DENVER—A conservative Christian group will sponsor a school outreach program to talk about sexual orientation, it announced Thursday.
Focus on the Family of Colorado Springs said it will take over sponsorship of the former “Day of Truth,” which has been co-sponsored since 2005 by Exodus International, a Christian group in Orlando, Fla. It renamed the April observance “Day of Dialogue” and is promoting it as a day to talk about homosexuality in schools, not to decry gays.
Exodus International announced last month it would drop sponsorship because it was “always perceived in an adversarial manner,” according to an Exodus International statement.
The “Day of Dialogue” is a counter to the “Day of Silence,” a gay-rights promotion asking students to remain silent for a day in protest of anti-gay bullying.
Focus spokesman Gary Schneeberger said the sponsorship won’t cost much because there aren’t plans to advertise the day. Instead, Focus will give advice on how to adopt the program to interested teens.
“There’s really a minimal cost,” Schneeberger said. “The event itself is student-driven. We’re there as a provider of information and resources and maybe some guidance about how to engage in that dialogue.”
The new name indicated a new emphasis on not bullying gay students.
On a website to promote the “Day of Dialogue,” Focus tells readers that “any form of bullying and harassment of others is always wrong, including making fun of others, speaking down to them and saying things that hurt people.”
“Christian students in particular should be bold in speaking up to oppose that kind of behavior because it goes completely against the model Christ gave us,” the website said.
The Alliance Defense Fund, a group of Christian attorneys, remains the other co-sponsor. The sponsorship change was first reported by CNN.
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