Think Progress Debunks Anti-Gay Smears

As shocking as it is that the anti-gay industry would make stuff up or take things out of context to smear GLSEN Founder Kevin Jennings, deception is the basis for its campaign to derail Kevin's appointment as Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education for the Department’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

Think Progress has a great post debunking attack after attack on Kevin. Think Progress even went so far to actually speak to education leaders who have worked with Kevin. As proud as we are of all that Kevin has accomplished in his more than 20 years as an educator and advocate for students, don't take our word for it. From Think Progress:

ThinkProgress spoke with Molly Spearman, executive director of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators. Spearman first heard Jennings speak at the 2007 convention of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Spearman said that she was so impressed with Jennings, she decided to invite him to speak at her organization’s October 2007 summit on bullying:

"I was a little nervous, being in South Carolina, a very conservative state. But once again, he handled it extremely professionally. He did a agnificent job, and it was a huge success. We had a waiting list of people who wanted to come. … We had several hundred people there. … He was very very well-received — absolutely rave views. And that was in conservative South Carolina. So he handled what could have been a very sensitive topic in a very professional way that was accepted by everyone."

Good As You, a fantastic LGBT-themed blog, also had a great post earlier this week debunking the slander.

As you may expect, the anti-gay industry has called on its minions to call, write and email Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to use these falsehoods to try to get Kevin fired. Help us respond by showing Duncan how many support exists for appointments like Kevin's that will actually make schools safer and better.