Date: Thu, 5 Jan 1995 07:03:02 -0800 From: jessea@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Jessea Greenman) Subject: Lou Sheldon and Gingrich excerted from the Bay Area Reporter, 12-29-94: (original story by Karen Ocamb) Lou Sheldon, the rabidly anti-gay head of the Anaheim, CA, based Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), has the ear of House Speaker Newt Gingrich (GA) and Senate Majority Whip Trent Lott (MS). Lott and conservative former Secretary of Education William Bennett were both featured in Sheldon's 1993 videotape "Gay Rights/Special Rights: Inside the Homosexual Agenda." On Dec. 19th, the NY Times profiled Sheldon. Sheldon told the NYT reporter (David Dunlap) that GINGRICH MADE A COMMITMENT TO HIM LAST SEPTEMBER TO HOLD HEARINGS ON THE SUBJECT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL PROGRAMS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY. Sheldon said Gingrich did not "want kindergarten or elementary school children being taught, where Federal dollars are involved, that the homosexual lifestyle is just another kind of diversity." In a recently published interview in the gay newspaper "The Washington Blade," Gingrich said he does not believe homosexuality should be "promoted" in the schools. Since the 70s, including a time when he was involved with the failed California Briggs Initiative to dismiss gay teachers, Sheldon has persistently fought against any recognition of homosexuallity in the public arena, especially in the schools. He has repeatedly attacked Dr. Virginia Uribe's famous Project 10 program in the LA Unified School District, as well as opposing out L/G LAUSD Board members and the district's G/L Education Commission. Last year, the G/L Commission advocated for observance of G/L Pride Month and held the first LA gay teen prom. Rev. Sheldon sent a fundraising letters to LA ministers asking them to join "together in holding back Satan...We must protect our children and youth from this homosexual recruitment." When asked by the NYT reporter if he--or anyone else-- had tracked the "incidence of homosexuality" among children since pride month started in 1991, Sheldon said "Not that I know of, no. ... Are kids crossing over" I can't tell you that." But, he added, "the damage it's doing is it's telling kids that the lifestyle is OK and that experimentation is reasonable." To Sheldon, "Anytime you say that it's viable and that it's a valid alternative, that's promotion. You don't want to tolerate sin. You don't want to tolerate perversion. I'm not saying that you've got to have the state adopting theological statements--absolutely not. But what the Bible teaches in morals and in behavior is relevant to public policy. And there are millions of people who are holding firm to that belief." *+*+*+*+*+*+ Jessea Greenman Co-Chair, Project 21, GLAAD/SFBA 1360 Mission #200, San Francisco CA 94103 ph/fax @ home: 510-601-8883 [Project 21 has received major funding from the Columbia Foundation.]