Posted on 06/03/2005 3:22:09 PM PDT by scripter
Today, a high school in Hawaii plans to show students a video that promotes homosexuality as normal and natural, a decision made despite the fact that several parents have raised objections to school administrators over the film's content and message.
Officials at King Kekaulike High School on the island of Maui say they intend to show the film It's Elementary as a way to teach tolerance toward homosexuals. However, several parents are opposed to the school's plan to show the film in isolation, saying it not only legitimizes homosexual lifestyles but also denies that ex-homosexuals exist.
In addition to proceeding with plans to show the controversial film, the school administrators also ignored a simple request from parents that another video called I Do Exist be shown to supplement It's Elementary. Featured in I Do Exist is a man who, as a teen, was interviewed for the other film but who has since left the homosexual lifestyle.
Estelle Wilkerson is a member of the group of concerned parents who raised objections over the school's planned showing of the pro-homosexual film. "We expressed our opinion," she says. "We offered another option. We even offered to come up with a committee that could be at the schools to supervise and help, like a security team of parents, just so that this harassment that, as you say, is happening on campus will stop, if in fact it is -- at least to the extent that they are making it seem [so that] it warrants this film."
However, since the school appears to have swept the parents concerns aside and is proceeding with the showing of It's Elementary to the students. Wilkerson admits that she and the other parents in the group are "feeling a little frustrated." The reason, she notes, is because, "when we're at the meetings, they express how wonderful it is for parents to be [involved] and how much they appreciate our presence and our concern," she says. However, the Maui mom adds, "Obviously, our opinion and what we have to say is unimportant, because we're still having this film."
The protesting parents feel the film scheduled for screening at King Kekaulike High School is both one-sided and outdated, since it features a homosexual teen who is now an adult and no longer involved in homosexual activity and also ignores the existence of former homosexuals like him. The parents group is concerned that by showing It's Elementary without the balancing perspective of a documentary like I Do Exist, the school will be presenting students with an incomplete and decidedly one-sided view of homosexuality.
As stupid as this is...if my kid attended that school, I'd simply pull him out of school that day.
Betcha the homoactivists on Maui are largely liberal "imports" from the mainland.
However, it would be interesting to compare the absenteeism rate for that day with the normal rate.
It's really sad that the message of, and from ex-gays is a message they're not interested in hearing.
If you don't think this attitude has infected the school at every level, and think the school will not work indefatigably to get this attitude drilled into every student, whether their parents like it or not, you're living in a fool's paradise.
The public schools in Hawaii are in particularly bad shape. At least on Oahu there are other options, less on the outer islands (this story is from Maui).
"If you don't think this attitude has infected the school at every level, and think the school will not work indefatigably to get this attitude drilled into every student, whether their parents like it or not, you're living in a fool's paradise."
If my kid is taking college-prep classes in high school, I'm not going to worry about it. Tell me how my kid is going to get indoctrinated in his calculus, chemistry, physics and biology classes? Believe me, if I got the sense that the school was going out of its way to indoctrinate my kid, I would pull him out faster than you could say jack robinson. BTW, we homeschool one of our kids.
Either way you cut it, Creationist or Darwinist, it's not normal per your beliefs!
Recruiting sexual deviants in high school should be illegal. I don't think we pay taxes so the money can be used to develop and create more sexual perverts.
Keep your eyes open, friend. Talk to your kids. Protect them like a momma tiger protects her cubs.
But it sounds like you are already on the case. In my situation, I have not had to take the course that you have, but it is good to see you proceeding with caution. Good luck.
School video preaches tolerance
About 28 percent of the 1,060 eligible students at King Kekaulike High School on Maui saw a video yesterday encouraging tolerant behavior toward homosexuals.
School officials had planned to show the video to all ninth-, 10th- and 11th-graders, but after some parents and residents objected, they decided to require written parental permission to see the video.
Principal Susan Scofield said she felt attendance was good -- about 300 students -- considering the video was not a part of a grade for a course and required written parental permission.
"It showed interest in allowing students to view for themselves so that students can grow and give their opinions about it," she said.
About 760 students did not return permission forms.
A couple of students who saw the video said it held their interest and did a good job in looking at homosexuality.
"I thought it addressed the question well," said Brian Ujiie, 17, a junior. "It wasn't as some people said trying to promote it."
Melody Sagario, 14, a freshman and student body president, said she felt the video was "just promoting tolerance and that gay people are just like us and they shouldn't be treated differently."
Sagario said she thought the video did a good job in giving various perspectives and did not seem like it was promoting homosexuality as being biological, as voiced by some critics.
Scofield said the students might have different opinions about the video, called It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues, but the intent of showing it was to foster tolerance and respect.
Students viewed the video in the cafeteria during one showing, as part of an advisory class where they receive counseling.
Kenneth Nomura, the Central Maui area complex superintendent, said the video was shown because there were cases of harassment.
A gay student left King Kekaulike after being beaten, and another has said he does not plan to return to the school for his senior year.
"If we look at it as being anti-harassment and pro-tolerance, then it's not a controversial issue, but people are making it a controversial issue," Nomura said.
The Rev. Dale Kreps, who objected to showing the video without presenting opposing views of homosexuality, said he had no problem showing the video, but felt that education officials might have been misguided.
Kreps said he has heard that the school had not done a good job at encouraging tolerance in general, and officials should not just focus on anti-homosexual behavior.
He said "It's Elementary" also portrays homosexuality as natural and biological, and that the school should also show the video I Do Exist, which presents homosexuality as a lifestyle choice.
Kreps said a main character in "It's Elementary" appears in the "I Do Exist" video and discusses how he made a mistake and thought he was gay but realized he was heterosexual.
There's an update to this story in post 31.
Thanks - I'll ping the list.
Some valuable articles didn't get pung out, but my life is quieting down so that shouldn't happen so much.
I wish my "ping" page would show more than 20 replies/comments. Do you know how to make it show more?
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
Make sure you read post #31 and click the link.
Yup, kids are being indoctrinated all right. And just opting out your own kids doesn't protect them enough. In this case, kids had to be opted in, but often that is not the case.
Let me know if you want on/off this pinglist.
This movie has been reported to be particularly intense with respect to Christian-bashing.
Did the parents involvement and protestations turn the viewing into an "opt in opt out" situation?
Thanks for pinging me back to this thread.
West High math teacher accused of anti-gay remarks plans to resignA friend of mine knows the West High teacher. The teacher, Mr. Thompson, quit his high tech job to teach in his home town, but after a year decided to quit teaching and move out of the state.
It turns out the press completely got the story wrong, of which you are probably not surprised. Here's a sequence of events:
Last week, a parent from one of the students came into his classroom and assaulted him. I'm not sure of the extent of the assault - my friend is checking. It was something along the lines of pushing him up against a wall and holding him there - I'll find out more.
How's that for tolerance?
I'm going to try and interview Mr. Thompson.
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