Focus on the Family banned from ACT schools

It is alleged that Focus on the Family Australia, have been pushing a hard-line Christian right agenda at their No Apologies (pretty much summarises their bigoted stance) seminars for teenagers, held at a number of ACT state schools.  According to ABC Onlline they have been accused of:

vilifying homosexuality, and preaching religion to students without parental consent.

While the Canberra Times reports

A student at Canberra High School who attended one of the seminars alleged it included claims sex was bad, painted homosexuality in a similar light to bestiality and warned students they could become gay by watching gay pornography.

Students were also allegedly warned they could become attracted to animals by watching animal pornography, that if a couple had sex it was the boy’s fault and that girls should not provoke boys by putting their hair up and wearing make-up.

A non-representative Christian lobby group, the  Australian Christian Lobby is of course running interference attempting to paint these seminars in a rather innocuous light, suggesting that they are values based programs and everyone needs values, right?

This little snippet from the program description gives and indication of what FoFA are providing:

NO APOLOGIES is a character-based sexual health curriculum.

Can someone fluent in Christianese translate?  Character based?

No Apologies was created to help young people safely navigate the most critical decade of their lives—those years between the ages of 12 and 22. It is during these years that adolescents are confronted with choices that can sabotage their future.  Young people need information and skills to guide them in their decision-making to avoid the consequences of high-risk behaviour.

Which is why you attempted to psychologically manipulate them by making them promise to be celibate – you’re giving them guidance and skills.

 
This curriculum is designed to educate and empower teenagers to make good choices and to develop positive character traits in the sexual domain.  These traits include respect, responsibility, integrity, courage, self-control and honesty.

I love their hijacking of the word empower here.  Its not empowerment if you are giving them tools that only enable them to make choices that align with your views.

The No Apologies program includes effective, age-appropriate and culturally relevant activities tested in classrooms, youth groups and health departments all over the world.

Culturally relevant?  Interesting I wonder if this means adapting the presentation of Christian values so that they can be more easily imparted to non-white, non-western cultures.

Young people, after attending the 12-hour course,* are asked to consider how they want to manage their sex life today and in the decades to come.  They are invited to make a decision to protect themselves and their future by choosing to abstain from all sexual activity outside of marriage.  Each young person is offered a pledge card to sign and date as a reminder of their decision.

Oh I see, they are invited to make a decision to protect themselves by being celibate, never mind the guilt related to sexual identity or the subjugation of women to the will of men, just don’t have sex or think about it. 

Why do we let these idiots near our children?

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