Massachusetts Parents Oppose Acceptance Of Gays In School
Beware the Gay Agenda! That’s the message that David Parker is teaching to his son, a Lexington, Mass. kindergartner. As if fingerpainting and learning the words to Wiggles songs weren’t enough for a kid to deal with. Now the kids have to worry about secret armies of Gays trying to turn them Gay with their Devious Gay Ways!
The Parkers, it seems, were a bit miffed when their son brought home a picture book that included families with same-sex parents. The school has refused their request to pull their son out of class whenever homosexuality was discussed. And, I gotta tell you, Mr. Parker does make a good point about tolerance. “Real respect, real tolerance”, he was quoted as saying, “is not pushing your beliefs on other people.” Although…this is kindergarten we’re talking about. And a teacher telling kids that some people have two mommies is a bit different than a teacher reading a Dan Savage column to the class. And I’m pretty sure that “real tolerance” doesn’t involve teaching your kids to fear and loathe people who are different from them.
Still, there are those who believe that The Gay Agenda is a real and tangible threat to Decent Society. I’m not too sure that there is a Gay Agenda, but I HAVE had plenty of nice young men in white shirts and clip-on ties knock on my door and tell me I’m going to Hell if I don’t become a Christian.
Tags: bad+parents, bigotry, massachusetts, schoolRelated Stories
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38 opinions for Massachusetts Parents Oppose Acceptance Of Gays In School
webelos8
Oct 21, 2005 at 12:48 pm
Well, as realistic as it may be for some kids to have two mommies or two daddies, I think that it’s not appropriate to teach that in school. I think that’s a parent’s job.
Or at least let the parents sign a waiver or permission slip (like for sex ed) if they don’t want their kids to be in that class. I wonder how many other parents were miffed but didn’t make the news?
Candace J
Oct 21, 2005 at 12:59 pm
They’re not TEACHING it. For crying out loud, it’s a sentence in a book that says “some people have two mommies”. The parents can do with that what they want.
“Teaching” and “presenting facts” are different.
Ann Adams
Oct 21, 2005 at 2:23 pm
Does this parent actually think if he hides information from his child, the child will never find out? How absurd.
This parent is unhappy about the information being presented in a non-judgmental way. If it were presented with all the hell fire and brimstone of his church (we’re all doomed) he probably would be cheering the school on.
Tonia W.
Oct 21, 2005 at 5:03 pm
I think that the parents are right on this one, to a point at least. I know as a mom of 3 that I would be upset if my kid came home with a picture book showing same sex parents. It’s not like I would care if a kid in his/her school had a gay dad or other I just don’t want the school to teach my kids that it is the right.
Kim Voynar
Oct 22, 2005 at 12:29 am
To those folks defending the parents here:
What exactly is it about the concept that there are families with same-sex parents that makes you think informing students of this matter-of-factly - as a part of what was no doubt a kindergarten discussion about family units and community - is your “right” as a parent? I mean, as opposed to the “right” to teach your kid 2 + 2= 4, or rain comes from clouds, or there are people of different races, cultures, and belief systems out there?
How absolutely insulting to loving same-sex parent families that people would feel that their mere existence is something that shouldn’t even be mentioned within the context of a public school kindergarten classroom, where learning about families and communities is always part of the curriculum, Ooops, but we’ll just ingore those parts of it that some parents don’t like, right?
Ne Suj Chai
Oct 22, 2005 at 2:20 am
I think you should also teach kids in kindergarden matter-of-factly about various kinds of drugs, since this info can be usefull to them later.
Candace J
Oct 22, 2005 at 6:46 am
I *have* taught my children, kindergarten age and younger, about drugs.
We say they’re bad, that we don’t take drugs the doctor hasn’t given us, and that they make you feel yucky.
We’ve been doing this since our children were able to understand those words. We say the same thing about cigarettes. We’ve also discussed where babies come from. As soon as they’re old enough to comprehend and be interested in sex, we’ll talk about that, too.
And we also tell them that there are lots of different ways to make a family and that everyone is different, even if we look the same, and that’s just fine.
DanUpBaby
Oct 24, 2005 at 12:12 am
Just so you guys know, this is the same defense used by people who would like discussion about religion in schools. So I guess we’re at an impasse, hehe.
Albertanator
Oct 24, 2005 at 2:02 am
Wow…..liberal stupidity at its finest here eh folks!!
Anyways, those nice young men in ties were more then likely not Christians……they were or are mormons…….not that that would make any diff to the hosts of this blog whom I’m sure worship at the throne of moral relativism and all its attendant atrocities!!
Your welcome…
Jason
Oct 24, 2005 at 9:02 am
DanUp - is it? Many, many school systems “discuss” religion, in Social Studies/Civics and History classes. And they teach religion in an entirely appropriate way - by showing students there are people out there who practice different faiths. This is a bit different than, say, putting Creationism - er, “Intelligent Design” - on an equal footing with real science, or teaching kids that Christianity is morally superior to Judaism, Islam, etc. Like or not, agree with it or not, same-sex families are a part of our society.
And Albertanator? You know, there are Adult Education classes being offered at your (Y-O-U-R) local high school; you might want to look into taking a remedial English course. The books probably won’t have pictures of gay people. You’re welcome.
Ann Adams
Oct 24, 2005 at 5:05 pm
Same sex parents are a reality. Single parents are a reality. Families like mine with grandparents (or in my case greatgrandparents) raising children are a reality and children in foster care are yet another. Two parent “traditional” families are a reality. Children with no parents but the state are the saddest reality of all.
The school was neither endorsing nor condemning any one variety of “family”; they were merely including same sex parents as part of reality.
What’s the next move from the fundamentalists? Excluding same sex parents from school activities so these offended parents and their children won’t be contaminated? Or how about excluding the children as well?
My girls constantly tell me about what they’ve learned in school, both in and out of class. If I disagree, which is fairly often, I tell them that’s not what I believe but people have a right to their opinions just as we do.
There’s no reason these parents can’t do the same thing.
Hoshi
Oct 31, 2005 at 9:03 am
Teaching homosexuality to children in kindergarden is sick. Its one step to teaching kids how women and men of the same sex make love. That’s probably what they’ll be trying to force on us next. Just like they forced gay marriage on us. Oh no, We don’t want to exclude them or we’d be considered prejudice. I say if you want to be gay keep it to yourself and be perverse - don’t involve our kids.
Come on… seriously, kids don’t need to know about homosexual relationships - they’ll learn that soon enough on their own.
In all reality, Schools should not be teaching sexual education at all. Its the parents job to begin with.
Also, teaching Christian children about homosexuality is violating their beliefs because according to Christian doctrine homosexuality is a very bad sin.
I found this really good explaination on a biblical fact site that explains why homosexuality is a choice not something you are born with. The born with thinking is just more homosexual propoganda. There is no homosexual gene. And if homosexuals were of God - he created man that way (the only way babies are made is with God’s help) - then wouldn’t we all be gay and wouldn’t gay people be able to have children without any help?
Use your brains people and stop being manipulated.
Hoshi
Oct 31, 2005 at 9:13 am
I’d like to add one more note.
On the topic of whether the classmate would be hurt if she brought in her two moms or a picture of them and Parker’s child wanted to be excused… Sorry but deal with it. You can’t try to protect one side while disrespecting the other. That’s being a wishy washy liberal. I say that if the child wants to leave she should be able to just like if a person who doesn’t approve of heterosexual talks could leave if he/she wished.