A federal judge slapped a restraining order May 5 on the sex ed curriculum in dark blue Montgomery County, Maryland.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/05/AR2005050501189_pf.html
Judge Alexander Williams Jr., a Clinton appointee by the way, bought the line of organized neo-Christian bigots that the curriculum promotes "the homosexual lifestyle."
While the neo-Christian bigots were highly organized, there was not a progressive, or human rights advocate in sight. The school board had to shoulder this fight all by themselves.
The curriculum includes a non-judgmental discussion of homosexuality. The teacher's manual includes guidance for teachers on the attitudes of different religious denominations on homosexuality. All of this made the neo-Christian bigots go nuts.
The neo-Christian bigots had a well-organized and well-financed legal challenge. The forces of light were nowhere to be found. It would have helped the school board if some organization had intervened in the case on the school board's side. Not on anybody's radar screen, I guess. And right in the shadow of all these Washington-based public interest groups. Oh well, can't be bothered.
The bigots were widely quoted in the press with their extreme and bigoted views. The response came from the school board president and the school board lawyer, who were constrained by their positions of responsibility from giving a full-throated defense.
Defenders of gays and other progressive sorts are probably not even aware aware this is happening. After all how could right-wing bigots have any influence in good old liberal Montgomery County?
Well it's happening. The news quotes the bigots talking about the curriculum promoting the "homosexual lifestyle." I would like to know what that means.
What is the heterosexual lifestyle? Happy, two-parent, 1.8-child families? Guys sitting in front of their computers all night downloading pornography? That lady on Desperate Housewives banging her husband's gardener?
The judge agrees with the bigots that homosexuality is a lifestyle not an orientation. Nobody told him differently.
The reason the right keeps winning in America is that they are organized. The left can't be complacent.
This shows how people's rights can disappear before they even know what is happening. Wake up Montgomery! You're being invaded by pod people.