Yes, Gay Youth Exist in School

In May 2005, a judge halted the implementation of a new sex-ed curriculum in liberal Montgomery County Maryland. The judge made his decision after a small group of conservative parents, led by the anti-gay (fraud of a) group PFOX, complained. What irked these parents about the new curriculum? It said that being gay is OK! (See the column I wrote in the Washington Blade about this issue back in 2005.)

Well yesterday, the anti-gay crowd lost and a newly rewritten (and gay friendly) curriculum was piloted in classrooms that included students that had parental permission to take part in the new lesson plan.

While the new curriculum deals directly with sexual orientation and gender identity, it still is dealing with some user error. According to the WaPo report:

About 30 students attended the first session yesterday. Teacher Katie Becker held to a rigid script because of legal concerns. She read, "Today, we will look at behaviors that can have an effect on relationships, including stereotyping based on human sexuality."

Students also studied a "word tree" that showed the effect of derogatory remarks such as "You walk like a girl." And they were asked in a homework assignment to "describe a school where there is empathy, tolerance and respect."

Luke Stocky, 14, found the class relatively dull.

"Our teacher, Mrs. Becker, she read straight from the manual," he said. "It was very strict. Like, you couldn't ask questions."

Unfortunately, the anti-gay crowd still knows that if kids learn that hating gays is not OK, they may lose ground in their larger ideological battle for the minds of our young and the future of their movement. So, they plan to press on with their call to scrap the curriculum.

In the mean time, we need to continue to support parents of good faith, such as those coordinating TeachTheFacts.org.