Lesson in bigotry: Conservatives take over the classroom to pull us closer to a gender-less dystopia

[marmar]

Lesson in bigotry: Conservatives take over the classroom to pull us closer to a gender-less dystopia
We already teach kids gender and sexual orientation every day — but we don't have to teach hate

By AMANDA MARCOTTE
PUBLISHED MARCH 16, 2022 1:13PM


In a piece that couldn't be better designed to cause Democratic panic that Republicans are winning the culture wars, Politico published an alarming poll on Wednesday that supposedly shows over half of Americans support Florida's draconian new "don't say gay" bill.

"A slim majority of U.S. voters who were polled — 51 percent — support" the bill, explains the article detailing the results of a Morning Consult poll, "while 35 percent are opposed."

Scary stuff indeed, especially as Republicans are using the debate over this new law as an excuse to revive tired, homophobic myths accusing LGBTQ people of being pedophiles who recruit children. Closer examination of the actual questions, however, suggests that the people being polled simply don't understand the issue. Using the same loaded language as the original bill itself, the poll asked people if they support the "banning the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade."

Under the circumstances, it's no wonder that respondents mistakenly pictured teachers giving detailed instructions on how to be gay or trans in class, or conjured up images of teachers giving sexual instructions to 5-year-olds. That is exactly what the right-wing culture warriors who thought up this bill want people to imagine.

In reality, however, the classroom discourse the bill is addressing isn't nearly as titillating as Republicans want you to believe. As Ian Millhiser at Vox explained, the law is so vaguely written that "no one actually knows the full extent of the behaviors it forbids." A lesbian teacher, Millhiser explains, may be bullied out of mentioning her wife in passing. Or a teacher could be sued for allowing a kid with same-sex parents to talk about his family to other students. Indeed, that is the point of the law: To intimidate teachers from even acknowledging the existence of LGBTQ people. .............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2022/03/16/lesson-in-bigotry-conservatives-take-over-the-classroom-to-pull-us-closer-to-a-gender-less-dystopia/

[relayerbob]

1. Technically, not genderless

More of a white male incel

[doc03]

2. Today I was bike riding with a women that always at some point has to make a

MAGA/Fox talking point. Anyway, we pass a school and the kids are playing outside. I said wouldn't you like to be
that age again. She said she wouldn't want to live in today's world. She said the kids are being taught CRT and told it is normal
to have two moms or two dads. I just ignored what she said, I figure there is no use arguing it won't change her mind.
I was thinking that the kids accept that and get along with their friends whether they are black, white or have two dads. Kids aren't born
being prejudiced it is learned from their parents. I think the damn parents should be the ones being educated.