Wayne Besen - Author, Activist, Columnist, Public Speaker

Monday, March 20, 2006

There is an effort to find common ground between thinking people and fundamentalists in public school debates on homosexuality. While I applaud this noble effort, there is one problem that can't be so easily resolved: Our side stands for inclusion, and the right wing stands for exclusion. The two goals are not compatible.

In USA Today, an op-ed appeared by Charles C. Haynes, the co-author of Finding Common Ground: A Guide to Religious Liberty in Public Schools. It is worth reading to get a handle on what is going on.

I do think he misses the point that there is not a true culture war. You have one side that wants children to be respected and not bullied or discriminated against. And, on the other side, you have Neo-Puritans who have unilaterally declared war on these innocent, well-meaning people. Portraying both sides as morally equivalent is flat out wrong and does a disservice to the many brave young men and women who have stood up and demanded an education free of intimidation and violence.

12 Comments:

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posted by Anonymous, at 3/20/2006 11:33 AM

In 100 years, there will be no search for "common ground" when it comes to people who would discriminate against gay people. Should black people seek "common ground" with racists? Should the KKK be allowed to make a presentation during Black History Month?

Must Jews be compelled to seek "common ground" with anti-semites? If a high school were to teach a class on the Holocaust, should the school be forced to allow "Holocaust Denialists" to speak? This is a battle between gay people and bigoted religious zealots who use faith as a cover for their lower middle-class bigotry. Homophobia is wrong. Homophobia in the name of God is just disgusting.
posted by Chris L., at 3/20/2006 12:15 PM

1. Freedom of expression

2. freedom from fear

3. Freedom of religion

4. freedom to assemble peacefully

I recall the beautiful Normal Rockwell painting series, "The Four Freedoms".

We as a country are fighting various wars, or have in the past to influence these freedoms elsewhere.
What's the point in young American dying for a cause we do not fully commit to here for ALL our own citizens?

An education is not only a freedom here in American, it's also MANDATORY.
The assurance that 'no child be left behind' must and has to be foremost in our country and cultural consciousness.
Education, full information is necessary to freedom also and the understanding of responsibility as a citizen.
In fundamentalist cultures, the first thing to go, is ALL of the aforementioned freedoms.
Especially for 'undesirable minorities'.
If gay children are ignorant of themselves, their history and opportunities, then they are much easier to isolate, control and violate.
Their very Constitutionall GUARANTEED freedoms and protections are at stake if they cannot attend school peacefully, or assemble peacefully or express themselves without threat to themselves.

Our government is being entreated to make gay young people not only exceptions to the guarantees of those documents, but to engage in the responsibility of citizen too through taxation and other forced contribution.
And as OTHER citizens are kept ignorant of the real contributions and needs that gay people have, they are less inclined to think gays and lesbians deserve the same consideration and respect as themselves.

Or, as another section of this blog points out, anti gay factions try to use ENVY as a means to exclude gay people. This tactic makes it look like gays and lesbians have MORE than they deserve and at the expense of straight people.

Young gay people are also made pariahs in their school, taking blame if ALL social clubs are banned if they seek to have a GSA, effectively making their peers think that, again, they keep doing things at the expense of the other students.
Leaving gay students without support and their peers ignorant of who they are and their opportunity to form a strong alliance with each other.

School is supposed to be a socializing center of life.
We count on this opportunity for children to learn about each other and cooperate within all their differences.
This is what they must be prepared for in the real world of professional and leisure situations.

No wonder the straight world is SO infantile and selfish on this issue.
If anything, a young person should be prepared to know that they are very likely to be the parent of a gay kid just like a peer at school.
School is about preparation, and information.
It should be illegal to keep this vital information about gay kids and gay people from the education process.
We wouldn't allow a teacher to stop educating their students on human progress from the year 1935.
If the teacher didn't use any more information since that year, they'd be fired or banned.
Why is it that non information or full information about gay people is stopped at 1954 or banned altogether?
posted by Regan, at 3/20/2006 12:34 PM

I thought these 'hills have eyes' families usually home-schooled their mutant children?
posted by Anonymous, at 3/20/2006 2:14 PM

How on earth can we compromise with these Deliverence hicks?

GLSEN should be ashamed in participating in this joke.

Maud
Oakland
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