Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Bifurcation in the Blogs

It's been fun reading the blogs as they react to the latest news in our MoCo sex-ed controversy.

There are, as you might imagine, two types of them.

The first type just takes PFOX's press release quoted in a previous post here, "School Board Finds Gay Gene," and prints the whole thing -- examples are:

The other type quotes one of the news articles about this (usually Daniel de Vise's excellent story on page A-1 of today's Washington Post) and then, when they get to the part where teachers can say that homosexuality is not a disease, the writer says -- "that's news?" or something to that effect:
  • All Points In Between says: "And here I thought it was common sense."
  • inRich Blog says, "If Pressed, They Can Also Explain That African-Americans Are Not Really 'Mud People'"
  • Straight Not Narrow said, "Congratulations to the Montgomery County School Board and the organization Teach The Facts, which worked very hard to educate people and rally support for this progressive curriculum."
  • Free State Politics said: "The school board approved a final set of revisions to the curriculum, now allowing teachers to say, for example, that homosexuality is not -- repeat, not -- a mental illness (I can't believe I had to write that)."
  • A Taste of Ipecac said: "Wow. What a huge leap. The American Psychiatric Association declared that homosexuality was not a mental disorder in 1974. The World Health Organization came to the same conclusion in 1992. It's taken the school curriculum only 33 years to catch up."

Well, look, we're glad to get what we've got.

I heard myself telling one reporter yesterday after the vote: "I just don't know why this is so hard."

But the fact is, it is hard. The school district is a sprawling bureaucracy, board members have to keep their image in mind, and the whole thing is just very hard to budge. The system is sensitive to publicity and to the rise and fall of public opinion -- this is not a rock-n-roll situation where "bad press is better than no press," this is one where a hint of bad press scares them to death.

Some people in our group have made somewhat skeptical comments about the tiny concession made by the superintendent at the last minute, but we were glad to get it. Everybody in the county knows this curriculum falls far short of the values we live by, but at least it moved in the right direction.

15 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

According to that "excellent" story in the Post, most of the country is moving toward ab-only sex ed, something TTF has denied. The new Montgomery County curric is at the vanguard of advancing the gay agenda.

June 13, 2007 11:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"As President Bush attempts to revive the controversial immigration reform bill he supports, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that Republicans are abandoning the president, which has dropped his job-approval rating below 30 percent -- his lowest mark ever in the survey.

But he isn’t the only one whose support is on the decline in the poll. CONGRESS’ approval rating has plummeted eight points, BRINGING IT BELOW EVEN BUSH'S. And just one in five believe the country is on the right track, which is the lowest number on this question in nearly 15 years."

So sad that Democrats believe the current state of affairs will accrue to their advantage.

June 13, 2007 11:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Obviously, homosexuality is not a disease unless it becomes a compulsion. Usually, it's just a choice. When it moves beyond the ability to resist, it then becomes a disease.

Different stories- diferent situations.

June 13, 2007 11:25 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Andrea- not anon
To nutty anon
Why not just go back to your friends at stupidlikeus.net or Ihategay.com.

June 14, 2007 8:13 AM  
Anonymous Warning, facts ahead said...

"Obviously, homosexuality is not a disease unless it becomes a compulsion."

Today's Washington Post reports:

"Opponents of the sex education lessons, who generally said that homosexuality should not be taught as a topic in sex education, said they had no objection to the added language [if asked by a student: "Is homosexuality an illness?" The answer: It is not, according to the American Psychiatric Association.].

"We have never claimed homosexuality to be a mental illness," said Michelle
Turner, spokeswoman of Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, the lead opposition group."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/13/AR2007061301088.html

June 14, 2007 10:51 AM  
Anonymous David S. Fishback said...

Interesting comment from Michelle, inasmuch as she opposed that language when she was on the CAC, and since the CRC's current representative on the CAC has consistently opposed that language.

Perhaps they understand that being gay isn't an illness, but they have opposed MCPS efforts in this area because they oppose homosexuality on theological grounds? And if that is a correct understanding of their position, then the question is whether they are entitled to impose their theological beliefs on a public school curriculum.

June 14, 2007 11:55 AM  
Blogger Randi Schimnosky said...

Anonymous at June 13, 2007 11:25 PM

Anonymous, being gay isn't anymore of a choice than being straight - do you remember choosing to be straight?

June 14, 2007 12:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Interesting comment from Michelle, inasmuch as she opposed that language when she was on the CAC, and since the CRC's current representative on the CAC has consistently opposed that language.

Perhaps they understand that being gay isn't an illness, but they have opposed MCPS efforts in this area because they oppose homosexuality on theological grounds? And if that is a correct understanding of their position, then the question is whether they are entitled to impose their theological beliefs on a public school curriculum."

Perhaps they opposed it because it was part of an argument to present homosexuality as normal and socially and morally acceptable. Selective fact use, as it were.

Theologically, people are all over the map, but it seems the easiest fit with most theological views would be that it is within the will to indulge or resist such feelings.

Don't know of theologies where the "disease" model works well.

June 14, 2007 1:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Anonymous, being gay isn't anymore of a choice than being straight - do you remember choosing to be straight?"

Being straight is natural. Homosexuality is a choice to artificially forsake the natural.

June 14, 2007 1:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Andrea- not anon
In the spirit of reasoned discourse, go away!

June 14, 2007 1:58 PM  
Blogger Randi Schimnosky said...

Anonymous said "Being straight is natural. Homosexuality is a choice to artificially forsake the natural."

Being gay is natural for a minority of the population. The existence of gays throughout time, across all societies, and throughout the animal kingdom show this.

Once again, if gays choose to be that way, why weren't you subject to making the same choice? Did you have to resist choosing to be gay at some point?

June 14, 2007 2:29 PM  
Blogger Robert said...

Anonymous again chooses the statements most likely to irritate LGBT people and their friends.

Any youth listening, we're planning a picnic for LGBT youth 20 and under at Virginia Highlands Park in Arlington (two blocks from the metro).

It's on the afternoon of July 15 (a Sunday).

For more info, contact me at rrigbyjr@yahoo.com


Any teachers interested in volunteering, let me know.

Yours in summer vacation,

Robert

BTW, the Prom/Passing the Torch on June 2 was fabulous, with 105 attendees, terrific food, good ceremony and speakers, and all the young peopl looked fabulous in their Prom clothes. UUCA wants to do it again next year.

June 14, 2007 2:49 PM  
Blogger Randi Schimnosky said...

VICTORY IN MASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


A proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was defeated today by a joint session of the Legislature by a vote of 45 to 151, eliminating any chance of getting it on the ballot in November 2008. At least 50 votes were needed to advance the measure.

Because fewer than 50 of the state's 200 lawmakers supported the amendment, it will not appear on the 2008 ballot, giving gay marriage advocates a major victory in their battle with social conservatives to keep same-sex marriage legal in Massachusetts.

Opponents of gay marriage face an increasingly tough battle to win legislative approval of any future petitions to appear on a statewide ballot. The next election available to them is 2012.

June 14, 2007 2:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I believe if the gay lunatic fringe will just stay in Massachusetts, they will find they will enjoy an endless stream of victories.

Please stay there and build a true gay-encouraging environment.

June 14, 2007 9:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Homophobic Russia is looking for a few good thugs.

June 15, 2007 8:03 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home