Parents Force Gay Agenda Backtrack by School Board

When Christians became aware that the East Aurora (Illinois) school board had enacted a new transgender policy to allow students to willy-nilly declare their "sexual identity" (thus allowing devious boys to use girls' locker rooms, etc.), complaints flooded the school and within three days of its passing, the board rejected the new policy.

For background, click on headlines below of related articles:

Parents Cause Illinois School to Drop Gay Agenda Books

Tea Party Forces School Back on Gay Agenda

Gay Agenda Attacks America One Town at a Time

Homosexual Indoctrination Mandated for Schools

ACLU Threatens Schools: Must Teach Homosexuality

Minnesota School Succumbs to Gay Agenda Bullying

Parents Fight California Gay Agenda Indoctrination

American Voters Getting Message - Gay Agenda Targets Children



UPDATE 10/20/12: As the board rescinded the policy, homosexualists protested the meeting and threatened lawsuits.

-- From "Transgender Policy Expected To Be Reversed In East Aurora" posted at CBS News Radio WBBM 780 (Chicago) 10/18/12

East Aurora School District 131 board members on Friday are expected to rescind a controversial policy to accommodate transgender students.

The decision would reverse a policy the board approved Monday that allows transgender students to use the bathroom or locker room that corresponds to their gender identity. The policy also specifies that transgender students are to be called by their chosen name.

Approval of the policy was a mistake, School Board President Annette Johnson says. She blames a district administrator for advising her panel the transgender policy was needed under the constantly changing Illinois school code. It turns out, the administrator was wrong.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "East Aurora OKs transgender policy" By Stephanie Lulay, Beacon News (Aurora, IL) 10/15/12

The East Aurora school board voted to unanimously approve a policy that affects transgendered students Monday night.

. . . The student has the right to be addressed by the name they want to be called . . . “A court-ordered name or gender change is not required, and the student needs not change his or her official records,” the policy states.

In most cases, transgendered students should have access to the locker room that corresponds to their gender-related identity [regardless of their sex], according to the policy.

Classes or teams that are segregated by gender should also be open to students according to the gender that the student self-identifies with.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Aurora district receives criticism, support for transgender student policy" posted at Chicago Sun-Times 10/18/12

E-mails from outraged residents and organizations across the state began flooding board members’ inboxes, and by Wednesday afternoon, board members announced they would meet at 5:30 p.m. Friday to potentially rescind the policy.

“The board never at any time came up with this (policy) on their own,” School Board President Annette Johnson said Wednesday. Instead, board members simply thought they were keeping up with state code.

The policy, which sets forth several guidelines for school administrators to use when addressing transgender students, was brought forward by Christine Aird, the district’s assistant superintendent of elementary education, Johnson said. Based on the recommendation of Aird, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Joan Glotzbach and the School District’s attorney, “this is where we ended up,” Johnson said.

Johnson said she wasn’t even aware of the policy’s controversial nature until the e-mails started coming in Tuesday evening.

She said she “absolutely” felt that in presenting the board with the policy, Aird had been misleading.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "East Aurora schools may reverse transgender student policy following criticism" by Katherine Iorio, Chicago Phoenix (Gay Advocate) 10/18/12

On Tuesday, The Illinois Family Institute, [a pro-family/pro-life Christian non-profit organization] which is classified as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, publicized a letter addressing the district, asking for the repeal of the policy. In the letter, IFI calls acceptance of the policy “an outrageous and ignorant decision by the East Aurora High School Board of Education” and has gone as far to say that being transgender is “fiction” and a “mental and moral disorder.”

“This is a biased, radical, and offensive school board decision that all Illinois taxpayers—especially Aurora community members with or without children in school—should vigorously and tenaciously oppose,” the IFI letter said.

By Wednesday, the board — facing the mounting criticism — quickly rethought the policy and announced they would reconvene Friday night to potentially repeal it.

The Special Meeting will be held to “discuss the rescission of School Board Policy 715.13 (Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students) and School Board Policy 715.13R (Administrative Procedures, Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students),” according to the district website.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Illinois Family Institute, Anti-Gay Hate Group, Condemns School For Transgender-Inclusive Policies" by Gay Voices, Huffington Post 10/17/12

On Tuesday, the Illinois Family Institue released an angry vitriol against the new transgender-inclusive policies.

"Apparently, all that’s needed for school personnel to be compelled to participate in a fiction is for a student to pretend 'consistently' at school that he or she is the opposite sex.

The school board is now imposing non-objective, 'progressive' moral, philosophical, and political beliefs—not facts—about gender confusion on the entire school. This feckless school board has made a decision to accommodate, not the needs of gender-confused teens, but their disordered desires and the desires of gender/sexuality anarchists who exploit public education for their perverse ends."

Think Progress corrected IFI's misinterpretation of transgender identities. "It’s important to note that in the new version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Orders (DSM-V), set to print in May 2013, trans identities are no longer classified as mental illness under 'Gender Identity Disorder,'" writes Zack Ford. Affirmation, says Ford, should be the only response towards the trans community.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read the Illinois Family Institute article concerning this Gay Agenda strategy.

Planned Parenthood Loses to Illinois Pro-lifers

Pro-life advocates won major concessions from the city of Aurora [Illinois] to continue their pro-life witness and sidewalk counseling outside a Planned Parenthood facility, thus concluding their two year fight for their First Amendment rights.

UPDATE 3/31/10: Only ONE mainstream media article has been published on this pro-life court win

-- From "Pro-Life Protestors Win Key Demands From City of Aurora in Settlement" by Peter J. Smith, LifeSiteNews.com 3/25/10

Attorneys for the Thomas More Society, representing Fox Valley Families Against Planned Parenthood and the Pro-Life Action League, successfully settled with the city in federal court in Chicago on Thursday, voluntarily dismissing their First Amendment lawsuit filed in 2007 to protect the rights of citizens who pray and protest at the city’s Planned Parenthood facility, one of the largest abortion clinics in the United States.

Under the settlement’s agreements, the City of Aurora will amend two ordinances that the law firm claimed were unconstitutional, and mandate First Amendment and non-discriminatory law enforcement training for Aurora police. The settlement also establishes a grievance process to handle disputes between the protesters and Aurora officials.

The settlement guarantees that any street signs prohibiting “picketing or protesting” will be removed from the city. Pro-life individuals are guaranteed the right to use public sidewalks and parkways for peaceful prayer and protest.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Thomas More Society Settles Federal Lawsuit Against City of Aurora" posted by Stephanie Lewis, Christian Newswire 3/24/10

Some of the more detailed provisions of the settlement include:

Signs with Graphic Content: Graphic signs may be used in demonstrations, with appropriate warning signs displayed to alert passers-by.

Sidewalk Construction: To assure public safety, Aurora will take necessary steps to ensure a public sidewalk is constructed along the access road.

Case No. 07 C 4803 - Fox Valley Families Against Planned Parenthood, Pro-Life Action League, and Eric Scheidler v. The City of Aurora

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Abortions at 10-year high in Illinois

The new abortion mega-mill in Aurora, Illinois explains the dead-baby windfall for Planned Parenthood.

-- From "Abortions at 10-year high in Illinois" by Dave McKinney, Staff Reporter, Chicago Sun-Times 1/2/10

The number of abortions performed in Illinois reached a 10-year high in 2008, newly compiled state records show.

The uptick could be due to the state's flagging economy and to the first full year of operation of a new clinic offering abortion services in Aurora, abortion-rights advocates and opponents alike say.

In 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, figures from the Illinois Public Health Department show that 47,717 abortions were performed statewide.

That represents a 5 percent increase from 2007. And it's the most abortions in Illinois in a year since 1998, when 49,403 women were reported to have had abortions.

On a percentage basis, the age group with the largest increase in abortions from 2007 to 2008 was those 14 and under. In 2008, 299 girls in that group obtained abortions, up 16 percent from 2007, state records show.

The group with the next-largest percentage increase was women 20 to 24 years old. Abortions for that group reached 13,130 in 2008, up 11 percent from the year before.

Planned Parenthood declined to provide data on abortions provided in 2008 at its clinics in Chicago, Aurora and Champaign.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Chicago Cop Pulls Gun on Pro-Life Sidewalk Counselor

A Chicago police officer was cited in a report for intimidating a pro-life advocate helping counsel women outside a Planned Parenthood abortion business in Aurora. The officer was written up for disorderly conduct after flashing his badge at the pro-life sidewalk counselor, who says he also brandished his gun.

-- From "Off-duty Chicago cop cited for flashing badge at Aurora abortion clinic" Chicago Sun-Times Media Wire 12/16/09

The incident happened about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to a release from Aurora police.

The off-duty officer and a 30-year-old woman were approached by a 31-year-old woman as they sat in a car in a parking lot adjacent to the clinic in the 3000 block of East New York Street in Aurora. The woman outside the car apparently intended to hand the couple some pieces of literature, when, according to the officer, he displayed his police badge and the woman backed off, the release said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Cop Cited for Intimidating Pro-Life Advocate at Chicago-Area Planned Parenthood" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 12/16/09

Rachelle Crile, a 31-year-old Naperville woman had been outside the abortion center for about an hour when saw a car with two people that appeared to be heading to the facility.

Crile told the Fox Valley Sun newspaper that she approached the car with pro-life literature and that the man driving the car threatened her with a handgun.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Neighborhood Families Sue City over Planned Parenthood Building

Planned Parenthood's subsidiary, Gemini Office Development, falsified permit applications, obtained an invalid building permit, had invalid building inspections, and violated other city laws.

For background on this story, CLICK HERE.

-- From "Abortion mega-clinic targeted by more complaints" © 2008 WorldNetDaily 7/23/08

City officials in Aurora, Ill., who in 2007 allowed construction of a massive Planned Parenthood abortion mega-clinic in apparent violation of their own zoning codes, now are being challenged by pro-life activists who previously filed a lawsuit on another front.

Thomas More Society, which has been battling the abortion business and is pursuing a lawsuit over the issue, says it now has filed formal appeals to both the Aurora Building Code Board of Appeals and the Zoning Board of Appeals on behalf of Fox Valley Families against Planned Parenthood.

"On July 1, the city of Aurora quietly issued a Final Certificate of occupancy to the 22,000-square-foot Planned Parenthood facility," officials with the law firm said. "Unlike the now-expired Temporary Certificate of Occupancy under which the facility had been operating, the Final Certificate would grant permanent legal status to the facility."

"The appellants claim that the city continues to refuse to apply the correct ordinance to Planned Parenthood, even after the city conceded that its outside attorneys applied the wrong ordinance to the facility during their legal review in September of last year," the law firm announcement said.

"Planned Parenthood has made a mockery of Aurora's development process," said Peter Breen, attorney for the Thomas More Society. "They have brazenly committed fraud against the city and have strong-armed their illegal non-profit 'business' into the backyards of citizens who were given no voice to oppose the building of this Wal-Mart sized abortion facility. It is time for the 'City of Lights' to shine a harsh light on Planned Parenthood's dirty tactics."

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

VIDEO: Aurora Police Threaten to Arrest Man for Simply Praying While Pushing Baby Stroller on Public Street

From "VIDEO: Chicago Police Threaten to Arrest Man for Simply Praying While Pushing Baby Stroller on Public Street" by John Connolly, posted 12/12/07 at lifesite.org

A YouTube video shows police monitoring a peaceful protest in a Chicago suburb who threatened to arrest a man that was not part of the protest because he was praying while walking his baby in a stroller on the sidewalk near a huge Planned Parenthood abortion facility.

Aurora resident Roger Earl was walking his baby and praying from a prayer book on November 17 when police confronted him and told him he couldn't be there.

"I wasn't planning to be part of the protest today," said Earl. "I didn't realize that I was breaking any law by walking along the sidewalk praying."

A pro-life worker has put a video on YouTube of Roger Earl talking with reporters after his confrontation with police officials.

Read the rest of the article and watch the video.

Planned Parenthood Opens in Aurora

Aurora clinic now set to kill the unborn, protect statutory rapists, encourage teen sex and cause breast cancer...

For background on this story, CLICK HERE.

From "Aurora clinic opens amid cheers and protests" by Jim Kimberly and Gary Gibula, posted 10/2/07 at Chicago Tribune Online

Protesters sang hymns, shed tears and displayed large photos of aborted fetuses Tuesday but did nothing to disrupt the first day of business at the new Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora.

About a dozen Aurora police officers were at the site on the city's east side in case problems developed between the roughly 100 abortion protesters and the nearly 50 employees and supporters of Planned Parenthood, who cheered loudly when Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area President and CEO Steve Trombley announced the clinic was open.

"We know that the services we provide will do more in one day to prevent abortions than our opposition will do in a lifetime of protesting," Trombley said.

The clinic, a massive, nearly windowless brick building at Oakhurst Drive and New York Street, will provide an array of reproductive health-care services, including contraception, examinations for breast and cervical cancers, and screenings for sexually transmitted diseases, Trombley said. Less than 10 percent of the services performed at Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area clinics are abortion-related, he said.

Trombley estimates the clinic will serve 25,000 patients a year when at full capacity. A few appointments were scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, mostly for tests for sexually transmitted diseases, and more patients would be seen this week, he said.

Abortion protesters vowed not to give up the fight to close the clinic, also showing up Tuesday night at the Aurora committee of the whole meeting, even though no clinic item was on the agenda. Outside the meeting, Eric Scheidler, spokesman for the Pro-Life Action League, said he filed an objection Tuesday with the Aurora Zoning Board of Appeals because the clinic did not get a special-use permit. He said he believed the objection should have triggered a closing of the clinic for 30 days.

Read the rest of this article.

Planned Parenthood rape stats questioned

Abortion and Breast Cancer

Planned Parenthood's Advice for Teens

Aurora Planned Parenthood to Remain Closed Pending Investigation

From "Illinois Stealth Planned Parenthood Clinic Remains Closed" by Devon Williams, posted 9/20/07 at Lifesite.org

For more than 40 days, pro-life advocates have rallied around the clock to keep a stealth Planned Parenthood abortion clinic out of Aurora, Ill. A federal judge today ruled that the clinic’s doors will remain closed.

Planned Parenthood had plans to open the $7 million clinic Tuesday in the Chicago suburb. It had applied for city permits under a front company that hid the true nature and owners of the building. After a two-hour hearing, U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle denied Planned Parenthood’s request pending further investigation.

Read the rest of this article.

GOOD NEWS! Aurora City Council Delays Planned Parenthood Permit

Planned Parenthood cannot open its largest abortion clinic in the nation until an independent investigation is completed.

From "Aurora City Council Delays Planned Parenthood Permit" posted 9/13/07 at Citizenlink.org

The Aurora City Council decided Tuesday to delay the scheduled Sept. 18 opening over accusations that the world's largest abortion provider deceived the city by filing paperwork under a different name.

Last month, neighbors of the "Gemini Health Clinic" were shocked to learn the facility will be used for abortions. Apparently, city officials also were kept in the dark. A 24-hour, 40-day prayer vigil that began Aug. 9 continues.

Planned Parenthood has argued it is filling a demand for services in the community. The Rev. Dan Hoehn, pastor at St. Mary Immaculate Church in Plainfield, Ill., spoke at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

"There is a demand for pornography in Aurora," he said. "There is a demand for heroin. Just because a demand exists does not oblige the council."

Well said pastor.

Thank God for this small, but significant victory and also thank him for the handful of courageous pastors willing to step outside the safety of the four walls of their Churches to stand in the gap for these unborn children and the teenage girls at the nearby high school who would be victims of this evil organization...

If you would like to be a part of what God is doing in Aurora, please go to familiesagainstplannedparenthood.org

Watch Sean Hannity FOX News coverage of Planned Parenthood fraud in Aurora, IL

Read previous Culture Campaign Blog articles on this subject.

Aurora May Withhold Planned Parenthood Permit

From "Aurora May Withhold Planned Parenthood Permit" posted 9/11/07 at Citizenlink.org

The city of Aurora, Ill., is considering a new attorney to examine the paperwork Planned Parenthood filed in the building of its largest abortion clinic in the nation. The previous attorney was found to have connections to the city's current outside legal counsel, and was dismissed for conflicts of interest, LifeNews.com reports.

Read the rest of this report.

Read previous Culture Campaign Blog articles on this subject.

Aurora, IL: Residents Say Planned Parenthood Lied on Giant Abortion Mill Application

Local residents accused Planned Parenthood of “sneaking” into the city under an assumed name. Hundreds attend city council meeting...

From "Residents Say Planned Parenthood Lied on Giant Abortion Mill Application - City Investigates" by Hilary White, posted 8/29/07 at Lifesite.org

City authorities in Aurora Illinois, near Chicago may be having second thoughts about the opening of the largest American Planned Parenthood abortion mill in their town. The 22,000 square-foot, $7.5 million facility is scheduled to open for business September 18.

The city has hired Chicago attorney Richard Martens to review the process by which the facility, nick-named the “Abortion Fortress” for its high brick walls, was approved in November 2006. At a public meeting earlier this week, local residents accused Planned Parenthood of “sneaking” into the city under an assumed name.

"This is definitely a rare occurrence," city spokesman Carie Anne Ergo told The Beacon News. "I don't know of another instance in which the city has done this."

Eric Scheidler, communications director for the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, told local media that he was pleased the city was taking the step. "I don't have the disadvantage of being a lawyer," he said. "I'm just a guy who thinks that if you lie to government officials, you ought to be held accountable.”

...But the decision to investigate came after local residents voiced a different opinion at a town meeting on Tuesday. City officials heard from the future neighbours of the abortion facility that Planned Parenthood “snuck” into their town by lying to officials and going through the application process under the name Gemini Development Corp. The city was only informed of the true nature of the venture a month ago. Planned Parenthood has a 30-day temporary occupancy permit, which expires September 17.

At Tuesday’s public meeting, 120 people signed up to speak and the presentations went until after 11 pm. The Daily Herald quotes Pastor Mark Smith at the meeting saying, “We could not debate these issues because they were not brought forward.”

A friend who attended the meeting wrote this inspiring eye-witness account:

I got home from the City Council meeting at 2:10 a.m. It was the most remarkable display of citizenship at work that I have ever witnessed. One hundred and twenty two people had signed up to speak. After a motion failed that would have ended the debate at 9:00 p.m. the members of the council sat and listened for hours as one after another of the people of Aurora got up and told their stories. So moving, so passionate, so well informed, so honest. So right!

There were two women from NOW who spoke in support of Planned Parenthood. Everyone else gave the aldermen quite an education that night. One guy used his three minutes to ask the people to get on their knees and pray with him. And they did. Young and old, story after story until 1:35 a.m. The room was packed to overflowing with people also standing in the hallway outside. Probably about 400 people in all. Numbers don't tell the story, though. You really would have been amazed at how well the citizens performed. And so proud to be a pro-lifer.

And the Gigantic Pro-Life Rally was definitely that. In spite of threatening weather the people just kept coming. The police had estimated about 1,300 were there. And the sun shone on them after all. All ages, from all over. Congratulations again on a job well done.

Then the Teen Rally was another remarkable event. They had 500 tee shirts and they ran out. There were many teens there in their own pro-life tee shirts, also. There were moms and dads and younger siblings - at least 750, if not more in total. Just a fantastic day for the young people. Our hope for the future.

Most amazing of all is that the 40 Day Prayer Vigil continues unabated through some of that terrible weather we've been having. Men and women, teens, little kids and babies are out there all day and all night. Your sacrifice is very much appreciated. History is happening in Aurora and you are a witness to it.

When we were fighting the clinic in Glen Ellyn that opened a little over five years ago, we requested to be heard at their open board meeting. They were very courteous and even set up chairs and a big screen TV for the overflow people in the big gymnasiam. There were about 1,200 people there, the most that had every attended an open board meeting. They listened to us but they didn't hear us.

The City Council heard what the people were saying the other night. They learned things they had never heard before. I am really optimistic that they may be able to do something to keep this evil out of their community. Hope you're still praying, even if you can't be at 3051 E. New York Street, those prayers at home are so important also.

Would you be willing to stand with these wonderful people -- or even just fast and pray? Here's a website where you can get more information.

Read other Culture Campaign Blog articles on this subject.

Aurora, IL: Pro-Abortion Protestors Arrested for Harassing Pro-Life Witnesses

The Chicago Tribune reports that one was charged with battery of a protester, and the other was charged with disorderly conduct.

From "Pro-Abortion Protestors Arrested for Harassing "40 Days for Life" Witnesses" by elizabeth O'Brien, posted 8/23/07 at LifesiteNews.com

Two pro-abortion protestors were arrested on misdemeanor battery charges, for harassing a group of pro-life witnesses outside a Planned Parenthood abortion facility during a prayer vigil on Sunday.

The Chicago Tribune, normally silent on pro-life events, reports that 24-year old Shawn R. Pawlak and 27 year old Kelly L. Maha, shouted obscenities at pro-life witnesses who were peacefully participating in the 24-hour, 40-day prayer rally to prevent the newly-constructed abortion facilities from opening near Chicago this fall.

Read the rest of the article.