The culture war on the kids

Maxinquaye

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Pardon my French, but I fucking love Rolling Stones magazine. They do the kind of journalism all the modern anchors and newspeople have forgotten.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/one-towns-war-on-gay-teens-20120202
Against this supercharged backdrop, the Anoka-Hennepin school district finds itself in the spotlight not only for the sheer number of suicides but because it is accused of having contributed to the death toll by cultivating an extreme anti-gay climate. "LGBTQ students don't feel safe at school," says Anoka Middle School for the Arts teacher Jefferson Fietek, using the acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning. "They're made to feel ashamed of who they are. They're bullied. And there's no one to stand up for them, because teachers are afraid of being fired."
 

folkchick

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So sad. I can't believe that in this day and age anyone still feels that way about LGBTQ. Our world would be bereft without the beauty of every single person. I wrote a song once called, "Flesh is rare like gold." If only we could see that humans are amazing and precious because of our differences, not despite them.
 

crunchyblanket

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"They're made to feel ashamed of who they are. They're bullied. And there's no one to stand up for them, because teachers are afraid of being fired."

What if all the teachers stood up? What if they got parents and students and community members behind them?

There's always a way. There has to be.
 

Maxinquaye

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Yeah, but it's true. The school board is an elected body. Somebody elects these people. It's not the 12 people in the Minnesota Family Council. So it is the parents in the district. And they don't want their children "lured into the homosexual lifestyle".
 

Shadow Dragon

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I really liked that one mother, Tammy.

"OK." Tammy Aaberg nodded. "So. Just because you can't get him pregnant doesn't mean you don't use protection." She proceeded to lecture her son about safe sex while Justin turned bright red and beamed.

It's a shame the bullies were able to out do her positivity with their negativity to the point that Justin killed himself.
 

Mclesh

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I couldn't finish this article -- I'm too upset. (And I love the way Rolling Stone gets to the heart of the matter.)

Where is this hate coming from? Kids learn to hate. They must be getting it from their parents, so-called Christians. I want to throw up.

Why is the school hosting anti-gay evangelical events? Where is the separation of church and state?

I'm thankful my son goes to a school where students feel free to be themselves.
 

AKyber36

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Damn. I hope those uber-conservatives are happy with themselves when they face the hellfire for being utterly hypocritical, callous, unloving Pharisees. These are kids we're talking about! These are kids being called names no one should be called, period. I hope Bachmann is pleased with all that blood on her hands, since she's very much responsible for this outrageous and vicious climate she's created. For heaven's sake, if adults don't like being called 'Slut' or 'Whore' or 'Dyke', can you imagine what it's like for those poor kids?

That poor mother, seeing the school board being so utterly uncaring. You might as well offer them Pontius Pilate's water bowl to wash the blood off their hands. They blame it all on the kids. Haven't we learned anything about victim blaming, yet? Why? Why does this continue to happen?

Moderate Christians need to fight against this, I swear. When good people do nothing, we are guilty by sin of omission. No matter if the Bible says homosexuality is an abomination - these are people like you and me. They don't deserve this, and people who say they do should be subjected to similar treatment to see how they like it.
 

Bogna

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*sigh* I couldn't make it through the article, it hits a bit too close to home for me.

I'm just about to host drag night at the gay and sexual minority youth center here in my city, it's depressing how its the only safe place a lot of those youths have. I wish that I had a place of my own. I'd take all the homeless LGBTQ kids home with me.
 

DancingMaenid

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Damn. I hope those uber-conservatives are happy with themselves when they face the hellfire for being utterly hypocritical, callous, unloving Pharisees.

Sadly, it seems like a lot of those people still find ways to justify it -- it's not their fault that the kids suffer and end up killing themselves. It's just another way homosexuality ruins people's lives.

How they're able to justify it like that baffles me, though. You'd think they'd be able to see the harm they're doing.
 

Romantic Heretic

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How they're able to justify it like that baffles me, though. You'd think they'd be able to see the harm they're doing.

Not really. People don't like to look at themselves and their behaviour closely, nor does our society encourage it.

Besides who wants to discover that they and what they believe is evil?

ETA: I'm now thinking of this little bit of Euripides' The Bacchae.

This happened after Agave has ripped to pieces her son, Pentheus, while in the grip of a vision.

CADMUS: Can you hear me? Can you answer clearly?
AGAVE: Yes. But, father, what we discussed before, I've quite forgotten.
CADMUS: Then tell me this—to whose house did you come when you got married?
AGAVE: You gave me to Echion, who, men say, was one of those who grew from seeds you cast.
CADMUS: In that house you bore your husband a child. What was his name?
AGAVE: His name was Pentheus. I conceived him with his father.
CADMUS: Well then, this head your hands are holding—whose is it?
AGAVE: It's a lion's. That's what the hunters said.
CADMUS: Inspect it carefully. You can do that without much effort.
AGAVE: [inspecting the head] What is this? What am I looking at? What am I holding?
CADMUS: Look at it. You'll understand more clearly.
AGAVE: What I see fills me with horrific pain . . .such agony . . .
 
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Maxinquaye

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Well, the lgbt-kids are dying, but it's the conservatives that are being oppressed and persecuted.

http://www.startribune.com/local/north/137358063.html
Q Where does your passion come from?

A Our group is a diverse group and therefore the sources of our positions are diverse. Our passion comes from deep concern for the welfare of children, for parental rights, for religious liberty and for the integrity of public education.

What is a bit troubling about this question is that we rarely if ever hear it asked of progressives. For example, some progressives attend synagogues and churches that affirm liberal beliefs about the nature and morality of homosexuality (i.e. "gay theology") or that take positions on same-sex marriage and yet we rarely hear their theological beliefs questioned in mainstream media reports.

The other problem with discussions of religious beliefs is that many in our culture erroneously believe that the concept of a separation of church and state precludes individuals from having religiously derived values that shape public policy decisions. Of course, that only applies to conservatives.
 

Mara

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There's only one solution to this.

Queer Magneto. *starts building Mutant Power Granter Machine* Who's with me?
 

Shadow Dragon

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Sadly, it seems like a lot of those people still find ways to justify it -- it's not their fault that the kids suffer and end up killing themselves. It's just another way homosexuality ruins people's lives.

How they're able to justify it like that baffles me, though. You'd think they'd be able to see the harm they're doing.
They don't need to justify it. Their god told them it was right, so obviously, it can't be wrong. Well, that's what their mind believes. They're so deep into that way of thinking that they can't even comprehend how others see things differently and likely don't even understand how we can blame them for it.
 

GeorgeK

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Then the parents will see to it that they're fired.

That's an interesting question. What would happen if a school did fire all the teachers at once? Is there typically a large enough pool of subsitute teachers to pick up the slack? Would they have to close the school temporarily and extend the school year causing parents to cancel vacation plans or even having the classes flunk and they all lose a year? Would they just have proctors and tell the kids to study on their own and fake it until the next school year?
 

GeorgeK

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No matter if the Bible says homosexuality is an abomination - these are people like you and me. .

Actually it doesn't, unless you have one of the newer versions where things are translated or really mistranslated a bit differently because the quotes have been taken completely out of context and were vague to start with.

But also remeber in deuteronomy
10Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together

or

6If thou find as thou walkest by the way, a bird's nest in a tree, or on the ground, and the dam sitting upon the young or upon the eggs: thou shalt not take her with her young:

Do you hear anyone complaining about hitching an ox and a donkey to the same plough?

They have a show celebrating, "Noodling," where people fish by grabbing catfish out of logs. Those catfish are the females, guarding their young, yet across the Bible belt, people think that's just dandy.
 

AKyber36

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Actually it doesn't, unless you have one of the newer versions where things are translated or really mistranslated a bit differently because the quotes have been taken completely out of context and were vague to start with.

But also remeber in deuteronomy


or



Do you hear anyone complaining about hitching an ox and a donkey to the same plough?

They have a show celebrating, "Noodling," where people fish by grabbing catfish out of logs. Those catfish are the females, guarding their young, yet across the Bible belt, people think that's just dandy.

This is where I'd like to understand the original text, not the Latinized ones. My Bible says that but for several years now, I've been having conflict with it. It's also not easy to talk to someone about it without them telling me the gay agenda's brainwashed me or something. XP I just hate seeing the mistreatment and despair of all the youth. Also, for those "so-called" Christian parents and their bullying children, they need to read Galatians 5:22-23: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+5:22-23&version=NIV) Along with that, they should look at the previous passage:

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+5&version=NIV)

They are not following what they believe. Looking at their actions, they're following a different path than that of whom they profess to follow.
 

Xelebes

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They view homosexuality as fitting the first five criteria in that passage. That being said, there is a lack of connection with matching all said criteria to the forceful imposition of standards onto others.
 

Mclesh

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I resisted bringing theology into this. Okay. Christ believed in inclusion, not exclusion. If anyone has any doubt about this, read the Beatitudes.

When I read The School of Hate, I'd just gotten back from a meeting of a women's group at my church where our priest (a woman!) gave a little homily about Christ's pretty consistent message of inclusion. (The Samaritan woman at the well is one great example.) This is what my priest said: The people who exclude others exclude themselves from the kingdom of Heaven.

So these people who hate the LGBT community and others are becoming the thing that they abhor--they're the real outsiders because their hate blinds them. (And the opposite of love is fear.)

Now, I say this knowing that I go to a church that is pretty widely scorned by conservatives. We've lost our way because we practice the "radical" Christianity of inclusion. Everyone is welcome.
 

AKyber36

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I think they should just leave well alone. It's none of their business, and no, they're not gonna turn your kids gay! I sometimes wonder if the movie "Gods & Monsters" did the gays and lesbians a disservice. I keep hearing about the gay men trying to turn a straight man spiel so many times I can roll my eyes backwards.