There was a fascinating pair of letters to the editor in The Post this week, one from the current and past leaders of the Montgomery County School Health Council explaining why MCPS approved the curriculum, and one from a representative of an "ex-gay" group, complaining about it. Let's reprint both in full, for the record:

Tuesday, December 14, 2004; Page A26

From listening to the small but loud group of misinformed and fearful parents and other county residents, one might think that the Montgomery County Board of Education has spearheaded drastic and radical changes to its health education curriculum ["Writing on the Rightness of Sex-Ed Changes; Curriculum Prompts Hundreds to Protest or Voice Support," Metro, Dec. 5].

What the board did was actually twofold:

First, it ensured that health teachers will be able to provide a consistent message to students, through the use of a compelling video about the importance of abstinence, the dangers of unprotected sex and the proper use of condoms.

While these issues have been discussed in health classes since the 1980s, consistency and accuracy were lacking. Parents still have to opt in to this segment of the health class, and they have the right to bar their children from participating. This has not changed.

Second, the board approved a small pilot program, the results of which will be evaluated next summer, to teach students about the importance of tolerance and acceptance of sexual variation. The aim is to dispel stereotypes and bullying.

While we must respect the views of parents who do not want schools to provide this information to their children, those who oppose this curriculum for their children must respect the wishes of the majority of Montgomery County parents who favor it.

TRACY FOX

Co-Chair

HENRY LEE

Past co-chair

Montgomery County School Health Council

Rockville

Short, to the point, Fox and Lee's letter says what was done, says you don't have to agree with it, and notes that the majority of Montgomery County parents are okay with it.

The second letter was from the Executive Director of a group called Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays. They don't like the curriculum:

Regarding the article about the controversy surrounding the new sex-education curriculum for Montgomery County public school students:

As part of the curriculum, the Montgomery County Board of Education voted for materials published by gay advocacy groups while censoring other points of view.

For example, one of the board-approved materials urges schools to refer students to select religious groups such as Lutherans Concerned, Dignity for Catholics, Rainbow Baptists and More Light Presbyterians. Advocating certain religions is discriminatory. Nor should teachers be instructed to refer students to religious groups, especially without parental permission. This "resource" has no place in a school setting.

Another board-approved resource discusses whether AIDS is God's judgment on homosexuals and whether homosexuality is a sin. Some of the answers are offensive to people of faith. "Religion has often been misused to justify hatred and oppression," says one.

The source of that information, Maricopa Community College of Avondale, Ariz., took the material off its Web site in response to our inquiry. Although we advised the board of the college's action, it approved this discredited "resource" anyway.

The board refuses to explain why it approved these and numerous other materials as school resources while rejecting materials with other points of view. It should hold a public hearing to explain its actions.

REGINA GRIGGS

Executive Director

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays

Fort Belvoir

This group, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays, called PFOX, is an interesting one. The concept of an "ex-gay" person is very helpful to those that would argue that homosexuality is either a choice or a disease, and PFOX exists to tell you that gay people can change. But as the joke goes, there are lots more ex-ex-gays than there are ex-gays -- this bandwagon is famous for the number of people who have fallen off it.

I had never heard of PFOX before the December 4th meeting of the group that wants to recall the school board, but they mentioned them pretty often. You can visit the PFOX website to learn about their activities -- I found that a Google search on "Regina Griggs" turned up many interesting articles, as well. I won't spoil it for you: this is one busy lady.

If you're serious about understanding this issue, there are two other groups you should check out. First is Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG), a group of people who accept their gay family members and love them. This group claims a quarter of a million members and is sometimes referred to as the "rival" of PFOX.

Not surprisingly, there is some strong opposition to the promotion of "ex-gays." The interested reader is pointed toward the Ex-Gay Watch web site, and especially their ABOUT page as a starting point with an overview of this phenomenon. Scroll down, and on the righthand side of their site you will see topics listed. Many of them are very informative.

These are very confused times we live in. It seems that America is undergoing an interior debate about whether to follow the path to scientific knowledge or one that leads to enforced religious obligation. Along the way, the facts get slandered and distorted. Thin strands of evidence carry the weight of great, ponderous conclusions, while mountains of scientific data are brushed off as unimportant or misleading. People reach their conclusions first, then look for anything that will support them. And our schools are right in the middle of it.

We who maintain this site advocate that public school students should be taught empirically-supported facts, as well as they are understood by a consensus of the scientific community, and that topics of faith and values be taught somewhere besides the public schools. The question is not whether people should cherish their faith and live according to their beliefs, but whether religious beliefs should be allowed to overwhelm the teaching of facts in the public schools.