Homophobic rant at Iowa high school assembly

[Enrique]

#!

Students and teachers at an Iowa high school say they were blindsided when a traveling band slammed them with anti-gay, anti-abortion and other extremist views during what was billed as an assembly about bullying.

"They told my daughter, the girls, that they were going to have mud on their wedding dresses if they weren't virgins," Jennifer Littlefield, a mother of a Dunkerton High School junior, told the Lacrosse Tribune.

The band, Junkyard Prophet, began the assembly late last week with music, then separated the boys and girls into different groups.

That, according to the newspaper, is where everything went off the rails.

The girls were told to assume a submissive role in their household and remain "pure" until marriage, students said. The boys said they were shown images of musicians who died of drug overdoses.

Junkyard Prophet bandmembers also told them that homosexuals died at the age of 42, the students claimed.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/controversial-assembly-iowa-high-school-stirs-outrage-protest-article-1.1037988#ixzz1p8OEa6WE

[Drale]

1. I would have walked out

and if they tried to stop me, I would have insighted a riot against them.

[yurbud]

2. they couldn't tell it was a religious group with ''prophet'' in the name?

Probably some administrator is lying about not knowing what they were going to say.

[bluecoat_fan]

3. The principal has since resigned.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002424493

[Systematic Chaos]

4. I just conferred with my own "moral standards."

Know what they said?

They said that this little closeted creampuff needs to get his ass thrashed until he's wearing his own cojones for earrings.

And I hope they never "perform" at another school again, and are shouted down and pelted with all kinds of shit everywhere they "perform" from now on.

[msongs]

5. "Christian" + band = principal knew what they were all about IMO nt

[RKP5637]

6. This was rigged. The principal knew damn well what they were about!!! Unfit to serve as a

principal. I would have been expelled or suspended. I would have stood up and told the creep to fuck off. I'm so fed up with the bullshit!!! I don't take any bullshit!!!

[The Genealogist]

7. I'm utterly disgusted with this

I made it about halfway through before I stopped it. Why a PUBLIC school system would have this garbage during an assembly is beyond me. When I was in high school, they forced us to go to assemblies, but at least we weren't forced to hear this bigoted nonsense. I think I've read that the principal there has resigned over it. Everyone involved in bringing this "act" to that school should be fired.

[onlyadream]

8. Can u say "lawsuit"? Nt

[FedUp_Queer]

9. Who would sue and what he/she/they sue for?

[onlyadream]

10. If this were my kid

and it's a public school, I'd sue the damn school. They have no right to preach that nonsense to my kid! If the school is a private school, then that's a different story.

It's akin to having any other extremist religion come in and preach to my kid. Not cool and not legal.

[onlyadream]

11. Also, what if my kid were gay?

A high school kid, who's gay, who has to listen to that? There's a whole host of things that's wrong with that. The bullying, the ostracizing, the feeling that "you're not right", not to mention if this was school sponsered, which I believe it was, then the poor kid is going to feel like the school is against him. Haven't we seen enough suicides? I think the school has a huge responsibility to screen what they put before the kids.

Then there's the entire woman being submissive thing - don't even get me started.

[FedUp_Queer]

13. Ok.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but what would you sue for? What are the damages? What is the basis for a lawsuit? (Here is my point: as an attorney, I see people bringing silly lawsuits all the time. As a gay person, I understand all too well, this drivel.) However, it seems better to fire the principal and forbid the band to appear again. Beyond that, what would a lawsuit accomplish? And you can't sue to have someone fired. That's where you need political pressure.

On similar note, there are far too many lawsuits in the courts; lawsuits that nobody has any business bringing. Political pressure is the answer, not a lawsuit.

Moreover, I think what would be very constructive is expose the 42 year old figure. I'm sure my friend Bill (now 68), my friend Michael (now 60), the entire LGBT group at my Church and any number of people could dispel that figure. Moreover, that figure comes from bogus science which "Dr." Paul Cameron published. It was nothing but a lie. Stay out of the courts. There are better, more effective and legitimate ways to accomplish these goals.

[unapatriciated]

14. Many don't understand in regards to damages.

I have tried to explain that too many times in relating to health insurance (denials and delays of claims) and a personal experience. You did a good job explaining it.

I agree, the more voices that join in to expose the lies will be more productive. You can add my Cousin George (58) to that list.

[onlyadream]

15. Yes, you're right...

It would all depend on how my kid was damaged. If he goes off and jumps off a bridge, then I'd have a case, as we've just seen in the Rutgers trial.
I guess, if I were a parent at that school, I'd threaten to sue, and start petitions, or something, so that someone would be held accountable.

One thing to note, that I have witnessed in both my kids, 12 and 15, is that they know BS when they hear it. But some kids are impressionable and you just don't know how this crap will affect them. After this assembly, homophobic kids might band together and go after the gay kids, or the girls who have bad reputations. You just don't know what damages can result in this.

[FedUp_Queer]

16. Believe you me...

I was a fat kid, so I got the bullying. I wasn't out until late, but the fat stuff was pretty brutal.

[shcrane71]

12. How many of you are from "broken homes"? WTF?

Equating homosexuality with "sexual deviancy"? This in a public school. I guess separation of church and state isn't applicable any longer.