Christian Teachers Turning to Alternative Unions Over NEA's Support of Same-sex "Marriage"

By Peter J. Smith

UNITED STATES, July 20, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) � The National Education Association�s (NEA) endorsement of same-sex �marriage� has lead a number of teachers to consider alternative organizations to the powerful liberal teachers union for job insurance and legal aid, according to Agape Press.

As Agape Press reports, the NEA�s pursuit of an anti-family agenda and its promotion of homosexual �marriage� has caused an upsurge in the numbers of conservative, Christian, and pro-family educators looking for alternatives to the liberal teachers union. Just one day after the American Family Association (AFA) warned its members that the NEA was preparing to endorse homosexual �marriage�, the Christian Educators Association International (CEAI), recorded 5,000 more visits to its official website than the daily average.

�We have been receiving e-mails, phone calls, and a lot of interaction through our website with a level of frustration like I have never seen before,� said Finn Laursen, the executive director of CEAI. �It almost seems like this open endorsement of same-sex marriage is almost the straw that broke the camel�s back, if you will.�

The NEA, during its June 25 � July 6 annual convention in Orlando, Fla., approved an amendment to Section B-10 of the NEA handbook, Racism, Sexism, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification Discrimination, stating that "sexual orientation and gender identification ... should not affect the legal rights and obligations of the partners in a legally-recognized domestic partnership, civil union, or marriage in regard to matters involving the other partner, such as medical decisions, taxes, inheritance, adoption, and immigration.�

NEA leaders have defended the resolution as an endorsement of same-sex �marriage� only in places where it has legal status. The amendment, however, was a toned-down version of a previous amendment proposed by the Union�s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Caucus, which called for a nationwide sanction of same-sex �marriage.�

The liberal organization also voted to alter NEA policy statements to replace the word �tolerance� with �acceptance�, and has also pushed for the mandatory inclusion of homosexual, bisexual and transgender issues as part of the required content necessary for teacher accreditation.

�There is a rumbling out there that�s saying enough is enough�, said Laursen, asserting that many teachers tolerated the NEA�s liberal agenda in the past, because the powerful liberal union could provide them with legal services and job protection. However, the availability of alternative groups such as the CEAI, which provides liability insurance, job protection, and legal services like the NEA, means members have alternatives.

See the Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) website at: http://ceai.org ;

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