Steve Schwalm, '87
Policy Analyist
Alumni Profile -- (Winter 1998-1999 Newsletter)
It's Good Morning America, and ABC's Lisa McCree is in the
home of two male homosexuals who have just adopted a beautiful
baby boy. It's Christmas, they're chatting amiably about the
joys of parenthood, and the baby is gurgling in the background.
Lovely setting. Millions of Americans are watching. Now the
network needs to switch to someone who objects to homosexual
adoptions.
Enter, from remote studio live, Steve Schwalm ('87), Senior
Policy Analyst for Cultural Studies at the Family Research
Council. It's an ugly job, but someone's got to do it.
Thanks to Schwalm, thankless jobs are getting done. "We're
one of the few organizations in America that is willing to
take on the gay lobby," he said. "It's a leper issue.
No one wants to touch it."
Over the past two years at Family Research Council (FRC),
Schwalm has been immersed in 'leper issues.' As senior writer/analyst
for the FRC, Schwalm focuses on federal policies relating
to the family and other social institutions. Naturally, this
gets him involved in such heated issues as homosexual activism,
domestic partner benefits, AIDS, corporate sponsorship, media
bias against family issues and non-discrimination employment
policies.
Schwalm writes op-eds for the nation's newspapers, conducts
media interviews, lobbies members and staff on Capitol Hill
on legislation, Presidential nominations and public policy
strategy, prepares policy papers and other material for FRC's
publications and otherwise serves as a clearinghouse of information
to the world at large on the aforesaid issues. His work has
appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street
Journal, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Time
and Newsweek, among others. Plus, he has been interviewed
by the major networks, including CNN and National Public Radio.
Last year, for example, he debated Jocylyn Elders, President
Clinton's former Surgeon General, on the Fox network's Hannity
& Colmes news show. The subject: Condom distribution in
public schools. "The topic was particularly hot,"
Schwalm said, "because it occurred in the wake of [actress]
Sharon Stone's recent comment that parents should keep a box
of condoms in the house where their children could sneak them."
Media bias, hate mail, rigged interviews, and stacked debate
panels is what Schwalm is usually up against. Yet he takes
inspiration in his work. "We are on the cutting edge
of a spiritual battle that will determine the shape of our
culture. All of us here need prayer."
Indeed, even promoting a positive position draws intense
opposition. "Some of the greatest hostility we faced
was when we promoted our 'Truth and Love Campaign,' which
contained a beautiful, positive message." The nation-wide
campaign on which he advised, and which ran under full-page
ads in major newspapers, sought to offer help to homosexuals
who wanted to change their behavior. "The message of
Christ definitely comes to divide," he says.
Yet Schwalm's work is not negative. "What we're fighting
for is God's beautiful plan for the family, in which men and
women are literally 'made for each other,' " he says.
"It's through marriage that men and women participate
in God's plan of creation, providence, and sanctification.
We offer something positive - a message of hope, not hatred."
Schwalm came to Washington, D.C., following his graduation
from the College because he was interested in public policy
on the social issues. "Having the sound liberal education
from TAC makes you see that these issues are the most important
issues and that influencing public policy is one of the most
direct ways to affect those issues."
Schwalm has settled in at the FRC after running the gamut
of jobs in Washington. He was a staff member of the Senate
Republican Policy Committee, an analyst at the Heritage Foundation,
a news editor/writer for the weekly Human Events and Oliver
North's monthly Frontlines and most recently a producer of
Armstrong Williams' television show, The Right Side, on the
NET.
Schwalm is married and lives in suburban Washington, D.C.
Pray for him.
|
