If you're looking for a candidate diary, this isn't it. These days that means maybe 20 people will read it, but oh well. You gotta talk when you have something to say, right? This won't wait until the primaries are over.
Friday is the National Day of Silence. In case you're unfamiliar with it, it's a day during which students remain silent to protest the harassment and bullying that the GLBT community has to deal with on a daily basis from people who say they love Jesus. You can learn more about it here.
This diary isn't so much about the Day of Silence as it is about a rabid group of parents who are opposing it in Arizona—as in, there's about 300 parents or so who really don't want anyone to suggest that maybe bullying is bad.
Desert Ridge High School is part of the Gilbert Public Schools District in east Mesa. They have had a GLASS club (that's Gay, Lesbian, And Straight Supporters) for three years, and the Day of Silence has been recognized by those students each year with little comment or even notice by the community at large. The kids go to their classes, don't talk, and if anyone asks them why, they give out a little preprinted card explaining that they're protesting harassment, etc.
But now, for some reason, people in the community have completely lost their minds. Today, a group calling themselves "DRHS Parents for Truth" (wow, the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth have inspired the masses) papered the parking lot with propaganda accusing the administration and the district of promoting an immoral lifestyle. The flyer also urges parents to keep their children home from school that day to protest the event. Wanna read it? Eat an antacid first, then check it out here.
Here's a couple of bits from that flyer I find especially stupid:
Students at Desert Ridge have not been allowed to voice opposition to this day or wear clothing that states their opposition.
These people don't voice opposition to the day: they voice opposition to gay people. That's harassment, intimidation, and bullying, son! It's not allowed! And, uh, incidentally, it's what the Day of Silence is ABOUT. The gay kids aren't trying to make your kids gay, okay? The gay kids just want your kids to leave them the hell alone! Oh, and the clothing they're referring to is T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "It's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." That is not voicing opposition to the day. That's attacking a group of people, and it's also not allowed.
O shame, where is thy blush?
Join us in keeping your children out of school on Friday, April 25, 2008 in order to send a message to the school administration, school board, our community and our country that we do not believe that social or political activism should be allowed in our schools.
Oh, you mean activism like putting these flyers on everyone's cars and then handing them out on campus?
The school fully expects parent protesters and television crews to be hanging around on Friday, all protesting the Day of Silence. Watch: if it's a slow news day and somebody engages these people, it'll go national. This Day of Silence is being observed at hundreds of schools nationwide, but for some reason Desert Ridge is being targeted to be somebody's test case.
This has been brewing for a few weeks. Here's an article detailing how originally the kids weren't going to be able to put up any posters advertising the event and informing people how to sign up to participate, but then the district lawyers (if you read between the lines) told them, hey, you know what, if you don't let them advertise but you let the Christian groups advertise See You At the Pole Day (a national day o' prayer round the flagpole), you're going to get your asses sued and you're going to lose. Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster for the Constitution, eh? And in this East Valley Tribune storyhere, you find out that there's this internet organization targeting schools for allowing the Day of Silence to be observed. Yeesh.
OK, so now, hot off the presses, there's a story just now posted about how parents plan to keep their kids home on Friday. The bigots get themselves named and quoted, and they're proud. Thankfully, there are also some quotes from the GLASS advisor who says that this is not about gay rights, it's about bullying.
I guess you have haters everywhere, but what gets me is that these PARENTS have totally disrupted the education of 2,300 students who are now going to be dealing with a media circus and taking sides when they could have just been quietly learning their Great Gatsby and their binomial equations.
The point we need to take home? We really need to elect Democrats who will actually protect and defend the Constitution. It's all that's keeping us from the ugly yoke of theocracy.