Contact: Joseph Grabowski,
National Organization for Marriage,
202-457-8060 ext 110

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), International Organization for the Family (IOF) and CitizenGO yesterday announced that they are jointly sponsoring a bus tour aimed at promoting what the groups said is the "truth of gender"—"that it is determined by biology rather than by emotions and feelings"—and to call on all Americans to respect the free speech rights of citizens to debate these issues without fear of being demeaned, harassed, or threatened with retaliation. The organizers also announced they will hold a press conference in Manhattan on Thursday, March 23rd to discuss the bus tour.

"It's biology, not bigotry," said Brian S. Brown, president of both NOM and IOF. "Men and women were created equally, each given a gender that is fixed, immutable and complementary. Rather than perpetuate a lie that gender can be changed based on emotions and feelings, we should encourage people to embrace and love who they were made to be."

The #FreeSpeechBus tour begins tomorrow in New York, where it will make appearances at the United Nations and Trump Tower, and drive through the streets of Manhattan. The bus carries the message, "It's biology. Boys are boys… and always will be. Girls are girls… and always will be. You can't change sex. Respect all."

The bus tour organizers echoed a sentiment repeatedly raised by Pope Francis, that "gender ideology" is "an error of the human mind that leads to so much confusion" and is a key element in why "the family is under attack." The Pope has condemned the teaching of "gender theory" in public schools, especially in developing nations, where he says it amounts to "ideological colonization" by influential western countries such as the United States. "And this is terrible," the Pope said last August. "We are experiencing a moment of the annihilation of man as the image of God."

"Proponents of gender ideology refuse to debate the scientific basis for their gender theory and instead resort to vicious character attacks on anyone who opposes them," said Ignacio Arsuaga, president of CitizenGO, a community of active citizens who promote life, family and liberty. "A recent scientific report from researchers with Johns Hopkins University found that there is no scientific basis for the idea that someone could be 'trapped in the wrong body' and that almost everyone who experiences feelings of gender confusion will outgrow them by the time they complete puberty. Yet LGBT activists have pushed their gender agenda into the schools, teaching children that they can choose their own gender. We agree with Pope Francis, 'this is terrible.'"

NOM, IOF and CitizenGO will hold a joint, bilingual press conference on Thursday, March 23rd at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, E 47th St, New York, NY 10017. Remarks and questions in Spanish will be at 11:30 AM; English at 12:00 Noon. The organizers will announce the final itinerary at this time, but currently there are plans for stops in New Haven, CT on the campus of Yale University, as well as in Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; and Washington, DC.