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Religious Teacher at
Northfield Mount Hermon Tells How to Lure Students
into Homosexual Events
Speaks to Teachers
and Students at Annual Fistgate Conference at Tufts
MassNews Staff
April 1, 2003
In a "jam-packed"
session, a religious studies teacher at Northfield
Mount Hermon School, told the attendees at one of
the Fistgate sessions on March 15, 2003, how to lure
the students into homosexual events.
The teacher, Robert Linscott,
board member of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education
Network), told how he has accomplished this at the
boarding school which was founded in the late 19th
century, largely for the children of American missionaries,
by American evangelist Dwight L. Moody, who also founded
Chicago's Moody Bible Institute. Linscott also serves
as the advisor at the gay-straight alliance (GSA)
at the school.
He explained how he interests
teenagers in GSAs when they don't want to be known
to their peers as homosexuals and even their straight
allies can't get them to come to events. He claimed
that the kids don't want that kind of notoriety because
other kids sometimes torment those who belong to a
GSA. He recommended teachers lure children by using
food, fun things and cutting-edge films, because otherwise
the kids won't come to the events.
Luring Them to a Cross
Dresser's Dance
Linscott
told the audience that he usually includes all GSA
student members, both heterosexual and homosexual,
in GSA activities. However, once a year he has a separate
activity for the "straight" students and
a separate activity for the "gay" students.
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Linscott
told about a GLBT dance at Northfield
called the "Cross Dresser's Dance."
It was the GSA kids' idea to have the dance,
but almost nobody went because none of the
kids wanted to be known as transsexuals.
So Linscott said, "Let's
call it a gender-bender dance and have fun
with it, make fun of everything. So they did,
and a lot of the faculty at the Northfield
boarding school became involved. They took
pictures of some of the male faculty members
wearing dresses and wigs. So now, all of a
sudden, it's the most popular thing in the
school and all kinds of teachers and students
are involved in it.
Linscott showed us pictures
of it. He said that's how he got the kids
involved.
Participants should seek allies
among admissions officers, art teachers, custodians,
department chairs and head staff, said Linscott.
Participants were also advised
to conduct a "school climate survey"
to determine the frequency of homosexual slurs
and the willingness of school personnel to
intervene in stopping them. Survey results
can later be used to coerce schools into implementing
pro-homosexual policy changes.
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Sidebar:
Breaking the Silence Is Always One-Sided
The title of Linscott's
session was Breaking
the Silence: Exploring Your School's
Climate Around Sexual Orientation.
But observers note that
when the "silence" is broken,
it is always completely one-sided. There
are never discussions about the serious
problems associated with homosexuality.
People like the famous psychiatrist
Robert Spitzer are never invited to
stimulate a real debate. Spitzer is
the man who spearheaded the movement
at the American Psychiatric Association
in 1973 to remove homosexuals from the
"disordered" list. In the
last few years, he has studied hundreds
of former homosexuals and now reports
that many adults can change their orientation.
That would appear to mean that children
should not be rushed to accept this
lifestyle. But those facts do not appear
to be welcome at Northfield or anywhere
in Massachusetts.
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The teacher also told the
attendees that whether or not people agree with them,
they should agree with the people because that makes
those who don't support homosexuality look weak and
less credible than those who do support it. It makes
pro-homosexuals look more level-headed, fair-minded
and tolerant than their opponents. He also said that
one way to normalize homosexuality is by mentioning
contributions from GLBT authors and scientists and
to assign papers on them, etc.
During the session, participants
discussed elements that homosexual students require
in school environments, including:
Open, supportive teachers.
Adults who speak out.
Pro-active administrators to help create a safe and
healthy environment around sexual orientation.
Tolerance and diversity training at an early age (in
elementary school or earlier) incorporated into the
whole curriculum.
Friends and allies.
A harassment policy.
Respect.
Visible "gay" role models.
Use GLBT terminology.
Linscott showed a half-hour
video he shot at Northfield that showed students and
parents talking about homosexuality. One of the students
in the film said that teachers are beacons of light.
Teachers are persons that people can go to with security
(as opposed to parents). Most important is having
faculty members who are out of the closet.
In the video, people said
that the sexuality of students or faculty is not hidden
by the school. Others said that gay movies and gay
literature should be part of the curriculum of the
school, that we need to let people know that being
gay is acceptable, and that degrading homosexuality
can destroy lives. The student class president said
that the students voted to allow same-sex couples
to live-in dorms to show that it is normal and healthy.
The mother of one student said parents need to talk
about homosexuality.
Linscott's resume on the
GLSEN Boston website states, "In addition to
his work in the classroom, Bob has dedicated his time
to issues of diversity and multiculturalism in education.
He is a member of the faculty for the NAIS (National
Association of Independent Schools) Summer Diversity
Institute. As an "out" faculty member and
dorm parent, Bob runs Northfield Mount Hermon's Gay
Straight Alliance, one of the school's largest student
groups, with a membership of over 80 students. Bob
is also actively involved in outdoor education and
can be found leading students on treks anywhere from
the White Mountains to the Himalayas, or instructing
students on a ropes course."
An Internet search of Robert
Linscott shows a listing in the directory of "campers,
staff, board members and friends" of Kabeyun,
a summer camp on Lake Winnipesauke for boys aged 7
to 15.
Among the "cutting-edge"
pro-homosexual films that Linscott recommended were:
The Incredibly True Adventure
of 2 Girls in Love (described on the Fine Line
Features website as "a touching and comic story
of first love between two girls in their senior year
of high school" where one of the protagonists
is "a rebellious tomboy who lives with her lesbian
aunt and her aunt's lover in a working class neighborhood.")
Common Ground
It's Elementary
Get Real (described
in a Yahoo movie review as "an appealing tale
of a teenaged schoolboy coming to grips with his emerging
sexuality.")
Beautiful Thing
Trembling Before God
The Sum of Us starring Russell
Crowe
Sidebar:
Overcoming Fear of the
“Religious Right”
In a seminar called "Overcoming Our Fear of the
Opposition," attendees learned how to know their
enemy: the Religious Right.
Presenter Pam Chamberlain, an "LGBT issues trainer"
and consultant with Somerville-based Political Research
Associates, told participants that they need to know
conservative arguments in order to oppose them.
Participants were asked to share an experience where
homosexual opponents had confronted them. At one point,
Dr. Laura Schlessinger's name came up, but some of
the young people in the room did not know who she
was.
When one participant expressed the desire to attend
a religious right conference, Chamberlain said she
could attend a "virtual" one by visiting
conservative websites, and she recommended that of
the American Family Association.
A member of the Westford Academy staff expressed her
concern over dealing with a homophobic teacher who
actually believes that homosexuals are not born that
way, that they can change, and that tax money should
be spent for all the children, not just a select few.
[Dr. Robert Spitzer, the well known psychiatrist who
led the fight to remove homosexuals from the disordered
list of the American Psychiatric Association in 1973,
has done extensive research in recent years and discovered
that even adult homosexuals are able to change their
orientation in many instances if they so desire. This
would indicate that confused teenagers should not
be advised by teachers. Many say that the schools
have a potential liability for large lawsuits if they
pursue this course. See MassNews archives and search
for "Spitzer."]
Chamberlain distributed a handout titled Ground Rules
& Tips for Challenging the Right. Among its suggestions:
Be alert to evidence of the Right's "new racism."
Be careful to respect people's right to hold opinions
and religious beliefs that you many find offensive.
Stay cool in public.
Demand documentation to expose the Right's "false
charges and baseless claims."
Use the opportunity of public forums to present your
position.
Avoid slogans, name calling and demonizing members
of the Right.
Involve clergy and other respected community members
in your organizing.
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