Boy punished for saying the word "Gay" in school...

[Bells]

A 7-year-old boy was scolded and forced to write "I will never use the word 'gay' in school again" after he told a classmate about his lesbian mother

Now here are how schools are teaching children about equality. Apparently the word "gay" is the new bad word for children to say in school and is punishable.

"I was concerned when the assistant principal called and told me my son had said a word so bad that he didn't want to repeat it over the phone," Huff said. "But that was nothing compared to the shock I felt when my little boy came home and told me that his teacher had told him his family is a dirty word."

How in the hell can the word "gay" be so bad that it could not be repeated over the phone? This is homophobia in the extreme and absolutely ridiculous. This school has basically told this child that his family is wrong and bad. Total BS! The school has probably scarred that poor child for life.

 

[goofyfish]

One reason why teachers are no longer permitted to exercise reasonable authority in the classroom is that absolute jackasses like this can’t keep themselves from outrageously abusing their authority. It gets so parents are afraid to let teachers have any authority, for fear of such abuse, and then the teachers who wouldn’t abuse reasonable authority end up not having enough control to maintain order in the classroom necessary to teaching

Meanwhile, do you believe for a single second that if that teacher and that principal are allowed to keep their jobs that little boy won’t be subject to harassment and retaliation? He’s a marked kid, I assure you—and I bet he and his mom will end up getting nasty phone calls, suffering from vandalism of their home, and possibly even death threats. This poor kid was confident and comfortable about his parent's relationship - judging by how he explained it to the other child.

Now, he is likely to associate “gay” with “shame”.

:m: Peace.

 

[Vortexx]

What a gay thing to do.....

 

[Mystech]

Maybe the instructor thought that the kid was using the explicative form of the word. If you've observed any kids in their natural surroundings lately, you'd realize that the word "gay" has become the mainstay curse word among them. Everything is just so damn gay to these kids, and if the teacher perhaps just happened to overhear both the word mother and gay, while the student was talking to one of his classmates, he may have assumed they were doing some trash talking. Of course that doesn't explain the assistant principal's behavior on the phone, so I guess that take on it doesn't hold up. I just find it hard to believe that people can be so damned stupid.

Edit:

After thinking about it for a moment, being that this case involves school administrators I really shouldn't be surprised that it was handled so idiotically. This article just furthers my goal of building a case to conclusively prove that school administrators (from grade school's to universities) are the stupidest bunch of asses in the world. I’m sure that if you’ve ever had to deal with them you’ll agree. Maybe I’ll start a thread about that in free thoughts.

 

[SpyMoose]

Yep, this kid is a labeled trouble maker. School administrators classily don’t care who was at fault in the incident (them for over reacting, and misinterpreting the child’s use of the word gay), they just care that the kid was involved in bringing the ACLU down on their heads. He’s just lucky that once he moves on up to Jr.High he will have a new set of administrators who probably aren’t so pissed at him.

 

[outlandish]

remember Ross and carol from friends?? Carol falls pregnant with Ben, realises "Oh I'm actually a lesbian" divorces Ross to move in with her lover.

 

[Mystech]

Originally posted by Wraith
remember Ross and carol from friends??

Right. . . because I can see how that scenario relates in any meaningful way to this topic.

 

[Bells]

What angered me with this story is that this child had no reason to believe that his homelife was in anyway abnormal, why should he? He had two parents who loved him and he knew enough to be able to explain it to his friend in such an easy manner. By the school's actions, they have probably scarred this child in a manner that he will now always have it in the back of his head and be teased about it by his peers, that his family is supposedly wrong. How will an impressionable child now look at his mother, after he was punished because she was a lesbian? The parents have done nothing wrong and should be admired that they have brought up a little boy who is so as comfortable with his home life as he was. Few children, even those with heterosexual parents are as comfortable about their parents... (I still remember making my mum drop me off around the corner from the school so that my friends wouldn't see her "trying" to make a u-turn... the u-turn usually turned into an 8 point turn...)

He didn't care that his mother was a lesbian. Unfortunately now, he will probably care as he has been punished for it and this could lead this little boy into hiding the truth about his mother and possibly even feeling shame. What this school has done is vile and no amount of apologising to this boy or his family will ever take away the hurt and shame that this little boy will have felt. Mystech, you are very correct in saying that school administrators are inept. This unfortunate story is but one bit of showing how shoddy they actually are. Sadly now, this poor little boy will now have to live with the actions of his idiotic teachers for the rest of his life...

 

[coolsoldier]

I support the school's actions. (reaches for can of flame retardant) Issues of homosexuality aside, children should, quite simply, not be talking about their parents' sex lives in school. If my kids were talking about my sex life in school, I would want the teacher to stop it too. And if I were a teacher I would have done the same thing.

I personally have no problem with homosexuality (come on, over 80% of rapes are committed by heterosexual white males -- why is homosexuality the big issue??) but there are some things that seven-year-olds should not talk about in class, and their parents' sex lives is one of them.

 

[jps]

Originally posted by coolsoldier
I support the school's actions. (reaches for can of flame retardant) Issues of homosexuality aside, children should, quite simply, not be talking about their parents' sex lives in school. If my kids were talking about my sex life in school, I would want the teacher to stop it too. And if I were a teacher I would have done the same thing.

Would you punish a student for saying the word "married"?

 

[coolsoldier]

Originally posted by jps
Would you punish a student for saying the word "married"?

There is a difference between referring to marriage and referring to sexuality. I would punish a child for saying his parents were straight. The child should not be referring to his parents' sexuality in school. Period.

That said, the school could have been a little more discrete, but, being Louisiana, I suspect discretion is not exactly their strong point. (This spoken as somebody who grew up there)

 

[Tiassa]

No retard necessary ....

Okay, okay, it's a sucky title. But:

Issues of homosexuality aside, children should, quite simply, not be talking about their parents' sex lives in school.

I look back to the article link provided in the topic post:

Second-grader Marcus McLaurin was waiting for recess November 11 at Ernest Gaullet Elementary School when a classmate asked about Marcus' mother and father, the ACLU said in a complaint.

Marcus responded he had two mothers because his mother is gay. When the other child asked for explanation, Marcus told him: "Gay is when a girl likes another girl," according to the complaint.

A teacher who heard the remark scolded Marcus, telling him "gay" was a "bad word" and sending him to the principal's office. (CNN)

Now ... why is young Marcus held responsible for answering a question? Should the school not at least punish the other child for raising the issue to begin with?

Which proposition is equally absurd, in my opinion.

How is it that answering a question about your family is profane?

 

[coolsoldier]

Marcus could have responded that he had two mothers without commenting on their sexuality. Bringing sexuality into the equation specifically makes the otherwise appropriate discussion of the relationship a discussion about sex. And yes, it is inappropriate for a seven year old to discuss that aspect of the issue in school.

 

[jps]

I think marriage implies a sexual relationship at least as much as gay in the context it was used. in any case, trying to shield children from the existnance of sex is futile and stupid.

 

[coolsoldier]

Originally posted by jps
I think marriage implies a sexual relationship at least as much as gay in the context it was used.

From WordNet:

The noun "gay" has 1 sense in WordNet.

1. homosexual, homo, gay -- (someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex)

The noun "marriage" has 4 senses in WordNet.

1. marriage, matrimony, union, spousal relationship, wedlock -- (the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce); "a long and happy marriage"; "God bless this union")
2. marriage, married couple, man and wife -- (two people who are married to each other; "his second marriage was happier than the first"; "a married couple without love")
3. marriage, wedding, marriage ceremony -- (the act of marrying; the nuptial ceremony; "their marriage was conducted in the chapel")
4. marriage -- (a close and intimate union; "the marriage of music and dance"; "a marriage of ideas")

One refers to sexuality, one doesn't.

 

[jps]

saying that marriage is defined as the state of being married and therefore doesn't really help your case, since if you define the terms used to define it you'll come to the sexual implications.

 

[Bells]

Originally posted by coolsoldier
Marcus could have responded that he had two mothers without commenting on their sexuality. Bringing sexuality into the equation specifically makes the otherwise appropriate discussion of the relationship a discussion about sex. And yes, it is inappropriate for a seven year old to discuss that aspect of the issue in school.

Marcus is also a 7 year old and probably does not have the reasoning that you supposedly have to be able to distinguish that his comment that his mummy liked girls and not boys and hence why he had two mothers as being a sexual comment. If Marcus' parents were not gay, would he have been punished for saying my mummy likes my daddy? So if this child had said my mummy likes men and is heterosexual, would he have been punished in the same manner? After all that too could have sexual connotations. This boy has done nothing wrong. All he said was the word gay. Would he have been punished if he'd said it in regards to being happy?

This child is being punished because his school is homophobic.

And I agree with Tiassa, why hasn't the other child been punished for asking the questions or for even taking part in the conversation? Could it be because his parents are possibly not gay? Marcus has done nothing wrong, too bad can't say the same for the school.

 

[coolsoldier]

Originally posted by Bells
This child is being punished because his school is homophobic.

I definitely doubt that the school's motives were quite pure, but I still believe that the boy should have been punished for what he said, even if the school's reasoning was different from mine.

And I agree with Tiassa, why hasn't the other child been punished for asking the questions or for even taking part in the conversation? Could it be because his parents are possibly not gay?

I declare all of you unreasonably paranoid of homophobia. The other child asked a question about little marcus' parents. The sexual implication was made by marcus. It was certainly not intended to be malicious, and IMO the school would have been more justified had they explained their reasoning. I do not believe that the school punished marcus simply because his parents were gay.

 

[jps]

How should the child have answered?
Child One: "Why do you have two mothers?"
Child Two"The answer to that question is obscene and not fit for discussion in a school environment"

 

[coolsoldier]

From the original article:

Second-grader Marcus McLaurin was waiting for recess November 11 at Ernest Gaullet Elementary School when a classmate asked about Marcus' mother and father, the ACLU said in a complaint.


Marcus responded he had two mothers because his mother is gay.

(emphasis mine)

Assuming this recount of the story is correct, Marcus was the one who brought sexuality into the discussion. He did NOT need to clarify the details of his mothers' sex lives to explain that he had two mothers, and AFAIK, the other boy never asked why he had two mothers -- Marcus offered the sexual details, and the other boy asked him to clarify the meaning of "gay".