School district, gay student, 14, settle lawsuit

AP via CNN (sorry) ^ | July 18, 2003 | Associated Press

[newgeezer]

Thomas McLaughlin, with his mom Delia, was awarded a $25,000 settlement on Thursday.

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) --A teenager disciplined by his school district for talking about being gay will get $25,000, an apology from school officials and his disciplinary record cleared.

[LiberalSlayer99]

Question: How does a 14 year-old know that he's gay?

At an age when hormones begin to rage, aren't all 14 year-old boys uncomfortable around girls? This sounds like a parental issue in that his mother is encouraging him to come out as gay. It seems strange to me.

I'm sure the left picked this up quickly to advance their case that people are born gay. I don't know and I could care less what an adult does with another adult sexually. I'm just tired of having the "alternative" lifestyle rammed down my throat!

[upchuck]

and his friends said they've seen him sad and depressed

Get used to it, Tommie boy. Most of your faggot friends go through their abnormally shortened lives being sad and depressed. You'll love it!

[Polonius]

If teachers can force students to read the Bible as a form of discipline for talking about homosexuality, they can just as easily force them to read Das Kapital for voicing politically incorrect opinions on economics. Neither should be acceptable.

[Paulie]

"I'm just tired of having the "alternative" lifestyle rammed down my throat!"

Interesting choice of words (just kidding).

[ohiobushman]

I would say "mom" is a homo to.

[Shethink13]

That's not only wrong, it's potentially dangerous, said Brandon Overton, 23, a family friend of the McLaughlins who is also gay.

A 23 yr old male friend of the family who's gay? That's an interesting little tidbit. Wonder what his involvement in this situation is?

[Zack Nguyen]

The McLaughlins attend First United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, and their pastor has been supportive, Delia McLaughlin said.

What a shame. It sounds like this kid is being badly misled by his church and his parents, and isn't being helped by his well-meaning but tactless teachers.

[LiberalSlayer99]

I didn't realize my pun until after I finished posting!

[I_Love_My_Husband]

That's what I was wondering too.

[Loyalist]

Wonder what his involvement in this situation is?

Five will get you ten that he's the recruiter.

[newgeezer]

If teachers can force students to read the Bible as a form of discipline for talking about homosexuality, they can just as easily force them to read Das Kapital ...

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Nobody forced this 14-year-old to read from anything. His sensitive widdle eaws had to withstand the onslaught of some "preaching" by the teacher(s) from the Bible.

Feel free to discipline my 14-year-olds by reading from Das Kapital, the koran, the satanic bible, or whatever you want. My kids know one of the values of free speech is it's easier to tell who's the enemy. :-)

[Seamus Mc Gillicuddy]

He probably didn't know how to think, until some Colon Cowboy Recruiter/pedophile opened him up to the "joys" of the gay lifestyle. sarcasm/off. After reading this story, I weep even harder for our youth. What the hell can we do to stop this scourge? Get this kid to that conversion program immedeately.

[biblewonk]

Interesting. Some ideas are banned from school at 8th grade level. I guess the discussin of many sexual ideas is banned from my home school at that age. If one of my kids wanted to know the gory details of what sodomites do I'd not want to tell them nor would I want them to really want to know.

[Dimensio]

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Nobody forced this 14-year-old to read from anything.

Actually, several news articles on this story reported that he was instructed to read the Bible.

[Dimensio]

Easy way to find out. Did he recently acquire a new toaster oven?

[xm177e2]

Teachers preached to him from the Bible?! Told his parents?! Outrageous!

Those things are unacceptable. Teenagers are old enough to have a little privacy, we don't need a nanny state running to tattle on them. And we certainly should not have teachers preaching at students from the Bible. That's inappropriate for a public school. If Christians want to have a bible club and talk about the bible all lunch hour long that's their right, but trying to force your religion on other people is not okay. How would you like it if public school teachers were preaching to Christian kids from the Quran?

Oh, that's right. I forgot Christianity is so wonderful and special and better than everything else that it should have special rights that supercede the Constitution. </sarcasm>

[xm177e2]

If those thugs could force him to sit down with a Bible, it's only fair the ACLU could force them to sit down with the Constitution.

[newgeezer]

Actually, several news articles on this story reported that he was instructed to read the Bible.

Force my kids to read whatever you want. The Truth shall prevail.

Anyone whose beliefs can't stand some "competition" should give some serious thought as to why. (Muslim nations, hear this.)

[Dimensio]

The fact is that teachers, acting in an official capacity, attempted to force their religious beliefs onto this student by forcing their religious text onto him as a disciplinary measure. That's not a justifiable action.

[Dimensio]

I forgot Christianity is so wonderful and special and better than everything else that it should have special rights that supercede the Constitution.

Actually, the problem is with the free expression clause of the First Amendment. You see, to some Christians (note: NOT ALL), their religion requires that they use government force to preach it, because it's such a weak religion that it will fail without government backing. As such, when they're told that they cannot use the federal government to give special consideration to their religion, that's effectively denying their right to practice their religion. They're not free unless they're free to oppress others.