Day of Dialogue

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In the United States, the Day of Dialogue (formerly Day of Truth) [1] is the Christian fundamentalist group Focus on the Family's annual event to oppose LGBTQ rights. [2] It was founded by the Alliance Defense Fund in 2005 to oppose the Day of Silence, an annual day of protest against the harassment and bullying of LGBTQ students that was organized by Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. [1] Since 2018 the Day of Dialogue is not marked on a single date or organized nationally. [3]

Contents

History

ADF's Day of Truth

The "Day of Truth" event was first organized in 2005, primarily through the efforts of the Alliance Defense Fund, with the endorsement of several major conservative and anti-LGBT organizations, including the Christian ministry group Focus on the Family and the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. [4]

ADF claims that students who have attempted to speak against same-sex relationships and behavior have been censored or, in some cases, punished for their actions under campus hate-speech rules, such as Tyler Chase Harper, a high school student whose suspension led to the first Day of Truth. Harper was suspended for wearing a T-shirt that read "Be Ashamed" and "Our School Embraced What God Has Condemned," and on the back read, "Homosexuality is Shameful" and "Romans 1:27." The Alliance Defense Fund filed an unsuccessful federal lawsuit against school officials on behalf of Harper, claiming his religious freedoms were violated. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court. [5] [6] The Supreme Court ruled that the case was moot because Harper had already graduated, declined to further consider it, and ordered the lower court to vacate its decision against Harper, leaving future matters open for litigation as though the previous trial had never occurred. [7] [ better source needed ]

According to ADF, over 1,100 students in 350 schools participated in the first Day of Truth, in 2005. [8]

The second Day of Truth was held on April 27, 2006, with nearly 3,000 students from more than 800 schools participating, according to ADF statistics. In February, ADF alleged that various unnamed bloggers opposed to the Day of Truth had attempted to undermine the event by swamping the Day of Truth web site with requests for brochures. [9]

According to ADF, more than 7,000 students participated in the third Day of Truth, which was held on April 19, 2007. [10]

In one of several Day of Truth-related legal actions, ADF filed a federal lawsuit in 2006 on behalf of a student who they claim was prevented by his school from participating in the event, despite allowing the Day of Silence. [6] [11] ADF reached a settlement with the student's North Carolina high school in 2007, allowing the student to participate in Day of Truth. [12]

Kevin Jennings of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) has described the event as "a publicity stunt cooked up by a conservative organization with a political agenda; it’s an effort by adults to manipulate some kids." [4] In response, Mike Johnson of ADF contends that “We wouldn’t have come up with the Day of Truth if Christian kids hadn’t been silenced in the first place. . . . The public school is part of the free market of ideas — if the other side is going to advance their point of view, it’s only fair for the Christian perspective to present their view, too." [4]

After ADF

ADF announced that beginning in 2009, it passed on its leadership role in the Day of Truth to an ex-gay organization, Exodus International, [13] which had already participated in running the event. [14] In October 2010, Exodus announced they would no longer support the event. President Alan Chambers stated they realised they needed to "equip kids to live out biblical tolerance and grace while treating their neighbors as they'd like to be treated, whether they agree with them or not", adding that the Day of Truth was becoming too divisive. Chambers said that Exodus had not changed its position on homosexuality, rather they were reevaluating how to best communicate their message. [15] [16]

On November 6, 2010, Focus on the Family announced it had acquired the Day of Truth event and was renaming it to the Day of Dialogue. [17] Focus on the Family said it would maintain the event's goal of "encouraging honest and respectful conversation among students about God's design for sexuality." [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

Within Christianity, there are a variety of views on sexual orientation and homosexuality. The view that various Bible passages speak of homosexuality as immoral or sinful emerged through its interpretation and has since become entrenched in many Christian denominations through church doctrine and the wording of various translations of the Bible.

Focus on the Family is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s. As of the 2017 tax filing year, Focus on the Family declared itself to be a church, "primarily to protect the confidentiality of our donors." Traditionally, entities considered churches have been ones that have regular worship services and congregants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Dobson</span> Evangelical Christian psychologist, author, and radio broadcaster

James Clayton Dobson Jr. (born April 21, 1936) is an American evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder of Focus on the Family (FotF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s, he was ranked as one of the most influential spokesmen for conservative social positions in American public life. Although never an ordained minister, he was called "the nation's most influential evangelical leader" by The New York Times while Slate portrayed him as a successor to evangelical leaders Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.

GLSEN is an American education organization working to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression and to prompt LGBT cultural inclusion and awareness in K-12 schools. Founded in 1990 in Boston, Massachusetts, the organization is now headquartered in New York City and has an office of public policy based in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay–straight alliance</span> Student groups supporting LGBT youth

A gay–straight alliance, gender–sexuality alliance (GSA) or queer–straight alliance (QSA) is a student-led or community-based organization, found in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. These are primarily in the United States and Canada. Gay–straight alliance is intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and all LGBTQ+ individuals, children, teenagers, and youth as well as their cisgender heterosexual allies. The first GSAs were established in the 1980s. Scientific studies show that GSAs have positive academic, health, and social impacts on schoolchildren of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Numerous judicial decisions in United States federal and state court jurisdictions have upheld the establishment of GSAs in schools, and the right to use that name for them.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to expand Christian religious liberties and practices within public schools and in government, outlaw abortion, and oppose LGBTQ rights. ADF is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with branch offices in several locations including Washington, D.C., and New York. Its international subsidiary, Alliance Defending Freedom International, with headquarters in Vienna, Austria, operates in over 100 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Day of Silence</span> International day to spread awareness of LGBT people

Day of Silence is an annual day of action organized by GLSEN to spread awareness about the effects of the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. In the United States, students take a day-long vow of silence to symbolically represent the silencing of LGBTQ students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights opposition</span> Opposition to legal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people

Opposition to legal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people exists throughout the world. LGBTQ rights opponents may be opposed to the decriminalization of homosexuality; laws permitting civil unions or partnerships or supporting LGBT parenting and adoption, LGBT military members, access to assisted reproductive technology, and access to gender-affirming surgery and gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender individuals.

Wayne Besen is an American LGBT rights advocate. He is a former investigative journalist for WABI-TV, a former spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, and the founder of Truth Wins Out. Besen came out to his parents before starting his Truth Wins Out Organization. After coming out to his parents, they bought him an ex-gay DVD that could supposedly hypnotize people and turn them straight. It was that and the invitation by President George W. Bush of ex-gay leader Alan Chambers to the White House that led him to start the Truth Wins Out organization.

"Gay agenda" or "homosexual agenda" is a pejorative term used by sectors of the Christian religious right as a disparaging way to describe the advocacy of cultural acceptance and normalization of non-heterosexual sexual orientations and relationships. The term originated among social conservatives in the United States and has been adopted in nations with active anti-LGBT movements such as Hungary and Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exodus International</span> Defunct Christian conversion therapy organization

Exodus International was a non-profit, interdenominational ex-gay Christian umbrella organization connecting organizations that sought to "help people who wished to limit their homosexual desires". Founded in 1976, Exodus International originally asserted that conversion therapy, the reorientation of same-sex attraction, was possible. In 2006, Exodus International had over 250 local ministries in the United States and Canada and over 150 ministries in 17 other countries. Although Exodus was formally an interdenominational Christian entity, it was most closely associated with Protestant and evangelical denominations.

The origin of the LGBTQ student movement can be linked to other activist movements from the mid-20th century in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement and Second-wave feminist movement were working towards equal rights for other minority groups in the United States. Though the student movement began a few years before the Stonewall riots, the riots helped to spur the student movement to take more action in the US. Despite this, the overall view of these gay liberation student organizations received minimal attention from contemporary LGBTQ historians. This oversight stems from the idea that the organizations were founded with haste as a result of the riots. Others historians argue that this group gives too much credit to groups that disagree with some of the basic principles of activist LGBTQ organizations.

Alan E. Sears is an American lawyer. He served as the president, CEO, and general counsel of the Alliance Defending Freedom until January 2017. Sears was also the staff executive director of the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography, popularly known as the Meese Commission.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equality Ride</span>

The Equality Ride is a periodic LGBT rights bus tour made for young adults and sponsored by Soulforce, a national LGBT nonprofit organization. They seek to debate LGBT issues with students at conservative Christian colleges and military academies and secular universities.

Love Won Out was an ex-gay ministry launched in 1998 by Focus on the Family, an American conservative Christian organization. It was taken over by Exodus International in 2009 and then shut down at the same time Exodus International was disbanded, in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education and the LGBTQ community</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chick-fil-A and LGBT people</span>

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References

  1. 1 2 Janofsky, Michael (June 9, 2005). "Gay Rights Battlefields Spread to Public Schools Archived 2017-12-22 at the Wayback Machine ". New York Times. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  2. ↑ Gilgoff, Dan (November 11, 2010). "New Christian sponsor takes over event challenging homosexuality" (blog post). CNN. Archived from the original on 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  3. ↑ "Focus on the Family Has Quietly Ended Its Anti-LGBTQ "Day of Dialogue"". Patheos . April 10, 2018. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Group Makes Noise Over Day of Silence: Day of Truth Designed to Counter Gay-Supportive Observance ". Associated Press. April 12, 2005. Via MSNBC. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  5. ↑ Foust, Michael (March 29, 2005). "'Day of Truth' Provides Response to Homosexual-Themed Day". Baptist Press. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  6. 1 2 "ADF attorneys seek justice for high school student silenced on Day of Truth Archived 2018-05-06 at the Wayback Machine " (press release). Alliance Defense Fund. adflegal.org. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  7. ↑ "Supreme Court Summary Disposition". Archived from the original on 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  8. ↑ Day of Truth participation statistics Archived 2008-06-26 at the Wayback Machine , Day of Truth website
  9. ↑ Breaking the silence: Day of Truth message undeterred by activist's intolerance Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine , Alliance Defense Fund
  10. ↑ "Settlement allows NJ high school students to acknowledge Day of Truth Archived 2016-06-17 at the Wayback Machine ". OneNewsNow.com. American Family Association. January 18, 2008. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
  11. ↑ ADF report on Arthurs v. Sampson County Board of Education Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine , Alliance Defense Fund
  12. ↑ Victory for student First Amendment rights and religious speech at N.C. school, Alliance Defense Fund
  13. ↑ "Hostile Questions : Day of Truth". Archived from the original on 2010-01-30. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
  14. ↑ Homosexuality FAQ Sheet, Day of Truth website
  15. ↑ Gilgoff, Dan (October 6, 2010). "Christian Group Pull Support for Event Challenging Homosexuality". CNN. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018.
  16. ↑ Roberts, David (October 6, 2010). "Exodus International Shuts Down Day of Truth". Archived from the original on November 20, 2018.
  17. ↑ "New Focus on Day of Truth: Now "Day of Dialogue"". Focus on the Family . November 11, 2010. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017.
  18. ↑ "New Focus on Day of Truth: Now "Day of Dialogue" (Press release). Focus on the Family. November 11, 2010. Archived from the original on 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
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