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I have been dreading posting this. It may be that this belongs in a different forum or even no forum at all as it enters into politcal and religious topics. But, the NCAA, ACC, and GT have crossed those lines, so it's unavoidable at this point to keep from them. And, I think you all should know about some of the lasting harm that this has caused and will cause to some in the GT community (and in turn to GT). I just need to let you all know what happened.
So ..., As many of you may remember, I had planned a trip for our youth group to go to the GT-Miami game. Several of you generously donated money to help fund this trip. We ended up with 26 youth and 15 adults signed up to go to the game (almost all of whom would be attending their first College Football game ever). I bought 41 tickets for $35 each (group rate). To keep it simple, I bought the tickets myself and had given the donated money to the church to then reimburse me. Those checks remain in the church safe, undeposited.
One week after I bought the tickets, the whole NCAA-ACC-Bud Peterson action against the state of North Carolina happened ... Since the day I read about it, I haven't touched a GT forum, watched a single sporting event, or even worn a GT emblem. I have loved GT football and GT itself since I stepped foot on campus in '99. If I was relaxing or killing time, it was likely to involve GT sports. I am now 2 weeks removed from my once beloved habit. As much as I loved GT football, I love Jesus and my 2 daughters more. I know that statement will sound strange to some (and to others not strange at all). Here's the thing, I don't think it’s bigotry to believe an anatomical male should not be allowed into a female shower or changing facility. That to me seems like a stance from logic, science, respect for privacy and safety, and common sense (obviously, religion doesn't even have to enter into it to have that stance). 1 in 4 girls will undergo some type of sexual abuse, 99% of the time from a man. I can tell you several personal stories of females close to me (and sadly males also), and girls in our youth group who went through things like this. I can't conscionably support any entity who is fighting to make the world a more dangerous place for my daughters. And, I won't turn a blind eye and lead a church youth trip to cheer them on as if nothing is wrong.
I have emailed Dr. Peterson about this issue to try to better understand his side. I wanted to at least try to see if perhaps our views weren't as far off as they might seem. Perhaps there's something else to it that I didn't understand and would agree with if it were explained to me. This has proved fruitless so far as Dr. Peterson has been good enough to respond to my emails, but, to be honest, his answers have been mostly evasive and have not helped to explain his stance.
I called the GT ticket office to explain the situation to them and see if there would be any way to get a refund for our ticket purchase since we bought the tickets before Dr. Peterson and his colleagues took this action. They said they would have to call me back the next day with a decision. I didn't hear from them for a week even though I called them every day. They called back after the Clemson game to say that it was their policy to never give refunds. So, now we're stuck with a $1400+ bill for a church that has $800 in the bank. But, that's OK. I know it will cost to stand for what you believe in.
For those of you who donated so generously ... Thank you again so very much. I am so disappointed in this situation and to have to tell you that we will not be going to this game. We have not deposited any of your checks and will not do so. I know that you gave money to send kids to a GT game and since that isn't going to happen, you should not and will not be responsible for that cost. Unless you tell us otherwise, we will destroy the checks, and you are free to cancel them.
This whole thing has been a punch in the gut. I know it isn't the coaches and players. In fact, I bet if you poll them, they would probably not want men in the women's room either.
There's a lot more I could say. Franklin Graham's letter to Swofford and the ACC presidents says a lot of it: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/art...ound-hypocrisy-in-letter-to-acc-commissioner/
And, this short video eloquently summarizes the view of most in my "camp":
I think the craziness of the whole response of these corporations lies in its irony and hypocrisy. One question I still haven't asked Dr. Peterson that I would like to is: So, do you believe that the answer to what you perceive as discrimination is discrimination? It seems that you can't tell anyone they're wrong, unless of course, it’s to tell someone they’re wrong for telling someone they’re wrong. ... that’s the only objective truth the elites in our society stand for now … There is no truth. It's wrong to discriminate based on differing anatomy/biology (and privacy and safety) but it's fine to discriminate against others who hold a different view than you on a moral/political issue. It's the intolerance of those crying tolerance that is so ridiculous. I guess the entertainment industries and the big corporations are not going to allow states to govern themselves and will coerce them financially and otherwise to bow to their ideology of relativism with human pleasure and entertainment as its god.
Maybe I'm wrong about this whole thing. But, until someone can convince me otherwise, I must do what I believe is right. That said, I'm willing to listen.
If a mod feels the need to move or remove this, I understand.
So ..., As many of you may remember, I had planned a trip for our youth group to go to the GT-Miami game. Several of you generously donated money to help fund this trip. We ended up with 26 youth and 15 adults signed up to go to the game (almost all of whom would be attending their first College Football game ever). I bought 41 tickets for $35 each (group rate). To keep it simple, I bought the tickets myself and had given the donated money to the church to then reimburse me. Those checks remain in the church safe, undeposited.
One week after I bought the tickets, the whole NCAA-ACC-Bud Peterson action against the state of North Carolina happened ... Since the day I read about it, I haven't touched a GT forum, watched a single sporting event, or even worn a GT emblem. I have loved GT football and GT itself since I stepped foot on campus in '99. If I was relaxing or killing time, it was likely to involve GT sports. I am now 2 weeks removed from my once beloved habit. As much as I loved GT football, I love Jesus and my 2 daughters more. I know that statement will sound strange to some (and to others not strange at all). Here's the thing, I don't think it’s bigotry to believe an anatomical male should not be allowed into a female shower or changing facility. That to me seems like a stance from logic, science, respect for privacy and safety, and common sense (obviously, religion doesn't even have to enter into it to have that stance). 1 in 4 girls will undergo some type of sexual abuse, 99% of the time from a man. I can tell you several personal stories of females close to me (and sadly males also), and girls in our youth group who went through things like this. I can't conscionably support any entity who is fighting to make the world a more dangerous place for my daughters. And, I won't turn a blind eye and lead a church youth trip to cheer them on as if nothing is wrong.
I have emailed Dr. Peterson about this issue to try to better understand his side. I wanted to at least try to see if perhaps our views weren't as far off as they might seem. Perhaps there's something else to it that I didn't understand and would agree with if it were explained to me. This has proved fruitless so far as Dr. Peterson has been good enough to respond to my emails, but, to be honest, his answers have been mostly evasive and have not helped to explain his stance.
I called the GT ticket office to explain the situation to them and see if there would be any way to get a refund for our ticket purchase since we bought the tickets before Dr. Peterson and his colleagues took this action. They said they would have to call me back the next day with a decision. I didn't hear from them for a week even though I called them every day. They called back after the Clemson game to say that it was their policy to never give refunds. So, now we're stuck with a $1400+ bill for a church that has $800 in the bank. But, that's OK. I know it will cost to stand for what you believe in.
For those of you who donated so generously ... Thank you again so very much. I am so disappointed in this situation and to have to tell you that we will not be going to this game. We have not deposited any of your checks and will not do so. I know that you gave money to send kids to a GT game and since that isn't going to happen, you should not and will not be responsible for that cost. Unless you tell us otherwise, we will destroy the checks, and you are free to cancel them.
This whole thing has been a punch in the gut. I know it isn't the coaches and players. In fact, I bet if you poll them, they would probably not want men in the women's room either.
There's a lot more I could say. Franklin Graham's letter to Swofford and the ACC presidents says a lot of it: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/art...ound-hypocrisy-in-letter-to-acc-commissioner/
And, this short video eloquently summarizes the view of most in my "camp":
I think the craziness of the whole response of these corporations lies in its irony and hypocrisy. One question I still haven't asked Dr. Peterson that I would like to is: So, do you believe that the answer to what you perceive as discrimination is discrimination? It seems that you can't tell anyone they're wrong, unless of course, it’s to tell someone they’re wrong for telling someone they’re wrong. ... that’s the only objective truth the elites in our society stand for now … There is no truth. It's wrong to discriminate based on differing anatomy/biology (and privacy and safety) but it's fine to discriminate against others who hold a different view than you on a moral/political issue. It's the intolerance of those crying tolerance that is so ridiculous. I guess the entertainment industries and the big corporations are not going to allow states to govern themselves and will coerce them financially and otherwise to bow to their ideology of relativism with human pleasure and entertainment as its god.
Maybe I'm wrong about this whole thing. But, until someone can convince me otherwise, I must do what I believe is right. That said, I'm willing to listen.
If a mod feels the need to move or remove this, I understand.
