Ex-Gay Watch reports that Exodus Prez Alan Chambers has shut down sponsorship of its bullying project the Day of Truth, an event meant to counter the Day of Silence sponsored by Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The latter raises awareness about tolerance and the pain inflicted by homophobia on students in schools.

Chambers confirmed to XGW that the activist component of the DOT contributed to a polarizing debate rather than a relational dialogue.  ”As a tool, it seemed to emphasize the divide rather than building a bridge,” he said.  ”We want more than that.”

The first DOT was organized by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) in 2005, and has been held on the day after the DOS each year since.  The ADF is a conservative activist legal organization which claims to have established the DOT “to counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective.”

There have been several legal actions associated with the DOT, with the Tyler Chase Harper incident perhaps the most notorious.  Harper was suspended for wearing a T-shirt that read “Be Ashamed” and “Our School Embraced What God Has Condemned,” and on the back read, “Homosexuality is Shameful” and “Romans 1:27.” The ADF unsuccessfully defended Harper in a lawsuit claiming his religious freedoms were compromised.