Bullying Wins in Alameda

The school district of Alameda, California has been in the news because of its elementary school curriculum about bullying prevention.
The problem with the curriculum: its Lesson 9 teaches that some people have same-sex parents and that those students should not be bullied.
Without even the usual lip service to their caring for the sinner but not the sin, anti-gay activists have cried “Indoctrination!” One activist said parents don’t want their kids being “bombarded” with “pro-homosexual messages” at school.
Others say it’s just too early to learn these lessons; when the lesson was introduced a conservative blogger called it “The end of the innocence” – a particularly disturbing formulation as it implies that learning not to taunt and bully other children is the equivalent of teaching them The Joy Of Gay Sex.
Here’s the AP on “a book that is a part of the curriculum:
“The book, Who’s In A Family,” pictures of families headed by grandparents, single parents and gay parents, among others.”
Wait, so this book shows….actual families? Like, pictures of people in families? And one of them has a grandma, and one has two dads or two moms? …. I don’t feel my innocence slipping away.
The lessons are needed:
From Fox News:
Some parents like Carrie Brash said the curriculum is necessary to combat bigotry that was already rearing its head among even young children, who were bullying her daughter in school.
Brash said her daughter had to endure taunting chants of “Lesbian, lesbian, your mom’s a lesbian,” from kids in school.
Sadly, the pressure of the Homophobe Lobby got to the school board, and they agreed to phase out Lesson 9 and replace with a more generic bullying curriculum that includes discussions of several kinds of bias. That’s one step toward ending bullying, but according to GLSEN’s report on orientation-based bullying in schools, is nowhere near as effective as policies and curricula that specifically address GLBTQ issues. Plus, the protestors are still not happy because the new lessons still acknowledge that GLBTQ people exist and experience discrimination.
Isn’t anyone protesting these lessons ashamed of themselves? They are arguing against a lesson that discourages bullying and teaches tolerance. Learning not to beat someone up or call them a name because they have lesbian moms is not “indoctrination,” a “pro-homosexual message,” or “the end of the innocence.” It’s a matter of learning basic school conduct and coexistence with others.
Let’s call things what they are. At the root of this is the same thing that made a McDonalds manager think it was OK to call a teen job applicant a faggot. It’s the same root as the law in Uganda that could lead to execution for homosexuals and jail time for those who do not report them. It’s not about HIV prevention in Uganda; it’s not about religious liberty; and it’s definitely not about the safety of children.
The root of it all is a basic belief that GLBTQ people don’t deserve to be acknowledged, much less protected. No matter how you dress it up, it leads to harassment and danger for GLBTQ people. And anti-gay groups, no matter how Christian they claim to be, tacitly support this harassment and danger. They are just Fred “God Hates Fags” Phelps without the big yellow sign.
Crossposted at www.amplifyyourvoice.org