The FAMiLY LEADER’s Bob Vander Plaats is again speaking out against the 7th Annual Iowa Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth, which Gov. Terry Branstad (R) isn’t even attending. The fact that his title in part of the conference’s name is enough for Vander Plaats to be so outraged he needed to pen another anti-gay editorial in the Des Moines Register about it. Having already accused the conference of “recruiting” questioning youth, he now suggests the governor is handing out “sex devices” (condoms) and discriminating against straight youth:

The governor’s only response, thus far, to our respectful requests to reconsider the use of his name, title and support of this conference, is a laugh. To clarify his laughter, his chief of staff uses words to belittle those holding the governor accountable. The governor and his staff attempt to validate the governor’s full support of this conference by stating the conference is about anti-bullying, not about advancing homosexual behavior.

Really? If this is sincerely the case, then this conference itself discriminates and excludes the majority of the students who are frequently bullied within our schools. Statistics show the vast majority (around 90 percent) of bullying incidents are because of race, physical attributes and other categories, not because of sexual identification.

Without a citation, it’s unclear what “statistics” Vander Plaats is referencing, but even if his claim holds up, it’s completely irrelevant to the discussion. He is simply playing a numbers game to disguise the legitimate concern of anti-LGBT bullying. According to GLSEN’s 2009 national climate survey, 9 out of 10 LGBT students experience harassment in school, so whether or not other forms of bullying are taking place does not change the real concern for LGBT youth. This conference specifically targets those young people and the challenges they face, but Vander Plaats would prefer the conversation treat them like they don’t even exist.

The Utah legislature passed a bill (HB 363) yesterday that makes teaching sex education optional for schools and prohibits any instruction about homosexuality or the use of contraception. Parents will now have to opt their children in to such classes as opposed to having the option to opt-out, and the classes can only teach abstinence.

During Tuesday’s short debate in the Senate, Sen. Ross Romero (D) pointed out that the bill will likely deprive many young people of sex education if they don’t have parents who provide it at home. He offered an amendment that would have allowed teachers to still answer questions about homosexuality, contraceptives, or sex outside of marriage so that gay teens are not deprived of vital information about their identities, but the amendment was defeated. Sen. John Valentine (R) summed up Republican lawmakers’ attitudes on the matter:

VALENTINE: I recognize that some parents do not take the opportunity to teach in their own homes, but we as a society should not be teaching or advocating homosexuality or sex outside marriage or different forms of contraceptives for premarital sex.

The effects of this legislation could be disastrous for Utah’s young people. Numerous studies have shown that abstinence-only education is completely ineffective. The success of such programs has been evaluated by how many participants take a virginity pledge, but studies show that students who take the pledge are still just as likely to have sex. Worse yet, those who take the pledge are less likely to use condoms and birth control. Essentially, teaching abstinence-only sex education increases the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections.

Additionally, the restrictions on discussing homosexuality will proliferate anti-gay stigma. Minnesota’s Anoka-Hennepin School District stands as a shining example of how misguided a strategy it is to marginalize LGBT students and treat them as invisible. As they struggle to make sense of their identity and the way others may mistreat them, these students will now find no support from their teachers and administrators. It’s telling that lawmakers like Valentine think such outcomes are good for society.

During a conference call this afternoon, the Obama campaign dodged questions about whether President Obama would support including marriage equality in the 2012 Democratic platform and insisted that the Democrats have a better record on LGBT equality than the GOP, pointing to Republican calls for reinstating the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy and their support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Responding to reports that Democratic Convention Chair and LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has endorsed Freedom To Marry’s campaign to incorporate same-sex marriage in the document, campaign manager Jim Messina reiterated the president’s accomplishments to advance the equal rights of LGBT Americans, adding that “there’s a process” for writing the platform that will play out:

MESSINA: Look, we’re the big tent party here. POTUS has a great record on fighting for fundamental fairness for all Americans. You know, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and many other accomplishments we are very very proud of. You know, there’s a process — there’s no even a delegate platform committee yet — there’s a process to go through this discussion, and the DNC will go through that, and we will have a platform.

But our record stands in sharp contrast to the other side. And what the other side has said is they want a constitutional amendment on anti-marriage, they want to put back into place Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and a bunch of other regressive policies. And so that couldn’t be any more contrasted with our record. So there will be a process for that and we will go through that process.

Obama has so far said that he is “evolving” on the issue. At least 22 senators and seven co-chairs of President Obama’s re-election bid have indicated their support for including the measure in the platform.

Democratic Convention Chair and LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is the latest in a growing list of Democrats to endorse marriage equality in the 2012 Democratic platform. During a Politico Playbook forum this morning, Villaraigosa — a long-time supporter of same-sex marriage– argued that extending marriage equality to gays and lesbians is “basic to who we are” and intergal to “family values.” “We all ought to be able to have a family, to marry if you want to and I don’t think the government should be in that business of denying people the fundamental right to marry,” he explained:

MIKE ALLEN: Do you think that the Democratic national platform should have a marriage equality plank?

VILLARAIGOSA: I do…We want to make this the most accessible convention possible. This just isn’t going to be open to a small group of people. On two of the four days there will be an opportunity for a much larger representation of people from all over the country to participate in our convention. The delegates will make the decision on the platform, but I do support it and certainly have for a long time.

Watch it:

At least 22 senators and seven co-chairs of President Obama’s re-election bid have indicated their support for including marriage equality in the platform, as part of Freedom To Marry’s Democrats: Say I Do campaign. Interestingly, Villaraigosa was far more circumspect about the effort last month, telling reporters on a conference call that while he backs marriage equality, that “it’s not for me to dictate” whether that position is part of the party’s official platform. (HT: Michael Lavers)

Earlier today, the UN Human Rights Council held the first hearing “to discuss discrimination and violence against LGBT people.” UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon issued a special message to the council, decrying violence against the LGBT community as a “monumental tragedy” that is a “stain on our collective conscience” and a “violation of international law”:

BAN-KI MOON: To those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, let me say — you are not along. Your struggle for an end to violence and discrimination is a shared struggle. Any attack on you, is an attack on the universal values the United Nations and I have sworn to uphold. Today, I stand with you and I call upon all countries and people to stand with you too. A historic shift is under way — more states see the gravity of the problem….We must tackle the violence, decriminalize consensual same-sex relationships, end discrimination and educate the public.

Watch it:

The historic hearing follows last year’s report from the council, which found grave abuses and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and the Obama administration’s commitment to advancing LGBT equality around the world.

In his statement, Ban-Ki Moon also reiterated his opposition to forcing nations to change their policies towards LGBT people by witholding aide.