Posted by
Cal on Sunday, February 11, 2007 9:02:38 PM
Commentary: Gay Straight Alliance: 'Encouraging acceptance, respect among students'
Julie Becker
My child is a member of Fond du Lac High School's Gay Straight Alliance. Because of this, I am compelled to respond to a recent guest commentary and to stand up in defense of this student organization.
It is my understanding that the purpose of the Gay Straight Alliance is to promote acceptance and respect among students and to provide a safe school environment for all. Should we as parents find this unacceptable?
Acceptance? Respect? Safe schools? By all means. But it begs the question: if such basic, universal values are the goal, then why call it “Gay Straight Alliance” instead of, say, “Respect & Safety Alliance”?
If Ms. Becker intends to present this as the extent of the GSA’s activities, it’ll take a lot more than this to convince me. At Fond du Lac High School, I spent a few months in the Civics class of one of the GSA’s advisors, who felt Republican-bashing was a proper use of class time—I’m sure he’s got no political axe to grind! Coulter Nation has already pointed out the extremism of another local GSA bigwig. And I kinda doubt the GSA sat twiddling their thumbs while the rest of the state debated a constitutional amendment on marriage—especially considering that among the national GSA network’s top goals is “educating” the school community on “sexual orientation issues.”
I too believe that issues of religion and sexuality are personal matters. I fail to understand the accusation that our public school system is the one that is preaching to our children. I have not experienced anything that resembles religious preaching at Fond du Lac High School.
Madam, I suggest your son have a chat with the club’s advisors about that. At least one of them has been guilty of political preaching (more like indoctrination, actually), and I know from experience that there have been others more than willing to tell kids what to think instead of how.
Mrs. (Mary Fran) Merwin, high school principal, and her staff are excellent educators and wonderful role models for our children.
Role models? For what, how to shirk responsibility by lying ?
They should be commended more often on their efforts to enforce our school's values, attitudes, expectations of its students and just as important, respect and genuine concern for one another.
Don’tcha just love apologists for bureaucrats?
In a school of more than 2,000 students, these are the things that make Fond du Lac High School, a success. To accuse them of interpreting the law as they choose and steering our students' religious beliefs is ridiculous. Fond du Lac High School, as with every other public school, is bound by our country's law of separation of church and state, so it is unfair to make such an accusation.
Um, what’s the point here? If the content isn’t religious, it doesn’t count? I don’t remember the letter to which Ms. Becker is responding, but I suspect the original argument wasn’t centered on the district’s or GSA’s constitutionality.
The Gay Straight Alliance is a group of students, both heterosexual and homosexual, who spend their own time, not class time, encouraging acceptance and respect among students and doing all they can to improve their school and community.
Not long ago, this group held a bake sale with all proceeds given to a local charity. I won't presume to guess how other high school students spent their evening last Friday night, but I can tell you where my child was.
He, along with several other members of the Gay Straight Alliance, volunteered their time at Loaves and Fishes. When they arrived, the individual in charge asked if they were there for mandated community service work. When they told him they were not required to do it, but just wanted to, I am told that he was very pleasantly surprised.
Apparently, not many Fond du Lac residents, students or parents, gay or straight, are interested in volunteering for such an important cause.
No argument that far too few kids get off their behinds to better their communities. All GSA members who do charity work, more power to ‘em. But this doesn’t say anything about the merits of GSA political activities.
(While we’re on the subject of charity, take a listen to this interview with Arthur Brooks, who ran the numbers and found some interesting results on charity in America.)
I am also a Christian and the Lord that I know is loving and accepting of each of us despite our "sins." If God himself had been at the door of St. Paul's Cathedral on that recent Friday night when my son and his peers volunteered, would he have turned them away and condemned them as sinners? I don't believe so.
Of course not. We’re all sinners. But that doesn’t mean God is indifferent to sin. The fact that we’re all sinners is not a license to sin. We’re supposed to recognize our sins, and reject them. I’ve always found it interesting that liberals love the story of Jesus saving the adulterer: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” But they never seem to remember that He then told her to “Go and sin no more.”