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Loading ...Parents could face criminal charges for opposing gay history month
03.09.2009 11:46am EDT
(London) Parents who removed their children from a London elementary school over lessons marking LGBT history month could face prosecution, officials say.
The UK observes gay history month in February each year and schools are encouraged to mark it with special classes as a way to teach tolerance.More than 30 students were pulled out of classes at the George Tomlinson School in East London. The area is made up mainly of immigrant families, many of them Muslim.
Among the parents objecting to the classes was Pervez Latif, who kept his 9- and 10-year-old sons from going to school throughout the week.
“I didn’t want my children to be learning about this,” Latif said.
He said that he wrote a letter to the school explaining his objections and was told the children would be listed as truants if they were not in class.
The law allows for 19 excused days a year – additional days a student is not in class are viewed as truancy. But the school regards the removal of the students as an unexcused absence.
The penalties range from a fine to criminal charges.
“If I am faced with court action, then I will just explain that these are my views,” said Latif.
Special gay history lessons at the school ranged from references to famous gays and gay events in history classes to reading age appropriate books in literature classes.
Two gay-themed books were read in primary classes – ” King and King,” about a prince who falls in love with another prince, and “Tango Makes Three,” about two male penguins, Roy and Silo, who fall in love and adopt a baby penguin at a New York zoo.
Sarah Saeed was another of the parents who removed their child from the school for the week.
“It is not an appropriate age for the children to be learning such matters. We have our own way of explaining things to them and they should not be subjected to this,” she said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the school said no decision had been made on seeking charges against the parents.
“As part of the borough’s policy of promoting tolerance in our schools, children are taught that everyone in our society is of equal value,” the statement said.
send the RAG HEADS (yes I said It)HOME!
If they want to live like hateful mongers then send them back to where they belong! To the Dusty ole deserts! PERIOD
If they Don’t like “Western ways” then WHY Do they go to western countries?
WHY DOESN”T THE UK and Other E.U. Countries not have that as a REQUIRMENT in their Immigration laws?
I am sorry I am firm believer that no matter “how nice” and “loving” they (Muslims) supposedly are, they live by they IGNORANT, Hateful, women hating, relgion!!!!
DO NOT LET MORE OF THEM COME TO YOUR COUNTRIES! BE AWARE!
WHEN WILL A GAY MARTIN LUTHER KING LEADER RISE AND LEAD US TO THE PROMISE LAND???
Thank you heteros for bringing us GLBTs into the world! Well done! Honor and glory be yours!
This just goes to show how far advance the UK is over the US!
I think this parents are jumping to the wrong conclusion as to what is being taught in those classes. They seem to think that some sort of sexually explicit material is being pushed onto these kids when all those books are, are make believe fairy tales that just happen to have same-sex characters who fall in love.
Do these parents object to stories like “Cinderella” or “Snow White” because it depicts a heterosexual couple falling in love?
Very sad! What their really doing is teaching their innocent children their own twisted screwed up ideology, so that they grow into ignorant adults…and the beat goes on…
This is what happens in countries where every member of society is accounted for. It sucks in the sense that it feels harsh about the possible fines and jail time, but society at large benefits it self in the long term because future generations wont have to learn about gay people on South Park or distorted school rumors. Gay kids in the UK might not have to deal with all the crap most of us did growing up.
It seems to me that Muslims, like everyone else, need to adapt to Western Society if they choose to live in the West. If they want only the social policies of the middle east, they should continue to reside there. These parents seem intent on denying their children exposure to the real world and, again, if that is their wish, they should remain in those middle eastern countries that cling to centuries old standards which have no relevance today in the Western World.
When teaching about Gay History and families, schools are not teaching sex. They are teaching about families and people– the same kinds of families and people these children will meet in life.
Schools exist for children, not parents and not teachers. They exist to help children discover and learn about the world around them and to help replace ignorance with compassion, understanding and respect. Parents and teachers have the moral responsibility to ensure schools do the job of helping children learn.
If parents are permitted to withdraw their children from lessons on LGBT history and families, will they also be permitted to withdraw children from lessons that present positive information on Christianity or Islam? Will they be permitted to withdraw their children from science lessons that teach evolution? Will they be permitted to withdraw their children from literature classes because a story has a few swear words in it?
If parents do not agree with the positive information about LGBT people, history and families their children are learning, they may discuss these issues with children at home. However, they must realize their children have a right to learn positive truths about homosexuality and all schools have a moral responsibility to teach information that is positive about LGBT persons. Schools must also be celebrating and welcoming to LGBT school community members just as they MUST be celebrating and welcoming to Christian, Moslem, and other religious school community members.
Schools are not safe and caring for anybody unless they are safe and caring for everybody.
There is a huge differance between teaching tolerance ( which we need in all schools) and teaching about sex.
But I agree with Dave W. If they want their kids to be taught that the world is flat and gay people do not exist then they should have to spring for cult or church school.
Oh and if you do not want your older children to learn about safe sex and not getting pregant then you need to not take the free education from the state.
However many states do have opt out laws.
Tom in Long Beach
Tom in Long Beach
Muslims must learn to tolerate other societies and groups within society. If they don’t want to live in a pluralistic, free society, let them leave the west, and return to the middle east!
The headline is a little misleading. Basically, the complaint is that the parents want the absences to be “excused”, instead of “unexcused.” Because if the child has so many “unexcused” days in a year, they may be listed as a truant, and the parent may get in trouble.
So, my thoughts as a married lesbian woman is, the parents should be able to pull their child out of the class, period.
If I had a child that was being taught something I was extremely opposed to, then I would reserve that same right to pull them out of the classroom.
“Gay History Month”
Splendid!
Only in Britain you say?
I actually fully support this decision. My basis is that if they did this with “black history” or any other historically discriminated group it would never be tolerated. They are not being taught about SEX, they are being taught about diversity and tolerance which is sorely needed everywhere.
Well, this is just going to add more fuel to the fire and not help us in the states one bit even though our laws would allow for a parent to pull their children from class if they thought this was the case. Good parenting though, just shield your children from the real world. What you should be doing is letting them learn the material and when they get home tell them why they think it is wrong.
America beware: If we let religious extermists immigrate to our country and then demand their version of bigotry is a difference of opinion, we really will be no better off than England or France is in fighting this type of bullying.
Oh, darn, we already have.
This is a sad example of such an amazing thing (imagine teaching this stuff here) ruined by extremist. Why do they want their government paid education but say they have their own way of teaching these things? Heard of home schooling?
COOOOOL! About time. Methinks they should toss their hetero as*es in the klink anyway!! LOL!