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BJCPA
and the How to Win Manual:
Political
Training Manual for Left-Wing Activism
According
to the BJCPA, it “does not take positions on abortion, homosexuality, pornography
or public funding for the arts,” but rather “works only on religious liberty
and its essential corollary the separation of church and state.”
However, the BJCPA’s consistent alignment with organizations that
advocate abortion rights, full acceptance of homosexuality, the free flow of
pornography, and unrestricted federal funding for morally depraved “art,”
raises serious questions about the BJCPA’s definition of religious liberty and
separation of church and state. Add
to this the BJCPA’s extreme hostility toward conservative Christian
organizations that have stood firm against abortion, homosexuality, pornography
and federally funded “art” reveals clearly that the BJCPA does indeed take a
position. The following two pages
deal specifically with the BJCPA’s leadership role in the 1994 production of a
far-left political training manual entitled:
How to Win:
A Practical Guide for Defeating the Radical Right in Your Community.
How
to Win:
Defenders of Abortion,
Homosexuality,
Pornography
and Offensive “Art”
In
1994, a coalition of liberal organizations calling itself the Radical Right Task
Force, published a 252-page political training manual entitled How
to Win: A Practical Guide for
Defeating the Radical Right in Your Community.
The
How to Win manual is the work of a
coalition of over 60 liberal organizations ranging from the BJCPA and Penthouse
International to the National Abortion Federation and the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force. The
“Directory of Contributing Organizations” in the back of the manual list 68
organizations with phone numbers and contact persons. (pg.
248)
But
the most significant aspect of the training manual is the massive amount of
space devoted to advocating the gay and lesbian agenda. Included in the How to
Win coalition are such homosexual groups as the Human Rights Campaign Fund;
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund; and Parent,
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
BJCPA
– A How to Win Leader
At
the front of the manual on a page entitled “Acknowledgments,” BJCPA General
Counsel Brent Walker and 10 others are given “special thanks” for their
“hard work” which “made this manual a reality.”
Other organizations given “special thanks” for their leadership roles
in the making of the manual includes: Americans
United for Separation of Church and State; People for the American Way; Planned
Parenthood; SIECUS; B’nai Brith; and the National Jewish Democratic Council.
Extreme
Pro-Homosexuality
The
How to Win manual consists of 43 short
articles and seven “directories.” The
43 articles are divided into seven categories:
How to Win; At the Ballot Box;
Religion; Public Education; Censorship; Gay and Lesbian Rights; Choice (abortion);
and Environment (dealing with
population control). While the Gay
and Lesbian Rights category contains only three articles, nearly half of the 43
total articles deal with the gay/lesbian issue.
Also
included in the manual are three “directories” devoted to organizing and
networking with gay and lesbian groups. The
first directory is titled, “PFLAG: Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gays – Celebrating Real Family Values.”
The subtitle states, “PFLAG Allies in the field, State by State
Summary.” This directory lists
100 groups in 31 states and Canada for networking on gay and lesbian issues.
The
second directory is titled “Contracting Politically Active Gays and
Lesbians,” with a subtitle “Gay and Lesbian Political Clubs.”
This directory is also a state by state listing of over 140 gay and
lesbian groups.
The
third directory is titled “Openly gay and lesbian officials,” providing a
list of 147 “Openly gay and lesbian elected and appointed officials.” This directory notes that these government officials “are
wonderful resources to any community threatened with Radical Right
encroachment.”
PAW President – A
Board Member of the BJCPA
A
fourth directory, compiled by People for the American Way, entitled “Directory
of Local Resource Organizations,” lists 116 organizations in 34 states.
The directory, “intended for networking purposes,” identifies the
issues that each organization is involved in.
Of the 116 organizations, 46 specifically lists “gay rights” as their
issue. Among the other issues
listed are: abortion rights,
censorship, education and the arts. (PAW
president Carole Shields served on the board of the BJCPA from 1995 to 1998)
Enemies of Freedom:
The Standard List
On
page 183 of the manual, a list entitled “Most Influential Christian Right
Groups,” identifies those organizations whose “un-American agenda” would
“impose sectarian and extremist standards on all citizens.”
(pg. iii) Among those listed
are: Don Wildmon’s American
Family Association; Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition; Beverly LaHaye’s
Concerned Women for America; Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum; Dr. James
Dobson’s Focus on the Family; Robert Simonds’ National Association of
Christian Educators/Citizens for Excellence in Education; John Whitehead’s
Rutherford Institute; and Lou Sheldon’s Traditional Values Coalition.
Listed
on page 184 of the manual are “Key Groups Promoting Scapegoating of Gays and
Lesbians,” where each of the aforementioned “Christian Right” groups are
again listed.
Quotes
from the How to Win Manual
On
Important Issues
Gay
and Lesbian Issues
“The
lesbian and gay community is well-organized, motivated and educated. You need their help, their expertise and their resources.
The battle for equality for gay and lesbian Americans will eventually
be won, and it will be won by this strong, cohesive community.
You cannot successfully battle right wing forces without gay and lesbian
participation.” (emphasis
ours) (pg. 120)
Join
a Gay Church
“If none of these
avenues appeal to you, go to church. The
gay church. There is a rich and diverse gay and lesbian spiritual
community that is very welcoming. Attend
a service or become a member of a congregation.
The following are most prominent:
Metropolitan Community Church (non-Denominational, largest and best
organized); Dignity (Catholic); Integrity (Episcopal); More Light Churches
(Presbyterian); Bet Mishpachah (Jewish); Lutherans Concerned.
Again, all these congregations have national governing bodies listed in
The Gayellow Pages. The church is a strong force in the lesbian and gay
community. Use it, and build
bridges to your own congregations, if possible.
Consider creating a coalition of
gay and non-gay church leaders to oppose Radical Right religious arguments.”
(emphasis ours) (pg. 121)
Using
Religion to Oppose Biblical Values
The
How To Win manual notes that the best way to "oppose the agenda of
the religious right [is] from a religious viewpoint. Representatives of
such viewpoints clearly illustrate that your side also has moral and
value-based arguments it can marshal. Inclusion of such individuals or faith
groups indicates clearly that religious people believe the separation of
church and state to be good for religion, that religious people support gay
and lesbian rights, and that religious people - in fact most mainstream
religious denominations - support a woman's right to chose [an abortion] for
reasons rooted in their faith. With religious support for your cause, you
will have come one giant step closer to defeating the religious right." (bold
print emphasis ours) (pg. 50)
Abortion
“…’pro-lifers’
use the bible to argue that personhood begins at the moment of conception and
consequently that abortion is murder and must be outlawed.
But as the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights (RCAR) points out, that
position is theological belief, not biological fact, and the moment of
personhood has been disputed by theologians for centuries. RCAR, comprised of 35 national Protestant, Jewish and other
denominations and faith groups, asserts that
reproductive freedom, including the right to abortion, is intrinsically tied
to religious liberty: ‘We
oppose any attempt to place into secular law one theory of when life
begins.’” (emphasis
ours) (pg. 145)
“If
you are a lawyer, and you don’t belong to the American Bar Association,
join! Be sure to tell them that
one of the reasons you are joining is because the ABA has readopted its
official pro-choice position.” (pg.
138)
“If
you’re a physician and have not been trained in abortion practice, find out
if a local facility offers a training rotation.”
(pg.
139)
Sex
Education in the Schools
“Majority
support exist for teaching a comprehensive approach [to sexuality education]
including subjects which are sometimes viewed as controversial such as contraception,
sexual orientation, abortion and masturbation… In a pluralistic society, it is critical that we respect all
people’s values when it comes to the myriad issues related to sexuality.”
(emphasis
ours) (pg. 78)
Teaching
Abstinence: “Fear Based”
Education
“These
fear-based education programs are inappropriate and damaging, distorting
medical information, displaying sexist,
homophobic and racist biases and relying on fear and shame to promote
abstinence.” (emphasis
ours) (pg. 74)
Pornography
“In
fact, anti-pornography campaigns can
have dangerous impacts. For example, the Supreme Court of Canada adopted an
argument…allowing expression to be banned if it denigrated women.
The first target of the censors? Lesbian
expression.” (emphasis
ours) (pg. 113)
“Some
arguments are also made that [pornography] must be banned to protect children.
But even if everything some people deemed pornographic was banned,
young people would continue to be exposed to sexual images in all kinds of
media. The best way to help
protect our children from images we believe inappropriate is through
education. Education about
sexuality and expression is the best defense.”
(pg. 113)
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CBF
Leaders that have served on the BJCPA Board/Religious Liberty Council |
- Babs Baugh
- Julie Pennington-Russell
- Patricia Ayres
- Darold Morgan
- Marian Grant
- Daniel Vestal
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- Cecil Sherman
- Sarah Francis Anders
- Carolyn Crumpler
- June McEwen
- Jean Woodward
- Grady Cothen
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- Jeanette Holt
- Bart Tichenor
- Susan Paynter
- Hardy Clemons
- Jimmy Allen
- Stan Hastey
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(Each
of these individuals have served either as members of the CBF’s
Interim Steering Committee/founders, Coordinating Council, or state
CBF moderators. This is
not a full list.) |
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