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Be honest, those of you who are "pro-life." You are anti-choice, because nobody is saying death or abortions are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Today, I thought I'd continue on my (now) self-proclaimed "honesty crusade." In the crosshairs this time is "Choosing The Best,"  (CTB) (www.choosingthebest.org/), an abstinence-only sexual education program that, according to their website, is

a leader in abstinence-centered sex education curricula, training, and resources since 1993.

Now, let's first consider what the goal of an "abstinence-centered" program is. Luckily, the program in question has been kind enough to tell us.

 ...effective abstinence-centered education programs such as Choosing the Best are multi-dimensional and cover a number of critical topics in helping equip teens to make the only choice – abstinence until marriage – that eliminates...

So, we're going to help teens to refrain from sexual activity until marriage.

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Am I the only one who sees a giant problem with this program? What about LGBTQ youth?

Well, teens, I hope you live in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, or Washington D.C., so that you can get married one day. If not, for your own well-being, you shouldn't ever have sex.

Now, I don't want to be accused of jumping to conclusions. Let's see if CTB discusses homosexuality.

No, Choosing the Best programs do not include any references to homosexuality. Abstinence education is about encouraging teens to eliminate the risks of sexual behavior. All teens need this message, regardless of their sexual orientation.
 

Well, that takes care of that. CTB says that all teens need abstinence only education, including those in the LGBTQ community. So, unless CTB is an active advocate for same-sex marriage, they're telling LGBTQ teens that they must be celibate. Is that really a fair thing to ask?

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More...

As the House of Representatives debates a standalone DADT bill, let us ask our Representatives to be honest. I've been watching the debate happen, and there are certain arguments against repeal that seem to be recurring.

"We are a country at war: This is not the time for repeal."

We've been at war for years, and it's not likely that we will be outside of these wars anytime soon. Your argument has nothing to do with timing, and everything to do with the fact that you simply do not ever want to repeal this policy. Be honest about your bigotry

"There has not been enough done to study the effects of repeal."

Set the bar and keep it at one place. You can't say, "Well, that wasn't good enough," simply because you do not agree with the findings of the study.

"This will negatively affect unit cohesion."

Do you really have that little respect for our armed forces? They're willing to risk their lives for the principles of their country, to follow orders that may get them killed. Yet, somehow, you feel that they cannot deal with serving next to somebody who is openly gay? Personally, I consider that to be disrespectful, acting as if the soldiers in the armed forces are porcelain dolls that could so easily be broken.

Representatives, if you want to oppose repeal, just be honest about why. Don't hide behind silly excuses. Admit you have a problem with homosexuality, and let the rest of us go about trying to make rational decisions.

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After posting this, the House of Representatives voted, yet again, to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

All eyes are now on the Senate. According to the Human Rights Campaign, there are seven states whose senators should be contacted as soon as possible by residents. www.hrcbackstory.org/2010/12/hrc-focuses-on-seven-key-states-in-fight-for-dadt-repeal/

These states are: Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, and West Virginia.

If you are a resident of these states, I urge you to call the Senate Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 with the name of your senator, and urge them to vote in favor of striking down a policy that hurts our soldiers, and ultimately, our armed forces.