One extremely odd story from Chicago Sun-Times
May 13, 2007
A suit was filed on behalf of a 12-year-old girl who claims she suffered psychological distress when a teacher showed in class the gay-themed movie "Brokeback Mountain."
The girl, Jessica Turner, and her grandparents Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, are seeking more than $400,000 in damages under the suit filed Friday against the Chicago Board of Education and others.
....
"According to the suit, a substitute teacher introduced herself as Ms. Buford to Jessica's class..."
"She then said, "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class," the suit claims. Buford then had a student close the door, and started showing the controversial R-rated film, which features two men engaged in sex.
The suit alleges Ashburn's principal, Jewel A. Diaz, was aware that the tale of the love between two cowboys set in the West of the 1960s was being shown to the minors.
...
The suit claims Jessica continues to suffer from emotional distress caused by watching the film and is currently undergoing psychological treatment and counseling.
Comments on the story by Steve Benen from crooksandliars.com
I saw "Brokeback Mountain" a while ago and thought it was excellent. It hardly seemed like the kind of film that could cause "psychological distress."
This might be a tough call for the right. On the one hand, they hate frivolous lawsuits. On the other hand, they hate gay people. What’s a conservative movement to do?
Normally I am solidly in agreement with what the people from Crooks and Liars have to say. And as a teacher, I am usually against those "frivolous lawsuits" of which the blogger speaks. But I have to disagree with the bloggers comments that this is just about conservatives hating on gay people and randomly suing school districts.
I'd like to start by noting that this is all alleged and I'm only going off of what's in the Sun-Times report.
No matter what your political views are, and what you personally think about "Brokeback Mountain", we have to ask the question, why was this shown in a class to 12-year olds? First, it's a headache to show any R-rated movie in class, since you have to clear it with administration and get permission slips. Secondly, is that movie that good of a teaching tool? If we show our middle-school aged children scenes of homosexual sex, or really any sex, are we teaching them anything? I can think of a thousand better ways to teach about diversity, acceptance, gay rights, and so on than showing Brokeback Mountain, just like I can think of a thousand better ways to teach say, World War II other than showing "Saving Private Ryan" (I'm a history teacher), or any other Hollywood movie.
To sum up my point, why show a movie like that in the first place? That's a lazy and awful way to teach a topic or idea. Also, why no permission slips? They're frickin' 12-year olds! What were the teacher, or the substitute, or the administration (if they were truly aware of this movie showing) thinking?
Should there be a $400,000 judgment against the school district if proven to be somehow responsible? No, I don't think so. Should there be some sort of consequences (reprimand, suspension) for a possibly stupid teacher and a possibly culpable administrator? Yes.
NOTE: I'd like to point out that my issue is as much with the original story and alleged incident as it is with the blog commentary from Crooks and Liars.