Wha-huh? So Confused!

[tabbymarie]

I just read this story about a child with a married lesbian mother who was asked to be president of the PTO at his catholic school. They were well aware of her orientation and choices when she stepped up as president, but since she actively participated in the "No on Prop 8" campaign she was asked to resign as president

Comments

[ryvka]

If they're not stating it at public school meetings...then there shouldn't be a problem (and again, the woman in question was not protesting AT the school -- the protest in question was in no way related to the school, and she was doing it on her own time). In fact, I don't doubt that it is a common scenario here in America that the president of the PTO is "a creationist who openly claims that gay people should burn in hell", especially in the South. ;)

The PTO aren't really authority figures in the schools (at least generally here in the US). It's a volunteer position intended to help bridge communication between the school and parents. They do fund-raising, help buy equipment, and do other volunteer work related to the school. It's not like the school board, who is usually appointed or elected, who gets to make "real" decisions affecting the school.

To say that what you do in your own time can affect your volunteer status as a parent at the school is honestly ridiculous, IMHO -- it's the school being far too nosy into the parents' personal lives. If they want to be that nosy about people who are appointed or hired as authority figures at the school, that's their right, but for volunteers, it's outrageous. What if a parent has an affair and people find out about it? What if they have a child through IVF? Or a member of the school board sees them at the pharmacy buying condoms? Can they be kicked off the PTO for any of the above reasons?

I thought the idea was "hate the sin, love the sinner". When is it the idea now that if anyone holds a viewpoint different than yours within the church mean that they need to be booted out?