EDITOR: Carol Neal’s letter to the editor complaining that an
activist teacher was teaching the
“merits of homosexuality,” – a term she used more than once – is
a perfect example of why the district needs the training it is
undertaking. The word “merits” connotes that the teacher was
talking about all that was good about homosexuality, as though he
were trying to sell it.
EDITOR:
Carol Neal’s letter to the editor complaining that an activist teacher was teaching the “merits of homosexuality,” – a term she used more than once – is a perfect example of why the district needs the training it is undertaking. The word “merits” connotes that the teacher was talking about all that was good about homosexuality, as though he were trying to sell it. If a teacher was discussing how overweight children were harrassed, and how it’s just decent behavior to respect them as human beings, would she characterize that as “teaching the merits of obesity?”
I work for an agency that serves runaway and homeless youth, many of whom are throwaways (kids who have been kicked out of their homes and not allowed to return). Some of the youth are questioning their orientation. All – as even those teenagers who are cherished and housed do – are coping with their emerging sexuality, and for some, it is the worst time of their lives when they feel so different than their peers, and also because they believe no one around them understands or supports them. (And here in Morgan Hill, as exhibited by the then-school board and administration, they were right).
As friends with a member of PFLAG who regularly gives talks to youth and other groups (an honorable man every person in this community would be honored to know), I am familiar with presentations/curricula on homosexuality. Not one tries to sell homosexuality as a lifestyle that they should adopt. The presentations are merely informative, and this is the age to present it, as youth are curious and incredibly intuitive, want information.
I say it’s better to educate them properly than to allow those in the community who tend to distort and misinform, even in a manner as simple as using the wrong language to characterize what happened, as Mrs. Neal’s letter did.
Kudos to the district leadership (for once in this space, eh?) for seeing the writing on the wall, and taking the proper action. One would wish they had done so in the first place. Given the recent experience of the Gay Straight Alliance at Live Oak, it’s clear it is needed now more than ever.
Dina Campeau, Morgan Hill
