Parents of third graders outraged at diversity tape

[Dalilah]

In my state, Virginia, my best friend of 28 years and her wife of 10 years cannot adopt a child, despite the fact that they are both hardworking Pharmacists who worked their way through undergrad, graduate school (they both have a Masters) and then Pharmacy school. Their relationship is a loving, healthy and well-adjusted one and their lifestyle consists of taking good physical, emotional, financial and mental care of themselves, working hard and paying their taxes, volunteering their time and skills to the needy, and being non-judgmental towards others. They are willing to adopt older children of any and every background. But, apparently, the fact that they have sex with each other is much more important to some folks than all of that silly other stuff.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

In my state, Virginia, my best friend of 28 years and her wife of 10 years cannot adopt a child, despite the fact that they are both hardworking Pharmacists who worked their way through undergrad, graduate school (they both have a Masters) and then Pharmacy school. Their relationship is a loving, healthy and well-adjusted one and their lifestyle consists of taking good physical, emotional, financial and mental care of themselves, working hard and paying their taxes, volunteering their time and skills to the needy, and being non-judgmental towards others. They are willing to adopt older children of any and every background. But, apparently, the fact that they have sex with each other is much more important to some folks than all of that silly other stuff.

That's a damn shame. Do they have any friends willing to do them "the favor"?

 

[Dalilah]

That's a damn shame. Do they have any friends willing to do them "the favor"?

Well, there are days when I'm tempted to give them my own daughter!

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Again...let me repeat myself here...Last time I checked, respect of themselves and their peers were huge issues in our schools. If I am to understand correctly what some people are against is this: Showing a film about interracial parents, single parents, grandparents raising children, physically challenged parents, foreign parents, non-interracial parents, mentally challenged parents, poor parents, wealthy parents, vegetarian parents, straight parents, and gay parents with the list being endless to the children of those parents! Hmmmm...WHERE is the rational argument here?!

Now, let's discuss the killings at our schools and the reasons being given from the alleged/convicted perps that haven't taken their own lives or the police haven't had to put down. These children have parents, but their parents have said they didn't have a clue that their own kids were going to go to school to wipe out teachers, other students, and anyone in their way! Bullying was the number one reason. Being different and misunderstood was the reason for the bullying. The killers felt victimized by others or were the bullies themselves.

Do you see the relationship to this thread? Some of you are against teaching ALL children equally to respect others who come from different backgrounds or are considered different by 'normal' standards. If you do not teach your child at home that there ARE in fact DIFFERENT backgrounds (ie. too young to know about gay parents, etc.)...how are you going to teach them to respect those children living in those homes? And if ALL parents don't teach their children equally at home, isn't it up to SOMEONE to teach children responsibly before your Johnny pulls out an AK-47 and mows down an entire group of "different" kids he hates or because Johnny sees himself as a victim and the "different" one then goes on a killing spree?

We, and I say that because it is the generation of children WE are raising, have children killing other children. It IS a problem we need to face and address. The parents of the accused/convicted/deceased killers turned a blind eye to the warning signs at home or their kids hid their feelings/intentions so well no one knew. (Has to be one or the other.) Also, the children whom the killers perceived as "bullies" might have been treating them with disrespect due their lack of knowledge of basic human value. In either case, if those same children were taught at an early age a respect for human life and everyone's right to be different...no matter how their own parents viewed, discussed, didn't discuss, or taught them at home...is it possible we could have circumvented even ONE murder? Sadly, we will never know. Even a film such as this one, shown to them in the 3rd grade, MIGHT have made such a difference though. This isn't about sexuality, religion, race, or creed...this is about TEACHING AND LEARNING RESPECT FOR OTHER HUMANS AND THE RIGHTS OF A HUMAN LIVING IN AMERICA. (We do have more rights here than other countries.)

Some people in this thread immediately made it about sex, religion, and bias then went on the defense. You lead by example and this is the very reason someone else needs to intervene to teach them it has nothing to do with ANYTHING BUT HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPECT instead of going off subject on to tangents.

I WANT this taught in public schools. I do not want ONE other child to die due to discrimination or lack of understanding. THAT child could be yours or mine! In order to stop this trend, society as a whole has to begin somewhere!

 

[angarella]

I would rather either of my children be a gay and a happy, content compassionate person than a straight and miserable evil brat punk that I see every day at their schools and neighborhood.



Now, :silenced: before I :bang: myself.

 

[Dark Knight]

Just get her a bigger thong and the nervous tic will stop! :woohoo:

By the way, did you hear? I'm a lib!! :doh:

RINO! :slap: :crazy:

 

[IrishMist]

YEE HAW!!!!!!!!!! I'm definately in with the Dykes on Bikes.

Just don't go totally topless, Jeana... Pleeeeaase wear a helmet!

I wanna go too! But I'm afraid of motorcycles

What if I bring a three-wheeler? We could be Dykes on Trikes!

 

[Kitty5001]

This is to all the LIBERALS out there:

How can you be republican and athiest at the same time? didn't anyone ever teach you that the principals this country was founded on was under GOD -oops did I use the G word? The same G*D that our morals and values are based on. OH wait...now I get it you believe in evolution. There are NO values in evolution and YES I believe that being gay is a sin and we should punish the sinners - David Crosby is out of sperm anyway. Look who's spitting Pepsi out now! Makin' sure it reaches the bucket out there in Virginia though. Oh forget it you liberals are just too darn funny. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[narlacat]

And very welcome ye shall be!

You and Jeana have hit the proverbial nail precisely on the head: this about how the children are treated.

Like I give a flying fig whether a bunch of 8-year-olds "approve" of my relationship with my partner. But whether our children and grandchildren are ostracized is another matter indeed.

You would not believe the abuse my stepdaughter suffered in COLLEGE, because she had a picture of her dad and I on her dorm room wall. (No, we weren't even touching in the photo, but when people asked who we were, she told them honestly.)

And she went to a very liberal, private school in Massachusetts! But it was over 10 years ago; maybe with a little diversity education, things will be different for her children. I hope so. Their only "sin" is being loyal to their family (which is supposed to be a conservative value)!

Geez.
Poor girl.
That's sad Nova, good for her for being honest.

 

[Kymistry35]

Since when do "morals" and "values" include bigotry and hatred?

I agree that parents should know beforehand what their children are being taught in order to facilitate conversation and further learning in the home.

If parents are so opposed to diversity, they shouldn't be sending their children to public schools.

Thank God we've never had to deal with such crap. At least not to our faces. My husband is Black, I am Caucasian and my daughter is both. We have rarely dealt with any intolerance and I know I'd be very intolerant of any intolerance in this regard. Ha!

I am also in an interracial marriage but unfortunately, my kids are not always treated so kindly. My neighbors do not allow their kids to play with mine, and they have gotten teased and called ugly names. The only place that they felt well received was when they went to a 99% black school.

 

[Melisinde]

This is to all the LIBERALS out there:

How can you be republican and athiest at the same time? didn't anyone ever teach you that the principals this country was founded on was under GOD -oops did I use the G word? The same G*D that our morals and values are based on. OH wait...now I get it you believe in evolution. There are NO values in evolution and YES I believe that being gay is a sin and we should punish the sinners - David Crosby is out of sperm anyway. Look who's spitting Pepsi out now! Makin' sure it reaches the bucket out there in Virginia though. Oh forget it you liberals are just too darn funny. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

I don't get it. You are whatever you choose to identify yourself as. I mean, I identify as Republican... but I believe in gay marriage and I'm pro-choice. I'm also Roman Catholic which is another way I'm contradictory because the Catholic church condemns gay marriage, abortion... oh, and they condemn my birth control pills too. I'm still Catholic though and it won't stop me from going to church every Sunday.

I'm curious as to how anyone being gay directly affects you. I'm really serious too. It's like when I used to get mad about people in my classes cheating or relying too much on others to get good grades. I thought about it for a second and came to the conclusion that:

1.) I earn my own grades. Why do I care if someone else gets a C or a D?
2.) They're not paying for my education. I am.

My point is... who made you God and who made it so that you can decide who gets punished for sins or not? Being gay is not a crime so it's not punishable by law enforcement. "Sins" are left to God... so He is the only one who can punish, no?

 

[IrishMist]

Amen! And the notion that a same-sex relationship is exclusively about sexuality is an adult view that should not be imposed on children.

My grandchildren (age 1, 3, 6) don't think about their gay grandfathers' sex life, any more than they think about their parents' sex life.

From the description provided, the video simply acknowledges that families come in all kinds and I fail to see how children can be harmed by learning that truth.

IrishMist, I hope this thread has shown you why diversity must be taught in public schools. Too many parents simply can't be trusted.

I can kind of see your point. And SCM really had me thinking, too.

I just hate the thought of anyone being able to teach your children anything just because they think it's right.

The religous folks that would have LOVED to get their ideas into my kids public schools thought that it would be right. That they would only be teaching my kids what's right. The way I looked at it was "I don't want that gobbely-gook anywhere near my children." Why? Because I think it's BS.

Now, turn that around. I would like to see gay acceptance taught in schools. Why? Because I think it's right. But what about those parents that think it's gobbely-gook and BS?

Now, where you and SCM (and others) have me thinking is what I see to be a growing acceptance for gays. (At least at the high school level) Where did that come from? I don't think it came from the home... as a friend of my daughter's came to live with us for awhile after his parent's kicked him out for coming out. As evidenced by a couple of their friends who are out at college, but not to their parents.

When I think about my ex-husband. If he had learned that it was ok to be gay... would he have married three times, trying to prove to himself and the world that he wasn't gay? He stole 10 years of my life. It would have saved me and my children alot of heartache if only he could have been who he was. (is)

So, maybe you and SCM, and many others, here are right. Maybe it does need to be taught in the schools.

 

[narlacat]

I am also in an interracial marriage but unfortunately, my kids are not always treated so kindly. My neighbors do not allow their kids to play with mine, and they have gotten teased and called ugly names. The only place that they felt well received was when they went to a 99% black school.

Omg.

Call me naive, I just don't get that.

I am sorry your kids get treated that way Princess, they would be most welcome at my place.

 

[Dalilah]

I don't get it. You are whatever you choose to identify yourself as. I mean, I identify as Republican... but I believe in gay marriage and I'm pro-choice. I'm also Roman Catholic which is another way I'm contradictory because the Catholic church condemns gay marriage, abortion... oh, and they condemn my birth control pills too. I'm still Catholic though and it won't stop me from going to church every Sunday.

I'm curious as to how anyone being gay directly affects you. I'm really serious too. It's like when I used to get mad about people in my classes cheating or relying too much on others to get good grades. I thought about it for a second and came to the conclusion that:

1.) I earn my own grades. Why do I care if someone else gets a C or a D?
2.) They're not paying for my education. I am.

My point is... who made you God and who made it so that you can decide who gets punished for sins or not? Being gay is not a crime so it's not punishable by law enforcement. "Sins" are left to God... so He is the only one who can punish, no?

I'm not sure it's even worth responding to this person, Melisinde. It seems this person is terribly confused and extremely judgmental toward anyone who isn't as confused as he/she is.

 

[IrishMist]

This is to all the LIBERALS out there:

How can you be republican and athiest at the same time? didn't anyone ever teach you that the principals this country was founded on was under GOD -oops did I use the G word? The same G*D that our morals and values are based on. OH wait...now I get it you believe in evolution. There are NO values in evolution and YES I believe that being gay is a sin and we should punish the sinners - David Crosby is out of sperm anyway. Look who's spitting Pepsi out now! Makin' sure it reaches the bucket out there in Virginia though. Oh forget it you liberals are just too darn funny. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Perfect example of why I didn't want those religious folks anywhere near my kids, teaching them right and wrong!! :doh:

 

[Dalilah]

I am also in an interracial marriage but unfortunately, my kids are not always treated so kindly. My neighbors do not allow their kids to play with mine, and they have gotten teased and called ugly names. The only place that they felt well received was when they went to a 99% black school.

Oh sheesh! That's awful! I am so sorry for your family. I suppose my family has been much more fortunate than I had originally thought.

 

[narlacat]

This is to all the LIBERALS out there:

How can you be republican and athiest at the same time? didn't anyone ever teach you that the principals this country was founded on was under GOD -oops did I use the G word? The same G*D that our morals and values are based on. OH wait...now I get it you believe in evolution. There are NO values in evolution and YES I believe that being gay is a sin and we should punish the sinners - David Crosby is out of sperm anyway. Look who's spitting Pepsi out now! Makin' sure it reaches the bucket out there in Virginia though. Oh forget it you liberals are just too darn funny. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Omg.

I shouldnt have got up this morning.

Unbelievable.

I'm speechless.

 

[Melisinde]

I'm not sure it's even worth responding to this person, Melisinde. It seems this person is terribly confused and extremely judgmental toward anyone who isn't as confused as he/she is.

Maybe not. I'm just trying to understand. I remember there was a thread awhile back about gay marriage. While I don't remember the particulars, I remember one person came forward and said that gays should not be allowed to marry. When a lot of people came forward and asked why not and then gave some good reasons, the person actually recanted their position and said that you know what, they really COULDN'T see a good reason why gay marriage should be illegal.

I just honestly cannot understand the viewpoint and I want to be able to. It's just something that is interesting to me and I'll be willing to listen to anyone give me reasons for why it should not be allowed. I just myself cannot think of ONE reason why it shouldn't be.

 

[Kitty5001]

Oooh I know religion is sooooooooo BAAD!

 

[Nova]

Geez.
Poor girl.
That's sad Nova, good for her for being honest.

She is nothing short of admirable in every way!

She never even told us what was going on, because she knew we would feel bad. One of her roommates told us about it after graduation.

We feel so fortunate our grandkids have her for a mother (and their dad for a father - he's amazing, too!).