Alert! Story in Cobb County, GA

[suzer1013]

I'm so enraged by this, I'm not sure really what to say. I just saw this story on the AJC. I live in Cobb County. I pay school taxes for this???

I think I have some letter writing to do, and soon. I am so dismayed. If this student had written a similar editorial about black people, the principal surely would have yanked it. I'm not one for censorship, but what can be done to change this blatant kind of discrimination appearing in school newspapers, which are supported by my tax dollars?

Let me say, I don't believe the young man's statement that his opinion is not based on religion -- he only said that because he most likely cannot express religious views in his school newspaper.

I want to stand outside this school with a sign that says "I'm a reproductive error."

Susan


Gays slammed in school paper
Some say Kell student's argument against same-sex marriage should have been censored.

By DIANE R. STEPP
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/02/07

An editorial in a Kell High inaugural student publication characterizing homosexuals as victims of reproductive error or an unwanted upbringing has caused a storm of controversy among some students and faculty on the north central Cobb campus.

The opinion piece written by student Thomas Benjamin suggests that gays should be denied the privilege of marrying.

Sophomore Kurt Webster said Monday he was surprised the student paper chose to publish such a controversial article. "It should not have been in the paper," he said. "It could hurt people's feelings."

Principal Trudie Donovan said Monday that she had reviewed the article before it was published last Friday, but said she had no authority to censor it. "My job is the safety and security of the school, not censorship," she said.

Cobb County schools spokesman Jay Dillon said principals have no legal standing to say articles of student opinion can't be printed.

Under court rulings and school district policy, students can express their opinions and ideas publicly, privately, orally and in writing. "There may be no interference with that, even if a student's opinion is unpopular," he said.
Exceptions might include obscenities or something that might cause a riot at school, Dillon said. "In such cases, she [Donovan] would be protected in censoring materials. "

The opinion piece appeared in Friday's debut edition of the Inkwell, titled, "Homosexuality: Beyond the Bible." In it, Benjamin slams gays not on religious or Biblical grounds but, he said, based on science and logic.

"I realize biology commits many reproductive errors. Homosexuality can be one of them," he wrote.

Junior Allison Koons said that although she is not offended by the content of the opinion piece, she was "shocked" to see it in the paper.

Kell junior Stephen Davis said the Inkwell editors should have asked gay students about the opinion piece before publishing it.

Teacher Lisa Jordan said, "Some of the kids are upset about it." She said that perhaps the paper will print another side of the issue in its next issue.
Dillon said that will likely be the case.

In December 2004 in Gwinnett County, Berkmar High Principal Kendall Johnson directed that a pair of editorials written for the school's student newspaper dealing with homosexuality be yanked.

The missing editorials had been written about a new club for heterosexual and homosexual teens called the Gay Lesbian and Straight Society. School system officials said Johnson ordered the student editorials removed because he believed they could have caused a stir at Berkmar during exam time.

Gwinnett schools spokeswoman Sloan Roach said the "point-counterpoint" editorials were "inflammatory in nature and could be disruptive. People have very strong feelings about this issue," she said at the time.

[suzer1013]

My hopes are (though I'm not holding my breath), that there may be some students brave enough -- even in Cobb County -- to do what these Canadian students did. They wore pink shirts in support of another student who was being bullied for being "gay" because he wore a pink shirt to school.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/...s.html?ref=rss

Don't know if such courage exists among the students here in Cobb County, but it would be nice to see it happen.

Susan

[suzer1013]

This is the letter to the editor I have sent to the AJC. I won't take bets on whether they will print it or not.

Susan

Dear Editor,

I was shocked and dismayed upon reading today's AJC article entitled "Gays Slammed in School Paper." While I do not endorse censorship, I must question Principal Donovan's assertion that her job is "the safety and security of the school." What about the safety and security of gay and lesbian students attending Kell High? Does she have no responsibility to those students? The inflammatory anti-gay rhetoric in Mr. Benjamin's article concerns me greatly, and I wonder if other students will use it as an excuse to physically and emotionally bully gay and lesbian students, or those suspected of being gay or lesbian.

Mr. Benjamin's opinion piece, while supposedly based on "science and logic," is no more than a thinly-veiled religious argument against homosexuality which can be heard in many area pulpits every Sunday. Gays and lesbians are familiar with such arguments being used against them to justify any manner of discrimination. Just what kind of science and logic is taught in Cobb County schools? It is no surprise that such lies and misinformation are allowed in a Cobb County school, as Cobb County is a national embarrassment over it's anti-evolution stance.

What is most shocking about Mr. Benjamin's assertions is the use of the term "reproductive error." Would Principal Donovan have allowed this to be printed if Mr. Benjamin asserted that a particular racial, religious, or ethnic minority were a reproductive error?

While Principal Donovan should be embarrassed and ashamed of her serious lack of judgment shown in furthering this misguided young man's message of ignorance and bigotry, it can also be useful to bring such ugly hatred into the light, where it can shrivel up and die when exposed to intelligent reasoning.

I am frankly outraged that I pay Cobb County school taxes to support the printing of lies and misinformation about gay and lesbian people in our school newspapers. At the very least, an editorial presenting the opposite viewpoint, and condemning any discrimination against minority groups, should have been printed in the same issue as Mr. Benjamin's ignorant, homophobic viewpoint.

Susan Hughes
Marietta, GA

[RedneckDyke]

I used to write for my high school paper. The answer to an offensive piece is an opposing piece, not censorship.

[suzer1013]

Originally Posted by RedneckDyke

I used to write for my high school paper. The answer to an offensive piece is an opposing piece, not censorship.

I agree. I don't think censorship is the answer for this situation, though I do question whether a similar viewpoint against a racial minority, for example, would have been printed at all.

What should have happened here is that the opposing viewpoint should have been printed in the SAME edition -- as most newspapers do. I wonder if Kell High would give some equal time by allowing Georgia Equality or PFLAG to come to the campus and present information regarding equality, the Constitution, and tolerance for those you differ with? Somehow, I doubt that would happen!

Susan

[BruceChris]

This thread allows me to bring up some basic information that is very relevant to the subject of GLBT rights, and may allow me to address the larger picture.

The most obvious shortcoming in the original article here, and one that no one has pointed out, is that if there are errors in fetal development, the author sees this as an opportunity to blame the victims. I am surprised that this has not been brought up.

All of us, male and female, start out in the first few weeks of life with nearly identical bodies, and those bodies are all originally female. The important differences at this time involve the presence or absence of a "Y" chromosome, the presence or absence of sufficient testosterone, and the presence or absence of testosterone receptors in cells that may be masculinized.

If all of these are present, this usually results in a steriotypical male. hetrosexual, and fertile. The absence should result in a steriotypical female.

If a person does not develop correctly physically, they will almost always be infertile, but this is not something that is obvious just by meeting the person. And being known to be infertile may be cause for symphathy, but rarely for moral judgment.

Presently, the infertility rate is about 15% of couples and going up, but this figure does not include those who never marry, where the rate may be much higher.

The sexual differentiation that occurs in the brain is also occurring at about this time, resulting in our being variously male or female identified, homo hetero or bi sexual, and acting butch or fem.

These charactoristics often do not affect fertility, but are vastly more obvious in a person's behavior, and so we are judged by them.

Is being GLBT or infertile a "Defect", or all part of God's plan? I don't know. Personally, I do not believe in "the fall", and do not choose to blame any inconsistencies or imperfections in the world on it, just as a way to maintain God's omnipotence but still allow for an imperfect world. Either everything is all part of God's plan, or there would have to be no God, and I choose the first of these beliefs.

I'm with RedneckDyke on this one. The best response is to provide the correct information, and lots of it.

Peace and Love, Bruce Chris

[NathanATX]

Fantastic response, susan!

See if you can send it to:
All regional media outlets within 100 miles of Cobb County
All Middle & High Schools within 100 miles of Cobb County
All school district offices within 100 miles of Cobb County
The ACLU, HRC, GLAAD, etc.
All progressive churches within 100 miles of Cobb County

[sailaway58]

I would welcome an article like that one in our school news paper. Look at the discussion it has created. Only good can come from this if the kid is engaged in rebuttal and not hated or damned by the GLBT community.
Is anyone surprised that there are those that think like this boy? He had the ordasidy to put it in writing. Now we have a reason to talk about it, the subject is out of the closet. What a great opportunity.

[suzer1013]

The links to the actual article printed in the school newspaper are below. I'm not sure I've ever read a more misinformed, poorly written editorial. As you will see, my guess was correct that this article was actually a veiled attempt to support this young man's (or, let's be honest, his parents') religious rhetoric. The editorial is full of typographical errors, poorly chosen wording and simply awful grammar. If I had the time (which I don't at the moment), I would Google phrases from it to find just what anti-gay internet propaganda he lifted his ideas from. Anyway, for what it's worth, here are the links:

http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/pdf/kell1.pdf

http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/pdf/kell2.pdf

Frankly, this principal should be embarrassed not only for the content of this piece, but for it's poor quality. It doesn't say much for this young man's education.

Susan

[sailaway58]

Susan, I don't know what you expect from a high school student but that was not to bad. I have read other high school articles that were much worse. I think the kid communicated his thoughts. Any time I write something for the paper I have my wife and mother proof it or I would come across poorly myself.
So the boy needed a little help, that is kind of the point of the exercise isn't it.
Who cares if he is influenced by his church, he is young and learning.
Someone now can say to him, that was a really nice first attempt at an article. Where did you find your research? Have you ever read this ________ study?
And on it goes. At least he is trying to understand and figure it all out.
You sound like the parent who is mad at a boy for dropping a easy catch in the end zone. I mean he is what all of 15 to 17 years old? Of course he is going to do a fairly poor job, he is receiving an education, he doesn't have one.

[suzer1013]

I may regret this response, but at this moment, I don't care:

You know, I frankly don't understand some of the responses here. I'm angry about this. I'm a Cobb County taxpayer who is basically forced by my government to pay for this tripe to be published with my tax dollars. Believe me, this kid will not be open to education regarding this, and no education will be offered on this subject in his school. This is Georgia, for God's sake -- don't you have any idea what the atmosphere is like for GLBT people here??? I only wish this could be an "opportunity" for spreading the truth in love about GLBT people. More likely, it will be used as justification to bully and otherwise abuse GLBT students. I only hope your visions of sunshine and bluebirds could be a reality, but where I live, it is not. Praise God if I'm proved wrong.

You should see some of the "blog reactions" listed on the AJC's website. Some of the commenters there support GLBT people, and some don't. It's the ones that don't, who support what this kid said, that will truly make you sick with their comments. Their point of view is unfortunately what holds sway here in Georgia. We are demonized even in a high school newspaper! It's sick. I want to move.

I'm really, really surprised at the lack of concern shown by my fellow Soulforcers here. It's distressing to see the apathy even among folks I thought would be supportive.

Sailaway -- I don't care if the kid is 15 years old. If he is 15 and does not have the emotional or intellectual maturity to do so, he should not be tackling such sensitive subjects in a school newspaper. His article is truly awful and I'm sorry you seem unable to discern that.

I know this is an angry rant. Pull it if you want to. There are many reasons I have distanced myself from Soulforce over the past months, and I can see, sadly, my decision was probably a wise one.

[sailaway58]

Originally Posted by suzer1013

Sailaway -- I don't care if the kid is 15 years old. If he is 15 and does not have the emotional or intellectual maturity to do so, he should not be tackling such sensitive subjects in a school newspaper. His article is truly awful and I'm sorry you seem unable to discern that.

Hey I am on your side. My point is how to constructively handle the situation.
Let's think of some ways:
1. Ignore it.
2. Get mad at everyone , loose your cool so that no one will listen to you.
3. Pressure the school to do sensitivity classes.
4. Write letters that are more like the Bruce Chris approach (see above).
5. Try to destroy the kid that wrote the article which will most likely make him a hero and open dialect impossible.

And the school news paper is exactly where a student should be inexperienced, say wrong things, make mistakes. This kid wasn't spewing hate. In his mind, he was telling it as he sees it. His view makes sense to him.
Show him another way, but don't hate him. You never know who is going to grow up and be an advocate for your rights.

[BenL]

I hate it when three of my favorite people get into a tiff, when I darn well know that they all agree on the basics.

Tim and Dave, please allow Susan the space for her anger. She lives there, we don't! It's not fair to bring a Northern sensitivity to a Southern problem. Try to see how beleaguered our glbt brothers and sisters feel only a few miles outside of metro Atlanta.

Suzer, I really value your perspective on Soulforce. For one thing, you're one of the few active (as in posting, active) Episcopalians on the forums. I certainly would be seething if someone allowed that article into my kids' school's newspaper without at least a word from the other side. As Nate said, your public response to the AJC was magnificent and deserved wide dissemination.

So, the question that sailaway and u-dog posed is a good one, even if it's not the one we want to deal with right away. How can some good be brought out of this unfortunate thing. I'm afraid you're probably right, suzer, the probablility of the school's principal doing the "fair" and "right" thing are improbably small. I'm sure that many in that community already contacted her to support the article's tone.

My concern now is for any gay, lesbian, bi, or trans kid in that school district. I hope you're prediction is wrong that this will declare open season on them and/or drive them even deeper into the self-hating closet most of us here are still trying to free ourselves from. What is needed is Seven Straight Days for gay kids in Cobb County, Georgia, during which straight adults stand up for glbt kids. Not happenin', is my guess. That's what's so sad.