Colorado Springs – Three people were arrested for trespassing at Focus on the Family headquarters Monday, the second day of a two-day group protest of the the ministry’s stance on homosexuality.
Philip Reitan, 57, Randi Reitan, 54, and their son, Jacob Reitan, 23, all of Eden Prairie, Minn., tried to deliver a letter to Focus founder James Dobson. They were arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing and are due in Colorado Springs municipal court May 23.
The Reitans are part of Soulforce, a national gay-advocacy group that came to Colorado Springs to protest what it calls “hurtful rhetoric” on homosexuality from Dobson and Focus on the Family. The ministry was closed to visitors Monday.
A crowd estimated at between 500 and 800 people protested Sunday outside Focus’ north Colorado Springs campus. On Monday, 125 people from Soulforce – wearing T-shirts reading “Justice Is a Family Thing!” – walked quietly to the threshold of Focus’ property, stopped and held hands while Randi Reitan read a letter to Dobson that expressed her love for her gay son.
“As parents and Christians, we felt called to work for justice for all in the gay community,” Randi Reitan said. “People are taught to hate. People are taught to be intolerant. As Christians, we must teach God’s love for all his beloved children by our love and our actions.”
Soulforce delivered a box of what it said were “thousands” of letters that explained the pain that homosexuals and their families had experienced because of Focus’ message.
“We’ll read them, and we’ll provide a kind, loving response to each of them,” said Tom Minnery, Focus’ vice president of public policy.
He said that Dobson would not read each of the letters but that representatives from Focus would.
Dobson is in Washington this week for events surrounding the National Day of Prayer on Thursday. He also will be dealing with the judicial-nomination issue in meetings and media appearances, Focus spokesman Paul Hetrick said.
Dobson, who made his name dispensing conservative parenting advice, avoided overtly partisan politics until 2003, when he was inspired by a court decision removing the Ten Commandments from an Alabama courthouse.
Less than a year later, he started Focus on the Family Action, a political and lobbying organization.
The group has jumped into the fight between Democrats and Senate Republican leaders over judicial nominations because Dobson sees judges as a key force behind what he views as the nation’s moral decline on issues such as gay marriage and abortion.
Melissa Fryrear, a gender- issues analyst at Focus, said the goal of the Springs protesters was to get Focus to agree that “living homosexually is OK.”
“We can’t consent to that,” she said.
Minnery said Focus also opposes other behaviors that fall outside the bounds of Scripture – lying, cheating and stealing.
“Most of those problems don’t organize themselves into political action and march down the street,” Minnery said.
Denver Post staff writer Mike Soraghan contributed to this report.
Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com.
