Posted on 04/13/2005 4:57:22 PM PDT by President of HSCCA Tim Bueler
Activist Claims School Censored Protest Against Homosexual Event
By Mary Rettig April 12, 2005
(AgapePress) - Members of a high school conservative group in California are saying their First Amendment rights were violated when they tried to protest an upcoming pro-homosexual "Day of Silence" event.
Tim Bueler, a senior at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park, is the founder and president of the High School Conservative Clubs of America. Last week the Rancho Cotate High School Conservative Club participated in a demonstration called the "Day of Truth." The conservative protest was designed to counter a pro-homosexual observance known as the "Day of Silence," an event planned by the Gay-Straight Alliance and fashioned after a similar nationwide demonstration.
Over two days last week the Conservative Club members walked around Rohnert Park carrying signs bearing the message "Homosexuality is Sin" or citing scripture references against homosexuality. Many students wore pro-marriage messages on their sweatshirts and passed out pro-family literature as well.
The off-campus demonstration proceeded largely without incident. However, Bueler says the protesters were met with opposition when they tried to enter Rancho Cotate High School. "Our signs and our material were confiscated," he complains, alleging that school officials "confiscated all of our literature and our sweatshirts right when we got into class, and they cited material disruption."
The Conservative Club founder says he protested against the school officials' attempted censorship. The young activist recalls, "I asked our principal to look at the educational code under 'Religious Tolerance and Expression.' He wouldn't do that, but he confiscated our stuff just the same." Two members of the Conservative Club refused to take off their "Homosexuality is Sin" sweatshirts, and Bueler says they were suspended for the day as a result.
The leader of the conservative student group contends that the school administrators and teachers who tried to shut down the Day of Truth protest were actually demonstrating the intolerance that exists against biblical and conservative viewpoints. "They're just proving my point," he says.
"There's a liberal bias in public education," Bueler continues. "And not only that, but you have a day unto one group -- the Day of Silence, a pro-homosexual day supported by the school. And when any other group tries to demonstrate or have a day like they have, it's not tolerable."
The high school senior adds that his club is in contact with some Christian legal groups, who are going over the case to determine whether the students' First Amendment rights were violated.
School principal Mitchell Carter did not return calls requesting comments for this report. However, he was quoted in the local press as saying that the confiscated sweatshirts violated a school policy about messages on clothing "that represent bigotry and target particular protected classes" of students.
I'm starting to think the main place where we fell down on the job was back in the "speech code" era. To me, that's when the academic class came out of the socialist closet, going from liberalism to outright Stalinist positions on speech. And we let it happen without much of a protest.
Of course.
Let a judge figure out if the sweatshirts promoted bigotry and targeted a "protected" class of students.
Whatever you do, don't email the principal and tell him what you think.
mitchell_carter@crpusd.sonoma.edu
Equality for everyone but Christians. I so hope they sue and cost that school board millions of dollars. That is all they understand. They certainly don't understand laws.
Thanks.
I'm not crazy about it either and it's a step back for conservatives every time. Their timing and methods are unfortunate and you may as well put a bulls eye on your back.
Yeah, the shirts should say "God calls homosexuality a sin". Give credit where credit is due.
How do you arrive at that conclusion?
"I so hope they sue and cost that school board millions of dollars."
AGREED. GO TIM! FIGHT BACK and let's make an example of this, Civil Rights violations....
Has anyone ever been convinced to stop being gay because someone wore a "Homosexuality is a sin" shirt? This is the kind of issue I think is being dealt with all wrong. The issue isn't homosexuality, it's indoctrination. A high school isn't the place to promote acceptance of one kind of sexuality over another, for Pete's sake. THAT should be the point of the protest.
Yes. and it also implies some are unprotected. So why are the teachers so hell bent on leaving some students at risk?
I agree entirely. There are so many ways to address this issue and they had to choose one that is likely to not only fail in their objective but advance the other sides cause. They could have simply protested the day itself as opposed to the root cause. Then they could have held the high ground. You have to choose your battles wisely and I'm not interested in spending capital on a few kids wearing 'Homosexuality is a Sin' t-shirts. However much I disagree with the school in the first instance.
No one should be exposed to things such as a homosexual sex day. It's absurd! What's next? "Proud to have sex with my dog day?"
Wouldn't you expect (in this day of judicial activism) that a judge will rule against those wearing the sweatshirts for some form of "hate crime?"
Not necessarily. There have been recent cases where judges have respected first amendment rights even if they aren't happy about it -- but who knows what will happen in the future.
[I'm not crazy about "Homosexuality is Sin" signs and such, but isn't the campus the place for free expression and exchange of differing viewpoints? ]
You must not have school-aged children. Hasn't been true for YEARS. Free expression is only granted to those who express the "correct" viewpoints. Point and counterpoint is considered aggressive and hateful.
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