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April 13, 2005

Maybe the adults should bow out ...

Michele at ASV writes a review of a couple of today's activities that will be taking place at many high schools across the nation. Today you'll find on one hand those participating in Day of Silence, as a witnessing demonstration for "making anti-LGBT bias unacceptable in schools", and on the other hand, a counter Day of Truth with its own t-shirts and cards demonstrating "unwillingness to condone detrimental personal and social behavior."

First, I have a real problem with the headline on the Day of Truth link

Conservatives counter gay event
I do realize I'm dealing with AP, so this kind of dissembling is expected even as I'm frustrated with it. Let's get this clear, CONSERATIVE does not translate as ANTI-GAY. I'm conservative, my daughters are conservative and my youngest daughter, along with her gay friends is a founding member of her school's GSA. I'm very proud of her for that. I'm proud she'll be participating in Day of Silence demonstration and I feel it is a valuable one. I'm just getting very tired of the kind of identity politics that says one's political stance and moral values are dictated by one's race/gender/orientation. This was easily demonstrated by Billy Jeff when he ratcheted up the definition of "self-loathing" gay to include merely opposing Hillary in her re-election. Yeah, that's a good campaign sign ... "Only Authentic Gays Vote for Hillary."

Second, the pissing match between the adults is evident in the sniping between the spokespeople on just who is more "legitimate" or "comes from the students." I guess this is just too juicy a political event for the adults NOT to get involved, from both sides.

May I suggest they bow out and let the kids handle this.

Of course, there's a lot of bias between students on campus'. It might be nice for students to rally to reduce the friction one finds between jocks and geeks, or making unacceptable the cruelty aimed at the fat kids or those with bad acne.

But I guess those aren't headline-catching political issues yet that adults are itching to direct.

Posted by Darleen at April 13, 2005 06:56 AM

Comments

The gay/straigh alliance kids started the Day of Silence. The adults from Alliance Defense Fund, which bills itself as a conservative/Christian group decided to come up with a counter protest. Maybe if *they* left it alone, there wouldn't be any need for the sniping you talk about.

And I don't see why so many people are having a problem with the fact that the gay/straight alliance has called attention to the plight of gay students while there are no equivalent days for fat, ugly, or geeky people. Can't one issue just stand on its own without someone decrying the fact that not all issues are represented? Feel bad for the fat, ugly and geeky kids? Go start a club for them and then have your own Day of Silence. I give a lot of credit to the kids who spend a good portion of their after school hours trying to promote an understanding between gay and straight students. Too bad there will always be people who will feel the need to knock what they're doing because it's not enough.

Posted by: michele at April 13, 2005 07:48 AM

Michele

Obviously I'm not denigrating GSA in any manner, nor the event. Yes, the issue CAN stand on its own.

I've had my own run-ins with school admins due to their ambivalence to bullying of all types. And you know, when there ARE events aimed at general tolerance on campuses, THEY don't get column lines that this issue does.

Not "sexy" enough.

Posted by: Darleen at April 13, 2005 07:57 AM

I'd just like schools to go back to teaching things like English, math, science, and real civics. You know, the stuff they taught when American schools were the best in the world. Now they spend more money per student than any other country and still end up near the bottom of the industrialized nations in quality of education.

Posted by: Sue Dohnim at April 13, 2005 05:54 PM

Darleen and Michele,
You can say what you want about supporting gay students and demonstrate all you want, but until you recognize that the President you voted for and a large portion of his political party are most definitely and unequivocably anti-gay (and not just anti-gay marriage--anti gay "agenda"..see James Dobson for further elucidation) then you can expect the rest of us on the Left who fully support gay students, gay adults etc in every way (including that they be allowed to openly service in the U.S. military) to find your comments on this matter rather, for lack of a better word, ironic.

Posted by: Brad at April 14, 2005 10:43 AM

Brad

You are flat wrong.

And don't forget Clinton signed the DMA and that, too, is supported by Democrats.

The Left is wedded to the personal is the political and they don't look at gays as individuals but as cult fodder.

I do not deny the religious fringe that is anti-homosexual, but they are less likely to get their "let's criminalize gays" into mainstream confirmation than the Left that invents all sorts of "new rights" via sympathetic university professors and judges.

SURE, the Left is "for gays"...as long as they aren't profoundly disabled, right?

/snark

Posted by: Darleen at April 14, 2005 12:53 PM

I will never forgive Clinton for the DMA bullshit.

Posted by: Mieke at April 14, 2005 09:17 PM