Emily E. has done her own SpongeBob Cache Diving. In the process, she managed to locate some pages which I had not. (See my original entry on SpongeBob Cache Diving to see what I found.)

Emily managed to find a list of allies of WAFF which is still on their web site. (My cached copy of this page is here*.) Here are some of their allies:

• Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) — “The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.” (From here)
• Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) — “GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.”
• Human Rights Campaign — “Working for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equal rights.
• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force — “Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation (the Task Force) was the first national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights and advocacy organization…” “The Task Force is the organization that builds grassroots political power of the LGBT community in order to attain complete equality.” (from here and here)
• Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians & Gays — “PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights.” (from here)

Even better, Emily managed to track down the actual PDF files which used to available from the Writing For Change pages on the WAFF site. She found them on tolerance.org where they have their own section devoted to the Writing For Change program. (The index page is cached here*.) I’ve added those files to the cache on my own site:

• “1.4 Talking About Being ‘Out’”
  Here are some of the questions asked in this section:
  • Do you know of any people in your school whose sexual orientation differs from yours?
  • What are some factors that might encourage or discourage a person about being “out” as homosexual or bisexual in this class or your school?
  • What are, or what do you think would be, the consequences of a person being “out” as homosexual or bisexual in this class or your school?
  • Variation
    Answer the above questions in regard to people in your class or school who consider themselves atheist. [The implications of this variation are fascinating!]

• “1.5 Uncovering Attitudes About Sexual Orientation”
  Here is a shortened list of what’s discussed:
  • Objectives: Introduce the concepts of homophobia and compulsory heterosexuality. Analyze and discuss the effects these forces exert in students’ lives.
  • Instructor Directions: Ask your students to study the definitions of the terms “homophobia” and “compulsory heterosexuality” and identify ways in which these forces are at work in their lives.
  • Definitions:
  • Homophobia: Toughts, feelings, or actions based on fear, dislike, judgment, or hatred of gay men and lesbians/of those who love and sexually desire those of the same sex.
  • Compulsory heterosexuality: The assumption that women are “naturally” or innately drawn sexually and emotionally toward men, and men toward women; the view that heterosexuality is the “norm” for all sexual relationships. The institutionalization of heterosexuality in all aspects of society includes the idealization of heterosexual orientation, romance, and marriage.
  • Variation: Racism: The systematic mistreatment of people of color based on the belief in the inherent superiority of one race and thereby the right to dominance. [Equating opposition to homosexual behavior with racism has become a common tactic in forcing the acceptance of such behavior.]
  • Find some examples of compulsory heterosexuality in your daily life. What assumptions and values do these venues represent?
  • Do the same with examples of homophobia.
  • How are you affected by compulsory heterosexuality?
  • How are you affected by homophobia?
  • How would you be affected if your sexual orientation were different than it is now?
  • How would others you know — friends, family members, classmates, members in your clubs or organizations — be affected?
  • How will understanding these definitions change your thinking about compulsory heterosexuality and homophobia?

The “We Are Family” video is intended to be a gateway which introduces young children to the organizations which teach this stuff. Do you still think it’s all just harmless fun? Now contrast this with Jesus’ teachings about little children:

“And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

(Matt. 18:5-6, NASB)

Great job, Emily!

(* Files marked with an asterisk have had a <base href> tag added so images and links will work. No other modifications have been made to the HTML code.)