Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 18:22:11 -0700 From: richter@eecs.berkeley.edu (Jean Richter) Subject: 6/13/97 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. Deceptive tactics used in support of "Religious Freedom" amendment 2. We Are Family web site 3. Statistics on risk behavior and suicide in gay youth ====================================================================== X-Sender: tallulah@pop.atl.mindspring.com Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 01:14:32 -0400 From: skip evans Subject: Ralph Reed's Deceptive Tactics Dear Friends & Supporters, The following press release from the national office of Americans United for Separation of Church and State concerns a rally held by the Christian Coalition to gain support for Rep. Ernest Istook's so-called "Religious Freedom Amendment." At the rally and in press releases the CC has cited incidences where people's religious freedom have supposedly been unfairly restricted. AU did some research into these incidences and discoverd that Reed and Co. are being downright dishonest with the facts. Please read the release and then pass it on to any distribution lists you may have. It is very important we do all we can do expose this intentional deception by the CC. If you have any media contacts they should also be alerted. Thanks! Skip Evans, President Americans United for Separation of Church and State Atlana Chapter FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joseph Conn May 22, 1997 Rob Boston CHRISTIAN COALITION RELIES ON BOGUS 'HORROR STORIES' TO PROMOTE SCHOOL PRAYER AMENDMENT, CHARGES AMERICANS UNITED CHURCH-STATE WATCHDOG GROUP'S RESEARCH UNDERCUTS COALITION CLAIMS Washington, D.C. Are thousands of Christian children and adults undergoing daily persecution by public school employees and other government officials? Ralph Reed and the Christian Coalition claim they are, and the group is seeking a constitutional amendment rewriting the church-state language of the Bill of Rights. But a new study shows the "horror stories" Reed and company rely on often turn out to be grossly distorted or years old, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "Our First Amendment religious freedom rights are precious," said Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn. "We must not allow Congress to tamper with them on the basis of tall tales spread by a TV preacher's front man." The Christian Coalition is sponsoring a "Religious Freedom Rally" and press conference at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Thursday, May 22 to promote Rep. Ernest J. Istook's so-called "Religious Freedom Amendment." The event will feature three public school students and others who claim their religious rights have been violated. In a May, 1997, fund-raising letter, Reed claimed passage of the Istook amendment "would mean an end to the daily stories in the newspapers about kids being punished for standing up for God. And while it is sad, but true, that these events really happen...they, and thousands of other stories just like them, underscore the fundamental need for the Religious Freedom Amendment." But an analysis by Americans United unveils serious flaws in all three public school stories scheduled at the Christian Coalition rally, with crucial facts omitted to advance the Coalition's agenda. The Americans United analysis also indicates that, despite Reed's claim that there are "thousands" of religious liberty violations and they occur daily, the three public school cases spotlighted by the Christian Coalition are six, seven and eight years old respectively. "If religious liberty violations are occurring daily, why is Ralph Reed showcasing three incidents that are ancient? Why does he use the same three or four examples over and over?" asked AU's Lynn. "When you check the facts, Reed's 'thousands' of religious liberty violations simply vanish." Continued Lynn, "The American people deserve to know the truth about religion in public schools, but they won't hear it from Ralph Reed or his boss, TV preacher Pat Robertson. The truth is students are free to engage in a remarkable array of private religious expression during their free time. In the rare instances where a public school official has made a mistake about a student's religious rights, the problems can be corrected by a simple phone call or letter." AMERICANS UNITED ANALYSIS OF ALLEGED "RELIGIOUS LIBERTY VIOLATIONS" CITED BY THE CHRISTIAN COALITION During its May 22 "Religious Freedom Rally" on Capitol Hill, the Christian Coalition plans to feature three young women who allege that their religious freedom rights were violated in public schools. Americans United for Separation of Church and State has analyzed all three cases and found that the Coalition has omitted crucial facts in each case. Americans United also notes that the three public school cases are quite old. The most recent goes back to 1991 and the oldest to 1989. Yet the Coalition routinely insists that public school students' religious liberty rights are violated every day. Here is a summary of AU's findings: Kelly DeNooyer: In December of 1990, DeNooyer's parents sued officials at McKinley Elementary School in Livonia, Mich., after her teacher refused to allow DeNooyer, then a second grader, to show a tape of herself singing a religious song. DeNooyer had been selected "VIP of the Week" under a classroom program designed to boost student confidence by giving them the opportunity to make verbal presentations about themselves. The teacher rejected the tape for several reasons. She said showing a tape would undermine the point of the exercise, which was to make students feel comfortable giving speeches. She also said the school has a policy requiring that all tapes be reviewed before being used in class. Lastly, she felt its religious content was inappropriate. The parents sued in federal court and lost. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that public school teachers and administrators, not students, are the proper agents to determine classroom content and assignments. On April 18, 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the decision. (DeNooyer v. Merinelli) Brittney Settle Gossett: Settle (now out of school and married) sued the Dickson County, Tenn., School Board after she was given a failing grade on a report about Jesus Christ in 1991. Teacher Dana Ramsey had assigned each student in her ninth-grade class to write a research paper on an unfamiliar topic based on four outside sources. Settle initially told the teacher she would do her paper on drama. She later changed her mind and said she wanted to do it on the life of Christ. Ramsey rejected the new topic, saying Settle knew too much about it. Settle wrote the paper anyway and received a zero, not for writing about Jesus but for ignoring the teacher's instructions. Two federal courts examined the facts and ruled in favor of the school; the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals noted that Settle had no constitutional right to "do something other than [the teacher's] assignment and receive credit for it." In November, 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the decision. (Settle v. Dickson County School Board) Audrey Pearson: Pearson's mother contacted the Rutherford Institute, a conservative legal group, after her daughter was told to stop reading a Bible on a public school bus in Prince William County, Va., in 1989. The principal had not understood that students are permitted to bring religious material to school for their personal use and her decision was quickly reversed once contacted by the Institute. The matter never went to court, and the incident is now eight years old. NOTE TO REPORTERS: In several Christian Coalition press announcements about the May 22 events, a fourth "victim" was scheduled to appear, an ex-police officer who says his religious rights were violated on the job. But apparently the facts were so indefensible, even Reed couldn't put them forward. An accurate summary follows: Brad Hicks: A former police officer in Newton, N.C., Hicks was fired in April of 1996 after he disobeyed orders from the police chief to stop handing out gospel tracts while on duty. Chief Jim McMasters said Hicks had been warned about the activities and refused to stop. McMasters acted after a woman who had been pulled over for speeding complained about Hicks' activities. Hicks was first placed on suspension and told he could keep his job if he stopped proselytizing while on duty. He refused. "You cannot stop someone on the road as a police officer and proceed to give them a church sermon," McMasters told the Kinston Free Press. "The Constitution doesn't allow that, and we can't allow that. He refused to stop talking about religion, so I had no choice but to terminate him. I respect his religious convictions, but I also have to protect citizens from people who are violating their civil and constitutional rights." ----------------------------------------------------- Contact in the Atlanta Area: Skip Evans, President Americans United for Separation of Church and State Atlanta Chapter 404-607-0660 PO Box 79174 Atlanta GA 30357-7174 National office: Joseph Conn, Rob Boston Americans United for Separation of Church and State 1816 Jefferson Place NW Washington DC 20036 1-202-466-3234 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Americans United for Separation of Church and State Atlanta Chapter PO Box 79174 Atlanta GA 30357-7174 404-607-0660 tallulah@mindspring.com http://www.mindspring.com/~tallulah/au/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ============================================================================== X-Sender: RGA-LOGISTICS@postoffice.worldnet.att.net Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 11:42:18 -0400 From: James Redman Subject: We've launched our web page Thanks to all the efforts and suggestions form our past e-mails. We Are Family Foundation is proud to announce that we have launched our web page. Please visit our site and e-mail us your comments and suggestions. http://www.pridemail.com/wearefam/index.html James Redman info-wearefam@pridemail.com ============================================================================== From: SARATOGANY@aol.com Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 09:53:02 -0400 (EDT) Subject: 1995 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey Apparently-To: The following is forward to you by The Coalition for Safer Schools, CSS., PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020 (saratogany@aol.com) (css@writeme.com) ======================================================= Below is data from the 1995 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey relevant to GLB youth and suicide: Massachusetts High School Students and Sexual Orientation Results of the 1995 Youth Risk Behavior SurveyGay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students The Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MYRBS) is conducted every two years by the Massachusetts Department of Education with funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey monitors behaviors of high school students that are related to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among youth and adults in the United States. The 1995 MYRBS was conducted in 59 randomly selected public high schools. In total, 4,159 students in grades 9-12 participated in this voluntary and anonymous survey. Because of the high student and school response rates, the results of this survey can be generalized to apply to public high school students across Massachusetts. The MYRBS found that: 2.6% of high school females and 2.5% of males have had sexual contact with a member of the same sex. 4.4% of all high school students, and 6.4% of sexually experienced students have had sexual contact with a member of the same sex and/or describe themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Students at Risk Students who describe themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and/or who have had same sex sexual contact reported being significantly more likely than their peers to face threats, attempt suicide and abuse drugs and alcohol. When compared to peers, this group was: four times more likely to have attempted suicide five times more likely to miss school because of feeling unsafe nearly five times more likely to have used cocaine. Reported Behaviors GLB* Students Other Students Attempted suicide in the past year 36.5% 8.9% Was in a physical fight in the past year 62.3% 37.3% Skipped school in the past month because of feeling unsafe on route to or at school 20.1% 4.5% Was threatened/injured with a weapon at school in the past year 28.8% 6.7% Smoked cigarettes in past thirty days 62.1% 35.2% Used cocaine in their life 31% 6.8% Was pregnant or had gotten someone pregnant (Percentage among sexually active students only) 31.6% 11.8% *These numbers include those who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual and those who have had same sex sexual experiences. All results are statistically significant and accurate to within plus or minus 3%. ------------------------------------------------------------------ There has been several mentions of HHSs Report on Teen Suicide. Interestingly enough there is a Cambridge University research project underway currently that will be one of the first to focus on the SOLUTIONS open to lesbian, gay and bisexual teenagers, rather than concentrating on the traditional PROBLEMS of gay teenagers' depression and victimization. The program is entitled "Growing Up Gay" and the research has a two-fold goal: 1. First, by interviewing lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults who have achieved outstanding professional success, they hope to understand the social support systems and psychological strategies that helped them to negotiate successfully the challenges of growing up gay. 2. Second, by interviewing young people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual they will seek to establish which of these systems and strategies are the most relevant and useful to gay teenagers today. Sarah Cundy is the university researcher in charge of the project (She is a visiting fellow at Yale currently). She needs the gay communities support to finish her endeavor. She can be reached at (203) 436-2685 or her e-mail address is: slc34@minerva.cis.yale.edu. ======================================================================== Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/