(CNSNews.com) - A group that has received more than $16 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over the past 15 years maintains Web sites that advise young people on how to decide if they are gay, how to come out to their parents and getting active in causes ranging from abortion to "comprehensive" sex education.
 
The group says none of the federal grants it receives are used to support its Web sites.
 
Advocates for Youth is a non-profit group that describes itself as an “organization dedicated to creating programs that help young people ages 13 to 24 years old to make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health.”
  
Its main Web site contains many pages of advice and information about sexuality. The Web site also includes  “tool kits” and “lesson plans” for “youth, parents, professionals and press and policymakers,” including a “heterosexual questionnaire” to give “straight people an opportunity to experience the types of questions that are often asked of gay, lesbian, and/or bisexual people.”
 
“Is it possible that your heterosexuality is just a phase you may grow out of?” one question asks. “If you have never slept with a member of your own sex, is it possible that you might be gay if you tried it?” another asks.
 
Advocates for Youth hosts several other Web sites for what it calls ongoing “projects,” including www.amplifyyourvoice.org for teens, www.youthresource.com, for “gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth,” and www.mysistahs.org for “young women of color.”
 
The www.amplifyyourvoice.org site describes itself as “an online community dedicated to sexual health, reproductive justice, and youth-led grassroots movement building.”
 
“Amplify isn’t about making the world suddenly perfect--it’s about change, about standing up for what we believe in,” the Web site says. “It’s also a place to celebrate the incredible work we’re doing across the United States and around the world. And when it comes to sexual health, reproductive justice, and making sure that the rights of young people--all young people, everywhere--are respected by those in power.”
 
Under “abortion,” the Web site says: “The Roe decision legalized abortion nationwide over 35 years ago. But state to state, far right conservative politicians and activists have continued to chip away at the right to choose, especially where young women are concerned. You may never experience an unwanted pregnancy. But no young woman, anywhere, should be forced to seek out an illegal, dangerous procedure or carry a pregnancy she didn’t want to term. We can fight back against conservative attacks on the right to choose.”
 
Under “condoms” it says: “Social conservatives continue to wage war on condoms, limiting their availability and compromising public confidence in their effectiveness. They have censored information on condoms on government Web sites. They have severely restricted funds for condom information and access in developing countries. And they have spent $1.5 billion on failed abstinence-only programs which discuss condoms only in terms of failure rates. But it’s not just politics – as a culture we sometimes stigmatize condoms. … And some youth don’t carry condoms because they think it shows they intend to have sex or are promiscuous.”  
 
On the subject of “contraceptive access” the Web site says: “Far right activists believe their ‘morals’ should control everyone’s reproductive and sexual health choices. We must keep fighting for all women to have access to contraception, and we must not let social conservatives control our national dialogue about this basic health need.”
 
The Web site says that abstinence-only programs “often encourage stereotypical gender roles, use scare tactics, blur religion and science, and contain factual errors, like saying that HIV can be spread through sweat and tears.”  It asks: “Why do so many conservative politicians feel that without our consent or input, young people should be subjected to moral judgments, inaccurate information, and censorship?”
 
On youthresource.com, Advocates for Youth’s “Web site by and for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (GLBTQ) young people,” the group provides advice on how “Coming Out to Your Parents”:

"Do you have other sources of emotional and financial support?

"If your parents’ reaction is overwhelmingly negative, are there people you can turn to for emotional support? If you were forced to leave home, do you have a safe place to stay and a source of financial support? If not, and you believe that your parents will react very negatively, it may be safer to wait until you are financially independent and until you have built a network of supportive people who can help you feel good about yourself. ...

"Do you feel prepared to deal with your parents’ questions and concerns?

"Your parents may have many questions or fears about what being GLBTQ means for you. Most of their information will likely be based on what they have learned from a homophobic society. They may be worried that being GLBTQ will put you in danger or make you unable to lead a happy life. If you’ve done your homework—including reading books about being GLBTQ and talking to supportive counselors or other GLBTQ youth—you’ll be able to reassure them and tell them where they can get more information and support."

The Web site features a downloadable brochure entitled: “I Think I Might Be Gay, Now What Do I Do? A Brochure by and For Young Men” The brochure reassures male teens that homosexuality is “normal,” refers them to the “Young Adult” section of public libraries to learn more about homosexuality, and suggests they can call “a gay hotline” from a “phone booth” to get more information.

A section of the brochure starts with quotes from self-professed homosexual teens, identified by first name and city:

 "Am I Normal?
 
"I felt a relief, a ... lessening of the sensation of total isolation and loneliness ... and definitely a feeling of release to finally be able to talk freely about homosexuality.
Marie, Minnesota, age 18
 
"I was thrilled the first time I saw someone wearing a pride pin and was able to get some information from her. The first time that I went to a gay group, it was, quite simply, a relief.
Matt, Quebec, age 16
 
“Yes, you are absolutely normal. Many people are gay. Do you want to learn more? Start by reading. If you feel comfortable doing so, ask the librarian in the Young Adult section of your public library. Librarians are usually glad to help. Moreover, librarians operate under a strict code of ethics and are legally obliged to guard the privacy of all patrons, including minors. ...

"Advocates for Youth has web sites by and for young gay people, www.youthresource.com and www.ambientejoven.org. You may wish to visit these web sites. More than 15,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth visit them each month; most of them visit repeatedly. Most major cities also have a gay hotline, and you might want to call it. If you are concerned about your privacy, call from a phone booth.”
 
The same brochure offers this advice: “Avoid unprotected anal intercourse or other direct, unprotected anal contact. Anal intercourse transmits HIV very efficiently. If you engage in anal intercourse, use a condom every time.”

The group’s youthresource.com Web site, includes a “Faith and Spirituality” section that provides links to pro-homosexual “religious” Web sites. The section features an essay by a young woman, which says in part, “But we live in a country where religious groups have dominated the discussion about what it means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). Now that I am working in communities of faith that are open to my sexual orientation, I feel that it is my duty to spread awareness that accepting communities exist.”

The Mysistah Web site says that abstinence is the only 100 percent guaranteed way to avoid pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, but follows the statement by listing the disadvantages of not having sex:

"-- If you’re counting on abstinence, and change your mind in the heat of the moment, you might not have birth control handy. Some people would like to be prepared and have a condom and spermicide available in case they change their mind. Others feel that having a contraceptive ready and available might tempt them.
"-- Some people find not having sex too frustrating."

A spokesperson for Advocates for Youth told CNSNews.com that the federal funding the organization receives is not used for any of its Web sites, but she did not respond to repeated e-mails and phone requests over a period of more than one week seeking more specific information about what the federal funds the group receives are used for.
 
From fiscal 1995 through fiscal 2009, Advocates for Youth has received 11 grants totaling $16,457,530 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The grants have come through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and the Office of Minority Health.
 
See list of grants here.
 
According to the CDC, Advocates for Youth assists organizations through its Healthy Youth! Project “that serve African American and Latina females” to prevent HIV infections. Advocates for Youth is also part of the CDC’s “Promoting Science-Based Approaches to Prevent Teen Pregnancy” (PSBA).
 
For both programs, according to the CDC Web site, the group provides information, training, and marketing expertise to school, health clinics and other community-based organizations.

HHS’s Office of Minority Health told CNSNews.com that Advocates for Youth also received grant money over a three year period to work on “Empowering Young African/Black Women to Prevent HIV Infection” projects at historically black colleges and universities.
 
A grant abstract for this program provided to CNSNews.com said that Advocates for Youth worked with on-campus health clinics, developed a Young Women of Color council, and conducted media campaigns at Alabama A&M University, Benedict College and South Carolina State.
 
Several requests over more than a week by CNSNews.com to interview or get a statement from James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, went unanswered.