🚀 go-pugleaf

Correction to my last posting: The source of the information that Focus on 
the Family is encouraging "spying" on Gays on Internet is noted below:

(contact Richard Cendo,
<cendo@spot.Colorado.EDU>
for more information)

>Date: Thu, 1 Sep 1994 13:43:21 -0600 (MDT)
>From: CENDO RICHARD <cendo@spot.Colorado.EDU>
>To: gaynet@queernet.org, glb-news@brownvm.brown.edu, jct@netcom.com,
    quirk@aol.com, txtriangle@aol.com
>Subject: The secret conference to outlaw gays (1/3)


<><><><><>


INSIDE GLEN EYRIE CASTLE:
The Organized Assault on Gay Rights

By Skipp Porteous


(Reprinted from FREEDOM WRITER, August 1994, a publication of the Institute
for First Amendment Studies)


        In 1990, "The Freedom Writer announced the "rebirth" of the
religious right. At that time, many observers thought the movement had run
out of steam.  Insiders knew better.  "By the end of the decade," declared
evangelist Paul Cain, "the whole earth will view the church in a different
light. The church will no longer be mocked and despised, but either loved
or feared."

        Our readers were among the first to learn of the religious right's
new two-fold plan of attack. In a simple, but effective move, the religious
right changed its focus from national politics to local politics.
Additionally, the hard right abandoned its haphazard approach to politics
and instituted long-term planning to achieve its ultimate objectives.

        Now, the mainstream media is working hard to bring its reporting up
to speed. Recently, "The New York Times" reported on the religious right's
efforts to take over the Republican Party. In the Nov/Dec 1991 issue of
"The Freedom Writer, Frederick Clarkson wrote that the Christian Coalition
"intends to take over the Republican Party from the inside, and elect
thousands of right-wing Christians to state and local office--as well as
the Congress--through a massive and disciplined bloc of voters." He
continued, "At their recent 'Road to Victory' national leadership
conference in Virginia Beach, almost every session was devoted to
instruction in the mechanics of how to do it."

        At that 1991 "Road to Victory" conference, Gary Bauer, of the
Family Research Council (an arm of Dr. Dobson's Focus on the Family
ministry) set the tone for the conference: "Obviously, this conference is
about the 1992 elections," he said. The reason this and all elections are
important, Bauer observed, is because "We are engaged in a social,
political, cultural civil war."

        While effective, the strategy of focusing on local elections and
planning for the long-haul is not enough. A movement requires another
ingredient. For years, in the shadow of communism, the hard right had a
villain. And they milked it for all it was worth. The religious right took
it a step further and ferociously attacked "secular humanism," the
philosophy the Rev. Tim LaHaye called "the world's most dangerous
religion."

        With the fall of communism, however, the hard right lost a valuable
element of its crusade. The movement was desperately in need of a new
devil. For a while, the hard right rode on the wave of anti-abortion
sentiment. Abortion is a losing political issue, though, and the religious
right has, to a large degree, let the ultra-radicals in the movement deal
with it. (One should not think that the fight to preserve choice is over.
In some ways, that war is intensifying, simply because of the radical
element carrying on the fight against abortion rights.

        The radical right thinks it has found the missing ingredient, the
important social issue to galvanize the movement. It is "the militant
homosexuals," or the "gay agenda."

        For almost three years now, the majority of fund raising material
coming from the religious right has focused on gay rights. These vicious
and hysterical fund raising letters are proven moneymakers. Most of the top
religious right groups have picked up on this theme.

        Groups such as the Oregon Citizens Alliance, and Colorado for
Family Values (CFV), started fighting gay rights in their states at the
"grass roots." They introduced the term "special rights" to imply that gays
and lesbians wanted more than equal rights. Only recently have larger
national groups become involved in strategy and planning.

        CFV succeeded in passing Colorado's Amendment 2, which denied equal
protection for gays and lesbians. Amendment 2, the only statewide anti-gay
rights measure to be approved by voters, was struck down by Colorado courts
as unconstitutional.

        Encouraged by its limited success, CFV held a small conference last
year to discuss future strategy. As a result, CFV produced "The Colorado
Model," a workbook designed to help anti-gay activists in other states ban
gay rights. The $95 workbook came with nine audio tapes featuring the
conference speakers. A newer version comes with two video tapes. Conference
speakers appear on one. The other video, "The Gay Agenda" greatly
influenced Colorado's vote against gay rights.

        Because leaders of religious right groups around the country
responded so favorably to CFV's material and leadership in fighting gay
rights, the Colorado groups scheduled another conference.

        According to a May 19, 1994 article in The Washington Times,
"Leaders of anti-homosexual-rights groups across the nation wrapped up two
days of top-secret meetings" in Colorado Springs.  Representatives for
about 35 states and national religious right organizations attended the
meeting, according to the article. The purpose of the meeting concerned
policy and strategy in dealing with the gay rights movement in the United
States.

        The Washington Times reporter, Valerie Richardson, noted that she
was banned from the meeting because the sponsoring group, Colorado for
Family Values, attempted to suppress media coverage. Nevertheless,
Richardson's article got our attention and contained enough data for the
"The Freedom Writer" to launch an investigation of the clandestine
conference.

        The conference, The Washington Times article said, took place at
the "gated" Glen Eyrie Conference Center. Glen Eyrie is operated by the
Navigators, an evangelical group based in Colorado Springs.

        The Freedom Writer commissioned a researcher and a photographer in
Colorado Springs to go out to the conference center and look around. After
clearance from security people at the main gate, the two enjoyed limited
access to the grounds.

        The centerpiece of Glen Eyrie is a massive stone castle. Various
dwelling places, or dormitories, dot the surrounding mountainous landscape.
 The CFV conference, attended by about 40 people, was held on a second
floor meeting room in the castle.

        Some members of conservative Christian groups in Colorado Springs
provided helpful information, and, bit-by-bit, we pieced together the names
of most of the people from about twenty states who attended the conference.
In talking with some of them, we confirmed names, and gathered more
information.

        Some individuals interviewed by the The Freedom Writer"for this
article were extremely close-mouthed, while others even denied attending.
One, in particular, was deceitful.  Representative Darlene Cornfield of
Kansas told The Freedom Writer, "I was not there. I don't know where that
came from! I don't know why anyone would say I was there when I wasn't!"

        Judy Thomas, a reporter for The Wichita Eagle , told The Freedom
Writer that Jim McDavitt of the Kansas Education Watch Network told her
that he attended the conference with Darlene Cornfield. The significance of
a state representative at this meeting was not lost; that's why we called
Cornfield.

        Cornfield, a conservative Christian, is up for reelection in
November. Outspoken about her beliefs, Cornfield told The Freedom Writer,
"I believe the lord wanted me in the Legislature." She told us that she is
anti-choice, and opposed to gay rights. "I just believe the Bible from
cover to cover," she said.

        Asked if there is any reason she wouldn't want someone to know she
attended a conference of this type, Cornfield responded, "Of course not,
everything I do is wide open."

        Next we called the Kansas Education Watch Network and talked to
"Mary" McDavitt's secretary. She said McDavitt was away, and she denied
knowing anything about any conference in Colorado Springs. We learned later
that McDavitt was away speaking at a religious right conference in Indiana.

        Apparently, McDavitt told Judy Thomas of The Wichita Eagle that the
conference dealt with a number of different issues--not just gay rights.
However, this was not the case. It focused solely on devising a strategy to
deprive gays and lesbians of equal rights.

        The whole story came out when someone in Colorado Springs obtained
conference tapes from the Navigators. Recordings of the ten conference
speakers on seven tapes.

        One speaker, Robert Skolrood, president  of the National Legal
Foundation, even referred to the wonderful work in Kansas of Darlene
Cornfield, "who is sitting in the audience."