Dear CWA Friends,

CWA has an article regarding President Obama’s disturbing appointment of Kevin Jennings to Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. I found the article interesting in light of HB1279, the South Dakota legislation that was defeated in this last legislative session. HB1279 was introduced by Rep. Dan Lederman (R-District 16) and you may read the list of co-sponsors at the link above. You may recall that we opposed HB1279 because “” was listed in the amended version, as we expected it would be.

Although the bill was defeated, we are expecting it to be re-introduced in the 2010 South Dakota Legislative Session.

I urge you to read the following article to raise your awareness of the homosexual agenda affecting your local school, then voice your concern to your state legislators asking them to resist a “” bill in the state legislature.

Linda Schauer State Director Concerned Women for America of South Dakota

Obama's "Safe Schools" Pick to Conservatives: "Drop Dead" 7/7/2009 By Lydia Van Matre

Kevin Jennings, a homosexual activist who once told conservatives to "drop dead," has been appointed Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

As founder of the , Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Jennings works to "make schools safe for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or ." GLSEN promotes its work as school-centered campaigns to raise awareness about bullying against homosexuals. Under this banner of "tolerance" and "safety," GLSEN is able to actively infiltrate our schools with the homosexual agenda.

In a speech titled, "Winning the Culture War," posted on the website of pro-family group Mass Resistance, Kevin Jennings explained GLSEN's strategy:

"We immediately seized upon the opponent's calling card - safety - and explained how homophobia represents a threat to students' safety … we automatically threw our opponents onto the defensive and stole their best line of attack. This … short-circuited their arguments and left them back-pedaling from day one."

GLSEN highlights its message of "safety" through programs like its annual "Day of Silence," where students work to raise awareness about anti-"gay" bullying by refusing to speak. In reality, the "Day of Silence" is an effort to transform students into pro- homosexual political lobbyists. In the event's pamphlet, posted by True Tolerance, students are encouraged to pressure schools into using pro-homosexual material.

"For homosexual activists, the illusion of danger and the need for safety was all part of a strategy, the means to an end, a façade," explains Mario Diaz, Policy Director for Legal Issues at Concerned Women for America.

Ultimately, Jennings' goal is to rid America of "heterosexism," the notion that heterosexuality is the norm, and to promote the idea that gender is merely a man-made construct. Jennings advanced this agenda when he wrote the foreword for a book called Queering Elementary Education, which includes essays like "How to Make 'Boys' and 'Girls' in the Classroom" and "Locating a Place for Gay and Lesbian themes in Elementary Reading, Writing and Talking."

Jennings' appointment could spark a new wave of homosexual political activism in public schools. For example, on May 26, the public school board of Alameda, California, voted to adopt a "safe schools" curriculum that equates same-sex unions with a family made up of a mother, father, and child, despite a petition signed by 468 parents who protested the measure.

CNSNews.com reports that the bullying due to "sexual orientation" may not be the biggest problem. The California Healthy Kids Survey, which is part of the No Child Left Behind Act, reported that while 14.3 percent of students were bullied for ethnicity and 9.1 percent because of religion, bullying due to "actual or perceived sexual orientation" came in third at 7.5 percent.

GLSEN's "safe schools" strategy is a Trojan horse designed to push homosexuality into the hearts and minds of American children. According to Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, Jennings presented this vision in a speech at GLSEN's Mid-Atlantic Conference in :

"I'd like five years from now for most Americans when they hear the word GLSEN to think, 'Ooh, that's good for kids' … I can envision a day when straight people say … 'Hey, why don't you and your boyfriend come over before you go to the prom and try your tuxes on at my house?' [I]f we believe that can happen, we can make it happen."

TAKE ACTION: If you find this appointment troubling, please contact President Obama, and your congressmen to politely demand that Jennings resign.

Sen. Thune 866-850-3855 http://thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Email

Sen. Johnson 800-537-0025 http://johnson.senate.gov/contact/

Rep. Herseth Sandlin 866-371-8747 http://hersethsandlin.house.gov/contact2.htm