BC Parents and Teachers for Life 
"Free to Speak the Truth" Conference Held October 16th, 2004
at Days Surrey Hotel, Surrey, British Columbia

Immediately below we present the written versions of two speeches given at the British Columbia Parents and Teachers for Life Conference held on October 16th, 2004.  We hope that by posting these speeches we will enable those not able to be at the conference to benefit.  In some cases the speeches may be somewhat abridged in the form given here.

Dr. Chris Kempling Psy.D. R.C.C.

Registered Clinical Counsellor

BC Teachers & Parents For Life Conference

Surrey, BC

October 16, 2004

   

I have titled my talk, Going on the Offensive against the Offensive without being Offensive.  I will talk about the second “Offensive” first, then follow with the other two in combination.  Let me make one thing clear.  Homosexual people are not offensive.  In fact, I happen to like every one that I have met.  But many faith traditions condemn same sex behaviour as offensive.

So what is just so offensive about homosexual behaviour?  Isn’t it just two people loving one another in the same caring way that heterosexual couples do?  Why is it anybody’s business what two people do in the privacy of their own bedrooms?  That’s what Pierre Trudeau said in 1968 to justify the removal of homosexuality from the criminal code.  The big difference now is that gay activists do not want their sexual conduct to remain a private affair, but wish to teach everybody’s children that their behaviour is normal, natural, moral, and the same as the sexual behaviour carried out in the context of a heterosexual marriage.  They wish to teach your children that homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism, transvestitism, and sado-masochism are merely normal variants of human sexual expression.  They want to make it everybody’s business.  And that is offensive to me as a Christian, as a parent, and as a mental health professional, because I believe the evidence clearly shows that that position is not only false, but also presents great risks to the physical and mental health of our young people.

Several years ago, when I was working as a high school counselor, I chose to attend a conference called Youth at Risk.  It was held in Richmond, and was sponsored by the Ministry of Education.  One of the workshops was entitled, Gay, Lebsian, Bisexual and Transgendered Youth at Risk.  I thought it would be a good workshop for me to attend, as my knowledge in this area was somewhat limited.

The workshop was filled with educators like myself.  The presenters were members of the Vancouver homosexual community.  In the workshop they stated as fact that 10% of the population is homosexual.  That is simply incorrect, and based on the inflated and biased research from 1948 of Dr. Alfred Kinsey.  They gave us a resource booklet to hand out to our students.  In it was the phone number of an organization called Vancouver Jack.  I asked what that was.  It is a masturbation club.

They handed us the community newspaper of Vancouver homosexuals, called Xtra West, and recommended we make it available to our students, by providing it in libraries and counseling office waiting rooms.  Then the presenter said, “But you may wish to avoid reading the classified ads.”  Of course we all did.  The personal classified ads, several pages of them, were almost entirely devoted to people seeking casual sex partners.  They graphically described the size and peculiar characteristics of their genitalia, as well as their preferred perversions.  I saw ads for those seeking others to urinate or defecate on them.  Now I found this offensive just to read, but even more offensive was the suggestion that I supply this information to my students.  Last time I checked, teachers who supply pornography to their students don’t last long in the profession.  Yet when I called Xtra West pretending I was interested in having it at my school, they confirmed they send copies to several high schools, and all of the tax supported Gay Youth Centres in the Lower Mainland.  I thought this was outrageous, and wrote several letters to the Minster of Education, who expressed no concern that workshop leaders hired by his ministry were making such recommendations or that pornographic material was being supplied to adolescents as reading material.  A colleague I spoke with thought this material was suitable to include in the school library.  That is why I started writing publicly to alert parents as to what was being recommended for their children, and that is why I have been convicted of conduct unbecoming a member of the teaching profession.

I find it offensive that behaviours which are still classified as mentally abnormal, such as transgenderism, transvestitism, and sado-masochism are promoted as normal variants.  I find it offensive that having an average of 100 different sexual partners in a year, which was the average number reported by a research study conducted in Boston in 1980, is thought to be acceptable.  I find it offensive that despite years of anti-AIDS education, over 40% of young gay men in Vancouver are still engaging in unprotected receptive anal intercourse, which is the most efficient way to acquire HIV.  That statistic is from Health Canada. Another study done in South Florida found that three-quarters of HIV positive men are engaging  in risky sexual behaviour and are not informing their partners of their HIV positive status.

I find it offensive that the risks of acquiring HIV and AIDS are presented as similar between the orientations, when over 70% of new HIV infections are among men who have sex with other men.  I find it offensive that bathhouses are freely advertised in newspapers like  Xtra West supplied to adolescents, when it is common knowledge that they are venues for orgies, and perverse sexual behaviours such as sex involving urine and feces.  I find it offensive that children as young as 12 are taught the techniques of fisting, the insertion of the entire hand inside another person’s rectum.  This was done at an “awareness” forum in Massachusetts on March 25, 2000 by members of the state’s department of education.  The parent who secretly recorded the presentation and made it public was sued by the workshop presenters for recording the event without permission.

I find it offensive that revered Christian prophets are claimed to be homosexual based on specious interpretations of scripture.  Materials produced by the Gay and Lesbian Educators of BC state that King David and Jonathan were gay lovers.  It is an outrageous insult, not only to Christians, but to Jews as well.  Others have speculated that Ruth and Naomi were lesbians.

It offends me that sexual confused young people are taught that people are born gay and that there is no way to change their orientation.  That is simply untrue, and I have personally met former homosexual people who can attest to that.  In fact, one week ago today a video documentary called “I Do Exist” detailing the lives of five former homosexuals was released.  One of them is a man by the name of Noe Guiterrez.  This is significant because Mr. Guiterrez is a featured speaker in a 1996 documentary called “It’s Elementary”, which is used to indoctrinate elementary school children in this province and throughout North America.  He used to be a gay activist.  Now he’s an ex-gay activist.  Who said God doesn’t have a sense of humour?

It offends me that whenever someone dares to state publicly that their religious beliefs condemn homosexual behaviour, they are branded as hateful and homophobic, suffering from a mental illness, a phobia, for having politically incorrect opinions. It offends me that honourable men of God like Rev. Stephen Boissoin and Rev. Ken Campbell, are hauled before Human Rights Tribunals and forced to explain why they were speaking publicly about what God’s Word says about immoral sexual behaviour.

It is easy, however, to be privately indignant about such offensive situations.  What do we do about it, and how can we go about it in a way that produces positive results? How can we go on the offensive without being offensive? 

Frankly, I think it is now too late to prevent homosexual information from reaching our children in public schools.  The gay lobby has achieved many of their goals.  Stan Persky, a homosexual activist who is a philosophy professor at North Vancouver’s Capilano College, said in an article in Xtra West dated June 29, 2000, that leaders in the gay community have known all along that heterosexual young people could be recruited into the gay lifestyle. 

Here is what he said: “The Good Grey Gay establishment stood up, to a man, and solemnly but hypocritically assured one and all that good homosexuals would never do anything so sneaky and underhanded as to persuade someone to be gay or engage in homosexual acts. The official gay leadership insisted that gays were born gay, and that no one who wasn’t gay could be turned into a homo, not even for 10 minutes.  Of course, they were lying through their teeth…And worst of all, they persuade other people—often young people who aren’t necessarily gay—to give a go.  And guess what?  Some of those who give it a go keep on going…the main battleground of the homo movement is not the wedding aisle of a nice church, but the nasty schoolyard.” 

And what is the perfect vehicle for heterosexual teenagers who are “bi-curious” to flirt with homosexuality?  Gay Straight Alliance Clubs.  . . . .  GSA’s were started in 1996 in the US and there are now over 1200 of them there.  In Massachusetts, every high school in the state has a GSA.  There are Gay Straight Alliance Clubs up and running now in 22 BC high schools, most in the Vancouver and Victoria area.  A helpful pamphlet on how to start and run them is provided by GALE-BC, and distributed by the teachers’ union to every high school. 

The BCTF  announced in 1997 that combating homophobia and heterosexism was a top priority of the union.  What they didn’t tell anyone were the results of a survey of 500 rank and file teachers done that year.  The survey, published in March 1997, asked teachers what their top priority was in terms of social justice issues.  Guess which one placed last—homophobia.  Not ten days later, at the 1997 BCTF Annual General Meeting, measures to combat homophobia were declared to be a “top priority”.  Teachers who wanted to speak against the motion were denied the opportunity to speak. In fact, gay activists met with delegates against the motion the night before the vote, and told them what the outcome was going to be, and that opposition was futile.  Sure enough, the next day, five speakers in a row got up to speak in favour of the motion.  Supporters of the gay agenda were working the line-ups of the five microphone to see which way people were intending to speak.  Finally, one person opposed to the motion spoke.  The chairman of the meeting immediately declared that both sides of the issue had been heard and called for a vote.  It passed overwhelmingly, and newspaper reports the next day commented that “there was surprisingly little opposition at the microphones” to the controversial motion.  That’s because only one person was permitted to speak against the motion and it was all arranged in advance.  The BC Teachers Federation has the patina of democracy, but in reality they don’t pay attention to what the members really want.  I think the term “secular humanist mafia” fits well.

The new BC Career and Personal Planning 10 curriculum directs teachers to instruct students with ways to eliminate homophobia and heterosexism.  Every student in the province must take this course to graduate now.  The web site for the Gay and Lesbian Educators of BC is an approved resource link in the government’s curriculum guide. 

When I looked at GALE-BC’s website, here’s what I found about their goals for the school system:  Encourage cross dressing and gender bending, eliminate the myth that there are only two sexes, remove gender boxes from all school forms, mandatory instruction in gay friendly sex education, include transgendered examples in all curriculum areas, and insert examples of gay and lesbian persons in all curriculum areas and all grades from kindergarten to grade 12.

Now let me make one thing clear. I believe that Canadian school children should be taught about orientation issues at the appropriate age level.  They should be taught that it is totally unacceptable to harass or bully those of alternate orientations.  The information they are provided with should be balanced, factually accurate, and respectful of the sensitivity that members of many religions have on this matter.  The problem is, that those who have been entrusted with actually producing instructional materials are activists in homosexual organizations, who have a vested interest in presenting the information in a way that portrays them in the best possible light, and portraying those who oppose homosexuality as bigoted, ignorant, or, as Svend Robinson put it, Neanderthals. 

One resource I reviewed produced by GALE BC called Counselling Lesbian and Gay Youth, stated that teachers must “dishonour” the attitude that heterosexuality is the only correct form of sexual behaviour.  I wrote to the authors suggesting that it was inappropriate to attempt to dishonour the sincerely held religious views of their students, but I was dismissed as homophobic, and they refused to remove that offensive statement.  The same resource stated that even those who only tolerate homosexuality are homophobic—only outright acceptance and affirmation is an acceptable attitude.  Schools have become the primary focus of the homosexual lobby, and recently members of that group made a presentation in my son’s school.

In British Columbia, the College of Teachers regulates the teaching profession.  They have the authority to demand that universities include certain courses in their teacher education curriculum.  A colleague of mine who was on the College of Teachers, told me that the accomplishment she was most proud of, was implementing a requirement that every teacher education program in the province have a mandatory course in “anti-oppression pedagogy”.  In other words, all prospective teachers must pass a course which teaches them how to combat homophobia and heterosexism, the “erroneous and dangerous” belief that heterosexuality is the only approved form of sexual behaviour.  A young woman from my church was in one of these courses at UBC, taught by a professor who was a lesbian.  The professor denounced me by name to the whole class.  To her credit, this young woman stood up and said, “I personally know this man.  He attends my church and he is nothing like you are portraying him.”  Now that took a lot of courage.

So how can you go on the offensive against the offensive without being offensive?  I have some very specific suggestions for you.

1)   Get informed.  Read everything you can.  Check out websites which provide an alternate point of view.  Examples include www.narth.com, www.peoplecanchange.com, www.fotf.ca, www.pathinfo.org, www.gaytostraight.com, www.familyresearchinst.org, www.pfox.org, and www.exodusnorthamerica.com. Read books such as Dr. Jeffery Satinover’s Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth, and a book by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, the president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, entitled A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality.  An informed parent is the best antidote to dealing with biased information.  For example, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, still lists Gender Identity Disorder, Transvestitism, Fetishism, and Sado-masochism as treatable mental disorders.  There is also a treatment category called “persistent and marked distress about one’s sexual orientation” which validates therapy for orientation change.  Furthermore, orientation change therapy research has been recently published in established, peer reviewed psychological journals, such as Dr. Robert Spitzer’s research published in the October, 2003 issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

2)   Speak to your child’s teacher about what they will be teaching your son or daughter about sexual orientation.  Let them know you wish to have copies of their handouts, and be informed in advance of any guest speakers. Ask for credentials of guest speakers and ask if they have evidence of a clean criminal record check.

3)   Get a copy of your school district’s resource challenge policy, and make sure you follow the protocol to the letter.  Generally it means speaking first to the teacher, then to the principal, then following up with a clear and specific letter of complaint to the school superintendent, if neither the teacher or the principal is willing to stop using the resource.  In my district, the superintendent is obliged to strike a committee to investigate the matter, made up of staff not directly connected with the subject area.  Get a copy of whatever you are concerned about, and get some expert assistance to confirm if it is flawed, biased, or offensive to religious beliefs.  Every school district should have this policy in their policy manual.  One of the GALE BC resources is called Challenging Homophobia in Schools.  It is deeply flawed.  I wrote a detailed assessment of that resource which is posted at www.bcptl.org.  It has just been revised, but I haven’t reviewed the new version.  The first edition was poorly researched and biased in more ways that I can count.

4)   Use the teachers’ code of ethics to your advantage.  In British Columbia, the very first point of the BCTF Code of Ethics says, “The teacher speaks and acts towards students with respect and dignity and deals judiciously with them, always mindful of their individual rights and sensibilities.”  This means that if you let your child’s teacher know about your “sensibilities” on orientation issues, they are ethically bound to respect that by exempting your child from a particular lesson or by ensuring all sides of a controversial issue are treated in a balanced way.  It also means that Christian or Sikh or Muslim students should not be indoctrinated with false teachings about sexuality which directly contradict the values of their faith.  It means that dignity and rights of heterosexuals, which is an orientation, must be also respected.  You know what they call us behind our backs?  Breeders.  It means that teachers should not use biased, inaccurate and propaganda-like teaching resources.  It means that no teacher should be trying to dishonour the teachings of the word of God.  And believe me, there are very, very few teachers willing to stand up to assertive parents who know what they are talking about.

5)   There is another point in the BCTF’s Code of Ethics which says this: “The teacher recognizes that a privileged relationship with students exists and refrains from exploiting that relationship for material, ideological, or other advantage.”  That means that using biased resources to instruct children with information that is hostile to Christian beliefs is unethical, because it exploits children for ideological advantage.  To combat heterosexism, which is the belief that only heterosexuality is appropriate moral sexual behaviour, means that Christian children must be taught the opposite of what we teach them in our homes and in our churches.

6)   Point 4 of the BCTF Code of Ethics says, “The teacher is willing to review with colleagues, students, and their parents/ guardians the quality of service rendered by the teacher and the practices employed in discharging professional duties.” Teachers are ethically required to speak with you about how they teach what they teach, and provide a justification for everything they do professionally. 

7)   Schools have a legitimate right to promote safety and implement anti-bullying strategies, including bullying that targets sexual minorities.  Publicly support these goals, but reserve the right to question how the goals will be implemented and what materials or guest speakers will be used.

8)   Talk to your children about this topic.  Ask them to keep you informed of when this topic comes up, and tell them why you are concerned.  Tell them you expect them to intervene when other children bully those who are homosexual or appear to be.  Frankly, taunting those who are effeminate has led to suicide.  It may also drive sexually confused young people into relationships with those who “support and understand” them. Our children should not be part of the problem.

9)   Get to know your child’s teachers and the school principal, and show up for parent teacher conferences.  Don’t become a one-issue parent or you will have no credibility when it really counts.

10)                  Form a committee of concerned parents, and show up at school board meetings.  Keep your focus on safety, fairness, non-discrimination, factual accuracy, anti-harassment, appropriate resources, and respect for all religious traditions.  Do not quote Scripture, especially “hot” verses.  You will be dismissed as a “Bible-thumper” and will not be able to achieve your goals.

11)                  Students in some US schools have responded to Gay Straight Alliance Clubs by forming a Conservative Club, which supports traditional family values and moral beliefs.  If a student group wishes to do this they will need adult support, because it has been viewed with hostility in some locations.

12)                  Be sensitive that many homosexual people have come out of distressing home situations, and may sincerely believe that they were born the way they are.  Some children are growing up in households where both parents are of the same sex and may be legally married.  Be temperate in your public comments.  If I had to do things over again, I would still have said what I said, but in a much gentler way.

13)                  Address curriculum concerns to the Minister of Education, but always copy your local MLA.  Get to know him or her.  If you have an established group, make an appointment to discuss your concerns with the MLA.  Most MLA’s wish to be responsive to their constituents’ concerns even if they don’t philosophically agree with you. 

14)                  Use the curriculum to your advantage.  In BC, it is a requirement that students be taught about behaviours which put them at risk of acquiring sexual transmitted diseases, and how to avoid them.  Engaging in unprotected receptive anal intercourse with multiple anonymous partners is common among homosexual men, so it is a fulfillment of the curriculum to teach children that they should avoid  this behaviour.  In addition, the curriculum requires that students be taught how to maintain good mental health.  It is well established in recent research studies that homosexual people have much higher incidences of depression, anxiety, and especially obsessive-compulsive disorders.  Contrary to what gay activists say, there is no evidence that it is the result of societal homophobia.  The study in question was conducted in Holland, arguably the most gay friendly nation on the planet, by Sandfort et al in 2001, and they found mental illness rates among homosexuals 3-9 times that of the general heterosexual population.

15)                  Finally, protect your child.  Despite your best efforts, you may not be able to keep your child from improper instruction, or they simply won’t tell you about controversial lessons.  You may have to consider transferring them to a different school, private schooling, home schooling, or even legal action against your school district to protect your child.

The gay lobby wants everyone to join with them in being proud of homosexuality.  But no God fearing person can be proud of sinful behaviour.  It will take courage and determination to speak out and you will not be applauded by the world for doing this.  Some time ago, I found my face on a crudely made Wanted poster in a local Laundromat, saying Un-wanted: for Homophobia.  This is not a job for thin-skinned people. 

When we take direct action, however, we must do it in a way that protects not only our own children, but children who are indeed confused about their orientation.  They need to be protected from harassment and name-calling, and I call upon Christian boys and girls to stand up in defense of those who are, or appear to be gay. Let it never be said of our children that they participated in the harassment of their classmates because of their orientation. These children deserve our compassion and support, because I am convinced that most of them cannot help how they feel.

Christian parents, talk your children as I have done with my own, and tell them that you expect them to intervene to protect those who are subjected to name-calling and harassment.  Scripture calls for us to pray for those who persecute us, and do good to those who consider themselves our enemies.  Besides, who among us is without sin?

 There is a middle ground, where children who need support and protection from harassment can receive it, while Christian children are also protected from false teaching about orientation issues.  But some children and their parents need to hear a message of hope that orientation is indeed changeable, and that there is help for them if they wish to change. As a clinical member of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, I hope I can assist my colleagues who wish to help those who want to change.

I seem to have accumulated quite a few enemies along the way, and I’ll admit sometimes it has been difficult for me and especially for my wife.  I’ll close with the words of Psalm 55:

But I call to God and He saves me

He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me,

Even though many oppose me…

Cast your cares upon the Lord and He will sustain you.

He will never let the righteous fall.

Thank you for inviting me to speak, and may God bless you all.

Dr. Chris Kempling Psy.D. R.C.C.

Registered Clinical Counsellor                250-983-3949

Quesnel, BC  V2J 5R5                             Kempling@telus.net