If I disagree with you in a public forum on a highly controversial issue, am I bullying you?  If I quote Scripture to back up my position in this public debate on this controversial issue, am I bullying you?  If I make strong statements about my position but don’t threaten you in any way, am I bullying you?  If you feel bad after our debate, does that mean I have bullied you?

I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that most people hearing this commentary would answer “no” to all those questions. Holding differing opinions and expressing those opinions strongly in public places, without threats or intimidating actions does not constitute bullying. Or at least it didn’t used to be viewed as bullying.

You need to know that bullying is being redefined. We at Wisconsin Family Council have been talking about this and warning people for years it was happening.  When our legislature several sessions ago wanted to take up a so-called “bullying bill,” we did everything we could to stop it—and we were successful until last session when moderate Republicans re-introduced it and rolled it into an education “omnibus” bill, which allowed the bullying portion to be passed as a part of a much larger bill. 

We aren’t soft on bullying. Nobody likes a bully.  But bullies aren’t just people who disagree with us.  They are people or even organizations that threaten and intimidate—and sometimes physically hurt—people.  Like everyone else, we don’t believe bullies should rule the neighborhood or the school playground or any other venue. 

But the bullying bill passed in 2010 wasn’t about such bullying. It was, quite honestly, about protecting a special class of students—those who identify as homosexuals and those who identify as a gender different from what their chromosomes say they are.  The bill was similar to bills introduced across the country—all promoted by the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network or GLSEN—with one main goal:  shut down any and all opposition to homosexuality. 

GLSEN’s plan has worked pretty well.  Just call vocal opposition, bullying—whether it is or not.  In Wisconsin we supposedly have a protection for religious beliefs, meaning that disagreeing with homosexuality because your religious beliefs teach that it is wrong—that is, because the Bible says it is a sin—will not get you in trouble for bullying.  Really?  Well, tell that to the student from Shawano who recently wrote an opinion piece in the school newspaper, holding the position that homosexual couples shouldn’t be allowed to adopt children. 

Mind you, this was a “pro-con” set up, with one article supporting gay adoption and another opposing it.  Apparently two men living together with four children saw the article and complained that the article was offensive. In fact, he said it was “hateful” and that it could hurt their children, and could lead to others bullying them.  He was apparently especially incensed that the writer used the Bible as the authority and even used the word “abomination” in the article. 

Now, I am not saying that the student-writer made all the right choices in what was included in this piece opposing homosexual adoption. But, nothing in the article from anything I can read is bullying.  It might be offensive to some but it is not bullying. Nevertheless, school district officials called it, a “form of bullying and disrespect.” 

The school district has apologized and said they will take steps to ensure such articles don’t get printed in the future.  For the record, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, out of 17,019 households in Shawano County, 82 were same-sex households, and nearly half reported children in the home.  That’s less than one-half of one percent of the households. And only 1 of those 82 households complained and they got what they wanted—a complete apology and shutdown of any public opinions that disagree with homosexuality.

So, what happens to the Free Speech rights of the student who wrote the article?  Obviously, homosexuality trumps religious freedom and free speech.  There is a bully in this story, but it surely isn’t the student who wrote the article. I’m outraged; I hope you are too.  More importantly, we had better be engaged—engaged to do battle with the real bully, who obviously will be eventually coming after all of us who believe God’s Word.

This is Julaine Appling for Wisconsin Family Council reminding you the prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”