As we have noted time and again, once a tale of supposed anti-Christian persecution makes its way into the Religious Right echo chamber, it never, ever dies and simply continues to be repeated as true for years even after it has been debunked.

The most recent example comes courtesy of Janet Porter, who has made the tale of two middle school girls who were allegedly forced to ask one another for a kiss as part of an anti-bullying seminar the focus of her most recent daily commentary:

Middle school girls who were part of a mandatory “anti-bullying” presentation in New York were forced to obey the teacher’s instructions to ask other girls for a lesbian kiss. This indoctrination session was conducted at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, New York, and the Parents were never informed. Remember when they yanked the Ten Commandments off the school walls because they might influence children not to steal, lie and kill? Now, the homosexual activists are welcomed in to the schools to push their agenda on unsuspecting children. If you’re unable to pull your children out of the government schools, you must be more vigilant than ever.

If this tale sounds familiar, that is because it first surfaced nearly a year ago after being promoted by none other than Todd Starnes, only to be quickly debunked by school officials:

[Red Hook Central School District Superintendent Paul] Finch said the student volunteers worked with the school’s principal, Katie Zahedi, and other guidance counselors about the workshop’s format. Zahedi explained on a Facebook forum, according to the Journal, that the role-playing mentioned by Coon was “not to pretend to be gay” but to practice saying “no.” “In planning the discussion, we made it clear that absolutely no discussion of any sexual acts is appropriate to middle school, and they used the examples of a kiss,” [school principal Katie] Zahed Zahedi wrote. “It was a separate activity for boys and girls and ultimately about respect and safety.” Whats more, the Red Hook School District website posted important facts to clarify inaccurate reporting about the workshop: – Contrary to a few media reports, female students were not forced to engage in any “lesbian kissing”.

– Contrary to a few media reports, male students were not told to carry condoms.

– Contrary to a few media reports, sexual activity among young adolescents was not condoned or promoted in any way. The school district also posted an email it sent to Fox News regarding its report of the workshop. Here’s an excerpt from the letter: These sessions were designed by the building leadership in an effort to have eighth graders treat each other with respect and to develop in our young adolescents an appreciation for personal dignity. To suggest that we would condone or promote sexual activity among teenagers is absurd. It is equally absurd to suggest that an activity, designed to have young women feel more confident saying no to unwanted advances from boys, is in some way promoting a lesbian lifestyle. It is my understanding that the role playing activity is part of a program supported by conservatives such as Laura Bush. The definitions given to students, while overly granular in my opinion, were put forth to make sure that students understand that all gender identities and/or sexual orientations are protected in law in New York State as part of an effort to curb harassment, discrimination, and bullying. It is our intent to adjust this document and be less granular in future lessons. In response to concern about the workshop from parents, the school the following week hosted an open meeting to receive feedback. “Having attended the parent information session last week, I can speak with absolute certainty that the parents present at the meeting appreciated the District’s intent and left knowing that the middle school principal will adjust for any implementation weaknesses moving into the future,” Finch wrote in his letter to Starnes.

This entire tale was exposed as totally bogus literally almost a year ago but Religious Right activists like Porter will continue to use it as an example of anti-Christian persecution for years to come simply because the truth of such stories is far less relevant to them than is a story’s usefulness in promoting their agenda.