By Ed Oliver

The homosexual agenda is being promoted at the Ford Middle School in Acushnet, which adjoins New Bedford, it was revealed at a workshop at the "Fistgate" conference.

The session was titled, "The Struggles and Triumphs of Including Homosexuality in a Middle School Curriculum."

It focused on the experiences of Christine L. Hoyle, a special education teacher who said she is a lesbian, who told how she expanded a holocaust class into an "anti-prejudice unit" in order to include homosexuality.

Hoyle’s session was included at Fistgate to offer advice on how to "get around roadblocks" to including homosexuality in a middle school curriculum.

Hoyle told the group that any mention of homosexuality would have been forbidden in her school seven years ago, but now she has five books on homosexuality approved by the administration.

The first year, she was told by the principal that under no circumstances could anyone come in to speak about homosexuality although speakers from minority groups were brought in to speak about "prejudice." She said it was discouraging.

Hoyle said she then asked the students who they would like to come speak to them, about "tolerance," asking them to be specific and write it down. She said she posed the question by giving the students the choice whether they would like to hear from a teen that is gay or a parent who is gay?

When Massachusetts News pointed this out to Ford Middle School Principal John Tavares, he immediately said, "She manipulated the students."

Hoyle told the workshop triumphantly that out of 130 students, 75 said their number one choice was to have a homosexual come speak to them. Fifty of those said they specifically wanted a homosexual teen to speak and 14 wanted someone who had a "hate crime" committed against them. The principal told her that she could not bring in a homosexual teen to speak.

Hoyle said parents were informed in a letter that a person from the state-approved organization "Speak-Out" would speak to the children. They were told they could have their children opt out of the presentation under state law. Despite the law, kids "develop a network of passing the information along to those who didn’t attend," Hoyle said. The principal received one objecting letter (from "a Sunday school teacher").

Hoyle said the school’s "health care coordinator" offered to pay for the speaker and she approves everything.

Problem With ‘Approved’ Speaker

A problem arose with an adult speaker they invited that caused Hoyle to fear her efforts to bring homosexuality into the holocaust curriculum would be canceled. A child asked the speaker if he could be arrested for being gay. The speaker proceeded to answer the question by graphically describing the homosexual acts for which a person could be arrested.

There was a complaint made about this to the principal, even from students in their evaluations. Students said they wanted to hear from homosexuals, but not about what they do. Hoyle said that when the principal called her into the office, she thought the whole thing was about to be canceled. She was relieved and pleasantly surprised however when she was told that the particular speaker could not come back, and they would use opt-in permission slips next time.

The homosexual man from SpeakOut who was barred from returning to the school attended Hoyle’s workshop. He defended himself by saying SpeakOut will honestly answer any question put to them by students. He said they would have to adjust their answers, however, to be more age-appropriate because they are used to speaking to high school students. He said the only time SpeakOut uses the legal term "sodomy" is when they explain to children that it is used to arrest homosexuals. He also said children should be discussing oral and anal sex with SpeakOut presenters because they cannot discuss it with parents, teachers or people at church.

Hoyle said half of the seventh and eighth grade learns about the holocaust, while the other half learns about the holocaust plus additions to the curriculum. A final project at her class was to have the students make presentations, which were videotaped. As an example of her success, she played a video, which depicted several seventh grade girls in a question-answer format.

The seventh grade girls narrating the video said their report was to prove there is nothing wrong with being a homosexual. "All this information is true," said a student.

A student on the video said ancient Greek poets encouraged homosexuality and considered it normal for an adolescent boy to have an older, wiser man as his lover. The students posed questions and answers about homosexuality, such as:

Q. What percentage of the population are homosexual?

A. Ten percent, but probably more, because not everyone admits it. [Editor’s note: Most experts today agree that less than 3% of the population is homosexual]

Q. How many men and women are gay?

A. More men than women.

Q. What’s wrong with being gay?

A. Nothing. (Said with defiant tone).

Q. Is homosexuality a sickness?

A. People used to believe it was, but it is just one way to express sexual love.

Q. Can homosexuals choose not to be gay?

A. They can decide not to have sex with members of their own sex.

Q. What does the Bible say about homosexuality?

A. Sex is in the Bible, but it is used only for procreation. But, there are many Bible passages that say, "Love one another." The Bible is used against gays.

She Had An Agenda

A teacher who attended the workshop commented to Massachusetts News, "From this middle school workshop, I learned that educators who initially do resist this gay political movement, like Hoyle’s principal, are too easily compromised. Remember, seven years ago when their holocaust study was expanded, they were told that under no circumstances could anyone come to speak on homosexuality. Now you have seventh grade girls presenting so-called research that affirms pederasty in ancient Greece. This is clearly desensitization to morality and the law. How come no one ever teaches students or teachers about statutory rape? Now that’s something you’d never hear at a GLSEN conference. How about the tremendous health hazards of this lifestyle?"

"What if the 250 boys that were molested in Middleton had been in this holocaust class? Wouldn’t they have concluded that it was okay to engage in sex with grown men? After all, if pedophilia was openly accepted in the ancient Greek civilization, then why not here in America today? Isn’t this the land of the free?"

The teacher-attendee said the workshop was invited to look at Hoyle’s files after the session ended. These files are what the students are offered to use for researching their assignments. The attendee said she saw information about prejudice against blacks and Indians and four or five thick, pro-homosexual books, but only two articles about religious persecution against Jews and none about Christians.

"Garbage-in, garbage-out," said the teacher-attendee. "It appears as though the only homosexual materials Hoyle gives her students are pro-gay. Where’s the research on the other point of view? After all, American society is deeply divided over this issue. But you’d never know that if you sat in any of these GLSEN-propagandized teacher’s classrooms."

Hoyle told the workshop participants that the staff at her school now reacts positively to including homosexuality in the holocaust unit of instruction. She said, because of her class one of her friends "came out" to her. She said the school has now added a 45-minute AIDS segment as well as "role playing" to the holocaust class.

According to the workshop-attendee, Hoyle said when kids seek permission from their parents to attend the AIDS segment of the holocaust class, they pressure their parents; "If you don’t let me do this topic, I’m not going to speak to you again for the rest of my life."

Massachusetts News contacted Hoyle at her home seeking comment. As soon as she heard about our desire to go over the notes and comments made by a teacher who attended her workshop, Hoyle asked if her name would be used. She said she was worried about the name of her school becoming public. She said that the GLSEN conference has been the subject of controversy, apparently unaware that Massachusetts News had broken the story. Hoyle asked about Massachusetts News and the web-site location. She said she would call right back.

After Hoyle didn’t call back, Massachusetts News called her again and she said she had no comment and hung up the phone.
 
 
 

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