Posted on 04/04/2002 9:10:30 AM PST by libertylass
Torrance school board cuts gay program, By Josh Grossberg DAILY BREEZE
The day after the Torrance school board voted to ban a gay rights group from speaking at the annual North High Human Relations Convention, a well-respected civil rights group threatened to boycott the event.
While proponents of keeping the gay rights group out of the conference congratulated themselves Tuesday, the other side floated the idea of holding the conference off-campus and away from the board's jurisdiction.
After a lengthy and tense meeting, the school board voted 3-2 to stop Gays and Lesbians Initiating Dialogue for Equality from attending the May 18 event. Members Maureen O'Donnell, Heidi Ashcraft and Joseph Bonano voted in favor of holding the event, but without GLIDE's participation. Members Gary Kuwahara and Beth Wilson, who both supported allowing the group to attend, voted against the measure.
Linda Hoos, a staff attorney for the Anti-Defamation League, called the board's 3-2 decision an “abomination.” She said even though her group was scheduled to participate, she was going to urge members to stay away. The ADL is known for fighting anti-Semitism.
“I would argue that we should not participate,” she said. “We're discussing it. The decision whether to pull out is something we'll have to mull over.”
The ADL's decision will not be made until next week, but Hoos said the board's vote was a slap in the face to what the event was supposed to be about.
“It does a disservice to the students,” she said. “While I respect divergent views of the community, I still feel, in this context, the decision by the board was heavy-handed and unfair.”
Board member's reaction:
Hoos' comments were treated with skepticism by Torrance school board member Joseph Bonano, who issued the original motion to bar the group.
“Good for them,” Bonano said. “If they want to pull out and make one less presenter, that's fine. They showed their true colors.”
The Human Relations Convention takes place on a Saturday. Student attendance is voluntary, and students must have parental permission. The event is funded by the nonprofit Torrance Education Foundation.
Monday's standing-room-only board meeting was the latest chapter in a saga that began last year when students scheduled a similar group to lead a seminar about sexual orientation. Over objections from dozens of parents and residents, the board approved the presentation on a 3-2 vote.
But with nerves raw from the fight, opponents formed Parents United to Stop Homosexual Education on our Schools, whose goal was to oust board members who voted in favor of the presentation.
“I think it's a step in the right direction,” said PUSHES spokesman Dan Miller. “We'll see how everything turns out. We'll try to monitor things that go on.”
GLIDE is a Beverly Hills-based nonprofit that makes 200 presentations each year on homophobia to schools, government employees and churches, according to the group. Its supporters were disheartened by Monday's vote, saying the decision denied them their rights.
“I was appalled,” said former Torrance school board member William Blischke. “I think that not only do we have a right to free speech, but we have a right to hear and listen to those with a different point of view. The parents who didn't want their children to attend could opt out, but as it went, parents lost their rights to participate.”
To counter the decision, Blischke said he was mulling whether the event should be moved elsewhere. He suggested as much in a letter he sent to the Daily Breeze.
“My recommendation is it would be held at North High as originally planned, but that's not going to happen,” he said. “I suggested that it either be at another facility in Torrance or the North High students find a co-host in a high school in a nearby community where they'd have a more reasonable and tolerant majority on the board that will allow it to happen.”
An alternative conference
O'Donnell said it was their right to have the convention any place they wanted, but she said she wanted students to learn tolerance for all groups, not just gays.
“We feel that through diversity retreats and conflict resolution, you can address this and all other forms of discrimination, which will include youngsters who are fat, not good-looking, or racial and ethnic groups that are not part of the majority,” she said.
But fellow board member Beth Wilson said the students deserved to have GLIDE speak.
“I'm tremendously disappointed,” she said. “I feel sorry for the North High community who, in good faith, pulled this program together. I feel a great deal of sadness today.”
Publish Date:Wednesday April
sorry, but a name like PUSHES is alot funnnier than GLIDE. and it really doesn't help your case to say you fight "forced" indoctrination while arguing against a voluntary conference. stick to the truth.
I'm on your side.
Could you post all the statistics you mention that they were afraid of? Thanks.
You're KIDDING me, right? She actually said, "abomination?"
You would think a Jew worth her salt would see the irony in using the word "abomination" in referring to the exclusion of homosexuals to this event. But, apparently she doesn't, and thus, she's not. Pity.
I considered it indoctrination when only 1/2 truths are being talked about. I consider it a lie when you educate our children on tolerance only to find out that the instruction moves into firm opinions about what is normal and acceptable and healthy, and to withold truths about lonliness, promiscuality, STD risks, AIDS, rectal gonorhea's (and the cancer's associated with that), AIDS, and death. I believe it to be forced indoctrination when "tolerance" is the mask being used at a voluntary conference and the full picture is not being painted.
Our kids are getting a "pretty little picture" of homosexuality and rarely see the other side of the coin.
So let's get honest here, shall we?
The scary thing is this....it won't be long until these forums, conferences, seminars, convocations, and whatever else you want to call them WILL NO LONGER BE VOLUNTARY! These are some heavy political hitters coming into our town to push what they believe to be right. Lucky for us (who won't be forced into submission)we are supported by more and more Civil Rights Attorneys, Pro-Family groups, and I believe that facts AND TRUTHS will win out. Passion and hysteria has become so unbelievable. These are OUR children. We raise our children to be tolerant and kind without their help. I resent these groups insisting that we are the "haters" and that only they can teach our children how to treat others. This kind of furor on their part will not be tolerated anymore!
They will not even address the facts about recovered, recovering, ex-homosexuals. They are terrified of what the ex-homosexuals have to say. They're the intolerants!
ADL is doing many things now:
So, protecting our children from information that we don't want them uneccessarily exposed to, is a tenacious task.
So, protecting our children from propaganda that we don't want them uneccessarily exposed to, is a tenacious task.
It isn't information, it's opinion. They're not looking for the right to be, to mind their own business, they're looking for acceptance.
He became a she.
He became an it.
Surgical alteration, implants and hormone therapy won't change its chromosomes. Using the PC "she" lets your opponents set the semantic stage.
You're doing the right thing. Sorry about the semantic suggestions, but I want to see you win.
One of the other presenters, that was originally on the schedule, was sinced dropped by the School Board. Their name is "The Fringe Benefits Theater. They were brought in to show theatrical skits called "Cootie Shots" to children as young as 7 (2nd grade).
Some of the dialogue was so "over the edge" with respect to cross-dressing, acceptance of the lifestyle, and opinion molding that the parents sued them. Bill O'Reilly had both sides on. Pacific Justice Institute is representing the parents.
Most of these parents either didn't know about the content, or opt-out forms were ignored. Same ole', same ole'.
LOL. What is this? A PR release put out by "Honest Abe"
I missed that one. I've got a fifteen year old, a three year old, and a three week old, and I must have been out of their sights when that bit of strangeness was offered.
I have no problem with the teaching of "Intelligent Design", so long as it's in a religion class. Science classes should be restricted to teaching science.
A few minutes later the principal (or some teacher, I forget which) was telling everyone to support the local bond issue on the November ballot.
No one appreciated my asking if they could sell the computers to fix the johns. (And lo and behold, my daughter couldn't tell us where the non-working toilets were)
I also always call them homosexuals.
I recall an article posted on FreeRepublic about the acroym “GAY” vs. “SAD”. The author was promoting the acronym “SAD” as a more descriptive one for the homosexual lifestyle. His arguments were very convincing about dropping “GAY” and substituting “SAD”. But I cannot remember what the SAD stood for. Something like same-sex attraction syndrome.
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