NEA Delegates Accept Resolution Endorsing Same-Sex 'Marriage'
by Jim Brown
July 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The National Education Association (NEA) has voted overwhelmingly to endorse legal civil unions and same-sex "marriages."
The president of the Alabama Education Association had asked that the resolution supporting legal homosexual unions be referred back to the Resolutions Committee. The NEA Resolutions Committee earlier had deleted a controversial amendment to its "Diversity" policy (known as B-8), which would have comprehensively endorsed same-sex marriage. Consequently, the Alabama delegate's request would have left the union without a homosexual marriage resolution for the upcoming school year. But NEA delegates voted not to refer the resolution, and then voted to accept the resolution.
The approved resolution affects Section B-10 of the NEA handbook ("Racism, Sexism, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification Discrimination"), in which the union states its belief that discrimination based on such factors as "... race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification ...." must be eliminated. The amendment to B-10 (in bold below) reads:
"The Association also believes that these factors should not affect the legal rights and obligations of the partners in a legally-recognized domestic partnership, civil union, or marriage in regard to matters involving the other partner, such as medical decisions, taxes, inheritance, adoption, and immigration."
California teacher Jeralee Smith, past chairman of the NEA Ex-Gay Educators Caucus, says she is considering leaving the union. "People who share our values, which is traditional family and a few other things, can have no integrity unless they are either active on the inside to try and change things, or they leave the union and take their money out of the union's hands," says Smith.
Smith acknowledges that Christian members of the NEA are faced with a decision. "I just think it's time for Christians to really pray about their relationship to the union and do some real soul-searching on their loyalty," she says. And if they find their loyalty is still with the union, Smith suggests they ask themselves "just how much loyalty does the union deserve at this point?"
Smith says she is outraged the NEA is pushing for "gay," lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues to be required content for teacher credentialing. The union's Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification issued a report stating "that the NEA advocate for the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues in the 'National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education' teacher education program review process."
The powerful teachers union, after heated debate, also decided to replace the word "tolerance" with the word "acceptance" in NEA policies.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
