Author Archives: Marsha West

About Marsha West

Marsha West is the owner and managing editor of Christian Research Network, Apprising Ministries (the late Ken Silva’s blog) and On Solid Rock Resources. She is also co-founder of Berean Research. For two decades Marsha was the owner and managing editor of Email Brigade website as well as the EMB News Report, a bi-weekly email report for conservative people of faith. For many years Marsha was a regular contributor to several blogs including CRN, RenewAmerica, News With Views and Web Commantary as well as popular websites she no longer endorses: American Family Association, Worldview Weekend, Stand Up For The Truth, The Christian Post and Christian Headlines. Although Marsha still blogs, her primary focus is CRN. Marsha also writes Research Papers (White Papers) on various topics that are published on CRN, Berean Research and On Solid Rock Resources. Visit Marsha’s other sites: On Solid Rock Resources https://www.onsolidrockresources.com/ Apprising Ministries http://apprising.org Marsha’s RenewAmerica Column http://renewamerica.com/columns/mwest Marsha’s Facebook Page http://facebook.com/marsha.west.77

From a Course on Miley Cyrus to ‘Identity-Based Housing,’ Examples of Lunacy on College Campuses

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The Daily Signal has a piece by economist Walter Williams informing us that our hard earned tax dollars have been paying for some ludicrous courses as you can see from the headline.  Williams writes:

Georgetown University offers “Philosophy and Star Trek”

As the fall semester begins, parents, students, taxpayers, and donors should be made aware of official college practices that should disgust us all.

Hampshire College will offer some of its students what the school euphemistically calls “identity-based housing.” That’s segregated housing for students who—because of their race, culture, gender, or sexual orientation—have “historically experienced oppression.”

I’d bet the rent money that Hampshire College will not offer Jewish, Irish, Polish, Chinese, or Catholic students segregated housing. Because there is no group of people who have not faced oppression, Hampshire College is guilty of religious and ethnic discrimination in its housing segregation policy.

University of Connecticut administrators think more black men will graduate if they spend more time together. According to Campus Reform, they are building a new residence hall to facilitate just that.

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Southern Baptist Convention Allowing Women in the Pulpits?

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According to Jeff Maples of Pulpit & Pen, Steven Furtick’s wife, Holly, has taken to the Elevation Church stage to “twist Scripture, and lead people to a rightful misunderstanding of God’s Word.”  Maples writes:

Twist KnotFor God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. – 1 Corinthians 14:33-35

I’m not sure what’s so difficult to understand about this passage. I didn’t write it. The Apostle Paul wrote it. Historically, Southern Baptists believe that all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16)–that is, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So if you have a problem with it, take it up with your Creator.

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University of New Mexico Chancellor Admits Brains of Aborted Babies Dissected During “Summer Workshop”

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Christian News Network reports:

Baby in the wombA chancellor at the University of New Mexico was recently recorded acknowledging that a staff member acquired the brains of aborted babies to use for dissection at a high school summer camp.

New Mexico Alliance for Life recently uploaded a short video in which Dr. Paul Roth, the chancellor of the University of New Mexico (UNM) Health Sciences Center and dean of the School of Medicine, is asked about the matter.

“Can I please ask you to say what you said before regarding the workshop with human fetal remains with high school students?” Marcie May with New Mexico Alliance for Life asks in the footage.

“Yes, we had a faculty member who obtained some tissue, and during one of these summer workshops dissected, I think, one or two fetal brains,” Roth replies, nodding.

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Asking the Right Questions about Intersex Athletes — Part 2

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We recently posted part 1 of a piece by Professor Denny Burk where he tackled the intersex condition called 5-ARD that affects male sexual development.  At the Olympic games an athlete with the testosterone level of a man competed as a woman and won the gold medal in the 800m. In part 2 Burk explains how Christians can deal with sexual development issues biblically and with compassion.  He writes:

XY chromosomesYesterday, we looked at a controversy about an Olympic athlete who is reported to suffer from an intersex condition. Today, we acknowledge that from a Christian perspective, there are larger issues for us to consider than the male and female divisions of Olympic competition. Cases like this one raise questions about the givenness of the male-female binary. Christians have always affirmed the teaching of Genesis 1:27, which says

“And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Jesus himself reaffirmed the givenness of this binary in his remarks on divorce in Matthew 19:4. This distinction between male and female underlies the very fabric of biblical anthropology. It is no small point to the Christian faith.

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Are We Living in the Last Days?

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Listen to how Dr. R.C. Sproul answers this question:

Jesus ReturnWe have to be careful not to be guilty of what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for—what I call the Red Sky Syndrome. If you recall, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they had an ability to predict the weather. They could look at the sky, and if it was red at night, they would say, “Sailor’s delight.” And if it was red in the morning, they would say, “Sailors take warning.” But they missed the signs of the times, and they missed the first advent of Christ. They missed the coming of the Messiah right in their midst in spite of the fact that a host of biblical prophecies heralded the appearance of Jesus on the scene—and Jesus rebuked them for it.

When somebody asks me, “Are we in the last days?” I suspect what they mean by that is, “Are we near the last chapter of history prior to the coming of Jesus Christ?” I can’t say yes or no. So I will say, “Yes, and I don’t know.” The sense in which I say yes is this: We have been in the last days since the first advent of Christ. And so the Scriptures tell us that we are to be living in the spirit of diligence and of vigilance from the time that Jesus departed this planet in clouds of glory until he returns. But when people ask me, “Are we living in the last days?” I suspect what they mean by that is, “Are we living in the last minutes of the last hour of the last day?” Do I think that the return of Jesus is close; is it on the horizon?

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Poll: Americans giving up on God, miracles

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According to the Washington Examiner:

No GodHalf of Americans who have left their church no longer believe in God, leading a surge of nearly one quarter of the nation who have no affiliation with any religion, according to a new survey.

Pew Research Center said Wednesday that 49 percent of what they term “nones” left their church and religion because they “don’t believe.” Another 20 percent said they don’t like organized religion. Other reasons included “common sense” and a lack of believe in miracles.

The survey is the latest from Pew that demonstrates a growing trend in America: More and more people are junking religion and many are giving up on God.

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Almost Everything the Media Tell You About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Is Wrong

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Transgender As previously reported, the American College of Pediatricians recently released a statement titled “Gender Dysphoria in Children” by Dr. Paul R. McHugh who is said to be the “most important American psychiatrist of the last half-century.”  Dr. McHugh “urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality.”

We learn from Ryan T. Anderson of The Daily Signal that Dr. McHugh teamed up with Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer, an epidemiologist trained in psychiatry, to co-author a report that was published in the journal The New Atlantis.  Their report claims that “a combination of biological, environmental, and experiential factors likely shape how individuals experience and express themselves when it comes to sex and gender.” According to Anderson, the report “challenges the leading narratives that the media has pushed regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.”  Moreover,

the 143-page report discusses over 200 peer-reviewed studies in the biological, psychological, and social sciences, painstakingly documenting what scientific research shows and does not show about sexuality and gender.

The major takeaway, as the editor of the journal explains, is that “some of the most frequently heard claims about sexuality and gender are not supported by scientific evidence.”

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Texas Judge Blocks Obama Admin’s Policy Allowing Male Students in Girls’ Restrooms

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Christian News Network reports:

Transgender bathroom 2A federal judge has placed a preliminary injunction on a controversial directive from the Obama administration that required public school districts to allow male students who identify as female to use the girls’ restroom and vice versa.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor determined that the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice had not followed the proper channels in issuing the nationwide guidance, and suggested that the departments’ interpretation of federal law was incorrect.

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USA Today: Rio Police Lying About Ryan Lochte Gas Station Encounter

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Breitbart reports:

In an extensive investigation featuring an eyewitness interview, observance of multiple surveillance camera videos, and an on-location visit, USA Today has found significant evidence that American Olympic champion Ryan Lochte was robbed at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro, and police lied about him and three other U.S. swimmers vandalizing a bathroom.

In the narrative of events that all parties agree on, Lochte and teammates James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz, and Jack Conger were detained at a gas station last week at gunpoint after an attendant caught them urinating behind the station. The men were en route back to the Olympic Village from a party to which they were invited by Brazilian swimmer Thiago Silva. All four are described as extremely inebriated, and were only allowed to leave the station after handing over cash to the station attendant and two law enforcement officers.

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Asking the Right Questions about Intersex Athletes

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In part 1 of this 2 part series Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, tackles the intersex condition called 5-ARD that affects male sexual development.  If you missed the headlines, an intersex athlete competed against females in the 2016 Olympic games and won a gold medal.  Burk writes:

Olympic medalAs the Olympics wound up last week, there were numerous reports about an Olympic runner whose sex was a point of controversy. It is reported that this athlete has an intersex condition called 5-ARD and has the testosterone level of a man. The athlete competed as a woman and won the gold medal in the 800m by a jaw-dropping margin of victory. The athlete not only looks like a man but also competes like one.

Even though the athlete’s name is in the news, I hesitate to mention it here. The reports I’ve read say that the athlete has never discussed the topic publicly, and it appears that news stories about the athlete’s intersex condition and testosterone levels have been the result of leaks and not the result of the athlete’s willing disclosure. So I will focus here on the issues raised by this controversy and not on this particular athlete.

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“The Darwinian View is False”: Ph.D. Biologist Dismantles Evolution in New Book

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Christian News Network reports:

Evolution 2An accomplished molecular biologist with more than two decades of research experience has come out with a new book in which he describes crippling weaknesses in the theory of evolution and argues instead that life must have been invented by God.

Dr. Douglas Axe is a credentialed scientist who earned a Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology and held a number of research positions at the University of Cambridge. The author of numerous scientific papers, Axe currently serves as director of Biologic Institute—a non-profit organization committed to researching biology and the origin of life.

Axe says he first became interested in evolution while working on his Ph.D. in California, so at Cambridge he extensively studied DNA and proteins.

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GOP Must Dump Jesus or Risk Irrelevance in “Post-Christian America”

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Breitbart reports what a popular left-wing blog is saying about the 2016 election:

AntichristSalon Magazine has accused the Republican Party of being out of touch with “post-Christian America,” warning the GOP that if it doesn’t renege on its alliance with Christianity, it will soon become irrelevant.

Ted Cruz’s failure to get the GOP nomination, Matthew Sheffield proclaims in Salon, “is a perfect window into trends that will set the pace of American politics for decades to come: Americans are moving away from Christianity, including people most likely to vote Republican.”

To back up his claims, Sheffield cites the 2014 Pew Research study finding that 23 percent of Americans say they’re “unaffiliated” with any religious tradition, up from 20 percent just three years earlier.

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Your Berean Battle Plan: Remember

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Wolf 5In this series Cameron Buettel of Grace to You lays out a detailed biblical battle plan to help the serious Christian emerge victorious in the war for truth.  In part 2 he reminds us that “when it comes to biblical role models for discerning truth from error, the Bereans are the benchmark. The Jews in Berea needed to be able to distinguish the truth of apostolic preaching from the pseudo-spiritual lies competing for their attention. God’s Word was their measuring stick for truth because they carefully examined it on a daily basis (Acts 17:11). ”  He goes on to say:

Not only should we not be surprised when false teachers appear in the church; we ought to have anticipated and prepared for the reality of it. When an absolutely reliable source tells us terrorists are coming, it then behooves us to find out who they are and expose them before they do their damage.

The question readers need to ask themselves is: Are you a modern-day Berean?

Now to part 2 of Buettel’s series:

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Evangelical Lutherans Overwhelmingly Vote to Approve Declaration of Unity With Roman Catholics

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Christian News Network has the story:

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted overwhelmingly last week to approve a declaration of unity with the Roman Catholic Church in an endeavor to “enumerate the many points of agreement between Lutherans and Catholics”—a move that some state is contrary to biblical Christianity.

The “Declaration on the Way” was approved 931-9 during the denominational assembly at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. According to an official press release by the ELCA, members stood and applauded following the vote.

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Check out Research Paper on Roman Catholicism

Obama: “We’ve Designated New Monuments to…Folks Who Stood Up For Equality at Stonewall in New York”

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According to CNSNews:

Stonewall InnPresident Barack Obama said in his weekly address today that he had set aside “more than 265 million acres of public lands and waters” as national parks and monuments, which is “more than any administration in history.”

Among the national monuments he created, Obama said in his weekly address, was “Stonewall.” This monument commemorates riots that took place in 1969.

In his June 24 proclamation the president said this about Stonewall:

“In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, a riot broke out in response to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, at the time one of the City’s best known LGBT bars.  Over the course of the next several days, more demonstrations and riots occurred in the surrounding neighborhood including Christopher Park.  During these days, because of its strategic location across from the bar, Christopher Park served as a gathering place, refuge, and platform for the community to voice its demand for LGBT civil rights.  The Stonewall Uprising is considered by many to be the catalyst that launched the modern LGBT civil rights movement.”

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This temporary tattoo can control your smartphone

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Steven Overly of The Washington Post has the story:

Duoskin tattooScientists at the MIT Media Lab and Microsoft Research have designed metallic body art that can control and communicate with electronic devices, such as smartphones or laptops.

DuoSkin temporary tattoos, which can be made at home and wash off in a day, use the electrodes present in inexpensive gold leaf to create a conductive surface. The gold leaf and a thin layer of silicone adhere to the body to create an “interface” on the skin that when touched can indicate certain commands to your electronic devices.

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NBA moves all-star game to New Orleans over transgender law

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According to Yahoo News the powerful LGBT lobby claims North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which says that boys and girls should be able to use public restrooms, locker rooms and showers without fear of the opposite sex being present, is hostile toward transgender people and praised the NBA for punishing the state.

NBAThe NBA has awarded its 2017 All-Star Game to New Orleans, the Associated Press reported on Friday, a month after removing it from Charlotte, North Carolina, to protest a state law forcing transgender people to use public restrooms matching their gender assigned at birth.

The AP cited a person familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had yet to be announced by the league. NBA representatives were unavailable for comment.

The National Basketball Association had expressed its opposition to state House Bill 2, or HB2, since it was passed in March and tried to work with state officials to change the law before ultimately making a decision to relocate its mid-February exhibition game.

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Drug-Related Deaths Rise to Record High in Scotland

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The Christian Institute reports:

Drug-related deaths reached a record high in Scotland last year, according to new figures.

There were 706 drug-related deaths in 2015, a 15 per cent increase on 2014, when 613 people died.

The official statistics were released in a report by the National Records of Scotland investigating drug-related deaths.

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Obama To End Single-Sex Bathrooms on Federal Property

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According to Breitbart:

Transgender bathroom signPresident Barack Obama’s deputies will insert a rule in federal regulations on Friday to prevent federal facilities from operating single-sex bathrooms.

The rule in the “Federal Register” of regulations will open up thousands of bathrooms in federally operated buildings to employees and visitors who claim on any given day to be “transgender” members of the opposite sex.

BuzzFeed reports it obtained a draft notice of the rule that was sent to federal agencies.

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“Dead Raising Tents” Coming To The SBC or A Denomination Near You?

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Scripture teaches that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (Heb 9:27) Even so, NAR “prophet” Todd Bentley claims that he routinely raises the dead. “I actually have a dead raising tent that I’ve used for ten years in Africa,” declares Bentley. “I also use it for the demon possessed … cause I figure the dead and the demon possessed could be in the same tent.”  Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen has the story as well as the video of the false prophet making this absurd claim.

Raising of LazarusThe story of Lazarus in Scripture (John 11) is a powerful testimony to the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Given “authority over all things in heaven and on earth,” (Matthew 28:18) Christ’s act of resurrecting Lazarus had to be, for those contemporary onlookers, an event invoking staggering awe of His power. Equally, it serves for us as a powerful metaphor that we who, once dead in trespasses and sins, (Ephesians 2:1) have been brought from spiritual death unto spiritual life.

But … if you’re an instrument of demonic deception, the self-proclaimed power to raise the dead is a toxic talent that will drive thousands of Word-void souls to seek solace in the alleged divine touch of your hands, the presumed power of your prayers. Oh, yeah, they’ll no doubt fill your “support our ministry” coffers as well.

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Target to Spend $20 Million Adding Single-Stall Restrooms Over Opposition to Transgender Policy

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Christian News Network reports that Target’s solution is to add single-stall restrooms, not for transgender persons, but for those who are uncomfortable sharing a restroom with someone of the opposite sex.

Target StoreThe national retail chain Target has announced that it plans to spend $20 million in adding single-stall restrooms to stores without the option in an effort to quell opposition to its policy on transgender use of bathrooms and changing rooms.

“Some of our guests clearly are uncomfortable with our policy, and some are really supportive,” Target CFO Cathy Smith told reporters this week in a conference call.

As previously reported, Target outlined its company policy in April surrounding controversy over “bathroom bills” passed in North Carolina and Mississippi.

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Marriage Reduces Child Poverty, but Our Welfare System Penalizes Marriage

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Rachel Sheffield of The Daily Signal has the report:

Marriage 2According to a recently released study from the American Enterprise Institute, 82 percent of lower-middle-class families with young children face “marriage penalties” in the welfare system.

Couples who marry would lose all or some of their welfare benefits because their combined income is often greater than each of their independent incomes.

The study found that couples with young children are less likely to marry if they face a significant marriage penalty. Furthermore, nearly a third of Americans between the ages of 18 and 60 reported that they personally know someone who has chosen not to marry because of the marriage penalty.

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Whatever Happened to the Fear of the Lord?

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Isaiah 6 holy, holy holyHow would you react if you were suddenly face-to-face with God?” inquires Bible expositor John MacArthur in a blog post he penned over at Grace to You. When Isaiah saw a vision of God he fell prostrate before Him and cried, “Woe is me! For I am undone.” Isaiah felt his guilt and shame in the presence of a holy God.  MacArthur reminds us that “We ought to be shaken to our roots when we see ourselves against the backdrop of God’s holiness. If we are not deeply pained about our sin, we do not understand God’s holiness at all.”

Now listen to Dr. MacArthur’s teaching on the Fear of the Lord:

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HRC’s Back-to-School Tips: Add LGBTQ Topics to Math Problems, Check Pronouns

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CNSNews reports:

MathThe Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) “Welcoming Schools Initiative” released back-to-school tips for educators Tuesday that include introducing LGBTQ topics into math word problems and “checking in on each other’s pronouns twice a year” to increase “accountability.”

The tip to integrate LGBTQ topics into everyday lessons includes a suggestion to “make sure that you suggest some LGBTQ people that your class can study such as Harvey Milk or Alan Turing.”

“Creating word problems?” the HRC classroom guide asks. “Rather than asking students to calculate the speed of a car carrying ‘Gabby and her mom and dad,’ ask them to calculate the speed of a car carrying ‘Gabby and her two moms’.”

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DC Public School Official: More Than 15% of Students Identify as LGBQ

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CNSNews reports:

LGBTQ kidsAn official for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) told a U.S. Department of Education bullying summit on Friday that “more than 15 percent” of high school students in DCPS identify as either gay, lesbian, bisexual or “questioning” – i.e. not sure of their sexuality.

DCPS Health and Wellness Director Diana Bruce cited statistics from a 2012 survey which also found that “6.2% of D.C. middle school youth identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual” and “8.9% of D.C. middle school youth identify as questioning or not sure” regarding their sexual identity.

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