Public School Runs Contest For Best Anti-Gay Essay

[readmoreoften]

Here is a repost of a OP from Kweerwolf in the GLBT section. This is crr-azy.

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An essay contest at a New Mexico high school asks students to explain why preserving marriage between men and women is vital to society and why unborn children merit respect and protection.

The contest, at Farmington's Piedra Vista High School, is being held in connection with an essay contest sponsored by United Families International, an organization whose primary mission is "to strengthen the family by promoting marriage between one man and woman and the protection of human life, including unborn children."

The students were given the option of either writing a response to two questions about preserving marriage and the protection of the “unborn” or submitting a personal narrative.

The parent of a sophomore at the school complained about the contest to the ACLU.

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon05/11/112505essay.htm

[Ken Burch]

1. As the song says:

"You have to be carefully taught".

[Hekate]

2. Lawsuit, lawsuit!

That's grossly offensive. I hope the ACLU takes the case.

Hekate

[regnaD kciN]

4. The big question, legally...

...is whether the school itself is running the contest, or whether it is merely publicizing a third-party contest from this group.

When I was in public high school, there were several contests like this, each with a conservative message of one kind or another, but, since the school itself wasn't running the contests, they were on solid legal ground.

The best way to handle this, it seems to me, would be to form a group similar to this one, and sponsor an essay contest on why tolerance and non-discrimination based on sexual orientation are vital to American democracy, and the "right to choose" an indispensible part of the personal freedom upon which this country was based. ;-) Then see if this school treats such a contest equally. If they decide that such a contest is "inappropriate," then you have grounds for action.

[Hekate]

12. Exactly right, Nick. Planned Parenthood could possibly be a sponsor

PP has some really good outreach programs for teens -- if they were willing to enter the fray, an essay contest could be right up their alley.

I was thinking the school in this case was the sponsor or conduit for a single ideology. Now that you mention it I recall one of my HS classmates -- a nice Goldwater Republican kid -- entered such an essay contest, but it was only one of several different opportunities available to us.

Hekate

[punpirate]

3. Farmington...

... is smack dab in the middle of the oil/coal patch of New Mexico, and is a stronghold of traditional conservatism in the state. I'm not too surprised that this sort of thing would surface there.

What's going to come of this is a raft of highly sophistic, mediocre essays affirming white, Christian control of the community. There's an underground racism to the community that is probably 150 years old.

[NMMNG]

5. How does promoting discrimination protect the family?

:eyes:

[Yollam]

6. Schools should not be taking sides on controversial political issues.

How offensive to dictate to the kids what they should think of the legality of gay marriage.

And to be fair, I think it would be just as wrong for a school to have a position that fundies who don't approve of gay marriage are wrong.

Fundies have every right to disapprove of same-sex marriage, they just shouldn't have the right to deprive gays of their constitutional rights.

And another thing, this school is probably violating separation of church and state since its argument for "traditional marriage" is undoubtedly based on Christian beliefs, and has nothing to do with universally held moral or ethical values.

[NMMNG]

7. Indeed

The problem with Fundies is that they are trying in myriad ways to push their religion into the schools, and some schools are actually allowing it. It needs to stop.


And welcome to DU by the way.

[Yollam]

8. Thank you!

And welcome to the wonderful world of... ME!

}( :toast: :silly:

[newyawker99]

16. Hi Yollam!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Yollam]

17. Back atcha.

:toast:

[Solly Mack]

9. Precisely. It doesn't

It doesn't promote the family and it doesn't promote the good of the society.

[Lusted4]

10. What ever happened to math and science?

They're trying to brainwash our children when we are not around.

[Mutley]

11. I wonder if any will mention they are only pro-life

when it comes to unborn babies. Once you're out of the womb, though, GOOD LUCK!

[zbdent]

13. How about an essay on protecting BORN children?

hmm???

[seabeyond]

14. i wrote an email and received one back. have to do some research

Dear Ms. XXXX,

We do not promote or teach material that infringes on students' rights.
As the article in the Albuquerque Journal conveyed, we received the information from the New Mexico Public Education Department and were asked to pass it on to teachers.

Respectfully,

Donny Ortiz, Principal
Piedra Vista High School

i suggested they write an essay on how divorce screws kids and families up and there is plenty of scripture in the bible to use as documentation

[booksenkatz]

15. I'd write an essay that SUPPORTS their agenda!

"Defining marriage as an institution between men and women is vital to society if the society you're trying to create is one that is bigoted, ignorant and hate-filled."

"Unborn children merit respect and protection, in fact they are the ONLY entity that matters, in a Republican regime. After a child is born, a Republican-run society won't give two shits about him."

And so on. Rub their faces in it.