Joann Gorham Champion of the Family: Susie Schnell

California Mom Defending Families from Radical Agenda

 By Dennis Durband, UFI's Director of Publications

“There she is! That's who you have to talk to!”

“She” is Susie Schnell, busy housewife, mother of five children ranging in age from preschool to teenager, involved in church and community and the latest in the UFI series of “Joann Gorham Champions of the Family.” The late Joann Gorham envisioned values communities being established throughout the world where everyone worked together to strengthen the family and promote family values.

At her children's school events, grocery stores and other public places, Schnell is consulted as the person who lets parents know what is going on in the public school system and the latest bills that could affect public education. And there has been plenty going on in the schools causing concern for the parents in Cameron Park and other communities in Northern California.

In November 2005, Gary and Susie Schnell learned that their local high schools were planning to host the play, “The Other Side of the Closet.” The play tells the story of five teens dealing with emotional fallout when one of them is seen emerging from a homosexual bar. The El Dorado County Health Department used public tax dollars to sponsor the play, which turned into a recruiting effort for membership in the school's tiny Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) and an unapologetic assault on parents.

“My eyes were opened when I Googled “The Other Side of the Closet” and the GSA to find out what the school was hosting and offering as extra credit,” Schnell said. “Prior to this, I thought the school was looking out for the best interests of our children's education. I did not know there was a movement to indoctrinate them into changing their personal beliefs and question their upbringing. When I found how the school was pushing the play, I called and emailed every parent I knew who would be concerned. Those people in turn called and emailed everyone they knew and soon more than a hundred people contacted the principal and the superintendent to express their concerns.”

The community was up in arms when people found out about the play. Schnell said the play amounted to an “R-rated production.” The organization Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays handed out brochures to the audience. No other opposing group was invited to participate for a balanced portrayal of this extremely controversial issue. The play was touted as a tolerance issue for all minorities, but no other minority group was discussed. The school enticed students to attend in exchange for receiving extra credit.

Parents who went to the play reported the play contained violent, profane and derogatory language, obscene gestures, comments about seeing one of the boy's mother naked and fantasizing about her, talk of high school students attending homosexual and straight bars as part of normal teenage life, underage drinking, violent verbal and physical attacks on homosexuals portrayed as normal in everyday life at school and in the community, soliciting prostitutes and encouraging deviant sex.

In the Q&A forum after the play, politely dissenting parents were mocked, ridiculed, laughed at and drowned out by loud music, booed and hissed. Schnell left “stunned and speechless. It was horrifying to see how many students they swayed. It was a mob mentality. People were so upset that they wanted to take their kids out of the school.”

Parents responded to the play by forming the organization Families for Responsible Education. By being proactive and positive, they aim to make a change in the schools. They met with the superintendent and principal, who have been cooperative. The principal said she had been bombarded by calls and emails from concerned parents. Parents confirmed with school administration that the school district knew of no incidents of harassment based on sexual orientation.

“As busy parents,” Schnell said, “many times we're unaware of things that happen in the schools and the legal system which affect our children and families. We think everything is fine unless someone brings it to our attention that it's not. Unfortunately, many times it's too late to make changes because laws have been enacted. I want to help our community become aware of how public schools will be affected if current California bills like AB 606 and AB 1056 pass into laws. I'd like the schools to give our children the best education possible without forcing ideologies upon them that are contrary to their personal and religious beliefs and then trying to silence them when they stand up for their beliefs. Because a person does not condone homosexual behavior does not mean he is a homophobe, ignorant or violent and should not be portrayed as such. Furthermore, we should not spend money out of our already struggling school budgets or our county health programs to fund such things when we need to focus on responsible education.”

Schnell and other parents are concerned that pending state legislation may institutionalize the radical agenda pushed in the play. She contacted Meredith Richey, president of United Families California, for information on two dangerous bills (AB 606 and AB 1056), and then informed parents on the legislation. Furthermore, Californians will vote this June on a proposition aiming to legalize tax payer funded public pre-school education.

“In light of the push for homosexual education in all public schools, it is very frightening that liberals will be able to indoctrinate our 4-year-olds at such a vulnerable time in their lives instead of those children learning traditional values at home with their loved ones,” Schnell said. “It's bad enough that the middle and high schools are being affected, but now they want to infiltrate our elementary grades even down to pre-school.”

Schnell's grandparents fled from Russia during the time of revolution and indoctrination there in the 20th century: “My mother sees a strong correlation between the current tide of liberal thinking in the United States and what her parents ran away from under Stalin's rule: forced indoctrination of young minds to take them away from their parent's religion, values and beliefs. I will do my best to stand up for our rights, beliefs and traditional family values. The family is the fundamental unit of society and needs to be preserved.”

Photo credit: Sharon Benton/Benton's Photography

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