GLSEN's Attitude Toward Teen Sex 'Too Casual,' Says Expert
by Jim Brown
May 31, 2005
(AgapePress) - A noted mental health expert says recent revelations regarding the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and its executive director indicate the group has a casual attitude towards sexual relations between adults and teens.
In his book One Teacher in Ten, GLSEN founder Kevin Jennings reported the story of a 15-year-old boy named "Brewster" who came to him in 1989 for assistance. Jennings said the boy was having difficulty in school and did not know why. However, during a speech in Iowa five years ago, Jennings stated that "Brewster" had confided to him that he had a sexual encounter with an older man in Boston. Jennings claims he responded to the teen by saying, "I hope you knew to use a condom." The apparent case of sex abuse was not reported to authorities.
Jennings' comments in Iowa seem to contradict his contention last summer at the National Education Association convention that he did not know "Brewster" was having sex. In light of GLSEN's recent admission that homosexual pornography was distributed at its conference this year, Dr. Warren Throckmorton says Jennings' conflicting stories are especially disturbing -- and cause for serious concern.
"Here we have a group that, in a sense, minimizes the importance of these events for young teens -- in this case, young teen boys," Throckmorton says. "It seems to me that the attitude toward sexual relations among young teens is way too cavalier for our schools."
GLSEN claims that nearly 3,000 American schools have Gay-Straight Alliance clubs or clubs that deal with homosexual issues. Given the organization's strong presence in the nation's public schools, the mental health expert admits to feeling "very uncomfortable with that kind of influence" in the schools.
According to its website, GLSEN claims among its objectives "ensuring safe schools for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students." However, Throckmorton believes GLSEN needs to conduct a "housecleaning" to determine if they are about sexualizing young children in school -- or if they are about school safety.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
