Poem: "Never Be Silent"
Based on an audience poll, this is the freebie for the November 5, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl making its $200 goal. This poem is spillover from the May 16, 2023 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from kestrels_nest. It also fills the "groom" square in my 5-1-23 card for the Pets and Animals Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes bigotry, homophobia, a parent trying to remove queer content from a school's class on Relationships in Entertainment, envy, allegations of sin, belief that people can be "turned" gay, plans to foment discrimination, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"Never Be Silent"
[Monday, October 6, 2014]
Diego Ramirez sat in his office,
not at all looking forward to
the next appointment listed.
The Parent-Teacher Association
for the White Oaks High School
had been lodging complaints
about the curriculum, and now
the mother behind that campaign
insisted on meeting with him.
The town had a mix of
liberals mostly in the north
and conservatives mostly
in the south, which made
a bit of a balancing act
for the public schools.
Anna Bryant came in
and sat down in a chair
across from Diego's desk.
"Good morning, Mrs. Bryant,"
he said, opening the file. "I see
that you're unhappy with the movies
and television shows presented for
the Relationships in Entertainment class,
particularly regarding Cupid's Harrow."
"My son Mike told me that they showed
two boys kissing in the last episode,"
said Anna. "That's unacceptable."
"Yet you haven't complained
about the heterosexual couple
kissing in the same episode,"
Diego pointed out. "Why not?"
"That's different," said Anna.
"Boys and girls belong together."
"So do boys and boys, or girls
and girls, if they like," said Diego.
"The show has a diverse cast
to maximize representation."
He wished there had been
something like it when he
was growing up, but it had
only been running a few years.
There were bits and pieces from
his youth, but nothing like this,
which was why he defended it.
"It's a way to groom children
for a sinful lifestyle," Anna said
as she flailed her hands in the air.
"That sort of thing is not natural!"
"Cupid's Harrow is selected to portray
a range of relationships, positive and
negative, so that students can think
about which is which," said Diego.
"It's indecent," Anna said. "You
need to cut out that queer stuff."
"Asking to remove queer content,
and only queer content, is illegal,"
said Diego. "It would get the school
sued, and we would certainly lose."
"Then take out all the sex stuff,"
said Anna. "It's better than nothing."
"So you want me to reduce the class
to the asexual version for everyone,
even the allosexual students who want
to learn about romance?" said Diego.
"Your son Mike signed up for that class
to learn about healthy relationships,
and you approved his schedule."
"I didn't know it was going
to include grooming him
to turn gay!" she snapped.
"It's not," Diego said. "It's
just about presenting a range
of options for students to think
about and imagine how they
would handle similar situations."
"I'm not going to stand for this,"
Anna said. "I'll go over your head."
"That won't get you anywhere,"
said Diego. "I can't let you keep
making trouble for the school.
I will log this discussion with
the National Hate Crimes Office,
so they know you've been warned
about the discriminatory aspect."
"It's not a hate crime to object
to my son seeing gay porn
at school," Anna protested.
"You can't report me for that!"
"All forms of tyranny, bigotry,
aggression, and cruelty are
wrong, and whenever we see
them, we must never be silent,"
said Diego. "Documenting this
prevents the school from being
considered an accessory if
you continue your tirade."
Secretly he hoped that
Mike Bryant was straight
rather than bisexual like
himself, or worse, gay.
The boy could be in
real danger otherwise.
Diego would have to talk
with him and see how Mike
felt about the class offerings.
"We'll see what the other mothers
have to say about this nonsense in
the next PTA meeting," said Anna.
"I'll have to ask you to resign from
the PTA," said Diego. "You're trying
to attack at least ten percent of
my student body just for existing.
That's completely unacceptable."
"You can't kick me out, I have
a right to participate as long
as I have a child attending
this school," said Anna.
"No, you have the right
to volunteer," said Diego.
"I don't have to accept
your offer, and as of now,
I'm declining it so you don't
spread your bigotry or cause
legal trouble for the school."
"We'll just see about that,"
Anna said, flouncing
toward the closed door.
"Remember that I'm notifying
NHCO, so they'll know that you
have been told to drop this,"
said Diego. "Don't blame me
if they decide to sue you."
She slammed the door.
Well, he'd done what he
could to defuse the mess.
Diego filled out the form
and sent it to NHCO.
Then he riffled through
his schedule and made
notes to talk with the teacher
of Relationships in Entertainment
as well as with Mike Bryant.
Diego might not manage
to stop all the bigotry in town,
but he would never be silent about it.
* * *
Notes:
This poem's notes are long, so they appear elsewhere.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes bigotry, homophobia, a parent trying to remove queer content from a school's class on Relationships in Entertainment, envy, allegations of sin, belief that people can be "turned" gay, plans to foment discrimination, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"Never Be Silent"
[Monday, October 6, 2014]
Diego Ramirez sat in his office,
not at all looking forward to
the next appointment listed.
The Parent-Teacher Association
for the White Oaks High School
had been lodging complaints
about the curriculum, and now
the mother behind that campaign
insisted on meeting with him.
The town had a mix of
liberals mostly in the north
and conservatives mostly
in the south, which made
a bit of a balancing act
for the public schools.
Anna Bryant came in
and sat down in a chair
across from Diego's desk.
"Good morning, Mrs. Bryant,"
he said, opening the file. "I see
that you're unhappy with the movies
and television shows presented for
the Relationships in Entertainment class,
particularly regarding Cupid's Harrow."
"My son Mike told me that they showed
two boys kissing in the last episode,"
said Anna. "That's unacceptable."
"Yet you haven't complained
about the heterosexual couple
kissing in the same episode,"
Diego pointed out. "Why not?"
"That's different," said Anna.
"Boys and girls belong together."
"So do boys and boys, or girls
and girls, if they like," said Diego.
"The show has a diverse cast
to maximize representation."
He wished there had been
something like it when he
was growing up, but it had
only been running a few years.
There were bits and pieces from
his youth, but nothing like this,
which was why he defended it.
"It's a way to groom children
for a sinful lifestyle," Anna said
as she flailed her hands in the air.
"That sort of thing is not natural!"
"Cupid's Harrow is selected to portray
a range of relationships, positive and
negative, so that students can think
about which is which," said Diego.
"It's indecent," Anna said. "You
need to cut out that queer stuff."
"Asking to remove queer content,
and only queer content, is illegal,"
said Diego. "It would get the school
sued, and we would certainly lose."
"Then take out all the sex stuff,"
said Anna. "It's better than nothing."
"So you want me to reduce the class
to the asexual version for everyone,
even the allosexual students who want
to learn about romance?" said Diego.
"Your son Mike signed up for that class
to learn about healthy relationships,
and you approved his schedule."
"I didn't know it was going
to include grooming him
to turn gay!" she snapped.
"It's not," Diego said. "It's
just about presenting a range
of options for students to think
about and imagine how they
would handle similar situations."
"I'm not going to stand for this,"
Anna said. "I'll go over your head."
"That won't get you anywhere,"
said Diego. "I can't let you keep
making trouble for the school.
I will log this discussion with
the National Hate Crimes Office,
so they know you've been warned
about the discriminatory aspect."
"It's not a hate crime to object
to my son seeing gay porn
at school," Anna protested.
"You can't report me for that!"
"All forms of tyranny, bigotry,
aggression, and cruelty are
wrong, and whenever we see
them, we must never be silent,"
said Diego. "Documenting this
prevents the school from being
considered an accessory if
you continue your tirade."
Secretly he hoped that
Mike Bryant was straight
rather than bisexual like
himself, or worse, gay.
The boy could be in
real danger otherwise.
Diego would have to talk
with him and see how Mike
felt about the class offerings.
"We'll see what the other mothers
have to say about this nonsense in
the next PTA meeting," said Anna.
"I'll have to ask you to resign from
the PTA," said Diego. "You're trying
to attack at least ten percent of
my student body just for existing.
That's completely unacceptable."
"You can't kick me out, I have
a right to participate as long
as I have a child attending
this school," said Anna.
"No, you have the right
to volunteer," said Diego.
"I don't have to accept
your offer, and as of now,
I'm declining it so you don't
spread your bigotry or cause
legal trouble for the school."
"We'll just see about that,"
Anna said, flouncing
toward the closed door.
"Remember that I'm notifying
NHCO, so they'll know that you
have been told to drop this,"
said Diego. "Don't blame me
if they decide to sue you."
She slammed the door.
Well, he'd done what he
could to defuse the mess.
Diego filled out the form
and sent it to NHCO.
Then he riffled through
his schedule and made
notes to talk with the teacher
of Relationships in Entertainment
as well as with Mike Bryant.
Diego might not manage
to stop all the bigotry in town,
but he would never be silent about it.
* * *
Notes:
This poem's notes are long, so they appear elsewhere.