In Suburb, Battle Goes Public on Bullying of Gay Students

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: New York Times

By ERIK ECKHOLM
Published: September 13, 2011

ANOKA, Minn. — This sprawling suburban school system, much of it within Michele Bachmann’s Congressional district, is caught in the eye of one of the country’s hottest culture wars — how homosexuality should be discussed in the schools.

After years of harsh conflict between advocates for gay students and Christian conservatives, the issue was already highly charged here. Then in July, six students brought a lawsuit contending that school officials have failed to stop relentless antigay bullying and that a district policy requiring teachers to remain “neutral” on issues of sexual orientation has fostered oppressive silence and a corrosive stigma.

Also this summer, parents and students here learned that the federal Department of Justice was deep into a civil rights investigation into complaints about unchecked harassment of gay students in the district. The inquiry is still under way.

Through it all, conservative Christian groups have demanded that the schools avoid any descriptions of homosexuality or same-sex marriage as normal, warning against any surrender to what they say is the “homosexual agenda” of recruiting youngsters to an “unhealthy and abnormal lifestyle.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/us/13bully.html

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It's also at MSNBC:

Battle goes public on bullying of gay students

In Minnesota school district, heated discussion over how homosexuality should be discussed

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[Starry Messenger]

2. recommend.

[No Elephants]

3. Excellent, but I'd go broader. ALL bullying, gay, straight, too fat, too thin,

too smart, too dumb, whatever.

All bullying sucks scissors.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. They also refuse to allow kids to defend themselves against physical bullying

The attack on our daughter happened off campus and it was not for sexual orientation reasons. However the school still tried to punish her after she demolished her attackers. They lost that round and her reputation afterward protected some of her friends, at least one of whom was lesbian.

[SoapBox]

8. Interesting...offish topic, but that is the same thing as my employer...

We have employees assaulted by customers...happens a lot more than people would believe.

As the employee, you are NEVER permitted to strike the customer, even if they are pounding on you. You are supposed to "protect" yourself...that means, cover your face and roll up in a fetal position...UNTIL others can pull the nut job off of you.

It has NEVER ever failed to amaze me how spineless the corporation is, toward customers.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

9. Teachers are under the same strictures

Even blocking a punch can be considered fighting back and then you are toast.

[sakabatou]

4. "How dare they let us not bully them and tell them they're going to hell!"

[Ohio Dem]

5. It's hard to believe that "pro-bullying"

is a viable position in this country in 2011, but that's where we are.

[LeftinOH]

7. Homosexuality has long been "discussed" in high schools- almost without exception in terms

of utter derision and exclusion (and that's putting it nicely). Since ALL kids are already "discussing" the matter, it's not like they are hearing something they don't already know about.

Steering the conversation away from "fag baiting" (which also manages to net plenty of kids who aren't gay) isn't the same thing as "recruiting" ...but the fundies don't see it that way.

Bachmann's district must be full of the most hateful people in Minnestota.