In a thread that grew like wildfire back in November, I posted about an incident that took place in the Amphitheater School District here in Tucson. A local teacher invited a speaker from Wingspan, Tucson’s center for the GLBT community, to speak to three of his classes about homophobia.
This caused a considerable stir when KGUN 9 picked up the story and ran it in as sensational a fashion as they could.
Well, it’s been a month, and I checked up to see what’s been going on. Wingspan has an article about the incident on their web site which has some more details that I think will interest participants in that prior thread.
Here are some quotes:
Just thought I’d keep y’all posted. The biggest new bit of information, to my mind, is the confiscation of the materials handed out to the students. Should an educational institution be that afraid of information? Should they be in the role of depriving students of information that might actually save some of the students’ lives? Apparently, from their idiotic behavior in handling this incident, the Wilson school thinks so.
Silly Mr. Visible. Surely by now you must realize that we gay folks are supposed to keep quiet about our existence and live solely on the sufferance of straight people? That teacher who attempted to address the issue of respect for LGBT people and exchange myths for information should certainly be fired. Why, the very idea that homosexual and transgender folks should live in peace and tolerance in our society is an affront to every God-fearin’ real American, don’t you know? Besides, gay, bisexual, and transgendered folk only live in far away dens of shame in places like New York City, and there are definitely no gay people in good, wholesome Arizona.
Moreover, it’s very important that the bloom of ignorance about HIV must not be touched because we all know that if we close our ears and never hear any information about HIV, then we will never, ever be in any danger of catching it. C’mon, you know that viruses always check to make sure they only infect the wrong sort of people, and if someone has never heard of safer sex, then HIV knows not to bother him or her.
I’m just glad that gay people have never made any artistic, literary, or scientific contribtutions to our society. After all, we know that an innocent person can catch Gay just by hearing about it! Anyway, I’m going to snuggle in my Perry Ellis sheets, read “Leaves of Grass”, and listen to some show tunes, secure in the knowledge that gay people have absolutely nothing good to give to our culture and that those naughty creatures would “straighten up” if they just put their minds to it.
Whoa. That explains the looks I got (am getting) at work today.
People aren’t seeing Brutus, mild-mannered slayer of emperors. They see Brutus, the guy swaddled in Gayness. The fellow who has Gay all over him.
I am glad I didn’t wear PE boxers to work, as well as the shirt. I would have achieved gay critical mass. That would have been messy.
Well, it could be worse, and it frequently has been. At least they haven’t shit-canned the teacher – that’s all we need – one less qualified teacher in Arizona.
I do find this upsetting, but at least Wingspan may be able to get some publicity out of it. Also, I think it’s heartening that a teacher even tried to have a presentation of this sort. I grew up in Yuma, where no teacher would dare to do such a thing. It’s too bad, too, because I had at least one friend in high school who could have benefitted a lot from it. She ended up not finishing high school and fleeing to Pheonix in search of a more accepting community, but I wish that she had stuck around to help make a better community at home.
So the teacher didn’t need to get permission for any other guest speakers, but needed it for this one. And it was “common practice” that didn’t seem to be very common.
Gee, if the school administration doesn’t know its own rules, nor teaches them to its employees, I can’t imagine how they could get away with firing someone over not following those unclear, nonexistent or unknown rules. :rolleyes: