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Leesburg Middle School Gay/Straight Alliance
Florida School Board May Cut All Student Clubs To Blockade Gay-Straight Alliance
A central Florida school district may ban all extracurricular student clubs in an attempt to prevent the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance at a local middle school. The Lake County School District discussed amending the rules regarding student clubs in order to blockade a Gay-Straight Alliance at Carver Middle School in Leesburg, according to the Miami Herald. IF THEY DO NOT ALLOW THIS CLUB...they have to take out all clubs and extracurricular groups...including sports. I hope the Board soon sees the error of their ways...they are hurting all the kids!!! |
Leesburg Daily Commercial article 2/17.
Daily Commercial - <p>ACLU ups the pressure on Lake County School Board</p> |
Excellent article and one very brave young lady!!!
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PS...I called a friend who is involved with the local PFLAG...there are apparently many Villagers and the local area that are going to the board meeting. They are wearing red as a show of support. Not sure if red is significant or just wearing the same color.
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You would think with all the problems schools have had with bullying, with the prevailing attitude being an acceptance of gays today, and with just the concept of common decency and understanding that the school board would welcome a club like this. How very sad that they would consider banning all clubs to stop this one. Of course, I'm sure that the other clubs will be able to meet during school hours and not be considered extra-curricular after a month or two. Regardless, banning all clubs will only cause more strife and bullying between the gays and anti-gays. How very tragic.
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The situation is at Leesburg Middle School. I believe a middle school is for grades 6, 7, 8, and 9. Ages for the students in those grades are between 11 and 14? I am really wondering HOW a child between 11 and 14 years old KNOWS that they are gay or lesbian. They may have "mixed feelings" when changing for gym class around others of the same sex or in the shower with other students of the same sex but to have experienced gay or lesbian sex on a regular basis at that age seems, to me, to be very young - or to have experienced straight sex at those young ages, to me, seems very wrong, too.
Am I showing my age when I wonder HOW a child of between 11 and 14 is convinced they are gay or lesbian? I can understand an experimentation of sex both ways but to be convinced at that age...? |
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The problem I have with this situation is the school board being dictated to by the ACLU. They' re the ones who created most of our social mess to begin with. THEY should be banned.
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Well reality is that middle schoolers do indeed know about sex and think about what you are saying. Don't you think that a heterosexual kid knows that they like the opposite sex?
Common sense tells me that everyone knows what they like, some choose to ignore those feelings until later in life. Also....as a matter of fact 14 year olds def know...it is said there are several girls in the villages high school that either have had a baby (2 of them) and 2 more girls are currently pregnant. They are all between the ages of 13-15!!!! So kids know! |
You definitely know at that age.. I am a gay man and I knew at that age that I was attracted to the same sex.. and as far as the school board cutting all extra clubs because of gay /allaince shame on them for their narrow mindedness.. and I bet most of the decisison making is coming from men ..and most of the time these men are afraid of their own sexuality ..thats why there are so many married men still in the closet!!!
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I remember a particularly precocious elementary school girl in Reno, NV who wanted me to do something to her anatomy when I was still scared to even kiss a girl. The elementary school girl already had a sexually transmitted disease at 12 or so. This was around 1972. I know Reno would probably have more sophisticated kids than in many other places because of the very fast life of the casinos. But, this is quite a different world now than any of us grew up in. |
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I don't think it is about a person's sexuality as much as it is just plain TOLERANCE. Unbelievable the bigotry displayed.........BY THE ADULTS
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I can't believe in this day and age someone doesn't realize you are born gay, not mixed up or confused.
I feel it is an injustice for a school board to single out one group, whether it is gay or not. Wake up people. This is the 21st century and should be more in tuned with the world around us. Stepping off my soap box now. Quote:
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I was Chairperson of the 3rd largest school board in British Columbia, vocal and straightforward in my opinions, topped the polls in the election, and a favorite of the media for speaking on behalf of the rights of children. I can barely breathe when I read such predijucial behavior of elected officials. Want to increase the suicide rates among youth? Want to create bullying and violence among students? Want to lower the self esteem and self worth of children? Want to alienate children who have their individual identities ridiculed? Want to create divisiveness? Want to create an educational environment that picks and chooses who can participate? Well, then support this initiative and see if you can live with yourself when the consequences of such outrageous decision making occurs. If you want to be a decision maker in education, then you better understand the children who you have been entrusted to make the best decisions for their well being, education, and safety in the public school system. If you cannot handle the responsibility, then please find another activity to satisfy your desire to have power and control over the lives of the most vulnerable, our children. Shame on you. We are each created as our own person; we are all equal;and we are all unique. Look in the mirror and see who stares back at you before you project your image to our precious children. And the ACLU are Nazi's? Does that mean our children should be in concentration camps? Please, leave our kids to be cared for by those who care for them. Every child deserves to be loved and nurtured, politicians do not get to pick and choose who can belong and who is left on the sidelines to be alone and humiliated. Our job, for all of us, is to create a safety net for all children and ensure they can navigate the road safely to adulthood without falling off a cliff. Do something to make a positive difference in the life of a child. It is surely going to be your ticket to your own road to heaven.
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I too am a bit confused about this. Are there other clubs in middle schools dedicated to sexual/romantic/lifestyle topics? On the one hand I applaud students, parents and school personnel who recognize the need for support, acceptance and anti-bullying. But on the other hand, I wonder how young is too young for sexually related topics to be introduced at schools, especially in the form of organized clubs.
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And for the record, I personally do not believe the ACLU started or is causing a mess in our lives. I believe they are a good watchdog. They may go overboard on occasion, but they have provided good service. JMHO. |
When I was in junior high in the early 70's I knew lots of girls in 7-9th grade who got pregant, and opted for an abortion, so no one would find out, they barrowed older girls Drivers Licenses which were paper with no photo, and they and their boyfriend paid cash for it.
Back then most LGBT were in the closet, and I knew my preferences at that young age, as the song says, I was Born this way. Just look around at the kids of today, they are going through puberty in Early elementry school now. I applaude all of you that are open minded, and care about the welfare of all human beings, and thank you for posting your comments here. :mademyday: |
How does a gender-identity and sexual-orientation club fit with the educational mission the schools are charged with, and with the Clubs list found at the Carver Middle School website. The clubs listed are:
Band, Bowling, Chorus, FBLA, Junior Beta, Robotics, Science Club, Student Council, Yearbook. I also wonder how effective the Gay-Straight Alliance Club can be in stopping bullying, if the bullies do not join it. I'm assuming it would be voluntary to join the club. To me a similar example would be this: Let's say there are similar tensions and hurtful behavior being done by thin students who mock and abuse fat students. There are, sadly, cases in which mocked/tormented fat students commit suicide. How would it improve relations if a Fat-Thin Alliance Club is formed at school, and the bullies and antagonists do not join the club? How are the perpetrators going to become more conscious of the plight and humanity of the victim, if they do not join the club? School site: Carver Middle / Overview |
Hatred or violence used to drive out anyone different than you is still in our DNA and was a survival defense in the early existence of mankind. Survival of the fittest comes to mind. Modern man as evolved to accept and even embrace a change in that primitive mentality in an attempt to share this wonderful planet with everyone. Thankfully we have moved beyond some horrible words used to refer to others and now have these two examples:
R----d is now Mentally Challenged Q---r is now Gay or Lesbian Can you see the difference? You would be surprised how easy and liberating it can be to accept everyone for their differences rather than trying to drive them out of your cave. |
I think a club like this best accomplishment would be letting the individual that it is indeed OK to be gay or lesbian. The next accomplishment, which is even harder, would be convincing the hetero world that it is OK to be gay or lesbian.
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This young lady is a friend of my son at Carver Middle school. I can tell you that there is so much bullying going on there as well as other schools as well..Don't know what it is going to take to get this bullying to stop..ITS insane. They need to do something to deter this activity and if this will help I say have at it.
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no progress on stopping bullying due to the overwhelming need to be absolutely certain the bully'ss rights or feelings or their parents are not infringed upon. As a result, the victims become secondary.....another by product of a too permissive, NIMBY (not in my back yard) society.
It becomes more apparent each and every day. btk |
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Dead serious. They slowly infiltrated all the schools. Vermont was a very conservative state at one time. It has totally changed since we arrived in 1970. I do realize "times have changed".....but parents of our age were not happy about what was taught, at that time, in Jr. High. Middle School is now 6th grade to 8th grade and often it is even on the same campus as the high school which would be 9th grade to 12th grade. I have no idea what is taught nowadays in our schools......but nothing would surprise me....... |
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It could also lead to pressure being put on the schools to stop the bullying. You are right in saying these kids feel alone and that can lead to suicide. If one kids is saved from this terrible fate, it is a worthwhile club. |
Must be a good conspiracy theory here somewhere. Good grief. :ohdear:
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Yes, there are gay/straight alliance clubs at other middle schools throughout the country. Do they stop bullying? Sometimes. What they definitely do do is give kids a place to talk, feel and know it is okay to be themselves.
Kids in middle school are pretty sure of their sexuality. They may not be comfortable with it, but they know their preferences. To be teased and bullied because a child is different is just plain wrong. To have adults condone and, in some way, approve of this bullying is downright evil. A school board that threatens to stop all extracurricular activities to stop one club for children that know they are different, that are harassed daily, that need help and guidance is evil and ugly. The school board should be starting programs to stop the bullying; to immediately suspend the offenders; to protect those being bullied whether gay, straight, mentally challenged or just different in any way. This school board has worked to cause even more harassment and fear. Sorry, but this thread has just pushed so many buttons to me. I can remember an exchange student in 7th grade having her face slashed. Why? Because she from Israel and a "dirty Jew." I can remember a dear, intelligent friend dropping out of high school. Why? Because he couldn't handle the daily harassment of being flamboyantly gay. Back then, bullying was accepted as being normal for children. The thought was the bullies would grow up and become productive adults. Those bullied would get over it. Fortunately, that is no longer the case in most parts of the United States. Apparently, that is not the case in Lake County -- it still lives in the 50s and 60s. Bullying is wrong. Accepting bullying is contemptible. Condoning bullying is heinous. Causing more bullying is evil. |
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Please stay on the topic of the local middle school current events issue.
Posts and comments about the function and role of the ACLU will be deleted as it strays too far into political territory. Thanks for your cooperation. |
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I am proud that we can discuss a Gay-Straight Alliance club today. If this topic came up when most of us were in school, it would have been a dangerous conversation. We have a long way to go in showing respect to ALL of our citizens, but that said, we have in fact came a long way. I am also hopeful as our generation dies out, the next one will make this world a better place for those still on the way. I hear so often here about the Good Ole Days, well I agree we have pockets of problems today, but overall I feel we are a better society to address and change issues like we discuss here and not drive them into back rooms. No one should live their life embarrassed nor ashamed of who they are. I am speaking of Sexual Origination, Race, Gender or choice of faith.
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When I read the first article linked (Daily Commercial), I couldn't help but think there was more to the story. Something is missing from what's being reported. I looked around and googled other articles on the topic. One sentence here, from this article, has a key point:
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One problem is that when a club forms at school, there has to be a faculty advisor(s) for the club. The school district also assumes liability for all its clubs, students, and faculty while they're there and involved in school activities. So. Let's say that a good and willing faculty advisor for the gay-straight alliance club would be a teacher who is gay or lesbian, because they have walked in the shoes of these students. Now consider that for decades, as an example, the U.S. military had a policy of "Don't ask, don't tell", that worked reasonably well. A lot of us don't really care to know what people do in the privacy of their bedroom. Changing this policy in the military became congressional-level demonstrations, protests, lobbying, etc. for years. Why should the public schools get involved in such an emotional, controversial, extra-curricular club, when really, I believe this problem is due to the schools having their hands tied in recent decades when it comes to seriously and effectively disciplining bullies that are so evil they'd slash a girl's face!!!! When school behavior gets so far out of control that you have students openly, physically abused for being different, this tells me that either the principal and assistants are absolutely useless, and/or their hands are tied legally against their being able to strongly discipline and boot out these awful perpetrators who are also enabled by their boorish parents. I have taught under school principals that are absolutely useless and just play the P.R. game, and I've also seen some of the best principals you could ever find have their hands tied behind their back when it comes to disciplining abusive students. Also....I'm pretty sure there are lots of teachers who are homosexual, and I'm certain that my kids have had gay teachers.......but why does anybody in a public school need to KNOW that???? Quite a few times, while my kids were in high school and after I'd met their teachers and got to know them better in parent-teacher conferences, I'd ask my kids, "Is Mr. or Ms. So and So gay? I sense that they are because of this or that." Routinely their answer was, "I dunno.....who cares?" And I was glad they didn't care about that because that person is there to be a teacher, not a sexual-identity role model, nor a counseling psychologist which, by the way requires masters' and PhD degrees, clinical hours, licensure and continuing education!!!! I think the real problem this school board is trying to deal with is a) not having the legal authority nor standing to strongly, finally discipline and nip in the bud these bullies and get them out if they don't shape up; and b) the board and administrators know their limitations and that they cannot be all things to all people. I think a club like this belongs in the private sector of the community, in for example a community center like Boys & Girls Club or church youth groups, etc. if it's in line with their beliefs and they are prone to address that problem. Besides that, any parent of one of the abused students can form a club for the victims and friends to meet at their house or wherever. I think the schools already have enough problems of their own without getting into this. |
I've added my comments in bold, italics and red to ilovetv's comments. Hopefully, this will work.
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We had a well known bully in HS and in the gym he would pick slur on other kids perceived gay. Well what do you know, he turned out to be the biggest flame.
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Oh my!
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These are a few of the currently "permissible" clubs in Lake County Schools:
First Priority -- is a youth organization that supports student-initiated, student-led Christian clubs on middle school and high school campuses. Fellowship of Christian Athletes -- All adult volunteers working with FCA are required affirm their agreement with FCA's Sexual Purity Policy as part of the Ministry Leader Application form. This policy states that "Neither heterosexual sex outside of marriage nor any homosexual act constitute an alternate lifestyle acceptable to God." Students Against Destructive Decisions Multicultural Clubs It appears to be more a matter of the school board difficulty in accepting the nature of the lesbian straight alliance, rather than there desire to have all clubs be academically based. |
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