Replies

They do. Parents speak through laws passed by legislatures in their jurisdiction. And in this jurisdiction, a law says you can't discriminate based on sexual preference. That law apparently governs even the operation of schools in this district. Is your zeal to make a point, why is this lost on you?

I see, so the parents can only have a say in how things are run at election time, in spite of the fact that most legislators run on a broad basket of issues most of the time. Apart from that, and perhaps writing the occasional letter to a legislator, they simply have to lie back and put ice on that when it comes to how their school is run on a day to day basis. Pardon me?

I'm hardly getting emotional, but I do seem to be the only one on this thread interested in what actually went on vice what could've happened but didn't.

You really don't want to concede the point that it might be a good idea to ask the parents and the students what they actually think and base any decisions on that. Secondly, if the child's right to participate in class is reinforced, then there is no discrimination.

So you believe laws or rules should be made based on everyone's personal level of comfort?

Sophistry. I am saying that the parents and children of this school should be consulted before this policy is decided. A consultation you seem to not want to occur.

Say your daughter told you she was uncomfortable changing around Jews. What possible recourse would you have?

Judaism is not a sexual preference. I was wondering when this tactic would be tried. Act Up uses it all the time.

Ivan

There are several options available to parents who think their children's PUBLIC school policies are misguided. However, the issue here is something else entirely---that is, the school must act according to the law.

Sure, if you wanted to base policy on "feelings" vice law and justice it might be a good idea, but the school didn't even do that. It acted on its own, and in all probability, it broke the law.

Say your daughter told you she was uncomfortable changing around Jews. What possible recourse would you have?

Judaism is not a sexual preference. I was wondering when this tactic would be tried. Act Up uses it all the time.

Thanks for the momentous revelation that Judaism isn't a sexual preference. However, it most certainly is a religious preference, and as such, it has as much bearing on one's ability to attend a gym class with other children as one's sexual preference does. Unless, of course, you feel that the rational basis for determing law or justice is everyone's personal "comfort level" with the choices other people make, even when those choices have no bearing on other peoples' lives whatsoever.
That's not very conservative. There's a set of rules for everyone, or there's no set of rules for anyone---just a hobgob amalgamation of "feelings"-based bullsh*t for protected special interest groups, no matter what side of the political aisle they're on.
What possibly could be a rational solution to this "problem"? Separate changing areas for girls, boys, female homosexuals, and male homosexuals? Specific changing times for homosexual girls and straight girls in the girls' locker room, and specific changing times for homosexual boys and straight boys in the boys' locker room? How much time would such an allowance for everyone's sensitivity cut into actually doing something productive in a gym class? And what's next---what happens when the trans-sexuals and transvestites demand similar treatment? This useless stratification based on assauging everyone's tender feelings is identity politics at its worst---again, not very conservative, if you ask me.