Parents of first-grade girl angered by children's book about gay princes

Star Tribune ^ | March 18, 2004 | Associated Press

[wallcrawlr]

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The parents of a first-grader are fuming over the book their daughter brought home from the school library: a children's story about a prince whose true love turns out to be another prince.

Michael Hartsell said he and his wife, Tonya, couldn't believe it when Prince Bertie, the leading character in ``King & King,'' waves off a bevy of eligible princes before falling for Prince Lee.

The book ends with the princes marrying and sharing a kiss.

``I was flabbergasted,'' Hartsell said. ``My child is not old enough to understand something like that, especially when it is not in our beliefs.''

The 32-page book by Linda De Haan and Stern Nijland was published in March 2002 by Tricycle Press, the children's division of Ten Speed Press of Berkeley, Calif. A follow-up, ``King & King & Family,'' was recently published.

The publisher's Web site lists the books as intended for readers age 6 and up.

Barbara Hawley, librarian and media coordinator at Freeman Elementary School, said the book has been on the library's shelves since early last year.

``What might be inappropriate for one family, in another family is a totally acceptable thing,'' said Elizabeth Miars, Freeman's principal.

Hawley said she couldn't comment on the book because she hadn't seen it. She declined to say whether she knowingly selected a book on gay marriage.

The Hartsells said they are keeping the book until they get assurances it won't be circulated. But Hawley said all county schools have a committee that reviews books after their appropriateness is questioned, and the Hartsells must make a written complaint and return the book for review.

The Hartsells said they intend to file such a complaint and are considering transferring their daughter.

[MississippiMan]

For some odd reason they feel compelled to spread their mental illness throughout society.

The vast majority of them know full well that what they're doing is wrong, gross, unnatural. They bury that knowledge, but it's still there, embedded in the human psyche just as surely as a tendency to swim is embedded in a fish. Simply put, they're desperate to feel normal and are willing to destroy society in an attempt to make that happen. And they, or their allies, now control the information flow to the masses, from around five years old to the grave.

We have almost NO chance of stopping this juggernaut, because the masses just don't care enough to know what's being fed to their children many hours per day. The current generation of children, by the time they reach adulthood, will see nothing wrong with homosexuality. God may get fed up with this and a multitude of other amoral behavior, and judge us before then, but if not, in twenty years, the American public will treat homosexuality as perfectly normal. Christianity will be considered fringe.

MM

[Quix]

That sounds like the best idea . . . not your nickel for being overdue if checked back in, first.

from my library experience.

high shelves and bottom shelves tend to also have less browsers.

And, one could figure out what to do with the book in an envelope relative to the bottom of the 2nd to the bottom shelf--with no prints, to be extra safe.

[tractorman]

Maybe some day the ACLU will convince the Supreme Court to declare public education unconstitutional. or maybe not.

[DLfromthedesert]

I remember when my son was in grade school, another volunteer mother and I were horrified when we discovered some books on witchcraft and demons with truly demonic illustrations.

We did file a complaint, and the books were removed.

Parents should volunteer at their childrens' schools so they can monitor what is being taught and unobtrusively inject positive ideas into these young minds.

[EdReform]

Ping

What We Can Do To Help Defeat the "Gay" Agenda

Homosexual Agenda: Categorical Index of Links (Version 1.1)

The Stamp of Normality

[Quix]

I still disagree.

It is NOT 100% of homosexuals who are angry, hostile.

I suppose SOME case could be made that 100% of them have SOME degree of loathing of themselves and a good percentage of those would have SOME anger toward themselves. But that also would not be 100%

BTW, my PhD program in Clinical Psych was involved in revising the DSM III because we had so many nationally known experts on our faculty--who had come to San Diego to retire.

I disagree that it's not an abnormal mental/social/emotional/spiritual state. It is NOT normal.

But many homosexuals are not hostile to anyone. Many are incredibly gentle, kind etc. Many have no desire to inflict their malady nor their behaviors on anyone else. And, many of them certainly have no desire to strike out at others. They would prefer to slink away to some dark hiding place somewhere.

The majority, imho, would PREFER to be heterosexual and many have tried more or less as well as they know how but without sufficient help of sufficient quality or without sufficient perseverence, though many have tried very hard for decades.

Once deeply entrenched, it's not an easy thing for most to overcome short of a miracle of Holy Spirit. Some, like some alcoholics, are delivered instantly by a miraculous touch of Holy Spirit. But most are not.

Actually, I suspect there may be at least an equal or greater portion of heterosexuals who are MORE HOSTILE toward homosexuals than vice versa.

Compassion though firm and wise does more good than raw, mindless hostility for most any problem.

[EdReform]

The Queering of Elementary Education marches on:

Targeting Children - Part two: How the homosexual movement uses public schools as instruments of change

"GLSEN activist and New York kindergarten teacher Jaki Williams said starting in kindergarten is a must, since children at that age are still developing their ideas about the world around them. Even at that age, she said, “the saturation process needs to begin.”

Williams, in fact, is a model teacher when it comes to this “saturation” process. She regularly initiates conversations with her children by reading to them such controversial books as Heather Has Two Mommies, Daddy’s Roommate, and One Dad, Two Dads, Browns Dads, Blue Dads. She also hosts a viewing of the video Both of My Moms’ Names Are Judy: Children of Lesbians and Gays Speak Out, produced by a San Francisco pro-homosexual advocacy group.

According to one writer for The Lambda Report, who infiltrated a 1997 GLSEN workshop, one former teacher admitted that changing the mind of a child required more than a one-time effort. She said she had to expose her children to a constant stream of homosexual words and images, because "It’s really a conditioning process."

(Gay) School Days

"What would schools look like if they were run by homosexual activists? In California, parents are learning the answer.

PARENTAL ADVISORY: Portions of this article may be inappropriate for young readers.

"...All the second- through fifth-graders at Pleasant Valley School had been called to an assembly, where they learned slogans like "I'm gay and it's OK," reinforced by various skits-like one in which Rapunzel cut her hair and ran away with her girlfriend. The show made an impact. "Daddy, am I a lesbian?" one third-grade girl asked. "I like girls better than boys." The group behind the assembly bore an innocent-sounding name, Cootie Shots. But it turned out to be an offshoot of Fringe Benefits, a theater group that gets public funds for "tolerance of diversity" performances in high schools and middle schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District. Now the group is targeting much younger kids, because-in the words of a longtime Fringe Benefits booster, Steven Hicks of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) of Los Angeles-"It is imperative to begin addressing these issues in the elementary schools as early as possible."..."

Teaching Kindergarten Kids About 'Human Differences' and Homosexuality Isn't 'Easy' in Newton

Queering the Schools (excerpt posted here )

GLSEN and Its Influence on Children

(Gay) School Days

"What would schools look like if they were run by homosexual activists? In California, parents are learning the answer.

PARENTAL ADVISORY: Portions of this article may be inappropriate for young readers.

"...All the second- through fifth-graders at Pleasant Valley School had been called to an assembly, where they learned slogans like "I'm gay and it's OK," reinforced by various skits-like one in which Rapunzel cut her hair and ran away with her girlfriend. The show made an impact. "Daddy, am I a lesbian?" one third-grade girl asked. "I like girls better than boys." The group behind the assembly bore an innocent-sounding name, Cootie Shots. But it turned out to be an offshoot of Fringe Benefits, a theater group that gets public funds for "tolerance of diversity" performances in high schools and middle schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District. Now the group is targeting much younger kids, because-in the words of a longtime Fringe Benefits booster, Steven Hicks of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) of Los Angeles-"It is imperative to begin addressing these issues in the elementary schools as early as possible."..."

[EdReform]

Ping

[FormerLib]

In order for them to be able to recruit, the sodomites have to begin tearing down children's natural sexual morals very early. Get to them earlier enough, and you'll be able to teach them that the sodomite life-style is morally equivalent to the normal one.

We need to defend the children from this by any means necessary!

[Mrs. P]

Sounds like your school is a BIG one, to have a library! Our library consists of two long bookshelf units in each classroom! Our school has two rooms, 15 students total. My first grader is the only one in his grade, and it is working out so well for him. WELS schools are the best! It's a long story, but we have had such a good experience with both of our boys, but especially the first grader. He's got some language delays and is doing far better than he would be if we had turned him over to the state's education system, I'm sure.

[KC_Conspirator]

By that standard "Romeo and Juliet" should have been banned as well. There is so much sexual innuendo in that play even by today's standards. As for "BNW's" soma sex episodes, it just lllustrates the emptiness of mankind and is hardly descriptive or selacious.

[FormerLib]

From another story via a different source:

"We have a lot of diversity in our schools," said Elizabeth Miars, Freeman's principal. "What might be inappropriate for one family, in another family is a totally acceptable thing."

Gee, does that mean that if one family says it is OK to send...oh, I don't know...maybe Jews to the gas chamber, would we have to respect their diversity? Oh, of course not, because that's teaching something which is immoral, right? Hmmmmm.

[tractorman]

Prayers up for your first grader.

[FormerLib]

Thanks for posting those titles. Now I'll know to shred 'em if my kid ever brings them back from school.

Of course, I already read every book my children bring back from school.

[crv16]

The first thing that will happen after homosexual "marriage" is allowed in the US is this:

Suits filed in courts demanding that these types of books be made available to all students - ones that portray homosexuals in a positive light.

Imagine your shock when your 2nd grader's english book has segments discussing homosexual couples the same way they describe Dick and Jane's parents.

Our children, at this vulnerable age, do not need to have this homosexual garbage pushed in their face. Mark my word, though, it will happen!

This is the beginning of the end of society as we know it.

[BnBlFlag]

Shouldn't they be "queens" rather than "princes"?

[Travis McGee]

Instead of checking them out, just reshelve them in some dusty forgotten alcove where they will never be found.

[EdReform]

Excellent idea!

[EdReform]

The American Child After Same-Sex Marriage

What "Gay" Marriage Will Mean for our Children

[Teacher317]

``I was flabbergasted,'' Hartsell said. ``My child is not old enough to understand something like that, especially when it is not in our beliefs.''

Your beliefs are clearly outdated, hate-filled, and eeeee-vil. You are no longer entitled to them. Long live freedom and liberty in a Progressive America!

(I fear that I might live to see the day where that attitude is the legally-enforced norm.)