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Boy Punished for Talking About Gay Mom
Mon Dec 1, 5:56 PM
LAFAYETTE, La. - 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, the American Civil Liberties Union alleged Monday.
Second-grader Marcus McLaurin was waiting for recess Nov. 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. The following week, Marcus had to come to school early and repeatedly write: "I will never use the word `gay' in school again."
A phone message left for Lafayette Parish schools superintendent James Easton was not immediately returned.
The ACLU is demanding the case be removed from Marcus' file and that the school apologize to the boy and his mother, Sharon Huff.
"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."
here is the article (i still don't know how to make hyperlinks or do images, heh) http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031201/ap_on_re_us/gay_mother_school
my void does not want.
-- 2.13.61.
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Welcome to the real world one and all....
The deep south is indeed a rough place for gay persons.
The bible seems to have such a chokehold on anything resembling freedom of expression that it is near unbreakable.
I pitty anyone not able to recognise man was created in gods image... Not in the image of what a few zealots deem appropriate as gods image.
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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I agree with you there, Marc.
It is everywhere though, but in varying amounts.
You said when you'd die that you'd walk with me every day
And I'd start to cry and say please don't talk that way
With the blink of an eye the Lord came and asked you to meet
You went to a better place but He stole you away from me
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It's just staggering that someone would do something like that in this day and age, especially one in the teaching profession.
Simply put, it sucks.
Thanks for showing this to all of us. It needs to be uncovered, displayed out in the open for everyone to see.
Hugs!
-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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Welcome to John Ashcroft's America.
We need a higher standard for teachers accross the board in this country. Teachers should make 6 figure salaries. The competition for teaching jobs should be fierce. We trust teachers with our future, don't we?
Wish we all thought it was as important as say, subsidies for big energy companies or pharmaceuticals.
We have a long way to go in this country.
Just my thoughts.
*Kevin hops down off the soapbox*
Take care,
Kevin
"Be excellent to each other, and, party on dudes"!
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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You have to first understand the culture these people are from.
They are literally ruled by a hard line christian belief that any person that lives a lifestyle diffrent from their own is evil.
It doesnt matter what the difference is....
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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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Perhaps school systems should be held accountable for their lack of dedication.
Perhaps a mal-practice suit against bad teachers????
After all there is a price for failure... why should it be the children that have to pay it?????
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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You are so right about that, Kevin. The truth of the matter is that we have gone away from several important things in relation to how we are raising our kids in this nation. I invite the teens on the board to see if they see any of this:
Teaching standards are not only not being maintained, but some teachers just cannot handle the subject matter of thier subjects (for secondary and high schools). Some things remain the same, but some things change, and our teachers need to stay on top of the changes.
I knew teachers, back when I was one, that did more drugs than the students. My roommate's friend used to come over and get high in the back of my appartment, much to my chagrin, and she was an English teacher at a local middle school.
Many teachers are blamed for students that act out. Blamed by who, by the parents believe it or not. The parent's aren't willing, in most of those cases, to work with the teachers, and so there is nothing that can be done to modify the child's behaviour or to even get the child necessary services. Think of all the ADHD kids out there that don't get the help they need. And that help does not necessarily mean medications.
Teachers are required to have very high levels of education, often as high as Masters Degrees before they can even get into entry level positions in the educational work place. Yet they get paid less per hour than other unskilled and uneducated jobs in some cities, such as, in New York, Hospital Janitors, Food Service Management and believe it or not, bus drivers and crossing guards. Does that seem right?
Some teachers are often accused of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and harrassment of students by other teachers who aren't performing their own job properly and want to divert attention away from themselves. Don't think it happens? Believe me, I've seen it happen first hand. Those that are good teachers dealing with tough situations are often easy targets for those that just want to advance their careers.
Every year, we spend more money on foreign aid, drug abuse counciling and unnecessary government expenditures (mail-outs, over spending, pork barrel legislation) than on educational grants, scholarships and teacher training assistance.
Anyways, the question really should be not "Why is this?" but "What should we do to correct this?" After all, the teachers do have our future, as a society, in the palm of their hands.
It's not the wolf you see you should fear, but all the ones he howls with. Don't be afraid of the song, but don't piss off the choir.
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Okey...
In my experience...
There are certain rival factions who do all they can to insure their dominance. However, I have always had high-quality teachers.
You said when you'd die that you'd walk with me every day
And I'd start to cry and say please don't talk that way
With the blink of an eye the Lord came and asked you to meet
You went to a better place but He stole you away from me
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saben
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On fire! |
Registered: May 2003
Messages: 1537
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As I'm sure you're all aware and all of my teachers have been quite up to standard. Some I didn't get along with so well, but there are very few that I'd say were bad teachers.
Look at this tree. I cannot make it blossom when it suits me nor make it bear fruit before its time [...] No matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.
Master Oogway
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School District Refuses To Apologize For Disciplining Lesbian Moms' Son
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: December 3, 2003 5:02 p.m. ET
(Lafayette, Louisiana) Lafayette Parish's school superintendent Wednesday said there would be no apology over an incident in which a lesbian mother says he son was disciplined for saying he has has a gay mom.
"An apology is not due," Superintendent James Easton said. "The child was not singled out because his parent is gay." Easton said the grade two student was disciplined for behavior problems.
Sharon Huff says her son Marcus McLaurin was reprimanded and forced to repeatedly write “I will never use the word ‘gay’ in school again.” (story)
In a prepared statement Wednesday, Easton wrote that, after reviewing papers and meeting with the principal, he had concluded that the discipline "was unrelated to any judgment by school officials regarding sexual orientation or practices, or the student's discussion of that particular topic."
Rather, he wrote, it "was related to ordinary student disturbances, which were hindering the classroom learning process and which were addressed in an appropriate fashion by the teacher and school administrator."
But, the ACLU, which is representing Huff and her son, produced documents Wednesday to the contrary.
ACLU state director Joe Cook released a behavior report signed by teacher Terry L. Bethea which states, "Marcus decided to explain to another child in his group that his mom is gay. He told the other child that gay is when a girl likes a girl. This kind of discussion is not appropriate in my room," Bethea wrote. "I feel that parents should explain things of this nature to their own children in their own way."
Cook also showed a "behavior contract," sent to the mother which said, "He explained to another child that you are gay and what being gay means."
The 7 year old was required to fill out a form, in which he wrote, "I sed bad wurds." In a space for "What I should have done," he wrote, "Cep my mouf shut."
Cook repeated a demand made earlier in the week that unless the school system apologizes to Huff and her son, and removes any mention of the incident from the child's record, the school district could be facing a lawsuit.
(\\__/) And if you don't believe The sun will rise
(='.'=) Stand alone and greet The coming night
(")_(") In the last remaining light. (C. Cornell)
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disturbing article... 
Re: My friend Cameron sent me a link to this the other day... 
