Principal Quits Over GBLT/Straight Alliance in School

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Originally Posted by 1BiGG1 OK, I’ll bite … so what do we have …. a little homophobia action going on here? Afraid the teenagers will be allowed to come out of the closet and let everybody know they are just normal everyday folks?

Yup, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

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Originally Posted by Slant To be honest, I think these sorts of alliances ostracize minority groups even further by creating unnecessary polarizations. That's the basis of why I'd be against it. It's self-defeating. We can't possibly teach kids how to be accepting of homosexuals if people insist on creating segregations in every aspect of life. It's yet another completely fruitless 'them and us' situation, which is pretty much the problem with the world today if you ask me. I'd rather schools introduced a class about tolerance rather than creating clubs based on orientation.

I see your point, but I disagree. These kids are often harassed, ostracized, and beaten up not just at school but at home. They need some place to study, vent, and be safe doing it. They especially need a compassionate adult advisor. Many high school students regardless of their sexuality have no positive adult in their lives.

I agree with introducing classes on tolerance, I'm just not sure how effective they will be.

i can see where this principle guy is coming from. i wouldn't support something i didn't believe in either. however, that doesn't mean he has to go out with a bang and declare that he's against having a gay-straight alliance club at his school. as a school administrator, he should be advocating freedom of speech and not silencing and censoring the students.

Please explain to me what is "segregated" about a group that is comprised of straight, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth? It's called an alliance. The express purpose of groups like these is to demonstrate that gay, bisexual and straight youth can and do get along, interact and work towards common goals, mainly, reduced marginalization of fringe groups. How is that polarizing?

For something to be segregated, it has to be designed for one group exclusively, and these groups are not.

Further--the whole point is that the schools do not create the clubs--the students do--in and of their own volition. There are pretty clear rules about club formation in schools and what school districts should allow ("equal access" as long as rules are not broken).

Big surprise there, huh?

It isn't a sex-related club. Swinger Incorporated is a sex-related club. A Gay/Straight alliance is a club that encourages people of different viewpoints to get together and discover that they also have similarities, and encourages them to learn cooperation and tolerance. I don't know of a school that has extracurricular clubs that doesn't also require a faculty sponsor.

You (and that principal) make it sound like they just get together and have sex. I guess that's just your own proclivities coming through.Maybe it's the same reason that you conclude that anyone who doesn't agree with your narrow view is a liberal.But you see, that's the whole point of the club. It isn't a LGBT club, it's a gay/straight alliance. Its whole purpose is to include, not to exclude.

Actually, schools *do* teach classes on tolerance....sometimes they call them "World History" or "American History..."; "American Lit".....

I think a major function of a school should be to teach respect among differences. Showing support for a club that allows for support and socialization amongst gay/lesbian/bi teens would a wonderful beginning. If the principal, who is the leader of the school, could demonstrate that type of support then what a boon it would be to the psyche of the gay teen. What a great thing that type of affirmation would be! Instead, this man has chosen what I believe to be the easier path - hiding behind his "religion" and his interpretation of what God wants - and not admitting and embracing the differences of the students in his charge.

As such it's not a bad idea, I'm just doubtful of the kids' ability to make it work and not create divides amongst themselves as a result of it. It's often the case that when you highlight a sensitive issue, you invariably make it worse. I feel that drawing attention to people's orientation in this particular way, even in the context of an alliance, gives kids more ammunition with regards to labels and cliques, because their feelings are being officialized, which by definition pigeonholes people. Of course, you hope that it does encourage tolerance and provide support, but you can never really be sure how something like this will pan out. It's one of those things that would work in a perfect world, but might not in the real one. In any case, I'm just calling it the way I see it, and I might well be way off, especially if they have documented cases of this working out fine in other schools.

It’s a rare occasion you find a person who is intolerant of homosexuals that doesn’t base their opinion on one of the mythical religions from the past. It would be nice if these people would spend a little more time worrying about themselves being dumb enough to follow the alleged wishes of a made-up god instead of worrying about what comes naturally to others like homosexuals.

Here in the USA the Christians have a long history of attempting to cram the alleged wishes of their alleged god down everybody’s throats and those from the south like South Carolina have always been at the forefront of Christian simplemindedness more-so than any other area in the country. It took them a long time to get over the US Government forcing them to give women, children and minorities rights and I have hopes that one day they will see homosexuality in the same light, but in the meantime they tend to make my skin crawl just thinking about, or hearing about their sheer stupidity all the time. They are the very reason I send money to the ACLU every year.

God, this guy is a nut case. His quiting just backs this up. He'll be blowing up abortion buildings in due time. Fucking idiot!

Good thing he left instead of trying to crush it. Wouldn't it be totally awesome if Bush stepped down when the first state to allow gay marriage popped up? =D

Slant, these aren't just random get-togethers - there are national organizations that research and assist in the creation & implementation of GSA clubs. Research has shown in Massachusetts schools that these organizations can have an overall positive effect on the school environment. Here's just a quick two page info sheet, in pdf format: safe schools

Give it a quick read, and tell me what you think...

And speaking of clubs that promote divisiveness, my high school had Key Club and Beta Club. I was invited to join Beta Club; I turned it down, because I wanted no part of what I perceived as an elitist group. I would have turned down Key Club, had they invited me, for the same reason. Beta Club was required to invite me, because I qualified for National Honor Society (I turned that one down, too). Key Club was membership didn't have those requirements - you just had to be on the social "top rung". I was a very popular student, but not a social snob, so I didn't meet their requirements.

When I was a student, and then years later, when I was a teacher, there were lots of clubs/groups/events that were exceptionally divisive and exclusive, rather than inclusive - the two mentioned above, plus the "Beauty Revue," homecoming court, Student Council (which was always a popularity contest), FCA, yearbook staff, school paper, others I can't even think of right now.

What would happen if every faculty/administration member quit when there was a club they "disagreed" with?

I mostly agree with your post, exceptYou need to live in Ohio or Indiana for a while...

I agree, having lived in Chillicothe, Ohio. Hicks and religious nuts! =D

What a diva. "Don't cry for me, Argentina!"

How would he EVEN know that this group was going to have sex with each other? I was in a similar group in my twenties. We didn't fuck each other. It was a support group.

I know kids who have had sex at Vacation Bible School.

Whatever.

I can see what you mean here since I grew up in Michigan which would be considered a very progressive state in many ways against Ohio and Indiana but you ain’t seen nothing until you go further south. It starts getting even worse in Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas & Mississippi. With those states it’s like the citizens are 95+% Christian Neanderthals always trying to outdo each other in fundamentalism. Ohio & Indiana at least have a spattering of relatively-sane Christians mixed in, that’s not always the case the further south you go!