I was visiting a few journals earlier today when I ran across an excerpt from an online publication with which I was not familiar, the www.worldnetdaily.com. After checking out the publication further, I recognized why it wasn’t on my reading list. I find it to be sanctimonious, bigoted, and prone to embellishing fact with fiction. Following is the excerpt that caught my eye:
"Mom and Dad as well as husband and wife effectively have been banned from California schools under a bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who with his signature also ordered public schools to allow boys to use girls restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa, if they choose."
There are a few facts that I find important regarding this topic. The California state legislator passed an anti-discrimination bill and Gov. Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law. The law does not ban the use of the terms “Mom and Dad” or “Husband and Wife.” The law, Senate Bill 777, essentially forbids discrimination based on a list of characteristics. In application, it will likely require that if such terms as mom and dad etc. are used that there must be other inclusive terms used as well so as not to discriminate against public school students based on familial status. SB 777 isn’t entirely new. It expands on existing anti-discrimination law in California that provides equal rights and opportunities to all persons in public schools in the state regardless of their disability, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, or any other characteristic contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in that section of the state penal code. SB 777 expands the prohibitions to include the denial of equal rights and opportunities to anyone based on gender or sexual orientation. Seems like common sense and fairness to me, unless you think that it is okay to discriminate against people based on gender or sexual orientation. (Please don’t get waylaid by misguided notions that sexual orientation includes pedophilia or other deviations from consensual interactions between adults. The whole notion is a scare tactic meant to detract from the very real denial of human rights to members of this society based on gender identity or sexual orientation.)
The law is directed at engendering a positive and healthy school environment for all children, including those who do not have a family that consists of a mom and a dad. This does not only apply to children who have parents that are gay. Some children have only one parent in the household. Given the high divorce rate among heterosexual couples and the reconfiguration of families that may ensue, many children have a mom, dad, step mom and step dad. Some children live with grandparents or aunts and uncles who serve as the primary caretakers. Imagine what it feels like to be a five year old and every story that the teacher reads in class, every poster on the wall, every song that you sing, makes you feel as if you don't belong or fit in because you don't live in a traditional family structure consisting of a "mom and a dad."
In addition to sexual orientation, the new law also addresses gender discrimination issues. Gender is a topic that is rarely considered by those of us who have never experienced a sense of not belonging in our own bodies. I don’t pretend to be an expert, but from what I read, “gender identity” refers to a person’s sense of self as male or female. Some individuals are born with a gender identity that does not match with their anatomical sex characteristics. I confess that I have tried without much success to imagine how it is to feel like one gender and have the physical characteristics of the other. On a purely empathetic level, I do understand that this causes emotional pain and confusion that is only further compounded by the rejection and judgment imposed upon such individuals by the larger society and often by family members as well. Adolescence is difficult enough without this added twist on identity.
Which brings me around to the “sky is falling” hype espoused by worldnetdaily.com about bathroom use. SB 777 does not eradicate the use of gender identification of public restrooms; bathroom doors will continue to have some identification as male and female on them. The law simply allows individuals whose gender is at odds with their physical characteristics to use the restroom that identifies with their gender identity. That is, if you think of yourself as female and are externally exhibiting female dress etc. although you were born a biological male, you may use the female restroom or vice versa, a biological female whose gender identity is male may use a male restroom. Most individuals with Gender Identity Disorder dress and behave according to gender identity not anatomical sex characteristics.
There are a few other things to think about before jumping on the sky is falling bandwagon and woe unto family values express train. Gender Identity Disorder (aka Gender Dysphoria) is considered by the American Psychiatric Association to be a disorder and not a mental illness or disease. An individual's sexual orientation is just that, an orientation, not a choice. If it were a choice, we should all be able to recall when we made that choice. I don’t recall choosing to be heterosexual or gay, do you?
6 comments:
In fact, I was a raging heterosexual when I was 13, and told my parents so, and they sat me down and said, "Now Marc, this is a decision that is going to affect the rest of your life. Sexual orientation is very fluid, kids tend to experiment, so we want you to not rush into any conclusions." So I went to the library, and did some research, and (though I had to read between the lines to find this out) I learned that so many fabulous people in history were homosexual, and that they got to be designers and florists and artists and go to prison--cool!--so I started to rethink my attraction to women. But still, it wasn't until I saw that older man lurking outside of the library bathroom that I said to myself, now that's glamorous! And can obviously lead to being a Senator! Color me recruited!
On that very day, I decided to be a homosexual, and even though I have had to suppress an overwhelming attraction to women to do so, it's been worth it. Being a gay has led to the edgy life of a promiscuous drug-addict rebel, and no alimony! It also guaranteed me instant admission the the all-powerful gay mafia! My parents were so happy! Being liberals and all, of course they wanted children who would be considered anti-mainstream "values" even if it meant dealing with a little discrimination. Their only disappointment is, despite all the encouraging legislation and intense societal pressure to do so, neither of my siblings are gay or transsexual. They both married members of the opposite sex and had children. BORING. Thank God the Republicans across the street told them to be accepting of their heterosexual children and grandchildren. (I think they read worldnetdaily!)
Thank you Marc, for your thoroughly enlightening commentary. LMAO.--Sheria
Have to laugh a lot at makemarc's comment! :)
It's interesting to me that the first thing some people thought of was, egads, a mother and mother, or a father and father. Being a single parent, and working with youth which means being raised by grandparents or aunts, or mom and dad but they aren't married, or by dad and sometimms we see mom, or mom and grandma and grandpa as dad is in jail or lives in another state and never sees the kid, etc. I thought my child was doing fine (she did know her dad and saw him some, she did have my mother and stepfather who she adored). She switched schools for 1st grade. Wow, other kids from homes where the mom and dad are not together. She expressed such huge relief at knowing she had words for it now, and was NOT ALONE.
Anyway, I agree with you that their interpretation is manipulation of the facts. Shaking my head at this all too common way of doing things........
What a load of hogwash. How much better the world would be if we just did the two things the Saviour admonished us to do. Love the Lord God with all of our hearts, minds and souls, and to Love our neighbours as ourselves. That means loving everyone, regardless of race, colour, sexual orientation, religion etc. Pure and simple. Nobody needs to legislate that. It's what God told us to do. All this political correctness is a nightmare that will lead to our undoing. right is right and wrong is wrong. Most people know the difference.
Marie
http://journals.aol.co.uk/mariealicejoan/MariesMuses/
In Italy they say: La bugia ha le gambe corte~roughly that means a lie has short legs.
I don't think people actually believe all that crap worldnetdaily spews out, unless it just backs up their own ignorant way of thinking in the first place. ~Mary
Thanks for the chuckle hon! I think you said it all in the title to this entry. These days people tend to believe everything they hear. What surprises me is it's happening at a time in history, where we have computers and several other means of looking into the facts. The Rumor mills belong to our forefathers. Yet even they knew enough to not take everything you heard for granted. Kind of can't help remembering what happened when Orson Wells did his broadcast of "The War Of The Worlds". (Hugs) Indigo
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