Free speech fight continues in Virginia

The fight continues next week in Loudoun County Virginia to give elementary school students access to the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three.”  This story has gained a lot of traction over the past week with coverage everywhere from here to the LGBT press to The View.

For now,

Save the gay penguins

The children’s book about gay penguin dads Roy an Silo, And Tango Makes Three , describing their antics in hatching and raising a chick together at the New York Zoo, has been pulled from the shelves of Loudoun County Virginia (Washington, DC area) after one activist parent complained.

Several news articles and blog posts cover more of this story.  (And yes please, I know that the couple split up.)

Some of these news stories are reporting that the decision to pull the book from the shelves of the Elementary schools but keep it available for use by teachers or parents is a compromise.  But the group Equality Loudon clarifies that it is far from that: (emphasis original)

Gay student targeted by Oxnard shooter

Update here

In light of the reports now that the victim of yesterday’s school shooting in Oxnard CA was gay,  the importance of ‘gay-ducation’ is plain.  Hopefully it will spark action to promote discussion of gay issues in appropriate ways throughout our public education system.  Its absolutely critical that young kids not be allowed to grow up in complete ignorance of GLBTQ culture and issues.  

The incident reminds me why legislation such as that proposed back in 2006 (and threatened with veto by Gov. Schwarzenegger) is critical to our future.  The proposed law, passed by the California State Senate in May 2006, would have instructed schools to include age-appropriate study of the contributions of LGBTQ folks in California and the US.  Although I do not generally favor micro-managing of school curriculums I think that this law would have been significant in opening many students’ eyes to the fact that we non-heteros exist, and have always existed.  Introduced by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, the state’s first openly gay legislator, the measure passed the Senate 22-15, with no Republican votes in support.  That measure died after the Guvvernator’s veto threat.

A new measure that seeks to enforce already passed legislation to protect LGBTQ students from harrassment in schools went into effect on Janury 1 this year.  It amends legislation from 2000 by specifically listing gender and sexual orientation discrimination, which were referenced only obliquely in the original law.   Even this was vigorously opposed by the usual assortment of religious bigots and so-called conservatives.  

They are stoking up worries that the new law will silence Christian teachers and the inculcation of conservative values.  We can only hope!

(from a Sacramento Bee article October 20, 2007)

…The Capitol Resource Institute Web site claims that “teaching about traditional families would be discriminatory.”

“If I’m a teacher instructing kids about families and I only cover heterosexual (lifestyles), am I promoting a bias toward heterosexuality?” England said. “The answer would be yes.”

“It’s going to silence Christian teachers in the classroom,” she said. “It’s going to force them to violate their conscience or lose their job.”

Added England: “It’s going to overexpose our kids at an early age to things they don’t even need to be dealing with. … I absolutely consider it a slap at anyone with traditional values.”

Wow, if that turns out to be how this works out I think its a win-win for GLBTQ and kids throughout the Golden State.  See Sacramento Bee coverage here.    

That group tried to place SB 777 on the ballot but failed.  However, like cockroaches, the bigots may not yet be quashed.  See Bay Area Reporter coverage here.   

Shelia Kuehl, today’s LGBTQ Hero

 

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