition to children:
“Don’t fret about what the McFinks try to tell you.
You don’t have to buy what they want to sell you.”
If a child hears their parents say that homosexuality or same-sex marriage is a sin, that child will now view their parents as the McFinks—parents they cannot trust according to the end of the story.
It’s Elementary—is another recommended classroom resource that is a put-down of Christianity. These resources are designed to challenge and change the traditional values and beliefs of elementary children. Newly imposed values will override traditional values.
The video It’s Elementary shows children listening to other children talk about homosexuality. In one scene, a fifth grader says, “Some Christians believe that if you’re gay, you’ll go to hell, so they want to torture them and stuff.” In another scene, an eight-year-old girl says that she thinks that those who believe what the Bible says about homosexuality “think stupidly.” Instead of a reprimand, the girl receives praise from her teacher.
On page 52 of the Safe Schools Manual it says “Many of the world’s faiths do not condemn homosexuality at all. Within the Judeo-Christian tradition, theologians and biblical scholars continue to differ on how to interpret the six passages in the Old Testament that have been used to condemn homosexual behavior. Other religious traditions are fully accepting of homosexuality, and many denominations are reevaluating their views on homosexuality.”
Encouraging “Coming Out”
Children learn that to “come out” with a “queer identity” is something to be admired and considered as bravery. Page 17 says, “…coming out is a gift to another person that communicates you care enough to share a significant part of your life with them.” A few years ago at a school event in Roseville, gay-identified students were honored by having their photos framed and their “coming out” stories put on display.
By encouraging children to take on a “gay” identity, they are forcing early identification with a lifestyle that has dangerous health risks. Note: there is no encouragement for students to come out of homosexuality and seek a healthy sexual identity.
Fostering Gay/Straight Alliances (GSAs)
Fostering Gay/Straight Alliances—homosexual clubs for kids—is a key part of the Safe Schools Manual and the Safe Schools movement around the country. In these clubs, away from parental influence and where confidentiality is maintained, sexually confused children are conditioned to believe that they must discover their own “sexual identity.” It is in these clubs that they learn how to become activists for homosexual causes.
Eighteen pages in the manual are devoted to starting, building, and expanding GSAs. Some of the suggestions include: organizing a Diversity Day or Day of Silence, holding a Homophobia Awareness Week, bringing in a guest speaker, acquiring GLBT-related books in the library, attending a political rally, planning movie showings of homosexual or transgender films, sponsoring a pro-gay training for teachers, campaigning for a unisex bathroom at the school, recruiting participants and holding a Rainbow Day. In these clubs, straight students learn how to be an ally to homosexual and transgender students.
“Queering the Curriculum”
The term “inclusive curriculum” is code for teaching and including all sexual behaviors and lifestyles in the school curriculum. This includes sexually explicit, morally offensive lessons for school-age children that normalize all sexual diversity. Transforming the schools can only happen once ongoing curricular revision takes place. This means including LGBT references in all K-12 subject matter.
The Safe Schools Manual encourages teachers to include as many references to LGBT in every subject area of the entire school day. This is called “Queering the Curriculum.” Page 107 states “Brainstorm ways teachers of each subject can be inclusive of LGBT issues in their classes….include LGBT people, events, or topics in the lesson plans. Go subject by subject…”
Consider the following admonitions directed to educators in the Safe Schools Manual:
“Materials that reflect LGBT themes and authors should be prominently displayed and easily accessible to students seeking them. The library and media center should reflect LGBT holidays and events in their programming, and should strive to make sure that individual classroom libraries are similarly inclusive.” (Page 10)
“Educators need to integrate LGBT issues throughout the curriculum—not just in classes such as health education, but in disciplines such as English, history, art and science. Pre-existing curricula should be broadened to include LGBT images…Classroom libraries, story times, and assigned reading should be thoughtfully structured to include the full range of human diversity. Finally, educators should take advantage of ‘teachable moments,’ treating questions, comments and instances of name-calling as opportunities to educate students about LGBT people and issues.” (Page 11)
Falsifying the suicide risk
In the chapter entitled “GLBT Teens: A Population at Risk” it states, “Nearly 30% of youth suicides are committed by gays and lesbians.” This is another example of the Safe Schools Manual falsifying the record. This was a complete fabrication by homosexual political activist Paul Gibson. He produced the 30% figure out of thin air and soon that number made its way into the 1989 federal report on youth suicide—“Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Youth Suicide.”
Gibson got his information from a speculation made in the Washington Blade—a homosexual newspaper—that 3,000 homosexual teens kill themselves every year. Alarming? The reality was that the total number of all teen suicides that year was about 2,000. Then Secretary of Health, Louis Sullivan, rejected Gibson’s study due to its many flaws. However, it had already been included in the government report. In spite of this rejection, Gibson’s claim has been repeated so often by homosexual activists that many people assume it is scientific fact.
Referring Students to pro-homosexual counseling
It is important to note that in the Referral section (Pages 65-71), there are no listings for any organizations to help students come out of homosexuality. A listing of conservative or ex-gay organizations is non-existent. The referral list is a Who’s Who of pro-homosexual organizations that affirm homosexuality: Out for Equity, Out4Good, Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Gender Education Center, OutFront Minnesota, Youth and AIDS Project, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG), Intersex Society of North America (ISNA), Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), Safe Schools Coalition, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS), to name a few.
Changing the School Climate
The “school climate” in the public schools is being radically changed by homosexual activists who are working tirelessly to shape the language and attitudes of school-age children until all opposition to homosexuality is silenced. The Safe Schools Manual acknowledges the importance of the role that school staff play. “Both the school as an institution and its professionals must be inclusive in their language and attitudes.” (Page 10) “Inclusive curriculum” means lessons that weave information about LGBT lifestyles throughout the entire school day.
Their manipulation of words and meanings reveal a total disrespect for the truth. They know that once language is changed, attitudes and actions will follow. Extremists are cleverly spinning the meaning of words or expressions to influence the minds of unwary, innocent children who look up to their teachers and have been taught to respect them. Most parents are unaware that this is happening.
The words of Vladimir Lenin ring true: “Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”
In the name of safety and sanity, it’s time to expose the lies contained in the Safe Schools Manual and rescue our children from the distorted meanings of sexuality that put their health and well-being at risk. It’s time to lead children away from homosexuality, not into it.