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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyOctober 6th, 2010
[Update: The original headline for this post read, “Exodus International Ends ‘Day Of Truth’ Sponsorship.” The headline and content of this post has been updated based on this statement from Exodus International]
David Roberts at Ex-Gay Watch reports that Exodus International will no longer sponsor the “Day of Truth,” an event designed to counter the Day of Silence in which students remain silent for a day to call attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. According to Roberts:
[Exodus International president Alan] Chambers confirmed to XGW that the activist component of the DOT contributed to a polarizing debate rather than a relational dialogue. “As a tool, it seemed to emphasize the divide rather than building a bridge,” he said. “We want more than that.”
Exodus now confirms that they are returning the Day of Truth back to the Alliance Defense Fund, who started the event in 1996 2005. Exodus International vice president Randy Thomas writes that “ADF will likely find another group to run the event or end it altogether.”
Day of Truth, which takes place on the day following the Day of Silence, is intended “to counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective.” Exodus International’s ex-gay message was an integral part of the “Day of Truth’s” message, and in later years became the dominant part. It only made sense then for Exodus to take over sponsorship of Day of Truth from the ADF in 2009.
In August, Exodus announced several cutbacks due to higher expenses (they had bought their office building at the height of the real estate bubble) and lower donations. It is estimated that they were facing about a 12% budget shortfall from the previous year.
According to the Exodus announcement, they had decided to end their leadership of the event last April, but didn’t officially notify ADF of their decision last week. Despite making the decision last April, it appears that Exodus sees the attention being paid to the September Suicides as an opportunity to cast their decision in a more positive light:
“All the recent attention to bullying helped us realize that we need to equip kids to live out biblical tolerance and grace while treating their neighbors as they’d like to be treated, whether they agree with them or not,” said Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International, the group that sponsored the event this year.
The web site for Day of Truth, as of this writing, is in “maintenance mode.” The next Day of Silence is scheduled for April 15, 2011.
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Regan DuCasse
October 6th, 2010
DOT is like Holocaust deniers counter demonstrating during Shoah.
Just as there are dead Jews due to systemic anti Semitic policies and pogroms…
The same is true regarding anti gay policies.
There ARE dead kids. Kids tormented physically and emotionally by their peers specifically with ANTI GAY slurs. And in the case of gay children, by their parents and other adults they are dependent on.
None of these Christian or any other people have asked to ALLY with gay people in the prevention of these tragedies.
No, there have only been accusations that gay people have other plans, as if those plans in some way are nefarious.
No one is asking gay people anything, although it’s GAY children or those thought to be, who are getting buried.
This is about gay people, and homosexuality. Nobody gay brought this ugliness and harm to children. And didn’t start this fight…and shouldn’t go quietly without one.
Timothy Kincaid
October 6th, 2010
Congratulations to Alan and Randy for dropping (or returning) that project. Perhaps they came to recognize the natural consequences of their actions and came to feel shame for associating with the likes of Linda Harvey and Laurie Higgins.
Matt
October 6th, 2010
I guess there is still some light left in the world after all. Kudos to Exodus for seeing it.
TampaZeke
October 6th, 2010
Correction:
Day of Silence was started in 1996.
Day of Truth was started in 2005.
TomTallis
October 6th, 2010
ADF is a far more extreme organization then Exodus. I expect the mean-spiritedness, lies, and plain anti-gay viciousness to go up geometrically. ADF will actively try to provoke trouble.
For those [people], any publicity is good publicity.
Richard Rush
October 6th, 2010
Timothy said, “Congratulations to Alan and Randy for dropping (or returning) that project.”
I question how much congratulations they deserve. I tend to believe their decision is possibly due to financial issues, or to general external pressures against some of their activities.
If “the likes of Linda Harvey and Laurie Higgins” began to change some of their rhetoric, would they deserve some congratulation? I think not. I expect many of these people will begin to change only when they realize they will otherwise become marginalized and irrelevant among people that had been allies and were funding them. I’ve noticed that Peter LaBarbera has been spending increasing amounts of time frantically trying to rein in other similar-minded people who are now going rogue, such as Warren Throckmorton.
I don’t expect LaBarbera to ever change, but I do expect him to eventually be drooling in a nursing home while still muttering about the homo-threat and wondering “what the hell happened?”
Rick James
October 6th, 2010
Well, color me amazed! Exodus is capable of learning and adjusting course? Maybe there IS hope for them.
Richard W. Fitch
October 6th, 2010
Is there a permanent reference somewhere on BTB which gives thumbnail info on those who might qualify for “The Wall of Shame” – people like Harvey and Hutcherson, organizations like ADF and NOM?
Lynn David
October 6th, 2010
You can still access some PDF files on their site.
I could never reconcile what Exodus said in much of its literature about tolerance going both ways but then stating that “the Day of Truth is only the beginning†as it was hoping to create “an honest discussion about homosexuality†– when it came directly after the Day of Silence which was itself nothing but a statement for tolerance and against bullying.
So I am glad Exodus finally got it together, but I’m saddened that it had to happen after several kids committed suicide after bullied for being or perceived as gay.
Adrian-T
October 6th, 2010
What about holding a vigil at the headquarters of the ADF itself, to remind people where all the hate comes from?
Timothy Kincaid
October 7th, 2010
Richard Rush,
You know me. Of course I would commend Linda or Laurie if they changed their rhetoric. I’m all about praising steps in the right direction.
Richard Rush
October 7th, 2010
Timothy,
I tend to think that some people, such as Harvey/LaBarbera/Higgins/Lively, are so intrinsically vile that you just know whenever you see a visible change in them that they are just conforming to a new dress-code dictated by external pressures.
Or thinking about it another way: They have been obstinately driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street for a long distance, and regardless of how many people have shouted at them to turn around, they refused. Then they get smacked really hard, and they finally turn around and go in the right direction. So, would they deserve congratulations? I think not.
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