The following article was published in the May, 2000, issue of Massachusetts
News. Soon afterwards, a tape was released with the actual voices of
the adults -- state employees -- secretly made during workshop described below.
That tape sent shock waves across the country. The story was covered by media in
the US and other countries, and is even written about in several books.
Students Given Graphic Instruction In Homosexual Sex
By Brian Camenker and Scott Whiteman
Massachusetts News - May, 2000 edition
"Fisting [forcing one's entire hand into another person's rectum or vagina]
often gets a bad rap....[It's] an experience of letting somebody into your body
that you want to be that close and intimate with...[and] to put you into an
exploratory mode."
The above quotation comes from Massachusetts Department of Education
employees describing the pleasures of homosexual sex to a group of high school
students at a state-sponsored workshop on March 25, 2000.
On March 25, a statewide conference, called "Teach-Out," was sponsored by the
Massachusetts Department of Education, the Governor's Commission on Gay and
Lesbian Youth, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
Among the goals were to build more Gay/Straight Alliances in Massachusetts
and expand homosexual teaching into the lower grades. Scores of gay-friendly
teachers and administrators attended. They received state "professional
development credits."
Teenagers and children as young as 12 were encouraged to come from around the
state, and many were bussed in from their home districts. Homosexual activists
from across the country were also there.
To say that the descriptions below of workshops and presentations of this
state-sponsored event for educators and children are "every parent's nightmare,"
does not do them justice. It is beyond belief that this could be happening at
all. One music teacher who attended out of curiosity said that she could not
sleep for several nights afterwards and had nightmares about it.
"Queer sex for youth, 14-21"
In one well-attended workshop, "What They Didn't Tell You About Queer Sex &
Sexuality In Health Class: A Workshop For Youth Only, Ages 14-21," the three
homosexual presenters acting in their professional capacities coaxed about 20
children into talking openly and graphically about homosexual sex. The three
presenters, who described themselves as homosexual, were:
- Margot E. Abels, Coordinator, HIV/AIDS Program, Massachusetts Dept. of
Education
- Julie Netherland, Coordinator, HIV/AIDS Program, Massachusetts Dept. of
Education
- Michael Gaucher, Consultant, HIV/AIDS Program, Massachusetts Dept. of
Public Health
The workshop syllabus included:
- "What's it like to be young, queer and beginning to date?
- "Are lesbians at risk for HIV?
"We will address the information you want about queer sexuality and some of
the politics that prevent us from getting our needs met."
The workshop opened with the three public employees asking the children "how
they knew, as gay people, whether or not they've had sex." Questions were thrown
around the room about whether oral sex was "sex," to which the Department of
Public Health employee stated, "If that's not sex, then the number of times I've
had sex has dramatically decreased, from a mountain to a valley, baby."
Eventually the answer presented itself, and it was determined that whenever an
orifice was filled with genitalia, then sex had occurred. The Department of
Public Health employee, Michael Gaucher, had the following exchange with one
student, who appeared to be about 16 years old:
Michael Gaucher: "What orifices are we talking about?"
Student: [hesitation]
Michael Gaucher: "Don't be shy, honey; you can do it."
Student: "Your mouth."
Michael Gaucher: "Okay."
Student: "Your ass."
Michael Gaucher: "There you go."
Student: "Your pussy. That kind of place."
But since sex occurred "when an orifice was filled," the next question was
how lesbians could "have sex." Margot Abels discussed whether a dildo had to be
involved; when it was too big or too small; and what homosexual resources
students could consult to get similar questions answered.
Role playing and "carpet munching"
Then the children were asked to role-play. One student was to act the part of "a
young lesbian who's really enraptured with another woman, and it's really coming
down to the wire and you're thinking about having sex." The other student played
the "hip GSA (gay, straight alliance) lesbian advisor, who you feel you can talk
to." The "counseling" included discussions of lesbian sex, oral-vaginal contact,
or "carpet munching," as one student put it. The student asked whether it would
smell like fish. At that point the session turned to another subject.
"A lesson in fisting?"
There was a five minute pause so that all of the teenagers could write down
questions for the homosexual presenters. The first question was read by Julie
Netherland, "What's fisting?"
A student answered this question by informing the class that "fisting" is
when you put your "whole hand into the ass or pussy" of another. When a few of
the students winced, the Department of Public Health employee offered, "A little
known fact about fisting: you don't make a fist like this. It's like this." He
formed his hand into the shape of a tear drop rather than a balled fist. He
informed the children that it was much easier.
Margot Abels told the students that "fisting" is not about forcing your hand
into somebody's "hole, opening or orifice" if they don't want it there. She said
that "usually" the person was very relaxed and opened him or herself up to the
other. She informed the class that it is a very emotional and intense
experience.
At this point, a youngster of about 16 asked why someone would want to do
that. He stated that if the hand were pulled out quickly, the whole thing didn't
sound very appealing to him. Margot Abels was quick to point out that although
fisting "often gets a really bad rap," it usually isn't about the pain, "not
that we're putting that down." Margot Abels informed him and the class that
"fisting" was "an experience of letting somebody into your body that you want to
be that close and intimate with." When a child asked the question, "Why would
someone do this?" Margot Abels provided a comfortable response to the children,
in order to "put them into an exploratory mode."
"Rubbing each others' clits..."
Michael Gaucher presented the next question, "Do lesbians rub their clits
together?"
Michael Gaucher and Margot Abels asked the kids if they thought it was
possible and whether someone would do a "hand-diagram" for the class. No one
volunteered, but a girl who looked about 15 or 16 then stepped up to the board
and drew a three foot high vagina and labeled each of the labia, the clitoris,
and "put up inside the 'G'-spot." While drawing, Michael Gaucher told her to use
the "pink" chalk, to which Margot Abels responded, "Not everyone is pink,
honey." All of the children laughed.
After the chalk vagina was complete, the children remarked on the size of the
"clit," and the presenters stated that that was a gifted woman. Then
Margot
Abels informed all of the young girls that, indeed, you can rub your "clitori"
together, either with or without clothes and "you can definitely orgasm from
it." Michael Gaucher told the kids that "there is a name for this: tribadism,"
which he wrote on the board and told one girl who looked about 14 to "bring that
vocabulary word back to Bedford." Julie Netherland informed the children that it
wasn't too difficult because, "When you are sexually aroused, your clit gets
bigger."
"Should you spit after you suck another boy (or a man)?"
Michael Gaucher read the following from a card: "Cum and calories: Spit versus
swallow and the health concerns." Gaucher informed the children that although he
didn't know the calorie count of male ejaculation, he has "heard that it's
sweeter if people eat celery." He then asked the boys, "Is it rude not to
swallow?" Many of the high school boys mumbled "No," but one about the age of 16
said emphatically, "Oh no!" One boy, again about the age of 16, offered his
advice on avoiding HIV/AIDS transmission while giving oral sex by not brushing
your teeth or eating course food for four hours before you "go down on a guy,"
"because then you probably don't want to be swallowing cum."
Another question asked was whether oral sex was better with tongue rings. A
16-year-old student murmured, "Yes," to which all of the children laughed.
Michael Gaucher said, "There you have it" and stated something to the effect
that the debate has ended.
Use a condom? It's your decision, really.
One often hears that there is an aggressive HIV/AIDS prevention campaign, but
the session ran 55 minutes before the first mention of "protection" and safer
sex came. In the context of the "safer sex" discussion, however, it was pointed
out that these children could make an "informed decision" not to use a condom.
Outside in the conference hall, the children could easily obtain as many
condoms, vaginal condoms and other contraceptive devices as they wished from
various organizations which distribute such.
Well, yes...it really is about sex!
Another popular session was presented by the same three public employees in
their professional capacity and was called, "Putting the 'Sex' Back Into Sexual
Orientation: Classroom Strategies for Health & Sexuality Educators."
The workshop included:
What does it mean to say "being gay, lesbian and bisexual isn't about
sex?...How can we deny that sexuality is central for all of us? How do we learn
to address the unique concerns of queer youth?...This workshop is for educators
to examine strategies for integrating sexuality education and HIV prevention
content specific to gay, lesbian and bisexual students into the classroom and
GSA's....additional strategies will be discussed."
The three presenters now assumed the task of teaching teachers how to
facilitate discussions about "queer sex" with their students.
Tired of denying it
Margot Abels opened by telling the room full of teachers (and two high school
students), "We always feel like we are fighting against people who deny
publicly, who say privately, that being queer is not at all about sex... We
believe otherwise. We think that sex is central to every single one of us and
particularly queer youth."
Margot Abels, Julie Netherland and Michael Gaucher reviewed a few "campaigns"
that have been used to demonstrate to queer youth how to best "be safe" while
still enjoying homosexual sex.
The campaign, "Respect yourself, protect yourself," was thought to be good in
getting the message to kids that they should use protection, but since it made
children who didn't protect themselves feel bad, it ultimately was a poor
message. Michael Gaucher pointed out that children "with an older partner that
they are not feeling they can discuss things with, does that mean that they
don't respect themselves?"
The campaign, "No sex, no problem," was ridiculed, as the campaign assumed
that children could opt not to have sex. Additionally, the campaign made those
children who had already had sex feel bad or think they had a problem, since
they had had sex.
After reviewing a few of the campaigns,
Margot Abels described the project
she works on. The "Gay/Straight Alliance HIV Education Project" goes to five
different schools each year conducting up to eight "HIV prevention sessions" in
that school's gay club. These same presenters who just told a group of children
how to properly position their hands for "fisting" were now telling a room full
of educators that they would visit their schools and conduct the same workshops
for their students.
An enormous amount of very disturbing material was distributed at the
conference. Much of it encourages young children to become actively engaged in
homosexual activities. The Sidney Borum Community Health Center table was giving
out a cassette sized "pocket sex" kit, which included two condoms, two
antiseptic "moist" towelettes, and six bandages, which were for "when the sex
got really rough," according to the high school volunteer behind the desk. There
was a supply of condoms supplied by both Sidney Borum and Planned Parenthood,
all of which were for the taking. Children as young as 12 or 13 participating
and receiving "information" and materials.
But most shocking of all was that there was an eerie sense of solidarity in
the air, against "those bigots who would stop our progress."
Soon afterward the above took place, the three state employees were fired by the Department of
Education.
The homosexual movement responded by immediately initiating a lawsuit against
Brian Camenker, Scott Whiteman, and Parents Rights Coalition, claiming that they
had violated an obscure and antiquated Massachusetts wiretapping law and seeking
monetary damages. The "Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders" (GLAD) --
the same state-funded group that won the Goodridge same-sex "marriage" case --
went right into action.
A few months later, Margot Abels,
one of the fired instructors, managed to get an arbitrator to reinstate her job.
She didn't take her job back, but instead initiated her own lawsuit to collect
damages.
The GLAD lawsuit was settled in 2005, when GLAD essentially abandoned the
case, and allowed Camenker to distribute the tape with no restrictions. The
Abels case lay dormant for nearly five years, and everyone had the impression
she had simply left the state and had no intention of pursuing it further.