Teach Your Kids About Homosexuality and Gender Confusion

We are continuing our series highlighting special material our friends at Focus on the Family have provided for your family and your church.

Today we want to share two guides Focus on the Family has released on teaching your kids about homosexuality and gender confusion.

The guides outline:

  • Age-appropriate conversations you can have with your children as they grow up;
  • Answers to common questions children may ask;
  • Information on responding to messages your children hear at school.

These guides are designed to equip you as a parent. You can download these resources below or from our “Resources For Your Church and Family” page.

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How to Talk to Your Kids About Homosexuality, by Jeff Johnston.

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Equipping Parents to Respond to Gender-Confusing Messages in Schools, by TrueTolerance.org.

Fayetteville Voters Approve Unlawful Ordinance

On Tuesday voters in Fayetteville approved a so-called “nondiscrimination” ordinance that the Attorney General recently opined was unenforceable under state law.

The final vote was 53% in favor of the ordinance to 47% against the ordinance. According to the Washington County Election Commission, voter turnout in the special election on the ordinance was approximately 29%.

The ordinance writes special protections into the city code for people based on sexual-orientation and gender-identity. It is substantially similar to an ordinance Fayetteville voters overturned last December. We have written repeatedly how these ordinances threaten religious liberty.

Many have mistakenly described the ordinance as exempting churches and religious organizations. The truth is the ordinance contains very narrow language that, at best, exempts church property and church hiring practices; however, a minister could be penalized under this ordinance for declining to solemnize a same-sex marriage, and people of faith who own catering services, florist shops, wedding venues, and so on receive no protection under the ordinance at all.

Earlier this year the Arkansas Legislature approved Act 137 which prevents local municipalities from enacting any nondiscrimination ordinance that differs from state law. The Attorney General released an opinion last week making it clear ordinances like the one Fayetteville has adopted are unenforceable under Act 137.

Below are some points on how the ordinance, if enforced, could negatively affect Fayetteville, Arkansas. (more…)

Gay Activist Organization Says Religious Exemptions in Fayetteville Ordinance “Too Broad”

The Human Rights Campaign is the nation’s largest homosexual activist organization. We have written before about how the group is spending an estimated $1 million per year, on average, on its agenda in Arkansas at the moment.

Last year the group was heavily involved in the effort to implement a “nondiscrimination” ordinance in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The ordinance was overturned by voters last December–but only after a protracted campaign.

The Fayetteville City Council recently referred out a similar ordinance for voters to consider on September 8. Fayetteville voters will have the opportunity–once again–to keep or reject the ordinance. This time, however, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Human Rights Campaign feels the religious exemptions in the ordinance are “too broad.” (more…)