Beyond Ridiculous - DHS Awards Anti-Terror Grant To LGBTQ Group

The Biden administration has awarded an anti-terrorism grant worth more than half-a-million dollars to an LGBTQ activist group, which distributes condoms and "sex education" material, to expand its "in-school support for LGBTQ+ youth" as young as age 6.

The manifesto of its school-based group--which is based on the Black Panthers--calls for the "abolition" of the police, the erasure of the U.S. border, and the "reclamation" of all "stolen lands" by Indigenous people.

President Joe Biden's Department of Homeland Security announced that the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League had received a $530,000 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention grant late last week.

Although the grant is intended "to prevent targeted violence and terrorism," the grant synopsis explains that the SMYAL "will provide in-school support for LGBTQ+ youth, training for school staff and youth service providers, [and] resilience programming for LGBTQ+ youth ages 6-24."

The grant will address both "the risk of violence and negative mental health outcomes faced by LGBTQ+ youth" in Washington, D.C., and nearby Montgomery County, Maryland.

GSA Networks Seek to Abolish the Police, Borders, and 'Cisgender Heterosexual Patriarchy'

SMYAL's latest 990 form states that its members run the "DC Regional GSA," or Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network clubs, which aims to "lead the charge for LGBTQ rights and social justice."

Formerly the "Gay-Straight Alliance," the group renamed itself the Gender & Sexualities Alliances Network in 2015 to signal that its leaders "have moved beyond the labels of gay and straight, and the limits of a binary gender system."

GSA boasts of 4,000 student-run clubs operated by 40 state chapters.

The GSA Network's "Truth Nine Point Platform" calls for "the Abolition of the Police, ICE, Borders and the Judicial System"; "an End of the Cisgender Heterosexual Patriarchy"; "Reparations for all Indigenous and Black Peoples," including "Indigenous reclamation of stolen lands"; and "free and non-compulsory education for all ages."

"The manifesto was inspired by and builds upon the Black Panther Party's Ten-Point Program, the Young Lord's 12 Point Program and Platform, and the Third World Gay Revolution," GSA Network states, as it promises "to bravely and ferociously fight for our communal liberation."

The Black Panther Party "advocated the use of violence and guerilla tactics to overthrow the U.S. government," according to the FBI.

"We invite our comrades in struggle who align with our principles, including those who have yet to self-determine their relationship to the struggle, to join us in solidarity, coalition, and liberation--remembering the revolution is a relationship," the GSA Network platform concludes.

SMYAL activists "connect with and provide assistance to teachers, staff, administrators, community members and partners to start and grow local GSAs," according to its tax filings.

SMYAL Distributes Condoms, Gives LGBTQ Adults Access to Children Without Parental Supervision

The first item listed on SMYAL's "sexual health" program is "condom distribution." SMYAL operates a "Peer Health Fellowship" for children ages 13-24: "Fellows serve their their [sic] schools and communities as health educators. Fellows serve their community as role models, leaders, and trusted friends by distributing condoms and safer-sex information," according to the group's most recent tax filings.

SMYAL operates numerous youth groups for children who identify as LGBTQ or "who are exploring or questioning their identities." The youngest group, known as Little SMYAL, combines children from 6 to 12, although teens may opt to continue attending. The next level includes programs for children from early adolescence through their mid-20s.

"Little SMYAL's is a group for queer and trans 6-12 year olds to provide young people a safe(r) space hang out [sic] and meet new people," its website states.

"To best meet the needs of our youth, we have programs that are designed for 6 to 9-year-olds (who we call Unicorns) or 10 to 13-year-olds (who we call Rainbows)," the group explains. "If your child is 13, they may choose to continue attending Little SMYALs programs or age up into SMYAL's drop-in programs for youth ages 13+."

"Some programs are open to all youth within this 13-24 age range," SMYAL notes.

SMYAL actively seeks to separate children or adolescents from their parents, asking for access to young children without parental supervision.

"We invite caregivers to attend a 'Welcome to Little SMYALs' session to make sure their child is ready to participate in future programming. We then encourage caregivers to give their child some space to allow them to meet new friends and participate fully in this environment," SMYAL's website states. "Some parents/caregivers have enjoyed getting coffee down the street together during in-person programs."

SMYAL also offers "clinical services to LGBTQ youth ages 6-24," including "trauma-enforced yoga, sound healing, and mindfulness." Its Youth Leadership Development program holds workshops on topics ranging from "allyship" to "gender and sexuality 101."

Giving an anti-terrorism grant to a child-focused LGBTQ activist group is "beyond ridiculous," Meg Kilgannon, senior fellow for education studies at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. "Anti-terrorism and violence prevention money from DHS is supposed to prevent another 9/11 bombing--actual violent terrorism. It's not supposed to impose sexual ideologies on children or adults. That's child abuse and taxpayer abuse."

"When people say they want to close agencies like the FBI, CIA, or DHS, programs like this one are part of the reason for that sentiment," she said.

The taxpayer-funded DHS grant will greatly enhance SYMAL's budget. The $530,000 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention grant represents 15% of the $3.6 million in revenue the group reported in 2021. (In all $2,061,623 of its $3,632,170 came from government grants.)

SYMAL spent $351,123 promoting the GSA Networks' agenda. It also spent $350,363 on its Peer Health Fellowship and $302,248 on its Youth Leadership Development Program.

Awarding SMYAL and other politically polarizing organizations DHS grants shows that "the national security industrial complex is too big and too focused on perceived threats to government from American citizens rather than on actual national security threats: cyberattacks on public schools and other organizations; lawlessness at the border; child trafficking rings; drug trafficking rings--all with international ties," Kilgannon said.

"It's not the job of DHS to make people feel good about their own sex lives and enforce societal endorsement of sex acts," she concluded.

Originally published at The Washington Stand - reposted with permission.