Comments on: Conservative groups call for school boycott on Day of Silence

By: TigerTzu

TigerTzu — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:59:26 +0000

I think The Day of Truth should be held every school day. With these clowns out of the way, maybe GLBT kids can get an education in relative peace and safety.

By: Night Pagan

Night Pagan — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:52:31 +0000

Questions raised by Day of Truth. How can this support tolerance for conservitives to basically tell their children that its ok to bully someone different than you? How can it be truthful to deny the effects of bullying of GLBT students’ ablity to learn? How can it be truthful to ignor the emotional damage that bullying can cause GLBT students, even resulting in the deterioration of their will to live.
How can it be Christian to Lie constantly about GLBT issues and people?

By: Gretchen

Gretchen — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:57:34 +0000

fr Dr Bob:

>It is the schools responsibility to give demerits to those students pulled out by their parents, and the parents a citation for promoting truancy. There are laws against truancy and the must be enforced.<

Absolutely. Near where I live, there’s a bunch of nutballs from Eastern Europe who picket every year on Day of Silence. A couple of years ago, they found out where a hs principal lived and picketed his house. They also found out where he worshipped, and protested at his Presbyterian Church. If I was him, I’d have called the police and DEMAND they be cited for illegal STALKING.

By: JT62

JT62 — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:00:51 +0000

Y’know, I’m one of the many morbidly obese individuals in the U.S. I’ve been obese since I was six years old. Throughout my entire time in school, I was constantly subjected to the whispers and stares and outright name-calling about being fat. My standard response was, “Gee thanks, I didn’t know I was fat.” But inside, I was bleeding. My self esteem took a nose dive each and every time I heard those insults. Today, at 47, I’m still fighting self-esteem issues. I’ve attempted suicide several times. All because people can’t accept those who are different.

It’s time to stop fighting with ourselves and just stand up to the people who think that we’re different just because we love those of the same sex as ourselves. No more name-calling; let’s leave that to the opponents. We need to be ourselves, not what they want us to be. It’s time and we’re worth the fight.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:02:45 +0000

Not all Christians support this action by the religious right to deny children their right to hear the truth.
IN most jurisidictions, it is also illegal to keep children out of school without a valid reason. If the religious right chooses to disobey the law, they need to understand law and order applies to them as much as anyone else who disobeys the law.

By: Elissa

Elissa — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:32:06 +0000

Urging parents to take their children out of school on the Day of Silence is nothing new. I have been doing the Day of Silence for the past four years (this will be my fifth year) and every year parents take their children out of school specifically for that reason. Last year at my school, not only were students taken out because of the Day of Silence but parents actually called my principle and superintendent, complaining that they were allowing us to ‘turn their children gay.’ It was outrageous.

I am currently a senior in high school and I can not go one day without hearing ‘that’s so gay’, ‘fag’, ‘faggot’ and other terms used in a derogatory manner towards people. Normally it is simply ignorance and the desire to do what everyone else is doing. (Apparently it’s cool to hate gays. =/) The most physical anything has gotten is me being shoved in the halls though. I tend to ignore people when they speak against me.

The Day of Silence is always the worse though. I still do not get in fights since I do not react but I cannot go a minute in the halls without people yelling ‘dyke’ at me. The ignorance of people at my school astounds me. But I think we all need to realize they are learning it from groups like these they claim it is wrong to stand up for the homosexual community. This is why we NEED the Day of Silence. At least until they learn that we are not going to go back in our closests just because it’s more comforting for them. As long as I can and as long as it is necessary I will continue doing the Day of Silence and show my support for the LGBT rights movement.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:45:14 +0000

Rhonda:

A mandatory test with no talking kinda undercuts the entire point of a day of Silence, right?

And you cannot – by law – administer a test that ‘cannot be made up’ if an absence is excused (as all are if a parent requests). ALL tests can be ‘made up’ if an excuse if valid. And I have never seen one that was not if a parent requested it.

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:07:52 +0000

Go ahead, let the little heathens stay out of school. But be sure the absence is listed as UNEXCUSED and encourage teachers to give a test on that day that cannot be made up without a doctor’s excuse. Let them know there are consequences for bigotry.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:57:37 +0000

As a high school history teacher, I would turn this against the parents involved.

On TUESDAY – the day after the event – i would amend my lesson plan and spend the period COVERING THE HISTORY OF THE DAY AND THE REASONS FOR THE ‘MISSING STUDENTS” FROM THE PREVIOUS DAYS CLASSES>

In other words – I now have a perfectly valid and legal excuse to turn an entire classroom day over to teaching GLBT history and current events.

Who could ask for more?

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:51:35 +0000

Thank you, 365 gay staff, for writing this beautiful article.

I’ve only one ray of light to add to this article: those despicable bigots chose the wrong day to express their perverted, contemptible sense of the “truth.” Monday is 420 and if that isn’t ironic and hallarious I don’t know.