Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Some Actions Are So Unjust....



If you are new to my blog or facebook page you are about to learn a few things about me:

1)      I support equal rights for EVERYONE – If I am legally allowed to do it and it’s been deemed a ‘right’ for me or you then it’s a damn right for everyone I don’t care what your personal or religious beliefs are about the issue.
2)      When someone is treated as vilely as was the person I was contacted about today, I *have* to say something.
3)      I curse.

Have you heard of the Southeast Homeschool Expo?  It’s being held this summer in Atlanta, GA.  The organization that runs this Expo is the Home Educators Encouragement Alliance (HEEA).  They also run the Chicago Homeschool Expo, Georgia Homeschool Expo, and the Alabama Homeschool Expo.



 According to their own website their purpose is:
We believe the God of Creation personally watches over and blesses all types of parents and their children.  We also believe that God commands us to get knowledge and to get wisdom and to not forget these things. In learning more about the world, we are also learning about the One who created it. We believe in diversity of education, that when it comes to children, one size does not fit all and that parents deserve choices and help in their endeavors.  We celebrate the willingness of parents to step out of line and fearlessly take control of their children’s educations.  We are thrilled that homeschooled children turn out so well. 

The operators of this organization are a mother and son team,  Randi St. Dennis and Mark St. Dennis.
Their contact information can be found here:

A fan of my page, who is a friend of a friend, placed a call to this organization yesterday in an attempt to register herself and her wife for the Expo, inquiring if they would be allowed the ‘couple’ rate.

This fan is a person of faith – Catholic to be specific.

Now, am I surprised, after meandering through the website, that this organization would not grant the couple rate to a same sex couple?  Nope.  Not in the least.  Don’t get me wrong – I don’t agree with them – but I’m not surprised.

What does surprise me is what Ms. Randi St. Dennis said to the fan who made the inquiry.  Here is what was shared with me today regarding the conversation between Ms. St. Dennis and the woman who made the inquiry:
  
·  Today was the call, and pretty much ……the fact I must get up crying every morning because of how miserable I am and what I am doing to my children. I originally spoke to a man who told me that if I waited they were having a special, the registration would be free. This was great, but just struck me as off as he wouldn't answer my question about if the benefits were applicable to same-sex couples. I asked to speak to the director who promptly got in the phone and said she gets asked this question all the time. Then she went into the fact that she was in this perverted life of homosexuality and prostitution where she lived in fl. I asked if she was equating homosexuals and prostitutes and she said yes they were both sexually deviant lifestyles. While my brain attempted to process this she went on to explain about us being like the animals in the zoo that had to be separated because they were developing into homosexuals. Then with the how miserable I am being an abomination along with my children being abominations. She didn't approve of China's one child policy. She believed things should be all natural.
She said she had treated her patients who were deviant and knew they could never be happy being gay. She repeatedly told me to be quiet and listen to her. That I needed to hear what she was saying. I held the phone away, cause she just kept talking about how horrible we were, how miserable I was and how my children were witness to our abomination. I then told her that we obviously would not be attending and another family also would not and that I would share her position with our hs group. I then said I would pray for her and her patients.
I immediately called ____________who was the other family that had requested info also. Her parents are same sex. So if you would like to speak to her to confirm or clarify anything that I may have forgotten, please feel free as I seriously could not function for about an hour after the call. The call was @ 1720 today. Thank you for your support. It was just a bit overwhelming to think there are people so hateful in the world.
Randi St Dennis. She said she was a therapist. She said she was the director.
_____________________________________________________________________________

I don’t see anywhere in their ‘purpose’ statement anything that would give indication that this organization is a homophobic, bigoted, hate-filled organization that is guilty of spreading disgusting lies and untruths about the gay community and what it means to be gay.

I don’t see anywhere in the director’s comments where she showed human decency.

If you, or someone you know, pays to attend this Expo, or any others organized by this group, then be aware of what you are truly supporting.

If you are, like I am, disgusted by this unnecessary and vicious attack against a fellow homeschooler, then please call or write and let our voices be heard as homeschoolers!!

Here is a link to all the vendors who will be attending this Expo (and I’m sure the other Expos).  Perhaps a word to them about why we won’t be attending this or any Expo organized by HEEA.

 http://www.homeschoolexpodirectory.com/

Robert F. Kennedy


~Mari B.

6 comments:

  1. Now, I don't know where I stand on being gay. Like, I've heard it says in the Bible not to be, but there are other types of marriage allowed in the Bible, like multiple wives and all, so I think it's fair to say that there's really no reason to rule it out. And if it's in there, I haven't found it. But even if it does say that, I don't believe in discrimination. So I think it's very, very wrong for ANYONE to say they can't come to something like that as a couple. They're legally married, no different than a husband and wife. And for someone who says 'We believe the God of Creation personally watches over and blesses all types of parents and their children,' they seem to be saying 'he blesses all types...except gays.' That's not fair of them.

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  2. I just want to say that I personally appreciate your statements, it is difficult enough to homeschool, but there is even less support when you are an LGBT homeschooler. Particularly in the south. I am appalled at the way this woman was spoken to, but not surprised. My children and I were members of a homeschool group/co-op....until they learned that my partner (now my wife) was also a woman. The next semester it became mandatory to all co-op members to sign a statement of faith which included a paragraph about marriage and parenting being intended for a man and a woman only. Obviously, we are no longer members. I wish we had a group in this area that would be accepting and supportive of us as parents and educators, we have not found one yet.

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  3. You can rate these people on WOT so that others looking for them will know what kind of business they are.If everyone rates them badly then maybe they will get the message. http://www.mywot.com/

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  4. They will be hearing from me! Supremacist should never be tolerated!

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  5. Maybe they should put love in that mission statement. From what I've heard, God's pretty hip on that.

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  6. I've sent a letter to every one of the vendors that had an email address (or several) available. When I have time I am also going to send in the comment forms that many of the vendors have on their sites. I'm also going contact them on facebook/twitter where available. The vendors should be made aware of what they are being associated with, because they may get painted with the same brush, right.

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