Another gay prom issue
Posted on: March 11, 2010 - 7:16pm
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Another gay prom issue
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/11/mississippi.prom.suit/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
What I don't get, is don't school administrators and board members know better by now? Have schools won any court cases on this recently that I am missing?
It just seems like a petty waste of money when they fight this stuff without any hope of winning. Christ, they are going to ruin prom for a whole class of kids just because a Lesbian who was already out of the closet wanted to bring her girlfriend and wear a tux.
Drives me nuts. I bet most of the kids don't even freaking care either. It reminds me of Happy Feet, that whole movie was seemed to be about gay rights.
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
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Agreed... This is sensational douchebaggery...
www.RichWoodsBlog.com
OK, don't get me wrong on this...
I am all for having the prom. However, I don't follow the legal argument here. Chickie wants to rub clitty in her bedroom and I am fine with that. Video of the event would not be a bad thing here.
However, to claim that there is a first amendment issue at hand is a problem. Does the school board have a first amendment right to have an opinion on the matter?
From what I am seeing here, chickie wants to use the court system wholesale to declare that rights are granted not because they are right but rather because she feels that she should have them. Is this not a problem?
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The chick is? She's in high school. I'm gathering that it's the ACLU doing all the fighting, not her.
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First Amendment rights to freedom of expression.. Apparently that's what the ACLU is filing this on.
Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer. - William S. Burroughs
I saw this on the front page of the BBC earlier. I only know what I've read, but if this is a public school, and I assume it is, then I don't think the school has any right to disallow the girl access to the prom. That's what started this. She asked permission of the school to attend with her girlfriend, and they said no. That's where the problem lies. They knew they fucked up, so they canceled the entire thing. That part is okay with me. Having it, but barring her, isn't.
i'm fairly certain the first amendment protects the rights of the individual, not organizations, and certainly not public organizations. also, since there are absolutely NO rational objections to homosexual behavior or the expression of such (as long as it doesn't violate indecent exposure laws), but only religious objections (no matter how many secular coats of paint they try to put over it), this is clearly a case of a public institution endorsing a particular religious tenet or dogma, which is absolutely unconstitutional. i don't care how many fundies piss and moan about "minorities" highjacking the wishes of the "majority" (which is what i mostly saw in the comments to this story when i read it on yahoo), what this school is doing is unconstitutional, and the constitution was drafted specifically for situations like this, when a "majority" of fuckheads are trying to coerce one lone citizen into conformity.
and believe me, it breaks my fuckin' heart that these kids won't be able to dress in gaudy rented imitations of bishop don "magic" juan, their dates in ghastly peach-colored rayon monstrosities, drive up in daddy's camaro, get hammered in the restroom, and end up impregnating their godfearing, christian girlfriends when the condoms they've been carrying around in their wallets since 9th grade inevitably break. i'm so sorry we all have to put our petty bourgeois mediocrity on hold while one lone, courageous girl tries to continue the seemingly neverending struggle toward true equality for all sexual orientations in the eyes of our stupid fucking state and local governments. boo fuckin' hoo.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
This is disgusting. I would have expected this when I was in high school, but today?
If they had had scrapped the prom because a white chick wanted to date a black guy, or if a Christian guy brought a Jewish girl.
In a lot of ways our nation has improved but when shit like this still happens in 2010, it makes me want to barf in embarrassment.
FUCK that cowardace school and school board.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Good news on this one.
http://www.examiner.com/x-8928-Philadelphia-Atheism-Examiner~y2010m3d12-Atheist-group-offers-to-hold-gay-friendly-prom
Lol, good news for whom, the 3 people that would show up?
Edit: Nice gesture though, I hope they get some good press out of it!!!
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
I think you'll be surprised. The age gap between the students and the staff is big. Even if this particular local only produces the numbers you say, the rest of the non-bigoted world is far ahead even if not in law, most certainly in morals. Younger people don't have the same bullshit hangups our parents did.
This will make a mark and I think far more people will attend, even if the homophobes don't.
The only thing this can do is bring light to the absurdity of religious bigotry. Younger generations are not bound to the confines of mere print and Sunday hearsay. The enemy of bigotry is technology. So unless these homophobes want to shoot people on the soccer field like Muslims, I'd suggest they get with the times. Otherwise they deserve the same Monster classification as Hitler.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
It does send a great message, I just don't see many Mississippi kids going to an gay friendly prom funded by atheists.
Maybe I am too pessimistic though, I would love to be wrong!
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
Agreed Mel...
...and although this is "good" news...or certainly better news than these feckless scumbags on the school board getting away with circumventing legality for benefit of their own dogmatism... I would have rather read a story about them having met their demise in a fire... That would be *great* news...
www.RichWoodsBlog.com
What's the over/under on the Phelps showing up at this prom?
No reason to cancel a prom over musical lovers (sterotyping is fun
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Seriously awesome!
(sorry had to find somewhere to fit it in)
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.
Lets not lose our compassion or empathy in all this. What they did as a school board is awful and bigoted and ignorant and I hate them as much as you do. But hate being a normal emotion should not preclude us from having the self awareness we rightfully accuse theists of not having. Wishing death upon those you hate is normal, but we don't need to imply that our emotions need to be or should be acted on in negative ways.
I understand your feelings, but no matter how absurd their actions are, just because we are atheists, doesn't make us special or super human. I think we can live above their bigotry without the same wishes of death of others they project on others.
What makes us human IS accepting that our species actions are not exclusive to a label, and that includes atheists. Morality is not dependent on label or an invention of a label.
You are a human and your emotions ARE normal, but if we don't want others acting out on their emotions towards us, we shouldn't even imply they deserve death. Being relieved that someone you hate is dead is normal. But socially wishing death on someone, all be it normal, is a very tricky thing to convey without someone taking your expressions the wrong way.
Just keep in mind that BOTH atheists and theists are capable of this same feeling you expressed, and if say Dawkins or Hitchens or Sapient died from a car accident, or cancer for that matter, there would be plenty of believers who hate them who would ALSO make the same types of expressions upon their deaths as you are implying about these folks.
I am not saying don't express yourself, but in that expression make it clear that no matter what either side says about each other, neither side should want physical harm advocated on the other. The words should fly because we are all capable of them, but neither side should lack the empathy or compassion of understanding all humans, no matter their label, are capable of the same range of human emotions and actions.
What should make us stand out better than those who pull shit like this, is understanding that WE don't pull the same "us vs them" crap and that WE can as a species overcome our differences and still let the words fly. My point is that we cant stop absurdity or absurd claims, humans will always have this problem. But what we can do in expressing our emotions is to not put ourselves on a pedestal and accept that we are just as flawed and just as human.
I hated Falwell, for example. I was glad he died. Not in a "yippy" sense, but in a relief sense that antagonist wasn't around to bully me. BUT, I haven't lost my empathy that his family, his friends and his followers felt pain, just like you and I do when OUR loved ones die.
But I would not for example if I had passed Falwell bleeding from a car accident, pass by and say, "Fuck you". A human is a human is a human, We don't have to like each other and we don't have to say nice things about each other, but we are all still the same species.
AND CONVERSELY, If I were in danger and someone lent me a hand, who hated me, but had the empathy to do the right thing and try to save me, I wouldn't give a shit that they hated me. The debate can go on after the recovery.
We wouldn't want our cops or firemen or EMTs to let their bias get in the way of helping those in need. I think we should live better than the school board who seeks to dumb down society.
Not saying don't say it. I am saying that be aware that others have the same emotions you do and that we are all human and want the same sense of safety and the ability to bitch about things and people we don't like. I think the best that can be done is to maximize the attitude ON BOTH SIDES, that words are ok, but that is where our society should leave it, at words.
I fully expect myself, upon my death, that the believers who knew me would say, "I am glad that son of a bitch is dead". But I think both believers and atheists should avoid any criminal act of violence or advocate violence on others. Human empathy is not about getting your own way all the time, it is the mere recognition that the full range of emotions is something all humans have, and THAT is where our species common ground is.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
All points conceeded Brian...
However wishing pancreatic cancer on a bigot is just my charming way of saying "hey, I whole heartedly disagree, you big meanie!!!"...This is just the way I communicate... I laugh at really awful shit... in most cases, I really don't mean it... however I did go out and celebrate when that dogmatic douchebag Falwell bought the farm...Don't take me too seriously, sir...
On those rare occasions when I try to make a point, my posts are devoid of rape, incest or brain tumor references...
www.RichWoodsBlog.com
OK, I am fairly certain that you can't cite case law on that.
Do groups of people have the right to hold an opinion?
Well, let me use the California Supreme Court as a group here. They rendered an opinion that gay marriage is a right. After that, the voters of California rendered an opinion that gay marriage is not a right. Which group was right?
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I'll echo the sentiment that I think you'd be surprised. The younger generation doesn't seem to really care all that much anymore. Also, and I'm conflicted about this, admittedly, the straight boys will be far less likely to turn down a free party if it's in favor of girl-on-girl action than they would have if this were two gay boys.
Most people in my generation really don't care. We vote overwhelmingly in support of gay rights, and most of us don't see a problem with it.
Honestly, the only thing that might be of concern is whether or not their parents would allow them to go to something like that. I can see parents opposed to it in that kind of area going to a church or something to fund another prom.
But I don't honestly think whether gays of any kind are going would influence the students much. This is for the most part purely an older generational issue. Like inter-racial couples, pointless wars, and unending tax cuts that are supposed to somehow make things better.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
Like I said, I hope I'm wrong. I'll keep an eye open for any follow up stories.
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
It's been so long since I've had to ask my parents' permission to do anything that I totally forgot about that. </old>
SON OF A BITCH! PEOPLE DONT CARE ABOUT SEXUALITY NOW? Oh oh oh sure, next thing you'll tell me is that it is ok for a nigger to marry a white woman?
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO OUR RIGHT WING THEOCRACY YOU YOU COMMIE!
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
..........OR ELSE!!!!!!!!!!! Remember Brian37 you are not realy a bigoted racist shithead........you just play one on the internet.
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
DAMN IT JIM! I HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR, BUT I AM NOT A DOCTOR!
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Calm down or I'll have Dr. Spock change your formula, no more little blue pills. Now where's Mr. Zulu with Michael Caine?
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
Right here:
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BTW, I used to do the whole crowd control thing at Star Trek conventions back in the 90's. I have personally escorted George Takei from point A to point B. He is not a flamer. He is a dude who was employed by Desi Arnaz to do a job*. The whole gay thing is irrelevant.
*Yes, Star Trek was made by the money from “I Love Lucy”. Perhaps you also need to know that the money from the Pink Floyd album “Dark Side of the Moon” was what made “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” possible.
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maybe you can shed some light on the shatner/takei feud. who's more likely to be the bigger asshole?
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
THAT DOES IT, YOU HAVE PUSHED ME OVER THE EDGE, HOW DARE YOU DENY ME LITTLE BLUE PILLS!(*waves fists and foams at the mouth*) You tell that pointy eared geek that if he touches my blue pills I'll pull a Mike Tyson on his ear!
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
BTW, as an aside, did anyone see the Comedy Central celebrity roast of William Shatner? Funny stuff.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
blah
I wasn't aware of anything like that. I have spoken to Shatner a number of times though, as well as other people that worked with him. He is a dick. No, really. He would tell other actors to get him coffee and shit on the set. The only person that didn't speak too badly of him was Leonard Nemoy. Who by the way, is a very entertaining guy. Nemoy has a good sense of humor.
The first time I met Shatner was years back at a new scifi convention. He was the only guy charging for autographs. $50 a pop. Even for people that helped him as volunteers. He treated everyone like shit. The guy is a dick and I have no love for him.
I never spoke to Takei.
Nemoy was the second most entertaining and comedic star trek actor I have spoken to. The first being Robert Picardo. That guy was amazing to listen to.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
just check youtube. they've been feuding for like 30 years.
none of that surprises me about shatner, but i have to wonder if it's all just part of his shtick. i mean, he's been so deep into self-parody for so long now, it's nearly impossible to tell when he's being serious. is there any difference between shatner the man and shatner the character? i wonder if he even knows anymore.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
So it looks like my cynicism was spot on.
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.