California Parents to Schools: Don't Tell Our Children to Stop Bullying Gays

[102bb]

In a perfect world, this would only be a story worthy of The Onion. But alas, a group of California parents are seriously trying to push the Vallejo City Unified School District to drop an anti-bullying program that fosters respect for all students. Why? Because the program addresses anti-gay bullying, and says that LGBT youth shouldn't be beat up

Comments

[3dog]

For a small yet vocal group of parents, that comes too close to endorsing homosexuality.

Why is it the most hateful people are always the most vocal? :\ I hope these parents are told to stfu & stfd in whatever board meeting they decide to bring this up in. I would be so embarrassed to be one of their children.

[paintmeamovie]

This is completely shameful that parents would fight for their kids "right" to harrass and hate young kids.

[azetburcaptain]

IAWTC. I'm scared for the future.

[elialshadowpine]

And do parents really need to give permission for their children to learn values like respect and nonviolence?

The problem is, these parents support violence when it comes to Those type of children. These are the sort of people that would encourage and reward their child for harassing and beating up one of Those people. It's fucked up, but it exists.

[tacky_tramp]

Exactly. They don't want the schools to suggest that LGBT people deserve basic respect, compassion, and safety. That would imply that they're equal to straight people. Heaven forfend.

[apricotflower]

hate is not a human right.

I hate when people do the whole "but it's my opinion!" thing. One person's opinion that something else shouldn't exist should not be privileged over another person's right to life, safety and happiness. These are are just so far from being of equal importance that I don't have the words to convey it.

[sandvich]

I hate it too. They also tend to use it to excuse their bigoted beliefs, as though an opinion is some untouchable thing that shouldn't ever be challenged or changed.

[resounding_echo]

I had a college professor who would say that we students didn't have "the right to our opinion," rather we had "the right to our position." A position must be grounded, well-thought, and defendable. If you couldn't defend your position/opinion with more than an "that's just how I feel/it's icky and wrong" you didn't have a leg to stand on and weren't invited into the discussion.

I will point out that, every time this was brought up, it wasn't abused or used to silence someone who was in the minority. It was used to stop bigoted minds from banning together on shutting down dialogue because of some religious/parent's belief/what have you that they'd blindly accepted since childhood.

[humanitystan]

beautiful. i will remember this in the future.

[technocratic]

I expected better of California.

[keeni84]

Really?

[slewinca]

Prop. 8.
'Nuff said.

[subluxate]

Even if you did (and I didn't, despite being a born-and-raised, love-the-state Californian), it's Vallejo, not Santa Clara.