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First-graders accused of pro-gay hate crime in Massachusetts
Conservative dad says anti-gay activism led to son's assault
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
http://washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=7764
The superintendent of schools in Lexington, Mass., said it all started when two first-grade boys argued over who should sit where in the cafeteria.
One of them punched the other several times on the playground while at least five children stood by and watched, the superintendent said.
But according to a Massachusetts group that opposes gay rights, a band of first-graders singled out 7-year-old Jacob Parker for a schoolyard "beating" in retaliation for his father's campaign to stop Estabrook Elementary School from including information about same-sex parents in its curriculum.
The May 17 incident was triggered by a climate of anti-conservative hate created by those who support gay marriage and the teaching of homosexuality in the schools, the group Mass Resistance said.
"He was taken around the corner of the school building out of sight of the patrolling aides, with the taunting and encouragement of other kids," Mass Resistance said in a statement on its website. "Jacob was then positioned against the wall for what appeared to be a well-planned and coordinated assault."
Mass Resistance insisted in its statement that it was not a coincidence that the May 17 incident took place on the anniversary of the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.
Lexington school superintendent Paul B. Ash disputed the Mass Resistance account, saying a thorough investigation conducted by the school's principal showed the incident stemmed from a squabble over cafeteria seating that continued during an outdoor recess period.
"These were two first-graders having a child squabble on a playground," Ash told the Boston Globe. "Some adults are exploiting these children for political purposes."
Meg Soens, co-chair of Lexington Cares, a group that supports teaching children about family diversity, including households headed by same-sex parents, said David Parker, Jacob's father, appeared to be using the playground incident as a "publicity stunt" to promote a lawsuit he filed against the school system.
Last year, David Parker sued the Lexington school district to contest its refusal to allow him to remove his son from class whenever the subject of homosexuality or same-sex parents is discussed. Parker charged that the school district is required under state law to put in place an "opt out" policy for subjects related to human sexuality.
School officials dispute this claim. They have said allowing parents to remove their kids from class during discussion of alternative family arrangements would stigmatize kids with same-sex parents.
In a widely publicized dispute with school officials, Parker refused to leave Estabrook Elementary School last year following a meeting with officials over his opt-out proposal. Police arrested him for trespassing at school closing time when he said he would remain inside the building until the school agreed to his demands over the curriculum dispute.
'Where are the candlelight vigils'?
Mass Resistance President Brian Camenker has said the children at the school were aware of David Parker's views and his arrest, and this created a hostile atmosphere in the liberal-leaning Lexington community that played a role in the assault of Jacob Parker.
Mass Resistance's account, which it said came largely from David Parker, was quickly picked up by the websites of national anti-gay groups, including the Traditional Values Coalition, the American Family Association, and Concerned Women for America.
In an e-mail alert sent to its members, Traditional Values Coalition head Lou Sheldon denounced gay activists and "liberal journalists" for not reacting with outrage over what he called a hate-motivated crime.
"Where are the candlelight vigils on behalf of his son?" asked Sheldon, who called on supporters to send money to help David Parker finance his lawsuit.
Ash said in a June 16 statement that the Estabrook principal conducted an investigation into the assault of Jacob Parker that included interviews with more than a dozen students and an adult school aide who stepped in to break up the altercation.
He said the investigation found that several first-grade students became involved in a disagreement over who would sit next to whom in the cafeteria. The dispute spilled outside into the schoolyard, where one student took Jacob by the hand and brought him to another student in an area "that is somewhat difficult for the adults to see," Ash said.
The second student hit Jacob two to four times in the chest or abdomen, Ash said. The superintendent said at least five other students stood nearby watching but did not participate in the assault.
"The child who was hit said he was not hurt and did not want to go to the nurse," Ash said in his statement. "He reported that his feelings were hurt because the child who hit him was his friend."
Play date follows fight
According to Ash, the assailant was sent to the assistant principal's office, where he acknowledged that what he did was wrong. The boy then filled out a "think sheet" to reflect on his behavior and wrote an apology to Jacob, Ash said.
"Following the incident, the boys were observed arm-in-arm at school and subsequently the child who was hit went to the house of the child who hit him for a play date," Ash said.
He said the teacher of the two kids notified both sets of parents about the incident on the day it occurred and explained the steps school officials had taken to address the matter.
"The teacher indicated that both parents took the matter seriously and seemed satisfied with the outcome," Ash said.
He said the matter appeared settled until Mass Resistance issued a news release nearly a month later calling the incident a hate crime.
Ash said the school investigation could find no evidence to support the charges by Mass Resistance that the incident was "fueled and incited by adults" hostile to David Parker. But he said he called on the Lexington Police Department, the county district attorney's office and Department of Social Services to conduct their own, independent probe of the incident.
On June 19, Ash said officials with the police department and the other two agencies declined to open investigations into the case, saying Jacob's parents did not file a complaint and they believed the school investigation was sufficient.
"The school committee and the superintendent have both concluded that the allegation of adult involvement and/or incitement of this minor playground incident is entirely without merit," Ash said in a June 19 statement.
David Parker could not be reached for comment. He told the Boston Globe he remained convinced that the incident was related to his dispute with school officials, saying other students have talked to his son about the dispute. He and his wife chose not to file a police report because they didn't want to subject the children to stress, he said.
Gay rights activist Wayne Besen, who founded the group Truth Wins Out this month to counter the efforts of "ex-gay" groups, said the conservative organizations have engaged in a "massive deception" campaign to portray the Estabrook Elementary School incident as a hate crime instigated by gays against a child.
"It is a fabrication so fictitious it could have been written by Stephen King," Besen said. "Virtually nothing is true and the distortions are a deliberate attempt to smear a school district, intimidate administrators and influence a curriculum that has the temerity to suggest that gay families exist and should be treated with respect."
© 2006 | A Window Media Publication
(\\__/) 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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cossie
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On fire! |
Location: Exiled in North East Engl...
Registered: July 2003
Messages: 1699
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... or so said the Bee Gees!
This is a powerful reminder about how facts can be twisted for political advantage - and, unhappily, we are as much to blame as anyone.
For a' that an' a' that,
It's comin' yet for a' that,
That man tae man, the worrld o'er
Shall brithers be, for a' that.
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Talk about "making a mountain out of a molehile" as the saying goes. At least in this instance it seems that the parents of the two boys are satisfied that things were resolved ok and so do the two boys, so why the hell can't all these other people keep their nose out of it?
Ken
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First-graders accused of pro-gay hate crime in Massachusetts 
