From a list of "far-reaching, devastating and pernicious cultural consequences" of Illinois legalizing same-sex marriage
Public schools will be hiring teachers who are in legal “homosexual marriages.” These teachers will put photos of their homosexual spouses on their desks and talk about their homosexual spouses to their students. Such images and ideas coming from teachers whom children love and admire will powerfully shape the feelings and beliefs of young boys and girls, particularly when such images and ideas are reinforced countless times in other cultural contexts. Such images and ideas will undermine what is being taught at home.
Some will argue that schools are already hiring teachers in homosexual relationships, so the legalization of same-sex marriage won’t change anything. They are only partly correct. Although schools are, unfortunately, already hiring teachers in homosexual relationships, once the government recognizes homosexual unions as marriages, administrators and school boards—particularly in elementary schools—will have the social stigma that makes them reluctant to hire teachers in homosexual unions knocked out from under them. And this, of course, is the chief motivation for homosexuals to pursue same-sex marriage when they already have all the benefits and privileges of marriage through Illinois’ civil union law.
35 comments
I'm most worried about the concern that gay teachers will talk about their spouses with the children. Shouldn't that same concern also apply to straight teachers if it were to happen? My eight-year old tells me everything he knows about his teacher. What if she were into bondage and S&M? Why express concern about a gay teacher talking about sexual practices while assuming the straights wouldn't? Wasn't the real-life teacher upon whose story 'Looking for Mr Goodbar' was based, a kindergarten teacher? I don't think anyone told her students (at the time) that she liked to get a little kinky.
Actually, an even more interesting analogy would be the fact that my aforementioned son knows his teacher is a vegetarian. My family is a bunch of meat-eaters. We've talked about vegetarianism, and he understands and appreciates the idea, but he likes meatballs with his spaghetti too much to be one himself.
They used to use the same kind arguments against hiring married female teachers a century ago. You know, it would lead to girls having sex, a thing that tended to happen anyway. In fact, growing up, I had a lot of married teachers, both male and female. They didn't keep pictures of their spouses on their desks or talk about their families. They kept maps and charts on the wall, and talked about their subjects.
" These teachers will put photos of their homosexual spouses on their desks and talk about their homosexual spouses to their students."
How is that worse than putting a picture of Jesus on your desk and talk about your imaginary superfriend to your students.
Such images and ideas coming from teachers whom children love and admire will powerfully shape the feelings and beliefs of young boys and girls, particularly when such images and ideas are reinforced countless times in other cultural contexts. Such images and ideas will undermine what is being taught at home.
Oh no! Kids will learn that there's really nothing wrong with homosexuality and gay people can be nice, despite all the hatred their parents keep trying to drill into them. We can't have that.
administrators and school boardsparticularly in elementary schoolswill have the social stigma that makes them reluctant to hire teachers in homosexual unions knocked out from under them.
That already exists. It's illegal to hire & fire based upon sexual preference or marital status (as it should be).
So, Laurie; I'm still waiting for your examples of the epic far-reaching, devastating and pernicious cultural consequences . You haven't mentioned any, yet.
Oh noes! People will have less reason to hate and discriminate? This is a travesty! I'd much rather my child turned gay (err...somehow) than have my child turn into a bigot. But that's a moot point as you can't turn people gay. You can turn bisexual people gay (well, you can skew their preference one way or the other) but you can't turn gay people straight or straight people gay.
Fuck, I can't believe this group exists in my state. I feel very embarrassed, or I would if Illinois wasn't super close to passing a gay marriage bill.
"These teachers will put photos of their homosexual spouses on their desks and talk about their homosexual spouses to their students. Such images and ideas coming from teachers whom children love and admire will powerfully shape the feelings and beliefs of young boys and girls, particularly when such images and ideas are reinforced countless times in other cultural contexts."
Funny, that actually sounds very sweet and heartwarming. Homosexual people exist, and there's really only two things you can do to stop that "bad" behavior: exterminate them all, or accept that their behavior isn't "bad" at all.
First of all, so what?
Second of all, when I was in grade school, my teachers didn't talk about their spouses, boy/girlfriends or significant others that I can recall. Teachers are there to teach, not to gab with friends.
Good lord.
"OK, kids, I know I'm supposed to be teaching history here, but first let me tell you about my spouse ..."
I don't remember any photos of any family on the desks of my teachers. Nobody at home taught me about homosexuality beyond the fact that gay people existed. So, in my experience, none of this makes sense.
"These teachers will put photos of their homosexual spouses on their desks and talk about their homosexual spouses to their students" SO WHAT.
Kids aren't bitter, confused old fucks like you. They'll be like, my teacher is gay, *shrug*, and then they'll get on with their lives, which is what you should do!
These teachers will put photos of their homosexual spouses on their desks and talk about their homosexual spouses to their students.
I'll be perfectly honest, the only way I knew in school if a given teacher was married was if I saw a wedding ring. Other than that, I knew nothing about them - they were too busy trying to teach us the material to go into their personal lives.
I've worked with gay professionals before, and when it comes to work, they are just as professional as their straight counterparts - more so, sometimes.
"And this, of course, is the chief motivation for homosexuals to pursue same-sex marriage when they already have all the benefits and privileges of marriage through Illinois’ civil union law. "
Really? Are they exempt from paying inheritance tax when their partner dies?
@Reynardine:
They used to use the same kind arguments against hiring married female teachers a century ago. You know, it would lead to girls having sex, a thing that tended to happen anyway.
Seriously? Wow, even for those more repressed/prudish/puritan/tight-assed times, that's one hell of a non-sequitur. I mean, even if for the sake of the discussion we accept the premise that girls will want to emulate every aspect of the life of a respected and beloved female teacher, that would simply mean that having a married female teacher would make them want to <gasp!> get married (and perhaps get into teaching too), with all the sex being of the married, legitimate-grandchildren-producing kind... Did these people want all their daughters to end up nuns or old maids!?
Yet another so-called "family" organization claiming that gay poeople will somehow corrupt kids simply by existing.
If they want to claim that they care about families, then they should have to accept that some families have gay people in them, and that there is nothing wrong with that.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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