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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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activism.
But first, I want to say Happy Valentine's Day. And to ask if anyone is going down to their local City Hall and apply for a marriage license today? It's something a lot of college GSAs and gay couples all over the US are doing on Valentine's Day to make the public aware that gays should be allowed to legally marry.
OK - on to the armchair activism.
If you want to participate, please send this name and address out to everyone you know. Please post it on every gay message board you can find.
Jeannie A. Metcalf
3772 Burbank Lane
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
email: jmetcalf@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
922-2805 (H)
Does the "H" stand for "home phone number?"
This ignorant person is a member on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board.
Metcalf was quoted last week in the Winston-Salem Journal as saying she thought that homosexuality is a sin and she didn't care if gay students were teased.
Metcalf wrote: "Let's have murder-pride marches, rape-pride marches, etc. I'm sorry if that offends you, but that's what I believe."
Nice lady.
Please send her a Valentine's Day present...a deluge of e-mail and phone calls educating her about true Christian principles, give her gay teen suicide statistics, and the general unfitness of someone as prejudiced and ignorant as herself to serve in a position of authority over every young person in that school district.
The kid's in that school system are NOT ALONE. The whole world is watching.
-----------------------------
Here's the entire article -
North Carolina School Board Official Attack Plan To Stop Gay-Bashing
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
February 14, 2003
12:01 a.m. ET/+5GMT/-3PT
(Winston-Salem, North Carolina) The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board has voted to remove questions about anti-gay bullying from a systemwide survey of students.
The meeting was dominated by conservative board members who said the questions gave homosexuality what one member called "an air of respectability."
The two questions at the center of the fury ask: "How often have you heard students put down or make negative comments directed toward homosexuals at school this year?" and "How many teachers or staff members have you heard make negative comments directed toward homosexuals at school this year?"
Board member Buddy Collins, objected in part because it gave the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, which helped develop the questions, too much credibility.
Members Donny Lambeth and Jill Tackabery said a general question about bullying was enough. But, Jeannie Metcalf said homosexuality is a sin and should not be encouraged.
Metcalf was quoted last week in the Winston-Salem Journal as saying she thought that homosexuality is a sin and she didn't care if gay students were teased.
The paper has also uncovered an email in which Metcalf reiterates her belief that homosexuality is a sin: "And believe me, I know we all sin but what other sin can you think of that has been so whitewashed?"
Metcalf wrote: "Let's have murder-pride marches, rape-pride marches, etc. I'm sorry if that offends you, but that's what I believe."
Only two of the seven member board voted to keep the questions. Geneva Brown and Lynn Thrower said slurs against gays and lesbians may be more of a problem than school officials realize.
Metcalf said that a distinction exists between teaching tolerance for a person and teaching tolerance for a sin.
"We shouldn't be teaching tolerance for sin," Metcalf said. "But that doesn't mean anyone should be harassed. I don't think anybody should be harassed for lying or stealing, we shouldn't be harassing anybody."
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13751
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My email list is crippled at present, but I have sent it out to the list I CAN get through to. It ought to hit 900+ people. regrettably it is likely to hit 10% of that.
I am about to add to her email load, too
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13751
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It has hit now a mailing list of 2221 and another of 101 gay people. Now I do not expect more than 2% of those to write to the "lady", and no more than 5% to send it on further. BUT it is a start
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Just an obtuse observation.
Seeing that "sin" is a measure of religious nonconformity.
If a member of a school committee or school system sites "sin" as a justification for singling out one particular segment of the students in their charge, wouldn't that be a violation of the constitutional right to the separation of church and state?
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13751
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It needs a lawyer to pursue it, of course
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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trevor
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Really getting into it |
Registered: November 2002
Messages: 732
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Be interesting to see how the school reacts to her e-mail flood!
I generally don't believe in "harrassing" anyone in any way, but I guess I'm in a feisty mood and even if half those quotes are accurate she deserves some "help with her logic."
Well, I sent her a nice, polite e-mail reminding her how the new testament is full of homo-bashing, how Jesus hated society's outcast, how the back side of Moses' tables reads "#11 - Above all else - only lust for the opposite gender - this one can't be forgiven!"
Honest, I wasn't sarcastic, just helping out with her biblical understanding. Oh, I also mentioned at least 3 sins, according to the 10 commandments, that I'm sure are MORE WHITEWASHED than homosexuality. What IS homosexuality, anyway? Heck, I've never touched another guy . . . unfortunately!
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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Hey Everybody - I have the actual newspaper article and the e-mail of all the board members, the e-mail of a gay friendly reporter for the winston salem journal who BLASTED the school board, and the president of GLSEN in Winston Salem if anyone cares to write and send a CC to these folks as well.
First the school board. Just copy/paste and insert a comma after each name to send a CC to everyone on this list.
gbrown2@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
bcollins2@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
jgoins@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
vjohnson@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
dlambeth@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
mparker@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
jtackabery@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
lthrower@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
pzerwick@wsjournal.com (the gay friendly reporter)
SParker@glsenwinstonsalem.org (president of GLSEN)
The Winston Salem Journal
E-Mail Letters To The Editor (letters@wsjournal.com)
For an on-line form for Letter to the Editor and their rules click here
Please read the rules if you are writing the newspaper. - I will post the rules at the bottom of this page.
------
The actual newspaper article:
Thu, February 13, 2003
Attitudes can't get in way of duty
By Phoebe Zerwick
JOURNAL COLUMNIST
School officials say they believe in tolerance. They want the system's policies against harassment enforced. They want students to feel safe.
"... I would never condone anyone being made fun or harassed for any reason," school-board member Jeannie Metcalf said in a recent e-mail to a constituent. "Anyone who knows me knows that is true."
Which makes it difficult to explain some of the things that Metcalf and other education officials have been saying about a survey. It was going to ask students whether homosexuals are being harassed at school.
Here's the beginning of Metcalf's e-mail. She wrote it in response to a woman who criticized her for telling Superintendent Don Martin, in a conversation heard by a reporter, that homosexuals are sinners.
"I told him we shouldn't be making concessions to homosexuals because it is clearly portrayed in the Bible as sin," Metcalf wrote. "And believe me, I know we all sin but what other sin can you think of that has been so whitewashed? Let's have murder-pride marches, rape-pride marches etc."
It's not Metcalf's beliefs that are offensive here. Plenty of people believe that the Bible forbids homosexual relations.
It's the meanness that hurts.
Ideas at odds
The new mantra around town is tolerance. High-tech companies want a place that's open to different races, and yes, gays.
"A progressive city tries to be tolerant of different lifestyles whether or not you agree with them," Mayor Allen Joines said.
But say the word "homosexual" at a school-board meeting, and tolerance is on shaky ground.
This latest saga started a year ago, when an advocacy group called the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network asked the school board to strengthen its anti-harassment policy to explicitly protect gay students. The board said no.
Last fall, however, GLSEN members quietly began meeting with school officials to see whether they could try to get a handle on how much harassment goes on at school.
"We think the problem is pervasive based on the reports we're getting," said Susan Parker, the chairwoman of the local chapter. Without hard information, no one knows for sure.
School officials said they could add questions about harassment to an annual survey of eighth- and 12th-graders.
"I thought the administration was very receptive to the idea of gathering this information," Parker said.
Low tolerance
School-board members didn't want anything to do with it.
"I can't tell you how disappointed I am that you have allowed your staff to interact with representatives of GLSEN in connection with the survey you presented last night," board member Buddy Collins wrote Martin in an e-mail last week.
Martin responded that although he supported putting the gay-harassment question to the eighth- and 12th-graders, he wouldn't do much more.
"Surely you know I have a very low tolerance of GLSEN," Martin replied. "I can guarantee that regardless of the outcome of the survey, I will NEVER recommend or support in any way changing our policies or introducing ANY curriculum they endorse."
Martin, who did not return telephone calls, won't have to worry about the outcome of the survey, or at least the questions about harassment of homosexuals.
The school board voted 7-2 on Monday night to drop those questions.
With their contemptuous words this month, school officials showed their own lack of tolerance. It is the very quality required of leaders to ensure that our schools are a safe haven for all students.
• Phoebe Zerwick can be reached at 727-7291 or at pzerwick@wsjournal.com
You may write a letter to the editor of the Winston Salem Journal at
The Winston Salem Journal
E-Mail Letters To The Editor (letters@wsjournal.com)
For an on-line form for Letter to the Editor and their rules Click Here
Please read the rules if you are writing the newspaper.
Mailing address:
Letters to the Journal,
P.O. Box 3159,
Winston-Salem, N.C. 27102
• Fax: (336) 727-7402
The rules for getting a letter published on the editorial page:
Winston Salem Journal
Rules
• Include your full name, including middle initial, and a daytime telephone number.
• All letters are subject to editing and should be limited to 250 words.
• An ever-increasing volume of letters may require the cutting of some letters and a more selective process for determining which letters are published.
• Writers are limited to one letter a month.
• Original poetry, open letters and letters sent to more than one address will not be published.
• Thank-you letters will run on the op-ed page.
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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With the help of one of the high school seniors on my board, one of our really young kids, Jeremy, wrote the following letter and ended up sending a CC to everyone on that list.
Here is jeremy's post and his letter.
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ok heres what im sendin 2 her an a copy 2 the superintendent chris says. chris helped me fix it with spelling an made me be nice. thanx
subject: I am a gay kid
Why do you judge all gay kids and call us sinners and murderers and rapists?
Do you hate the straight kids in your school who are sinners? Isnt everyone a sinner? Do you hate straight kids who have sex with each other all the time? Do you compare them to murderers and rapists? If you think God doesnt love me as much as He loves you or them, then you are wrong.
Why do you think straight kids are better than me? I make good grades. I have never even kissed another guy or held hands yet you dont care if I get "teased" at school. What you call "teasing" is gay bashing. Straight kids beat up gay kids and sometimes even murder them for no reason except they are ignorant and prejudiced and full of hate. Do you know why they are like that? Because that is what grownups like you teach them to be like all thier life. You tell them its ok even in the newspaper. You tell them its ok by your words and your actions and you try to use religion to pretend its ok to hate people who are different from you. That is a strange kind of religion.
Straight kids push and shove gay kids around in the halls at school. They call gay kids names. They make fun of gay kids. Sometimes gay kids are so afraid or so unhappy they drop out of school. Sometimes gay kids kill theirself. And you are supposed to make the schools safe but you said in a newpaper that you dont care.
You act like gay kids are monsters. You act like we decided to worship the devil or something stupid. I cant help it because I am gay. I did not wake up one morning and decide I would be gay. I did not choose to be gay anymore than you choose to be short or tall. I am not ashamed of who I am. I am a good person. You should be ashamed for saying gay kids are as bad as murderers and rapists. You should be ashamed for trying to make gay kids feel like they are bad and worth nothing.
Its your job to protect all of us when we are at school no matter what your religion says. I am not trying to be mean to you but if you cant do your job fair to everyone because of your religion or prejudice then you should quit right now or they should fire you. Shame on you.
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Not much to add, proud is a good word. He deserves our praise.
"Be excellent to each other, and, party on dudes"!
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I can't believe that a person at a school board would quietly condone ANY kind of harassment like this. I can't even believe it is LEGAL.
It's CHILDREN we're talking about, gay or not! CHILDREN, not vermin!
-L
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
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smith
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On fire! |
Registered: January 1970
Messages: 1095
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Yes, you ARE a good person. Yes, God loves you.
{{{{hugs}}}}
smith (I'll hold your hand whenever you say)
**It's such a double standard. Straight high school kids having meaningless sex all over the place and this woman attacks kids that, as Jeremy said, have never kissed another guy or even held hands. What is the difference between those kids and gay kids who just want to be themselves? She is saying there is sin and then there is sin.......some God winks at and some you burn in hell. The shame of it all is that we are all just kids......trying to find our way in this crazy world our adults have created. I can't believe this woman is in a position to influence and help kids to grow and mature and she decides to turn her back. Shame on her doesn't seem to be strong enough.........but it will do....I suppose because I am nicer than she is and God loves me.
smith
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rbryce
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Likes it here |
Registered: January 1970
Messages: 216
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this kid sure has earned a place in my heart he certainly has courage..may he live long and prosper robert the frog
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Great Letter, JeReMy : ) 