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School bars same-sex partners at formals
by SMH
Thanks to Michael Murray for the link.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/school-bars-samesex-partners/2008/04/15/1208025146660.html
School bars same-sex partners at formals
Daniel Emerson
A senior Anglican education official in NSW has declared that people who believe in the Bible should not expect to be allowed to take same-sex partners to school balls because Christianity frowns on homosexuality.
Laurie Scandrett, chief executive of the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation, which oversees 15 of the 40 Anglican Schools in the NSW capital, has backed a controversial decision by a leading Brisbane Anglican boys school to prevent final year students from taking same-sex partners to its formal.
Dr Scandrett said there was no "edict" among its schools preventing gay students from taking their partners to school formals but it "would not be encouraged".
"The school formal is meant to be a formal dance between a young man and a young woman, not a young man and a young man," he said.
"If you believe what the Bible says, that's how you should behave or act. It boils down to what you believe.
"The Bible is very strong that marriage is between a man and a woman and homosexual relationships are not permissible in a sense, not encouraged, they are spoken very strongly against."
Dr Scandrett said he did have some sympathy for gay students who wished to take their partners to the coming-of-age function but people knew the position of Anglican schools on homosexuality when they enrolled.
"Most parents send their children to our schools because of the Christian values that our schools espouse, because our schools stand for biblical values," he said.
"We love all our [gay] students as we do all people in our churches but their lifestyle is not encouraged, particularly if it was a promiscuous lifestyle. We are dealing with young people here.
"In Sydney, a homosexual person is valued because they are a person but would not be appointed to a position in the diocese, but would be welcome in our churches because everyone is welcome."
Dr Scandrett said Anglican schools in NSW were permitted to ban gay couples at school events if they chose to.
"Each school is a legal individual entity," he said.
"In NSW the schools are exempted in the Anti-Discrimination Act so whatever decision the school made, they would be entitled to make it."
NSW Anti-Discrimination Board president Stephen Kerkyasharian and Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen have been contacted for comment.
Kelvin Canavan, executive director of Catholic Schools in Sydney, said the issue had never been raised in the Sydney Catholic education system but was unwilling to comment on what his response would be if it emerged in the future.
"If it ever does come up I will answer the question then," he said.
Public schools in NSW must adhere to the Anti-Discrimination Act and have been directed that it is "unlawful to discriminate against or harass a person on the grounds of race, sex, marital status, disability, homosexuality or age".
A NSW Education Department spokesman said same-sex couples would be allowed at school balls or formals in the state system.
"Discrimination is not tolerated in public schools. The Department's policies require principals to act against such behaviour, including homophobia," he said.
"Further, depending on the circumstances, it is likely that to refuse entry to same-sex partners at a school-organised formal would breach anti-discrimination legislation."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/school-bars-samesex-partners/2008/04/15/1208025146660.html
School bars same-sex partners at formals
Daniel Emerson
A senior Anglican education official in NSW has declared that people who believe in the Bible should not expect to be allowed to take same-sex partners to school balls because Christianity frowns on homosexuality.
Laurie Scandrett, chief executive of the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation, which oversees 15 of the 40 Anglican Schools in the NSW capital, has backed a controversial decision by a leading Brisbane Anglican boys school to prevent final year students from taking same-sex partners to its formal.
Dr Scandrett said there was no "edict" among its schools preventing gay students from taking their partners to school formals but it "would not be encouraged".
"The school formal is meant to be a formal dance between a young man and a young woman, not a young man and a young man," he said.
"If you believe what the Bible says, that's how you should behave or act. It boils down to what you believe.
"The Bible is very strong that marriage is between a man and a woman and homosexual relationships are not permissible in a sense, not encouraged, they are spoken very strongly against."
Dr Scandrett said he did have some sympathy for gay students who wished to take their partners to the coming-of-age function but people knew the position of Anglican schools on homosexuality when they enrolled.
"Most parents send their children to our schools because of the Christian values that our schools espouse, because our schools stand for biblical values," he said.
"We love all our [gay] students as we do all people in our churches but their lifestyle is not encouraged, particularly if it was a promiscuous lifestyle. We are dealing with young people here.
"In Sydney, a homosexual person is valued because they are a person but would not be appointed to a position in the diocese, but would be welcome in our churches because everyone is welcome."
Dr Scandrett said Anglican schools in NSW were permitted to ban gay couples at school events if they chose to.
"Each school is a legal individual entity," he said.
"In NSW the schools are exempted in the Anti-Discrimination Act so whatever decision the school made, they would be entitled to make it."
NSW Anti-Discrimination Board president Stephen Kerkyasharian and Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen have been contacted for comment.
Kelvin Canavan, executive director of Catholic Schools in Sydney, said the issue had never been raised in the Sydney Catholic education system but was unwilling to comment on what his response would be if it emerged in the future.
"If it ever does come up I will answer the question then," he said.
Public schools in NSW must adhere to the Anti-Discrimination Act and have been directed that it is "unlawful to discriminate against or harass a person on the grounds of race, sex, marital status, disability, homosexuality or age".
A NSW Education Department spokesman said same-sex couples would be allowed at school balls or formals in the state system.
"Discrimination is not tolerated in public schools. The Department's policies require principals to act against such behaviour, including homophobia," he said.
"Further, depending on the circumstances, it is likely that to refuse entry to same-sex partners at a school-organised formal would breach anti-discrimination legislation."
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Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 | PermalinkComments 1 - 50 of 81 |
Reload Comments | Back to Top | Page Numbers2. Comment #161426 by hungarianelephant on April 15, 2008 at 9:32 am
Dr Scandrett said he did have some sympathy for gay students who wished to take their partners to the coming-of-age function but people knew the position of Anglican schools on homosexuality when they enrolled.
... at the age of 11.
Is this a serious argument?
Other Comments by hungarianelephant
3. Comment #161429 by Ansu on April 15, 2008 at 9:36 am
How about a dont ask dont tell police? He wont tell he brought a boy to the ball and you dont ask whos his partner is.
It worked for the army... more or less..
Other Comments by Ansu
4. Comment #161431 by al-rawandi on April 15, 2008 at 9:37 am
I agree. You have to ban the same sex.
People always need different sex. The same sex gets boring after a couple of weeks, and this can lead to the deterioration of the relationship. Any sex expert will tell you, keeping it lively in the bedroom is key to a healthy relationship.
Well done to the Anglican Church.
Other Comments by al-rawandi
5. Comment #161432 by Steve Zara on April 15, 2008 at 9:39 am
Comment #161431 by al-rawandi That nearly let to me ruining a laptop through spluttering a drink with laughter.
Other Comments by Steve Zara
6. Comment #161434 by RobDinsmore on April 15, 2008 at 9:41 am
When I was in high school(public) I am pretty sure that a gay couple would have been ostracized if they went to a dance together. Heck they would be ridiculed for just coming out. I am not sure things have changed that much in the last 15 years in Massachusetts, but perhaps I am wrong. What is the attitude towards gays among teenagers these days?Also I find it kind of advantageous, although reprehensible, that xtians, and muslims alike tend to treat gays as they do. (Obviously I mean the nonviolent shunning, not the extreme violence) It seems to me that gays are gaining more and more social acceptability and as such their treatment by religious factions is yet another thing that highlights their built in, god approved, hateful bigotry. I just think that the more aspects of religion tend to clash with the prevailing moral zeitgeist the more traction they will lose with future generations.
Other Comments by RobDinsmore
7. Comment #161442 by al-rawandi on April 15, 2008 at 9:52 am
Steve,
Glad I could help!
Other Comments by al-rawandi
8. Comment #161444 by Aidan86 on April 15, 2008 at 9:54 am
RobDinsmore:The change in attitudes towards gay people where I live over the last 5 years alone has been pretty remarkable. That change would only be more pronounced in an enlightened state like Massachusetts.
The public school I graduated from 5 years ago barred same-sex partners. This would be unthinkable in a public school today.
Other Comments by Aidan86
9. Comment #161451 by ordeneus on April 15, 2008 at 10:01 am
Why are religious types always so selective in their hatred? Sure the bibly says that "gay people = teh bad(tm)", but the bibly also says that adultery should lead to death. Shagging while on the blob? Oooh, got some stones for ya!Why the hang up with gay people?
Other Comments by ordeneus
10. Comment #161453 by FightingFalcon on April 15, 2008 at 10:02 am
Didn't I see this exact situation played out in the sarcastic-parody movie "Saved"? At least in the movie it was a joke...
Other Comments by FightingFalcon
11. Comment #161456 by flobear on April 15, 2008 at 10:07 am
They shouldn't even be having those dances in the first place. Imagine! Young girls and boys fraternizing with each other. The whole thing sounds like an invitation for the devil. What they should do is replace the event with an abstinence education seminar and throw in some brain gym for good measure. Other Comments by flobear
12. Comment #161457 by su-eco on April 15, 2008 at 10:08 am
I just get so tired... as ordeneus wrote: "why the hang up on gay people?". My only explanation to this would be that the church and hypocrite Christians follows the same rule as Nazis and other misguided people:Kick on some one that narrow minded and un enlightened people hate and maybe that will at least give you some support.
The problem for the church is that it has been losing so much ground (I live in Spain and here the church is losing every day) so in desperation the church turn to darker corners of people's minds and desperately find something "evil" and easy to attract hatred against.
It is the last straw for a dying institution... I hope...
Other Comments by su-eco
13. Comment #161462 by mjwemdee on April 15, 2008 at 10:15 am
Oh the hypocrisy. Oh the double standards. As the man says himself:'...We love all our [gay] students as we do all people in our churches but...'No you don't, you moron! You cannot claim you love people equally if you don't treat them equally. Why do the faithheads not GET this????
Other Comments by mjwemdee
14. Comment #161469 by hoops mccann on April 15, 2008 at 10:25 am
"In Sydney, a homosexual person is valued because they are a person but would not be appointed to a position in the diocese, but would be welcome in our churches because everyone is welcome."
i.e., their money is as good as anyone else's
Other Comments by hoops mccann
15. Comment #161473 by Frankus1122 on April 15, 2008 at 10:30 am
Although I am not entirely in favour of same sex I really have no option. I try new things but my wife keeps asking me what I think I am doing. *Sigh*Seriously, we had a situation like this in Ontario a few years ago.
I just looked it up. It was in 2002.
Here is a link:
http://www.samesexmarriage.ca/advocacy/marc_hall.htm
It makes for interesting reading.
EDIT:
http://www.samesexmarriage.ca/advocacy/marc_hall_injunction_decision.htm
The decision was the boy could go to the dance with his partner. The judges decision is again, interesting reading.
Other Comments by Frankus1122
16. Comment #161483 by HeyBishop on April 15, 2008 at 10:40 am
"If you believe what the Bible says, that's how you should behave or act. It boils down to what you believe"
I guess these schools ought to stone their students who want to bring a same-sex partner... You know, to set a proper - moral- example.
Other Comments by HeyBishop
17. Comment #161487 by Raiko on April 15, 2008 at 10:42 am
I think they should ban boys without beards, too. After all, the bible is against cutting your beard.Really, the old "argument from Levithicus" applies, as abused as this is. If you ban one, ban them all.
Other Comments by Raiko
18. Comment #161506 by Mitchell Gilks on April 15, 2008 at 10:58 am
This is just a reason why religiously based schools need to die a quiet death.
Don't worry, buck up, as social acceptance of homosexuality gets to the point that it becomes a real problem for the church, they will magically figure out that "lying with a man as you would a women" doesn't mean homosexuality at all, but something completely different.
Other Comments by Mitchell Gilks
19. Comment #161508 by alexmzk on April 15, 2008 at 10:59 am
"The school formal is meant to be a formal dance between a young man and a young woman, not a young man and a young man," he said.
"If you believe what the Bible says, that's how you should behave or act. It boils down to what you believe.
"The Bible is very strong that marriage is between a man and a woman and homosexual relationships are not permissible in a sense, not encouraged, they are spoken very strongly against."
i believe what the Bible says is that gay couples should not sleep together. there is apparently no Biblical condemnation of dancing.
Other Comments by alexmzk
20. Comment #161514 by jimbob on April 15, 2008 at 11:03 am
Just another example of how religion is an impediment to humanistic morality.Other Comments by jimbob
21. Comment #161554 by Geoff on April 15, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I found this an extremely confused article, even by their standards!
Most of the peculiarities have already been pointed out.
I wonder, though, whether the "law of unintended benefits" might come into play here. Maybe making them choose between their bible and their partner might help them escape the clutches of their religion?
Other Comments by Geoff
22. Comment #161578 by 42nd on April 15, 2008 at 12:22 pm
say what you want, but the fact is that this discussion is about gay people being allowed to DANCE. In some parts of the world they are not even allowed to LIVE.
If we want to be taken seriously, we need to get our priorities straight.
Other Comments by 42nd
23. Comment #161584 by ME!0364 on April 15, 2008 at 12:27 pm
RobDinsmore: Well, I'm in school right now, and if anyone came out they would be socially shunned by members of the same gender. In fact, 'gay' is basically a substitute for stuoid, like "THat's gay". It isn't even used mostly in a homophobic manner. Other Comments by ME!0364
24. Comment #161598 by MaxD on April 15, 2008 at 12:43 pm
We love all our [gay] students as we do all people in our churches but their lifestyle is not encouraged, particularly if it was a promiscuous lifestyle. We are dealing with young people here.
Young people, we should further say, we have no problem marginalizing and alienating. Its a good thing they have God to comfort them because just don't have that kind time!
Other Comments by MaxD
25. Comment #161601 by al-rawandi on April 15, 2008 at 12:49 pm
42nd,
The real issue is that these people know gay men are the only men who can dance worth a shit, and so the straight men don't want to get shown up.
It's very simple.
Other Comments by al-rawandi
26. Comment #161606 by MaxD on April 15, 2008 at 12:54 pm
AlexMZK said:
i believe what the Bible says is that gay couples should not sleep together. there is apparently no Biblical condemnation of dancing.
I suspect its not the sleeping part that has people concerned, but rather the horizontal dancing that they cannot, no matter how hard they try, stop thinking about.
Other Comments by MaxD
27. Comment #161617 by ligfietser on April 15, 2008 at 1:00 pm
"The Bible is very strong that marriage is between a man and a woman and homosexual relationships are not permissible in a sense, not encouraged, they are spoken very strongly against."
But... isn't this just plain evidence the bible is wrong? It's for sure an argument against the bible, not an argument against homosexuality.
Other Comments by ligfietser
28. Comment #161629 by Tezcatlipoca on April 15, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I had an interesting experience when I visited my sister in Tampa a few years ago. She and her partner attend a sort of pentacostal church where same sex couples are welcome. When the old lady and the preacher started speaking in tongues I was like "whoa nellie!" It sounded like a 3 hp outboard motor with a dirty reed valve. *sputter, burble, sploot, sploot* My retired science teacher/drill instructor father would have done backflips if he only knew. Even with the entertainment I had a very hard time staying conscious.
p.s. I challenge Quetzalcoatl to an obsidian vine cage match!
Other Comments by Tezcatlipoca
29. Comment #161631 by steveroot on April 15, 2008 at 1:12 pm
19. Comment #161508 by alexmzk on April 15, 2008 at 10:59 am
i believe what the Bible says is that gay couples should not sleep together. there is apparently no Biblical condemnation of dancing.
We're talking about "the dance with no steps" here. Everyone knows that. Jeez!
Ste5e
Other Comments by steveroot
30. Comment #161635 by MaxD on April 15, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Mitchell Gilks said:
This is just a reason why religiously based schools need to die a quiet death.
It can be noisy.
Other Comments by MaxD
31. Comment #161643 by Quetzalcoatl on April 15, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Tezcatlipoca-
p.s. I challenge Quetzalcoatl to an obsidian vine cage match
Bring it, jaguar-boy. I'll cut your remaining foot off and feed it to a python!
Other Comments by Quetzalcoatl
32. Comment #161650 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 15, 2008 at 1:25 pm
"If you believe what the Bible says, that's how you should behave or act. It boils down to what you believe.
Sure, if you believe in FAIRNESS and EQUALITY. If you don't, you can rest your keister on my mid-digit and rotate. This is even MORE ridiculous than that kid who was banned because he wanted to wear a kilt to his prom.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,1471480,00.html
Other Comments by Colwyn Abernathy
33. Comment #161656 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 15, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Glad I could help!
DuffMan...does not fear the satire. That was well done, mate. :)
Other Comments by Colwyn Abernathy
34. Comment #161659 by Tezcatlipoca on April 15, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Hmm,
sounds like it's on like donkey kong. Oh well, smoking mirror has to do what smoking mirror has to do...
I probably should have chosen xipe-totec as a name but dancing around in someone else's skin seems a bit icky.
I'll have my Huichol beadwork jaguar head up as an avatar very soon...and then it's time to chomp on plumed serpents!
Surprisingly my sister hasn't taken me back on the last two visits. I think we've saved my niece though. We were both rolling our eyes. I credit the fact that she spends summers with my folks and the Cosmos dvd set I bought. Sagan saves even more impressionable youth!
Other Comments by Tezcatlipoca
35. Comment #161660 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 15, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I try new things but my wife keeps asking me what I think I am doing. *Sigh*
Apparently nothing right. ;)
Other Comments by Colwyn Abernathy
36. Comment #161692 by Bob Russell on April 15, 2008 at 2:07 pm
More schism over jism...Other Comments by Bob Russell
37. Comment #161706 by will young on April 15, 2008 at 2:16 pm
It's ironic that the only kind of couples dancing the bible allows is with same-sex partners!Opposite-sex dancing is considered too erotic and therefore sinful and condemned.
By the way, while we're on the subject, do you know why Baptists do not 'make love' standing up?
It's too much like dancing!
Other Comments by will young
38. Comment #161709 by Chris Jackson on April 15, 2008 at 2:18 pm
This is what happens when you push the dregs of a continent into a desolate dust-bowl with only their invisible sky-man for company. See also: America.
On a more serious note, this seems to be the latest in an increasingly concerning trend of intolerance coming from the colonies. Australia never really occurred to me as such a hotbed of anti-Gay feeling, but evidently I was mistaken.
Troubling times.
Other Comments by Chris Jackson
39. Comment #161712 by al-rawandi on April 15, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Chris Jackson,
Don't worry about us here in the States. Worry about what size Burqa you will be getting for your wife. Shariah much?
Other Comments by al-rawandi
40. Comment #161742 by Inferno on April 15, 2008 at 3:21 pm
At my high school (public) the students organised the formal. (My FSM, this was over 10 years ago now!) Most people didn't even take a date, they just went in a group of friends. There wasn't that insane pressure to find "a date" like there seems to be in American schools (or at least so I gather from American teen movies).
The alcohol was flowing fast. I wonder if they'd still do that considering half of us were under 18.
Other Comments by Inferno
41. Comment #161744 by mmurray on April 15, 2008 at 3:30 pm
.. at the age of 11.
Is this a serious argument?
Hungarianelephant: It is actually sillier than this. Putting aside the fact that parents pick these schools most of them will have a junior school and a pre-school attached. (These schools are expensive and like to get you in early.) So the decision is made when the child is 4 or maybe when the child is 0 if the waiting list for admission is long!
This and some other things I read lately led me to go and read up on what the bible says about homosexuality. Looking at the wikipedia article I was surprised by how weak the evidence for biblical opposition to homosexuality is if you put aside Peter who is a nutter about sex. Of course there is Leviticus but to be consistent you have to ban students wearing more than one type of clothe to the ball as well and institute school stonings.
It would be nice if our government had the courage to say that so-called private schools who actually get a lot of government funding only get the funding if they waive their right to be exempt from anti-discrimination laws. But they government is unlikely to do this as it would be politically damaging and the Prime Minister is a regular church goer in any case.
Michael
Other Comments by mmurray
42. Comment #161747 by mmurray on April 15, 2008 at 3:37 pm
This is what happens when you push the dregs of a continent into a desolate dust-bowl with only their invisible sky-man for company. See also: America.
On a more serious note, this seems to be the latest in an increasingly concerning trend of intolerance coming from the colonies. Australia never really occurred to me as such a hotbed of anti-Gay feeling, but evidently I was mistaken.
Troubling times.
Nah I reckon your faith schools in the UK beat this particular bit of stupidity :-)
Australia is still pretty secular but we are suffering from the world wide trend where people are trying to chip away at it. We have a number of nutty church leaders who mouth off every now and again. Expect it to get worse when we close down Sydney for World Youth Day
http://www.wyd2008.org/index.php/en.
I was impressed these kids stood up and put the pressure on their school. They would have been subject to a lot of abuse from fellow students in my day. I suspect that even though `gay' has become a euphemism for weird or broken in everyday teen speak the level of homophobia is lower than when I was a kid.
Michael
Other Comments by mmurray
43. Comment #161753 by Stublore on April 15, 2008 at 3:59 pm
We love all our [gay] students as we do all people in our churches but their lifestyle is not encouraged, particularly if it was a promiscuous lifestyle
Is it just me or are they implying that gays sleep around more? I guess if you are not allowed to get any, you really resent it when others have the opportunity,esp the forbidden of the forbidden!(not the forbidden of the forbidden of the forbidden, cos they don't do that any more ;) )
Other Comments by Stublore
44. Comment #161755 by yussel123 on April 15, 2008 at 4:02 pm
If the school gets any public money, then the school should follow the community standards. If the law in Australia forbids discrimination against gays, then the schools should follow that policy (religious or not). That's one advantage of the US system. Religious schools are private and in public schools, they couldn't get away with stuff like this.Other Comments by yussel123
45. Comment #161759 by Koreman on April 15, 2008 at 4:06 pm
@#161451 by ordeneus on April 15, 2008 at 10:01 amBecause goddidit designed man and wife!!
Well, first he designed man and no wife. She came later when man was nagging and filing complaints. Man did not have genitals probably, so goddidit invented them while intelligently designing a woman. He took a rib and made a rod, although that is not certain. Mating was not necessary in paradise, so goddidit probably did not design those filthy body parts, except if he knew that he had to throw his Sims out of Level 7. Maybe the big wizard already knew much more and had man designed as a sexe with genitals in the first place.
This makes the story very complex since it implicates that man is suffering for a sin he had no choice in. It gets even more complex when considering man was nagging about a wife because he saw males and females in nature. Somehow he knew what males and females were, he knew he was male, and animals must have had genitals already too. The mating part is uncertain as well whether eggs, cubs, placenta, care for offspring, milk, honey, flowers etc. existed, or that all these things were invented while throwing these people out.
Probably the pope has an answer. He might even explain when after the Big Bang -accepted nowadays- these people came on stage, or if the story is fantasy. And if it is fantasy, why the rest of the stories aren't fantasies. Sure it has something to do with money and power. And priests and bishops with boys.
Hmm. The answer to the question might be jealousy.
Other Comments by Koreman
46. Comment #161783 by mmurray on April 15, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Is it just me or are they implying that gays sleep around more?
Yes I thought that was pretty funny. As if heterosexual kids are all waiting until marriage while the gay ones run wild. Yeh sure. More offensive is that word `lifestyle' which is code with this kind of homophobe for `you can choose not to be gay'.
If the school gets any public money, then the school should follow the community standards.
I agree 100% but it is better if you get government money and are also private. In Australia the tradition is that parents bankrupt themselves to send their kids to private schools and then university is free(ish). My understanding of the the US is that it is college that ruins the parents :-). Because of this a lot of people in government and influential places have been to private schools or have kids in private schools. So they have a strong political lobby. My understanding is they can choose to be exempted from aspects of the anti-discrimination laws.
Michael
Other Comments by mmurray
47. Comment #161804 by Cartomancer on April 15, 2008 at 5:39 pm
As an English person I don't really understand all this colonial nonsense about formal balls at school. When I left school all I got was my GCSE results posted to me in a cheap brown envelope.
They probably wouldn't have allowed a same-sex partner to open my envelope for me though, which is just as bad. Not that I had a same-sex partner at the time mind, but the principle is still sound I feel. It can be very trying opening a cheap brown envelope without moral support you know. I'm wittering again aren't I?
Anyway, if religious schools in the far-flung corners of the empire want to persist in promoting such balls then they should understand a few important facts of life. In my experience gay boys are generally very fond of balls - much more so than their straight counterparts I'm sure. Some of them spend their days thinking about little else. They get rather uppity and frustrated when denied access. It's very cruel of the school authorities to exclude their gay charges thus.
Still, if I know anything about teenage boys it's that there will always be a goodly number of them willing to put their balls on the line to make a scene and stand up for their rights...
Other Comments by Cartomancer
48. Comment #161817 by classiqfemme on April 15, 2008 at 6:10 pm
This is ridiculous. My senior prom (two years ago in a red state) there were several gay couples and no one was offended. After a few songs everyone is grinding up against the person next to them, same sex or otherwise. If my school had banned same sex couples I honestly doubt any of my friends would have attended. These idiots need to step back and let the next generation live without their old prejudices.Other Comments by classiqfemme
49. Comment #161865 by Bigorra on April 15, 2008 at 7:54 pm
If these schools are privately funded, then they ought to be able to do as they like, just as we are all free to ridicule and/or condemn them for their ignorance, shortsightedness, homophobia, and backwardness. So long as they aren't taking money from taxes, they should be allowed to declare their ignorance. Would it be better if they simply bit their tongues and hid their prejudices from the public while quietly undermining the gay teenagers at their schools? Actions like this should be seen as an opportunity to protest the revelation of divinely inspired ignorance. This issue is not something that is going to go away on its' own, it is more like a whack-a-mole game where people have to keep knocking these bishops back down into their holes for promoting discrimination in Jesus' name. Other Comments by Bigorra
50. Comment #161870 by AmericanGodless on April 15, 2008 at 7:58 pm
"We love all our [gay] students as we do all people in our churches but their lifestyle is not encouraged, particularly if it was a promiscuous lifestyle."I don't get it. They don't want to promote a promiscuous lifestyle, so those who have a steady same-sex partner are forbidden to take their partners to a "coming-of-age function" where they might show their monogamous commitment and have it socially encouraged.
Ah, religion is a puzzlement.
Other Comments by AmericanGodless
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"The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also"
Mark Twain
Other Recommended Reading
Before the Dawn
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The Quotable Atheist
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Under the Banner of Heaven
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American Theocracy
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Darwin's Dangerous Idea
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"If this book doesn't change the world -- we're all screwed."
-Penn (Penn & Teller)
The God Delusion
by Richard Dawkins
Over 1.5 million copies sold
DVDs
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'Root of All Evil? The Uncut Interviews' DVD
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1. Comment #161417 by suffolkthinker on April 15, 2008 at 9:24 am
Is anyone surprised by this? Given the premise of the church that homosexuality it wrong this is just a logical conclusion to it.Yet another example of why religious institutions should not be allowed to be entrusted with the education of the young.
Other Comments by suffolkthinker