While reading over the editorial page of the Charlotte Observer this morning, I came across a "Feedback" opinion piece, written by Michael L. Brown of Charlotte's Coalition of Conscience, in response to a new anti-bullying policy in Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools. Its title? "CMS opens Pandora's box," with the subheading, "Anti-bullying vote may clear way for pro-homosexual indoctrination."
After I stopped chuckling, I began reading. And then I grew angry.
More below the fold.
An excerpt:
The goal is to reduce bullying in our schools, and gays and lesbians are commonly targeted. Certainly, none of us want to see kids picked on and bullied, but the new policy goes one step further. It directs the superintendent to establish training and other programs "to enforce this policy ... as well as to foster an environment of understanding and respect for all individuals." In other words, with little or no room granted for moral or religious disagreement, training will be introduced to sensitize teachers, administrators and students to homosexual practice along with issues of gender identity/expression, the latter category often referring to GID (Gender Identity Disorder), which is recognized as pathological behavior by psychologists and psychiatrists.
And then there's this gem:
The new anti-bullying policy codifies this disorder as an acceptable behavior.
The full text of the piece may be found here:
http://www.charlotte.com/...
I've been thinking about these words all day; it's been a disturbing distraction, a nagging splinter. In an attempt to still the noise in my head, I allowed my thoughts to spill out in the form of a letter to Dr. Brown.
Dear Dr. Brown,
In response to your Feedback piece in this morning's Charlotte Observer, I must admit to being a tad bit confused. I never knew my aunt's behavior was "pathological," or that she suffered from a "recognized disorder." I've just always thought of her as one of the wisest, warmest, most accepting and loyal individuals I have ever known. She and her partner have been together for nearly fifty years--longer than my own parents, and longer than most of my friends' parents.
My aunt never wore her sexual orientation on her sleeve; in her generation, it wasn't only discouraged, it was expected that silence be maintained. And in her chosen profession--guidance counselor in a junior/senior high school--she risked everything had she been open about her sexuality. She worked in the Miami-Dade public school system for over twenty-five years, spanning the days of Anita Bryant's tirades.
I can tell you that had my aunt not been a strong presence in my life, I might not have made it through my teen years as well as I did. Spending my summers with both her and her partner in the mountains of North Carolina was an annual tradition; I treasure those memories still. And had she not been there when I made that call to her from a women's shelter back in January of 1984, my jaw broken, my two-and-a-half year old son in tow, and a threat of death if I returned to my abusive spouse, I might not be here today. She was nearly three thousand miles away, but her offer for a plane ticket and "anything else" I needed was offered freely, and without hesitation.
Through the nearly fifty years she's been a presence in my life, not once did it occur to me to think of my aunt as a lesbian; she was simply my aunt. And if her behavior is "pathological," well then, I wish there were more folks out there (pun intended) who exhibit such pathologies. The folks in my aunt's extensive network of friends encompass all professions, all sizes, all genders, all races, all ages, all political persuasions and all sexual orientations. She is accepting of them all, as they are of her. While she has been a mentor to many, she has never "indoctrinated" anyone.
I would argue that the very concept of "homosexual indoctrination" is disingenuous in its basic message, for it assumes choice in the matter of one's sexual identity. Further, your fear that there will be "little or no room granted for moral or religious disagreement," is similarly disingenous, as it makes the assumption that those tasked in implementing this policy will have their faith shaken in doing so.
And I will leave you with this thought: If I recall the myth correctly, I believe that when Pandora opened her box, evil escaped and spread over the world. But the evil I believe escaped had the names "Intolerance," "Ignorance" and "Idiocy." I also recall that "Hope" remained in that box when the evil left. Someone, please, open that damn box!