Anti-gay pediatricians warn schools, “Don’t say it’s OK to be gay!”

A story in today’s WorldNetDaily tells us how a national association of pediatricians warns schools against the dangers of “affirming the homosexual lifestyle”. Who are these people, exactly?

The American College of Pediatricians is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002. It is not, as some might assume, a part of or in any way related to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a 60,000-member professional association of pediatricians. In fact, its members left the AAP because the AAP issued a statement supporting the adoption of children by homosexual parents. Beyond its Board of Directors, the ACP lists all of 49 “charter members“.

The ACP, as evidenced by its website, has as its primary motivating factor the prevention of “affirming the homosexual lifestyle”, and has selected a name similar to the AAP in order to appear neutral. It appears, in fact, to be a NARTH front group.

From the ACP’s About page:

Supported by a small group of members, they decided to examine the issue of the rearing of children by homosexual adults. A statement was prepared supporting this concept and circulated to committees of the AAP for review. Most were silent, but the Section on Bioethics Executive Committee recommend against the publication of the statement because of several inherent flaws. Unfortunately, a vocal minority was pressing for publication and so the Board engaged an academic Gay-Rights activist to draft a “Technical Report” designed to defend the statement with “scientific” evidence. In February 2002, the Statement, titled “Co-parent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents,” was published in Pediatrics along with a Technical Report-each of which generated an outcry of opposition from AAP members.

Among those members was Gerry Boccarossa, DO, who was so incensed that he sought legal advice on the development of a new organization, commissioning a law firm to investigate, then copyright the name American College of Pediatricians, and begin the process of drafting organizational bylaws. He also began to discuss the development of this organization with colleagues and friends, and resolved to terminate his AAP membership.

That’s right. The founder is a DO. Doctor of Osteopathy . . . a woo-peddler who believes he can diagnose illness with his hands.

In fact, the condemnation of homosexuality appears to be the group’s only real interest:

The first action taken was the attendance, by a small group of pediatricians who vocally opposed the AAP’s support of homosexual parenting, at the AAP Annual Chapter Forum held in September 2002, just outside Chicago. At this Forum, attended by the presidents and vice presidents of all AAP Chapters and the national leadership, 17 resolutions opposing the Academy’s promotion of homosexual parenting were on the agenda. Despite reasoned arguments in support of these resolutions, they were defeated.

The group recently established a website, FactsAboutYouth, which purports to provide “unbiased information about youth sexuality” from a “non-political, non-religious channel”. In reality? It’s a thinly-veiled assault on LGBT youth, even going so far as to actively promote the long-disproven “ex-gay” movement:

There are many forms of therapeutic modalities in use for same-sex attraction issues, most of which focus on underlying issues in a very conventional mental health approach. For example, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has been successful in resolving trauma-based cases of homosexuality triggered by sexual abuse. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used by some therapists in which the focus is on behavioral changes. Psychoanalysis is used to focus on understanding on an intellectual level while Emotional Focused Therapy (EFT) stresses a focus on emotional issues. Imago therapy is used by some to examine issues from the past. Religiously mediated change focuses less on the psychological implications and more on one’s relationship with God and behavioral change to conform to Biblical understandings of the Commandments concerning sexuality. Often, a counselor will use a combination of modalities.

Their references in favor of so-called “reparative therapies”? NARTH, of course, the Christian-based National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. Its “Find a Therapist” link? To NARTH’s website, of course.

The letter sent to 14,000 school superintendents across the country? It’s available HERE. In part:

It is not the school’s role to diagnose and attempt to treat any student’s medical condition, and certainly not a school’s role to ‘affirm’ a student’s perceived personal sexual orientation.

[Schools can create a] life of unnecessary pain and suffering [by affirming homosexuality].

Even when motivated by noble intentions, schools can ironically play a detrimental role if they reinforce this disorder.

Has your local school superintendent received this letter? What does your school superintendent think of it, or plan to do?

Do you know?

Related articles:

1. The New Gay Teenager: Anti-Gay Activists Horrified
2. Anti-Gay Crusaders Boycott PepsiCo
3. Anti-Gay Lawmaker Arrested for DUI After Leaving Gay Club
4. Anti-Gay Lawmaker Roy Ashburn Comes Out
5. AFA Poll: Why is it impossible to be gay and Christian?