NEA bolsters gays on policy, practices
By George Archibald
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 8, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- The National Education Association ended its four-day convention here with a big victory for members promoting homosexual advocacy, but debate by conservatives seeking resolutions condemning adult-minor sexual contact and supporting respect for "all living things" was cut off.

"It was a very obvious attempt to stifle dissent on issues with which they disagree -- biblical issues or issues on the [political] right," said David Kaiser, a retired teacher from Ohio, who was blocked from discussing his proposal to strike language allowing the right to abortion from the union's family-planning policy.

The 9,000 delegates at the 2.7-million-member union's yearly business meeting also blocked a proposal by Ohio delegate Keith Gudorf to put the NEA on record that its longtime policy of "compassion and respect for all living things" in an animal vivisection section also applied to humans in the family-planning section.

Also blocked was a proposal by California delegate Diane Lenning, ousted chairwoman of the NEA Republican Educators Caucus, to amend the union's sexual-assault policy to state that "the association deplores the advocacy of adult/minor sexual contact."

Story here: http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050708-124919-6209r.htm