Marcus, your family is a "dirty word."

[Kuciwalker]

I see nothing wrong with using gay as a pejorative. I do it all the time - it's just a figure of speech, and a relatively versatile one.

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
The word "gay" is vernacular and often used as a perjorative. Perhaps the boy should have used the word "homosexual" or "lesbian".

But that's not what got little marcus into trouble is it? It was the brute's he has for teacher repulsiveness of the fact that he has two moms. I sincerely hope there's a lawsuit here after all that happened in the US. At last one good thing can come out of the "suitmania" that reigns there.

[Ben Kenobi]

I move to ban you from Apolyton.

Your powers have dwindled Sir Thorn. I fear thee not.

[Kuciwalker]

Now Thorn is just being ridiculous.

[Ben Kenobi]

Kenobi you are sinner burn in hell for all eternity!

Sig material. Might as well replace the Demogames.

[mrmitchell]

If a kid asked another kid what "straight" meant and he said "that's when you (boy) like a girl" or "you (girl) like a boy", would he have gotten in as much trouble?

Since a kid initiated it--it wasn't exactly the child yelling out "BEING GAY IS..." or the teacher saying "Now Marcus, explain the sin of your mother" then the teacher should be shamed 100x more. What, are you just going to let the other kid's question hang unanswered? And is it only okay to talk about your heterosexual parents, not your homosexual ones? Bah. I'm disgusted.

And why should this be left to the parents to teach anyways, as the teacher feebly attempted to use as a defense? It's a fact, and Marcus got it right. Homosexuality is being attracted to humans of the same sex as yourself. There's no different way for a parent to teach it. Now, a parent could teach a lie falsely resembling gayness ("and then Billy, every day when they wake up they pray to Satan before engaging in their Sin"), however.

Conclusions?
-the school is staffed by homophobes
-the teacher should be reprimanded some way
-the teacher and principal (was he involved, again? I forgot) should apologize
-the teacher and principal should both have to go to an hour-long sensitivity workshop where they have to write "My students can discuss things I disagree with" 100x over

[Ben Kenobi]

The kid wasn't explaining the mechanics of it.

True, but 'liking' a woman doesn't really explain what it means to be gay. I would rather avoid having to discuss what it means to be gay.

[mrmitchell]

True, but 'liking' a woman doesn't really explain what it means to be gay.

Wtf? It does too. Unless you want to REQUIRE that every definition of it be filled with explicit details.

It seemed like that definition satisfied the person who was asking him, at least.

[Ben Kenobi]

Keeping them in the closet and treating sex like some sort of unspeakable taboo is just going to make them ignorant and confused.

True, but Osweld, one could argue that schools are a poor venue for sex education that ought to take place in the home. I know that's where I learned, and probably the reason why I don't have a kid at this point. All the schools teach is you that if you use a condom you'll be fine.

[Ben Kenobi]

The kid spoke the truth, and it was devoid of any explicitness or luridness.

That's not the truth, though. Are you gay because you like men? I have many friends I like, though that would not make me gay.

For all your calls for honesty, why do you allow a lie when it suits your cause?

Therefore, I ask that you instruct your child to talk about his religion, because, as we all know, your religion ought to have no bearing on your child rearing.

Boris:

What double standard? Where have I said that religion ought to be taught by the teachers in class?

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


True, but Osweld, one could argue that schools are a poor venue for sex education that ought to take place in the home. I know that's where I learned, and probably the reason why I don't have a kid at this point. All the schools teach is you that if you use a condom you'll be fine.

And they also do things like this when a kid mentions something about sex. This is why they are not good venues.

[mrmitchell]

That's not the truth, though. Are you gay because you like men? I have many friends I like, though that would not make me gay.

Yes. Here, both participants in the discussion and the homophobe nitwit staffs knew that they meant "like" like as in "love" as in "****ing with dudes".

But just as it's okay to say "fiddlesticks" instead of "holy ****", it's also okay to say "like" instead of "****ing".

[Ben Kenobi]

Here, both participants in the discussion and the homophobe nitwit staffs knew that they meant "like" like as in "love" as in "****ing with dudes".

I think the 'so-called' homophobe staff had more problems with the family than the word like.

And your spurious point has little to do with the point at hand. When I juse the word Fiddlesticks, I'm not using that in place of an oath.

I don't think that the kids meant that when talking about like.

[Thorn]

True, but Osweld, one could argue that schools are a poor venue for sex education that ought to take place in the home. I know that's where I learned, and probably the reason why I don't have a kid at this point. All the schools teach is you that if you use a condom you'll be fine.

My BF came from a conservative background his parents didn't teach him anything about sex education, probably why most of his relatives have knocked up their girlfriends not even knowing what they were doing was sex. He was told that gay people were evil people, and that was it, the end of the explanation.

You are leaving too much up to the parents, unless you like ignorance to continue on through generations it is a bad idea.

[St Leo]

Kids are allowed to say "My dad's blond. My mom likes blonde guys.", right? Being disciplined for that is comparable to being disciplined for this.

At the top, teacher Terry L. Bethea wrote: "He explained to another child that you are gay (underlined twice), and what gay means."

Just pointing out the key paragraph.^-^