Oy Gay
It is almost as if this were designed to show how far we still have to go in this society: The AP reports today 7-year-old Marcus McLaurin was punished by his 2nd grade teacher for using the word "gay" in class. The boy had been asked about his father and mother by another student to which he responded simply that he had two moms, that his mom was gay. When the other child asked for explanation, McLaurin told him: "Gay is when a girl likes another girl." A teacher overheard and told him that "gay" is a "bad word." In the principal's office McLaurin was forced to repeatedly write "I will never use the word `gay' in school again" and was referred for counseling.
Situations like this make clear that Queer families exist in our society. Gay and lesbian parents have children that deserve respect in school. An increasing number of unmarried heterosexual couples are choosing to have children on their own terms. For a host of good reasons, not least of which is the Equal Protection clause of our Constitution, gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to participate in the institution of marriage. This step, as big as seems before it happens, is not enough. Our family law and related policies should adapt to the changing reality of our nation for the good of children like Marcus McLaurin.
Instead of sending this 2nd grader to therapy perhaps his teacher ought to be exposed to all of this great "gay" TV we hear so much about these days. Queer Eye is on tomorrow night and Angels in America premiers this weekend on HBO.
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Who is this guy?
Ahhhh\xD6.I suppose that it\xEDs easiest to indoctrinate folks into the culture of fear and silence when they\xEDre young and impressionable. I can\xEDt help but wonder if he would have been subjected to the same punishment if he had used the term as an insult, or used any of the vicious slurs that gay people are far too accustomed to having thrown in their face.
funny thing, after my first scan of your posting, i thought it was 'another story of PC gone too far,' where the teacher was punishing the student because they thought the student had used gay in a pejorative way. mainly it's because i'd just heard a guy use the term PC with look of decided disgust (it stands in the way of real dialogue, he said, because people are afraid to say what's on their minds), which reminds me of recent comments i've heard about people identifying as "post-PC" or comparing PC to thought police. as you note, this story is actually about the need to continue being raising consciousness about social justice. but i want to know: how common is this distaste for political correctness?
I've heard that before - people feeling that political-correctness is, as you describe, like thought-policing. I don't know how pervasive the attitude is but I have definitely encountered more than a few people who hold it. The way I see it, the purpose of PC-ness is to cause a change in thinking patterns by changing the language we use. Obviously that hasn't been accomplished if a person only changes his/her language in order to not be chastized about it. Then again, if those people are so adamant about using words that have been deemed by some to be stereotypical or denigrating, they aren't open to the change in language OR in attitude. Some people are just resistant to any change that requires them to put out any additional thought or effort. Or else they don't see the effort as being worth it for whatever the outcome would be. The solution? I have no idea.