After Punishing Student for Explaining Lesbianism, Terry Bethea Sues ...

[Book Lover]

After Punishing Student for Explaining Lesbianism, Terry Bethea Sues for Defamation

http://www.acsblog.org/equal-protection-and-due-process-513-after-punishing-student-for-explaining-lesbianism-terry-bethea-sues-for-defamation.html

Last year, Terry L. Bethea, a teacher at Ernest Gallet Elementary School in Louisiana, sent a 7 year old student to the principal's office for explaining to another student that his mom was a lesbian. According to his mother "the incident began when her son, Marcus McLaurin, was waiting in line to go to recess when a classmate asked him about his mother and father. He responded that he didn’t have a mother and father; instead he has two mothers. When the other child asked why, Marcus told him that it was because his mother is gay. The other child then asked what that meant, and Marcus explained, 'Gay is when a girl likes another girl.'"

Terry Bethea scolded Marcus in front of his classmates after overhearing the exchange and sent him to the principal's office instead of to recess. He had to come to school early the following week to write lines--"I will never use the word 'gay' in school again."

He also had to sign a "Student Behavior Contract" explaining his transgression. Marcus wrote that he "sed bad wurds" and that if only he hadn't, he "wud be at riyses." At the top is written, "He explained to another child that you are gay and what being gay means." (Atrios has a scanned copy of the actual contract, which you absolutely must see to fully appreciate.) The county school board, by a vote of 5-3, refused to apologize (at "Gay Comment Starts Flap in Louisiana District") for the incident, accepting Terry Bethea's explanation that Marcus was actually reprimanded for disrupting class rather than for anything related to homosexuality.

Now Terry Bethea is suing Marcus' mom for defamation, accusing her of lying. Unlike in the U.K., truth is a complete defense against a defamation charge in America. Even the inclusion of minor errors would not defeat the defense, so long as the "sting" of the charge holds. The signature on that Student Behavior Contract sure looks like "T L Bethea."

[rkc3]

1. Bethea is not just a bigot/homophobe, but a hell of a teacher too.

Look how goodly her students spell their words.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Right out of the right wing playbook

bush deserts his military unit to avoid a drug test and Kerry gets trashed for taking fire in Vietnam. A neanderthal entrusted with our children acts like a fucking idiot and a Mom gets sued. Thats the way they do it.

[pacalo]

13. We've stepped into the "black is white; white is black" realm.

The teacher, principal, school, & school board are the ones who need to learn a lesson in court for what they've done to this child.

[Gryffindor_Bookworm]

3. Atrios link please?

Thank you. O8)

[arcane1]

4. aside from the sheer ridiculousness of the teacher's actions.. (LINK)

who the HELL taught this child how to spell????????

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2004/12/he-explained-that-you-are-gay.html

[democracyindanger]

16. Linky?

To atrios, please?

[Dora]

22. Easy on the kid, arcane1...

The child is using invented spelling, a perfectly natural step in our literacy development. This was a disciplinary form, not a spelling test.

Now, if the teacher was spelling like that, I'd be the first one to hand you the rope.

[Wickerman]

5. Glad Terry is focussing on the imported stuff lik speling

as the comment on the site said,

What a doubleplusgood teacher! If you can't use the word "gay," than homosexuals cease to exist.

[sniffa]

6. Locking

can't say gay

[LynzM]

7. That's fucking ridiculous.

So the kid should have said, I can't tell you what 'gay' means, go look it up in a dictionary?! My God, people are fucking absurd.

[rockedthevoteinMA]

14. That's heartbreaking.

I cannot believe how narrowminded some people are. The poor family.

[rodeodance]

19. I remember reading about this story a while ago.

[LisaM]

8. Well I for one see a distressed child and that could affect his spelling

I also don't think "recess" is a word that 7 year olds necessarily know how to spell. But why this teacher isn't the town pariah by now is beyond me.

[skypilot]

9. Is it just me...

...or does lying seem to be becoming a big part of the national character over here. It is obvious what this child was reprimanded for. It is right there on the "contract". And yet this "teacher" is claiming that the child was being reprimanded for disrupting class. The act of lying seems to be taken on a whole new kind of life in this country. It's actually quite surreal. Remember Bush saying that we invaded Iraq because Saddam "wouldn't let the weapons inspectors in"?? People will lie about things that can be seen, in black and white, to be untrue. And these are the adults.

[maxsolomon]

10. the child is SEVEN

they're spelling phonetically if they don't know the word. cut him some slack.

knot a big deel, eym shure thu kid wil git betur at speling az tym goze on.

[clownskull]

18. I dunno,

I mean look at your typical geocities site, or livejournal :evilgrin:

[rocktivity]

11. It's the kid's mother and mother who ought to be suing for demfamation!

:headbang:
rocknation

[bluedeminredstate]

12. Jesus, save me from your followers!

That contract is heartbreaking from the kid's perspective. Notice the teacher underlines Gay - sort of like she wanted to use all capitals and exclamation points, but held herself to just slashing the angry underlines under that terrible, offensive word.
Talk about over reacting. Perhaps she should spend more time on letters, sounds and writing than getting all freaked out over someone's family situation.
:grr:

[colonel odis]

15. these people don't have any business teaching our children.

bigots who would try to shame a child for explaining his mother to a classmate.

[Tempest]

17. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2774005&mesg_id=2774005&page=

[Book Lover]

21. Sorry about that

Thanks for the dupe link; I was unable to find it earlier...

[ninkasi]

20. Ok, here's my opinion...

as a mother, a grandmother, and recently, a great-grandmother, this whole thing is child abuse. Abuse is not always sexual or physical abuse, there is also the kind of abuse this child received. He was ridiculed, made to feel rejected, and since his moms are the two most important people in the world for him, it must be confusing as hell trying to figure out why he should feel ashamed.

I know that the neons who are in the religious right have no compunctions whatsoever about destroying people's reputations, stealing, cheating, lying, whatever they feel is necessary to impose their will on the rest of us. It's bad enough when they do it to adults, it should be considered a criminal offense when they subject children to their hatred.

It's a pity their worship of the fetus stops, and hatred of the child begins. I can only imagine how miserable they must be, to have such hateful ways, such narrow minds, such inability to feel compassion. They need to let their misery consume their own souls, and stop taking it out on others, especially children.

[NashVegas]

23. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1036677

[Moderator]

24. Duplicate topic--Please continue discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1036677

Also, please note that--as a rule--blogs are not preferred sources for LBN.