Posts on Family Impact Summit

The St. Petersburg Times reports that turnout for the Family Impact Summit was "smaller than expected: fewer than 130 people. Many were senior citizens; almost all were white. And nearly all of them shared a vision of a culture tilting out of control." But those in attendance were at least treated to a speeh by Katherine Harris: "Speaking at an auctioneer's pace, she advised the audience on what to expect if they ran for office. 'I come before you not as an exemplar of Christian citizenship, but as one who has learned lessons from the fire,' she said. Prepare to be attacked in the press and to feel the burden of responsibility, she said. She told them to educate themselves on the upcoming presidential race, but not to read newspapers."

A final dispatch from the Family Impact Summit:

The session on Homosexuality and Youth was dominated by the youth division of Exodus, an organization that believes gays can and should be “healed” and that LGBT people should not be protected against legal discrimination. Exodus opposes legal recognition of same-sex couples, same-sex parenting and adoption, and hate crimes laws.

The session drew attention to efforts by Exodus and others to put a friendly face on its anti-gay message. In response to pro-tolerance and anti-harassment campaigns by pro-equality students, like the Day of Silence, Exodus is promoting a product called “Truth and Tolerance,” (truthandtolerance.net) designed to put anti-gay students on record against bullying (alliestoo.org), and calling for tolerance of students who want to make the case that gay youth need to be straightened out by God.

The session was moderated by Scott Davis from Exodus’ youth division. Davis, a former campus minister, blamed homosexuality on the sexual revolution and broken families, and said that young people are searching for intimacy. He said young people need to be taught a “biblical view of gender” and called on participants to help rescue teens by teaching and modeling “correct” genders, mentoring, and giving them a reason to be pure – a deep intimacy with God. (Some “reparative” therapies work on turning gays straight by making the women wear makeup and use purses, while men play football and learn to fix cars as the first step to becoming “real men.”)

Mike Ensley, also affiliated with the Exodus youth section, called himself a “former homosexual” who “never wanted to be gay.” Ensley said relational ministry has helped him correct his “misperceptions” of gender and that Exodus “rescued” him, though he said change is not a 180 degree turnaround but an “ongoing process.” Ensley, like many other conference speakers, also argued that hate crimes laws are being used to “silence” Christians.

Christine, a young woman who leads Worthy Creations, a “recovery” ministry affiliated with Exodus, said she was homosexual at age 15. She criticized church leaders who don’t want to talk about homosexuality, saying pro-gay “propaganda” is everywhere. Like other conference speakers, Christine said there are new reasons for teens to be involved in homosexuality.

In contrast to “classic lesbianism,” to use Ensley's terminology, where women who experienced abuse or were taught that men aren’t safe, girls are now becoming lesbians because of a “try it out and see if you like it” mentality. Christine’s message to young women who try it and like it is that their conclusion shouldn’t be that they are gay, but that “everything works” physically: “Even very unhealthy relationships can feel good,” she said, drawing a parallel to some abused children she said experience pleasure from sexual abuse.

Christine argued that there are four types of homosexuals that need to be dealt with:

1. Militant - Christians need to defend against activists without attacking gays.
2. Moderate - gays who are not ‘out and proud;’ Christians should reach out to them as ambassadors for Christ.
3. Repentant - people who are struggling with being gay or “coming out of homosexuality” and attracted to groups like Exodus. Kristine says she is appalled that some Christians don’t offer them more support.
4. Gay and Christian - sincere but part of “the deception” because they are believing a lie.

Regina Griggs heads PFOX, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays, though her own son came out nine years ago and apparently shows no interest in becoming “ex-gay.” She blames school counselors and Gay-Straight Alliance clubs for giving young people information that leads to affirmation of a gay identity. The biggest problem, she said, is that parents aren’t standing up to schools and need to be more involved.

Our thanks to YP4 Fellows Mychel Estevez and Zachary Dryden for their coverage of this event.

A second dispatch from the Family Impact Summit:

Gary Bauer, a former Reagan administration official who led the Family Research Council before a failed run for the presidency, gave the keynote address at the Summit.

Bauer argued that America is engaged in two simultaneous wars in defense of western civilization – the war against "Islamofascists" and the "war of ideas" in America – and that if we lose either of them, we lose everything.

Bauer typically demonized "the radical left" in America for not supporting the first war and saying that feminist organizations in America say nothing about the Taliban killing girls who want to get an education because they are too busy whining about a woman's right to choose here in America, that last phrase delivered in a high-pitched whiny caricature of a woman's voice.

Regarding the second war, the one at home, Bauer described liberals as "deluded" for thinking that they are free to do whatever feels good. Describing the founding fathers' vision of "ordered liberty under God," Bauer's dismissal of the concept of separation of church and state drew chuckles from the audience.

Bauer, though, exuded confidence, especially regarding the Religious Right's decades-long campaign to criminalize abortion:

"Do you know how close we are to ending the tragedy of abortion? We need one more Supreme Court justice. If we get a few lucky breaks next year, I believe you will walk down your driveway and pick up a newspaper that says 'Roe Overturned, Supreme Court Affirms Right to Life'."

One of our correspondents sent this report from the first day of the Family Impact Summit in Florida:

The first panel's topic was "The Homosexual Agenda," and Peter Sprigg, vice president for public policy at the Family Research Council, gave his talk with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation purporting to outline the "Elements of the Agenda." Sprigg lectured the crowd about how “militant gay rights activists” were going about crossing off agenda points, and spoke at length about the gay rights activists' movement to "indoctrinate every student from kindergarten to 12th grade." 

While Sprigg gave the usual compassionate-sounding phrases of the anti-gay movement—with statements like, "We desire the best for homosexuals, and desiring the best for someone and acting to bring that about is the essence of love…"— he "affirmed" the state of Florida for having the strongest prohibition against adoption by gay couples. He made the claim that "most children raised by homosexuals are the result of previous heterosexual relationships," and proceeded to pontificate about how this "undermines the notion that homosexuality is something fixed from birth and cannot change—there are very few homosexuals who have never had a heterosexual relationship."

Just days after the Religious Right’s B-team gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to question Republican candidates for president (including the ones who didn’t show up), a number of more prominent right-wing figures are convening in Tampa for the Family Impact Summit, sponsored by the Focus on the Family-affiliated Florida Family Policy Council, the Tampa-based Community Issues Council, the Family Research Council, and the Salem radio network.

Advertised topics range from “Christian Citizenship” to “Homosexual Agenda,” but the focus will no doubt be on the 2008 election, and in particular, the effort by Florida’s Right to put a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage on the ballot—even though gays are already prohibited from marrying by statute.

Below is some background on the featured speakers, from Tony Perkins and Richard Land to Katherine Harris and Ken Blackwell.

A word of warning to those who live in Florida:  your state is going to be over-run by right-wingers this September. 

On September 20-22, a who’s who of the Right will be in Tampa for the Family Impact Summit.  Featuring the likes of Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer, Don Wildmon, Richard Land, Katherine Harris, and Bob Knight, the conference will offer a wide array of panels on everything from the “Homosexual Agenda,” “Homosexuality & Youth,” and “Homosexuality & Ministry” to workshops on “New and relevant research on homosexuality.” 

In between the gay-bashing, there will also be panels on “Christian Citizenship” and “Community Decency,” as well as keynote addresses from Bauer, Perkins, Ken Blackwell, and Harry Jackson.  

What you won’t find at this summit, as of yet, is GOP presidential candidates – even though most of them are reportedly scheduled to be attending the “Values Voter Debate” in Fort Lauderdale on September 17, which is being hosted by a separate, but not mutually exclusive, group of influential right-wing leaders.  

The debate is being sponsored by the people who brought us the “Values Voters’ Contract With Congress,” which was itself launched at Vision America’s “War on Christian and Values Voters Conference” in 2006 and supported by right-wing stalwarts such as Phyllis Schlafly, Alan Keyes, Lou Sheldon, Janet Folger, D. James Kennedy, Rod Parsley, and others.

The contract called on Congress to pass an array of specific legislation - such as the Constitution Restoration Act and the Pledge Protection Act - as well as general legislation that would “ensure that speech and lawful religious expression are never punished as a ‘hate crime’” and protect Americans against “judges who legislate from the bench subvert [and] our republican form of government” in order to, among other things:  

AFFIRM the national relationship with God in our places of worship, schools, mottos, and public spaces

SECURE our national interest in the institutions of marriage and family

SECURE our fundamental right as parents to the care, custody, and control of our children

SECURE our God-bestowed right to life

SECURE an environment of decency that is free from pornography and obscenity

Seven of nine Republican hopefuls have reportedly accepted an invitation to “Values Voter Debate,” though it the organizers have not disclosed who is and is not attending.  They certainly have high hopes for their event, noting that low voter turnout in the primary election means that “if just a fraction of the values voters come out to vote in the primaries…WE will pick the candidate who will win the nomination.”

And picking the GOP candidate is especially important because what they really have their eye on the Supreme Court and "it is now ‘fourth and goal.’ One more judge. One more president. One more chance. The question is, will you take it?”