WASHINGTON - February 23 - Following repeated attempts to receive answers from federal government officials as to why basic health information for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Americans was removed from a Department of Health and Human Services Web site at the demands of an extremist organization, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) praised Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin's swift move to demand an explanation and correction to the situation.

"This shouldn't be about politics or fringe ideology. It should be about the responsibility of the government to provide complete, accurate and accessible health information that serves all Americans effectively, including our GLBT loved ones," said Jody M. Huckaby, PFLAG's executive director. "HHS has removed basic health information on one site at the demands of an extremist group, and has completely omitted all content about GLBT youth on another. This is outrageous and unacceptable. We're proud of Rep. Baldwin's call to action on this matter of basic fairness."

The information currently in question was on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Web site. The agency had posted information regarding GLBT health and issues, featuring PFLAG as one of the primary resources for straight individuals who wanted to learn more about GLBT issues.

In January 2006, the Family Research Council (FRC) issued a letter to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, complaining that the Web site was "loaded with biased, politically-charged language, such as condemnations of so-called 'homophobia,' 'heterosexism,' and 'sexual prejudice'" and requesting a prompt response.

They also asked members to contact the agency and complain that it "uses material from pro-homosexual activist groups such as ... Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) ... "

Eleven days later, the site was removed and a letter sent to FRC indicating that the content -- which had been up for six years -- had been removed because it was not within the mission of HHS, in spite of the fact that it addressed substance abuse among GLBT populations in a user-friendly format.

The Family Research Council immediately sent a message to its supporters indicating that this was a victory, noting that they were still upset that "HHS became involved in promoting the unhealthy homosexual lifestyle in the first place."

PFLAG, who had met with HHS representatives in April of 2005 regarding incorrect health information on another of its Web sites -- http://4parents.gov -- has contacted the agency repeatedly asking for an explanation and received no response. PFLAG joined with the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SEICUS) -- who had also played an integral role in the 4parents.gov investigation -- to collect images and content of the removed pages.

On Feb. 17, PFLAG contacted Rep. Baldwin about the issue and she immediately took action, issuing a letter on Feb. 21 to Michael Leavitt asking for an explanation for the action and calling for the information to be restored on the Web site. The letter is currently being circulated among her colleagues for sign-on support.

"Government agencies are supposed to provide services and accurate information to all people, not just a select few, and not just the ones they deem acceptable," said Huckaby. "The fact that this agency so quickly and willingly gave in to the demands of an extremist group who uses fringe religious bias and junk science to advance their hurtful agenda is outrageous. We deserve answers, and our GLBT families deserve the same resources as everyone else."

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