Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Endorses "Unacceptable" Abstinence-Only Program

Imagine an education program that has been denounced for spreading misinformation about HIV/AIDS, and one that has ties to leaders pushing the death penalty or life imprisonment for LGBT people in Uganda. That program would be condemned and not held up as a shining example of how to teach our kids about human sexuality, right?

Wrong. Look no further than Project SOS in Jacksonville, Florida, a controversial abstinence-only program that has been active throughout the Sunshine State. What's the reason that Project SOS is so controversial? Well, for starters, research by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) shows that when it comes to the subject of HIV/AIDS, Project SOS has been spreading false and misleading information to children. To make matters worse, a study by the American School Health Association found that the curriculum that Project SOS uses -- which is taught inside a number of private and public schools in the state of Florida -- is so shoddy, it's been labeled "unacceptable" by the group for use in classrooms.

As if that all weren't bad enough, the Florida Independent noted a few weeks ago that the founder of Project SOS, Pam Mullarkey (who is still a current board member of the group), has direct ties to Pastor Martin Ssempa, the infamous Ugandan religious leader who has lobbied hard for legislation that would sentence LGBT Ugandans to either life imprisonment, or allow for LGBT people to be executed by the state. Mullarkey's own words when talking about Pastor Ssempa were shocking; she called him a "change agent," whose "passion, charisma and character make his vital message irresistible."

Yet despite the controversial and heavy baggage surrounding Project SOS, the Sheriff of Jacksonville, Florida, John Rutherford, has given the organization a full-throated endorsement on behalf of the Sheriff's Office. Apparently in Jacksonville, the Sheriff's Office is just fine lending credence to groups that spread false information about HIV/AIDS, and have ties to some of the most vocal anti-gay activists in the world.

Project SOS touts Sheriff Rutherford's endorsement on their website.

"The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is greatly appreciative of Project SOS in strengthening our youth and educating our parents. We applaud their statistics and success as well as their dedicated service to our community. Project SOS helps raise young boys and girls to become non-violent young men and women," Sheriff Rutherford is quoted as saying.

But if Project SOS's curriculum is so defective that it's been labeled "unacceptable" for school children, is that really something worth praising?

Ironically, also listed on the Project SOS website as an endorser is Clay Yarborough, a Jacksonville City Councilman. If his name rings familiar, it might be because Councilman Yarborough made national news a while back when he suggested that if the United States endorsed policies tolerant of LGBT people, the country would collapse like the Roman Empire. Then Yarborough added that he didn't want LGBT people holding public office.

Perhaps what's most shocking is that Project SOS has been given a boatload of money by U.S. taxpayers and Florida taxpayers to teach their "unacceptable" curriculum. According to reports, Project SOS has received more than $6.5 million in U.S. taxpayer money since 2002, and at least $1.5 million from Florida's Department of Health. And what have they done with that money? Built an abstinence-only curriculum that has been branded as dangerous, and fostered connections with anti-gay religious leaders who want to murder LGBT people. Talk about a scary use of taxpayer money.

Sheriff John Rutherford shouldn't be lending his voice, or the reputation of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, to legitimize the work of Project SOS. Students need accurate and factual information about human sexuality, so that they can be fully-informed and make responsible decisions as they grow into adults. What they don't need is lies and misinformation about HIV/AIDS. Send Sheriff Rutherford a message now by adding your name to this petition.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons