todays WaPo has a profile of the family at the center of the fight over the sex ed curriculum in Montgomery county in MD. Michelle Turner, mother of four and member of the board revising the policy has organized Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum. by responsible they mean including a discussion of their point of view.
The board wants to foster discussions of homosexuality, portraying same-sex attraction as natural and involuntary for gay people, as something that is common and acceptable. But Turner and other opponents said science has not proved that homosexuality is genetic, that more likely it's a choice. They said that the curriculum ought to present their beliefs, as well, and that students should be taught that it is possible to avoid, or to get out of, the gay lifestyle."
like the current hypocrisy of the right on the filibuster issue those campaigning against portraying homosexuality as normal have their own inconsistencies to live with.
She added, "I will admit there could be a possibility" that in rare instances, people are born homosexual -- such as a cousin of hers.
"He's gay, and he's a great guy," she said. "He's a hairdresser. He's very artistic, very good at what he does, men's and women's hair. Fabulous decorator. And I remember playing together when we were young. . . . My brother was always into trucks and guns, knives and swords. . . . Steve was much quieter. He was much happier hanging out with the girls."
WHAT?! so the one gay you know and have known for a long time is born a homosexual, but everyone else chooses the "lifestyle"?! riiight....
i like many GLBTs am a big proponent of coming out. the more that people know us on an individual level the more accepting they become. with such a rigid world view people like Turner create exceptions and compartmentalize their feelings.
the Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum are very clear about their feelings.
from their website:
1. The new curriculum is filled with misleading messages that could promote premature sexual activity and potentially harmful lifestyle decisions. For instance, the curriculum lists "sexual identity" as one of the factors that contribute to liking oneself, and
defines "sexual identity" as "three interlocking pieces: gender identity, gender role and sexual orientation." This linkage between sexual orientation and the ability to like oneself suggests to adolescents as
young as 13 that a sex life is necessary for a good self-image.
2. The new curriculum normalizes homosexuality and presents it as morally equivalent to heterosexuality. The well documented health risks of homosexual behavior are not mentioned. A section titled "Myths Regarding Sexual Orientation" presents as "fact" some very controversial issues and matters of debate within the psychological and medical communities, e.g. "Fact: Most experts in the field have concluded that sexual orientation is not a choice." The curriculum does not inform children who may experience same gender attraction about the health risks they may encounter should they identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual.
(bolding...itals all theirs)
i did some digging around their website. as ugly as it is they are using some well known online organizing tactics and also have a blog.
they are dredging up claims by other groups like this one from a group called Article8 that contends the flyer scanned below was passed out to middle school children in Boston, a claim i find highly unlikely.
there are some jems of comments on the blog like this line:
Our wonderfully getting redder all the time Montgomery County is featured prominently:
but clearly they recognize the area's demographics from the WaPo article:
"I don't think they're purposely promoting the homosexual agenda," Turner said in her home. "I think they're just very liberal, and this is a liberal area. And they just assumed that this was something everybody wanted to hear about."
She shrugged.
"Maybe they just figured nobody was going to bat an eye at it, and life would go on."
their argument is that they dont want their kids to hear about it. well then just opt out for christ sakes! this about more than their children hearing about homosexuality in a non loaded context. this is about being able to spread their hate filled perspective.
i am intrigued by the group's tag line: Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum - Safe Schools, Safe Students. what a frame job, they are implying that by including discussion of homosexuality without it being stigmatized as something unnatural they we are creating unsafe schools.