Comments on: School Board Objects to Pictures of Gay Americans

By: Mombian » Blog Archive » LGBT Parenting Roundup

Mombian » Blog Archive » LGBT Parenting Roundup — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:03:30 +0000

[...] Jonathan Zimmerman, who teaches history and education at New York University, asks, “What’s Wrong with Being Gay?” Specifically, he wants to know why the gay community’s response to the accusation that we want to “promote homosexuality” in schools has been “No we don’t” rather than “So What?” He makes the point in reference to Kevin Jennings, the openly gay assistant deputy secretary of education, who is under fire from the right; I made a similar point last year with regard to the Prop 8 campaign. Queerty dissects Zimmerman’s observation further, saying: The fearmongering campaign from zealots, and the innate reluctance from education moderates that keeps this from happening is the immediate connection between homosexuality and sex. Because that three-letter word is included in every discussion about gays and lesbians, it’s easy to scare parents and community leaders and academia as a whole from seriously engaging young people in an education about people who are not heterosexual. Algebra problems that make use of boyfriends and girlfriends (e.g., splitting the check on a date) don’t inherently involve a discussion about sex, because hetero partners are the norm. So why can’t we encourage educators to, every now and then, throw in two girlfriends in a proof? . . . [...]

By: Edwin

Edwin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:03:18 +0000

Andrew I didn’t use the google so didn’t have to put up with that ad.
I used Bing search. The home page list all teachers and head office staff.
But that doesn’t help. Tried to send an email but it wouldn’t send so will
try a different email account.
I get tired of hearing about the gay or homosexual lifestyle so when they ask
me that I asways ask about their hetro lifestyle. Usually stops them in their tracks.

By: Regan DuCasse

Regan DuCasse — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:16:29 +0000

Far be it for a school to discuss or display that there are highly successful, contributing, responsible and productive gay people!

Far be it for a school to be honest about the accomplishments of gay people and that homosexuality in no way compromises this potential.

Far be it for a school to engage in an honest discussion on the potential of gay young people to aspire to such things and doing so with the support and respect of their straight peers.

Far be it for a school to think such honesty and openness is moral.

When school’s history books didn’t acknowledge the same regarding blacks, Jews or women…they were considered exceptionally egregious in this omission of historical and sociological facts.

How can an educational institution, deny full education and recognition of historical and sociological facts?

Are they teaching children which to accept and which to ignore?

If a school wanted to teach Holocaust denial, would that be acceptable too?

My mind boggles at this.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:07:20 +0000

Did anyone else get the side advertisement from Stand for Marriage Maine when they clicked on the article? I suppose google ads know what they’re doing.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:04:43 +0000

it is still so sad that people do not wat to let others exspress them selfs and live in a would with out hate you must remember that god loves us all no matter what he love homosexuals as well

By: Christopher Waldrop

Christopher Waldrop — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:43:56 +0000

I do not feel the erroneous assumption that all Americans worth talking about are heterosexual is something to be highlighted in school, much like any other blatant lie.

While I agree, I think the argument that will be made (if it hasn’t been already) by those who want to take the display down is that they’re fine with talking about successful Americans but they don’t want the fact that certain successful people are gay, lesbian, or bisexual to be mentioned.

My problem with that argument is that it attempts to push people who are out back into the closet, saying, “It’s fine to talk about them, but let’s not acknowledge the fact that they’re not heterosexual.”

By: Lynn David

Lynn David — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:03:29 +0000

DADT for schools.

By: Richard W. Fitch

Richard W. Fitch — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:35:29 +0000

JT: Do you know of a specific person letters can be addressed to? There was no listing for the club or an advisor on the school website. It is so very easy for a letter ‘to get lost’ when the address is too general. I read articles and comments from both links in the post above. It is amazing how backward some areas of the country still are. The very notion of school personnel that ‘children need to be sheltered’ is laughable and sad at the same time. What do they plan to do – shutdown the Internet and turn off all the TV’s?

By: JT

JT — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:35:35 +0000

I’m a graduate (survivor?) of that school. Can I suggest that we all send letters of support to the Diversity Club? Just Google “Corunna High School, Corunna Michigan” for the address. I’m sure they are feeling kinda alone and picked on right now.

By: Eddie89

Eddie89 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:11:22 +0000

Basically, the school board wanted to put gays way back into the closet.

Don’t talk about “them”, don’t show pictures of “them” and “they” won’t exist!

NO MORE!

Be OUT! Be PROUD!