Boy suspended for calling student referee's call ''gay''

Casper Star Tribune ^ | 4/4/03

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Boy suspended for calling student referee's call ''gay''

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) - A sixth-grader whose ball was called out of bounds during a playground game was suspended for calling the student referee's call ''gay.''

West Middle School student Ben Madison, 12, said he thought the word meant ''dumb'' until his mother explained it differently during his suspension.

Thursday was the last day of Madison's two-day suspension.

Principal Jody Mimmack said the school uses a national curriculum called ''Bullyproofing Your Schools,'' and that students have learned they cannot say things that might be hurtful. She said students are warned about such behaviors before they are suspended.

''We have a code of student conduct concerning harassment. ... We work very hard to create a safe environment for students,'' Mimmack said. ''We suspend students all the time for disciplinary issues.''

Mimmack said Ben, who has had previous disciplinary problems at the school, also would have been suspended if he had referred to the playground call as ''dumb'' or if he had teased the other student about a hairstyle or ethnicity.

Ben's mother, Susan Madison, objected to the suspension.

''I almost feel like my son was a test case,'' she said.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Unbelievable.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

ping

[Houmatt]

Sounds like another good reason to pull out her child and homeschool him.

[Temple Drake]

I'm thinking we should just start using "gay" as an all-purpose term of derision -- just constantly say it and say it,, until many more people are saying it than not and there are just too damn many of us to round up.

[twntaipan]

Wanna bet that if he had used the words "Jesus Christ" as a swear word that he would not have been suspended?

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

What a queer ruling!

[Burkeman1]

Ben might not be able to say what century the Civil War was fought in when he graduates high school but he will darn sure respect "diversity".

[Redcloak]

This is so gay.

[TenaciousZ]

That sucks. Oops, is that one verboten too?

[TXBlair]

Boy, did you ever hit the nail on the head!!

[MCH]

I'm thinking we should just start using "gay" as an all-purpose term of derision -- just constantly say it and say it,, until many more people are saying it than not and there are just too damn many of us to round up.

Kids already do. I've heard "gay" used in this way from my own kids, their friends, and my nephews from another state MANY MANY times over the last couple of years. Very common.

[PeterPrinciple]

This is so homersexual

[longtermmemmory]

this whomps.

[Redcloak]

D'oh!

[lilylangtree]

It hasn't been that many years ago when gay meant joy, happiness and queer meant unusual, strange just like negroes meant black now it's called african-americans. The child admitted he didn't know what it was. Political correctness can go just so far along with the public reaction and then it becomes ridiculous.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Holy Mackerel- if this had been the standard when my boy was that age, he would NEVER have attended a day of school! He used to get off the schoolbus (in the 4th Grade) two stops early just so he could fight with the class bully.

And my youngest daughter once took after a local gang ( they awere all 7-8 years old) with Nunchaku- prompting a visit from the Military Police (we lived on-Post at the time). Since she was only seven, they let her off with a warning- while trying hard not to laugh.

We are turning into a nation of wimps (except for few who volunteer for the Marines, etc).

[Porterville]

How about, "That call was just happy and joyful"??

[rebel85]

bump

[longtermmemmory]

this is just the left's attempt to criminalize thoughts.

If they outlaw the language then you can't express the criminal thought. "1984" really hit the left in the senstive genitals on this issue.

According to orwell, once the sanitizing of the language was complete, the only way to state the preable to the constitution would be to utter the words "thought crime".

There was no hate here, it was only and innocent exclamation. I hope the parents sue the pants off the school.

[Sparky760]

lmao