PTA President Speaks Out: Group Will Not Promote Homosexuality
by Ed Vitagliano
November 28, 2005
(AgapePress) - - In December 2000, then-president of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Ginny Markell publicly promoted the documentary That's a Family!, which was intended to teach children that all families, even those headed by homosexual couples, should be accepted.
Many conservatives were concerned by that promotion and wondered whether the PTA was intending to choose sides in the culture wars, especially on the issue of homosexuality.
More concerns were raised this summer at the PTA's annual convention, when the organization allowed representatives from Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to conduct a workshop on bullying in schools and set up a booth in the convention hall. PFLAG is an advocacy group that promotes homosexual political causes like same-sex marriage, hate crime laws and homosexual adoption.
However, PTA officials refused to allow Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) to set up their own booth at the convention, in order to let delegates know that ex-gay kids and kids with ex-gay parents often had challenges of their own to face. The rebuff of PFOX further fueled concerns among pro-family groups that PTA was taking the politically-correct track when it came to the issue of homosexuality.
To address such concerns, new PTA President Anna Marie Weselak agreed to an interview with AFA Journal. (The interview was edited for length.)
AFA Journal: Does the PTA have an official policy which addresses the issue of homosexual rights?
Weselak: We don't have any position on that at all because it doesn't fit with our mission. Our policy addresses issues of discrimination. We oppose discrimination against individuals in compliance with Unites States law .... We're concerned about the safety of all children .... PTA is for all children, and so if it's going to be safe for any child, it's got to be safe for every child. And so it doesn't matter the background or where a child is from or anything about a child, we just want to make sure that child is safe.
AFA Journal: So PTA would never call publicly for anything like 'Gay Pride Month' in schools?
Weselak: No, we wouldn't single out any one child from another and say that this is who we're supporting or who we're promoting. We're continually looking at what's best for all children.
AFA Journal: Does PTA have a position on schools that might want to have a guest speaker come in and talk about same-sex families?
Weselak: [T]hat's a local, individual [school] issue that's decided upon by PTAs and communities, and they bring in speakers to meet the needs in their schools and communities. And they make those decisions locally.
AFA Journal: PTA caught some flack a few years ago because of comments made by then-president Ginny Markell about the documentary That's a Family! Will the PTA, under your leadership, take a similar position on this subject?
Weselak: No. PTA does not have any intention of endorsing or promoting any agenda beyond our own. We are committed to the PTA mission .... It was my understanding that the [That's a Family!] ... video was really promoting our opposition to discrimination of anyone, not just a segment of the population .... [W]e were working very hard at that point in time to work against some of the discrimination that we saw occurring, not just with homosexuals and gays but in a whole variety of segments of our population.
So, again, because we know the effect it has on children, we are very interested in doing what we can to provide for their welfare, for all children, no matter what kind of family style they come from, where they come from, where they live, who their parents may or may not be. It's focusing in on how we can protect and assist our children.
AFA Journal: What kind of discrimination do kids face when they come from same-sex homes?
Weselak: One of the issues that has surfaced across the country ... is the issue of bullying. And many children are bullied. It's not just a single segment of the population. But we also know that children who do not come from what's seen as kind of the typical home might be a greater target than other children might be.
But there really is no typical, no traditional home any longer .... [T]here's very different family structures in our society today. And in order to show tolerance of all children within school settings and within the community, we need to work with parents and children in order that they remain safe.
AFA Journal: So when addressing bullying, the PTA would not advocate addressing specifically the issue of homosexuality? You would advocate that this be done in the most general way possible?
Weselak: When addressing bullying, I think PTA has been misunderstood. It has always been our intent to give parents information and tools to support their efforts around bullying and school safety .... We have never intended to elevate or promote any lifestyle above another. We are dedicated to making schools safe for all children.
AFA Journal: So the National PTA does not plan to promote the idea that families headed by same-sex couples are the equivalent of a mom and a dad?
Weselak: We're not into lifestyles. Those are choices that adults make. What we're concerned about is how safe our children are and how we can promote their success in life.
AFA Journal: Given the political nature of PFLAG, why was that group allowed to present a workshop to PTA convention delegates and set up a booth in order to distribute materials?
Weselak: PFLAG became part of the 2005 convention as one of 60 different workshops that were offered at the convention. And it has been our common practice to allow workshop presenters to also exhibit ....
[PFLAG's] presence there was to help educate and inform parents on the topic of bullying in order to help make their children safer in schools. And that's what their invitation was based upon. What their other platforms are, what their other works are in their organization is not what the invitation ... was about.
AFA Journal: So why was PFOX not allowed to set up its own booth?
Weselak: As we look at exhibitors, we screen them for the kinds of products and services that they can give to our PTA members. Not so much to promote a specific agenda or program .... We just did not feel that what [PFOX] was bringing to us was best for our parents to take back to provide meaningful opportunities for children. It was a little bit different agenda than what we thought was appropriate to bring to parents and, in turn, to provide for children.
AFA Journal: What would you say to conservatives/traditionalists who have left PTA or are considering joining?
Weselak: We welcome you. We urge you to come back to PTA or join us for the first time. We need your help. All families, all schools, and all communities gain from PTA. The more we do together through PTA, the more our children benefit. PTA is common ground.
We want PTA to be a comfortable place for all families to be involved. To be able to have that, we need to have every member of our society supporting what we're doing.
Ed Vitagliano, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is news editor of AFA Journal, a publication of the American Family Association. This article, reprinted with permission, appeared in the November/December 2005 issue.
