The Virginia Informer
The Virginia Informer
Group connects Gays and Lesbians to Pro-Life Movement
By Stephen Braunlich, Staff Writer
Students for Life, a pro-life student organization, has hit the ground running by bringing to campus Jackie Malone of the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL) on September 21. Malone, who is the executive vice president of PLAGAL, spoke to a crowd of over 50 students on the connection between her pro-life and pro-homosexuality beliefs.
Students for Life, a pro-life student organization, has hit the ground running by bringing to campus Jackie Malone of the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL) on September 21. Malone, who is the executive vice president of PLAGAL, spoke to a crowd of over 50 students on the connection between her pro-life and pro-homosexuality beliefs.
While Malone and PLAGAL are concerned with all aspects of the pro-life movement—everything from the physical and psychological effects of abortion on women to the death of an unborn child--they have a special concern regarding the impact of abortion on the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community.
“Right now, scientists…have found factors [that may determine sexual orientation] on several different genes,” said Malone. “Would that be an issue for parents in choosing whether to have an abortion?”
Malone also asserted that it was wrong for the GLBT community to claim abortion is a private issue while simultaneously fighting to make any sexual orientation acceptable in public. As evidence, she pointed to abortion provider and advocate Planned Parenthood’s sale of t-shirts which state, “I had an abortion.”
While PLAGAL and Students for Life are not political organizations, Malone stated that abortions could be reduced by providing more resources to women and decreasing the cost of adoption, which she placed at $25,000. One means to do this, she said, was to open adoptions to homosexual partners.
The existence of common interests between the GLBT community—which is generally regarded as liberal--and the pro-life movement—which is generally regarded as conservative--was previously unknown to many students. Yet, PLAGAL has membership in over eight countries and has spoken at pride events in Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.
PLAGAL’s unique perspective on this issue has made it difficult for them to make friends. According to Malone, she has found some members of the Christian, pro-life community to be hostile to PLAGAL, and that she has also received a hostile reception from many gay-rights activists at pride marches, saying “many gays and lesbians have jumped on the pro-choice bandwagon.”
Although Students for Life hosted Malone as a spokesperson for PLAGAL’s apolitical wing, Malone said the organization does have a separate, political group, the purpose of which is to support candidates who support pro-life and gay-rights candidates. The group, whose budget is relatively small, generally makes contributions of $100 to $200.
According to Students for Life Treasurer Teri Tolpa the event was a success. “One of the goals of Students for Life is to spread the pro-life message to as many different groups of people as possible,” she said. “PLAGAL broadened the pro-life community on campus by bringing the pro-life message to a group of people who are not typically approached by pro-lifers.”
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