Dear Pro-Family Friends,

Here we go again. Liberal proponents of “tolerance” and “acceptance” are once again responding to our Day of Silence Walkout call to parents with a barrage of vile and vulgar hate email and phone calls.

Last week, IFI, working with a coalition of pro-family groups, issued a press release encouraging parents to call their children’s middle schools and high schools to ask whether the administration will be permitting students and/or teachers to remain silent during class on the Day of Silence (DOS) — a day of political activism and disruption promoted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

If student activists will be permitted to remain silent, parents are encouraged to express their opposition by calling their children out of school on the Day of Silence (April 16th for most schools) and sending letters of explanation to their administrators, their children’s teachers, and all school board members. One reason this is effective is that most school districts lose money for each student absence.

The press release included contact information for IFI’s Laurie Higgins and Mission America’s Linda Harvey, so the media could contact them. Within hours they both began receiving obscene and hateful emails and phone calls from homosexual activists and their supporters.

These supporters of GLSEN’s DOS — a day to protest mistreatment of those who self-identify as homosexual — were ironically eager to use bullying tactics of their own in an attempt to intimidate and silence those with whom they disagree.

It is sad and disturbing to get these types of responses. It can even be very discouraging — if we dwell too long on them. But we know what our response should be. Jesus taught us to “bless those who curse you” and to “pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)

So, while it is easy to be upset by these hateful responses, I would like to encourage you to stop where you are, for just a moment, and pray for those who sent these emails specifically by name or pseudonym (God knows who these people are). Ask God to soften their hearts and minds and to open their eyes to His Truth.

I will then ask you to take a moment to pray for Laurie and Linda. Ask God to protect them from the slings and arrows being aimed at them. Ask God to keep them from becoming discouraged or dismayed. Finally, please keep the entire IFI staff in your prayers as we work on the front lines boldly proclaiming and defending the truth.

Thank you for standing with us. I am,

Sincerely,

David E. Smith
Executive Director