Religious freedom watchdog slams Florida school for ‘bullying’ students with LGBT propaganda
A 14-year-old male eighth grader at Tavares Middle School in Lake County, Florida brought home a printed note last Friday, given to him by his teacher, encouraging him to participate in the “Day of Silence.” GLSEN, which stands for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, designated Friday, April 27 as “a student-led national event where folks take a vow of silence to highlight the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ people at school.”
Some of the GLSEN coercion includes allowing students “supportive” of “Day of Silence” to refrain from verbal participation in classroom instruction, while those who do not participate in “Day of Silence” must prepare to answer class questions.
The middle school student’s note from his teacher read:
“I’m staying silent on GLSEN’s Day of Silence. It’s a national youth movement highlighting the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ people at school. Nearly 4 in 5 LGBTQ students don’t see positive LGBTQ representation in their curriculum, nearly 9 in 10 experience verbal harassment, and almost a third miss school for feeling unsafe or uncomfortable. But together, as part of GLSEN's Day of Silence, we can break the silence of LGBTQ students! But together, we can break the silence, making our school more inclusive for all.”
The note also directs students to a text number or website address. The note provided by the teacher encourages students to text to sign up for recurring text messages from GLSEN. The website also provides middle and high school students with a plethora of propaganda, including a “Breaking the Silence Letter Generator” to automatically receive a customized letter to share with school administrators and request LGBTQ-inclusive support at their school.
Teachers can also register on the website to get the latest updates on “Day of Silence” resources including free streaming of LGBTQ-inclusive classroom documentaries. GLSEN’s educator guide encourages teachers to require students ages K-12 to engage in numerous forms of coercive, group political activism, disregarding the parents’ desires or the students’ religious beliefs. Students can either “go along to get along,” or risk being “outed” as disagreeing with the teacher and GLSEN’s radical LGBT viewpoint.
“This teacher at Tavares Middle School has no business promoting GLSEN’s “Day of Silence” coercive political activities to innocent middle school students,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel.
“A teacher’s job is to teach academic curriculum, not promote a personal agenda and bully students into following a pro-LGBT agenda. We will not allow the school to ignore this inappropriate and unconstitutional bullying behavior in the classroom,” said Staver.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
