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09/19/2008
Video: My children -- MY CHILDREN! -- were encouraged to [::fights back tears::] accept others
Gays: You do not deserve to be seen as normal through the eyes of your nieces, nephews, or even own kids. At least that is the message the Family Research Council is sending, even if it is through subtext about "values" and "family choice." Check it out:
Picking the most enraging part is of course like picking your favorite child (to 'indoctrinate'). But one that stands out for us is when Robin Wirthlin goes on a tirade about how she had to explain to her children that her family believes homosexuality is not a "correct behavior," but then goes on to add that she wasn't prepared to have this conversation with her seven-year-old. Now, this raises a few questions:
1. Why does it matter if the recipient of this conversation is a seven- or a seventy-year-old? What, is Ms. Wirthlin saving the "SURPRISE! DADDY AND I DON'T INCLUDE GAY PEOPLE IN OUR SPECTRUM OF NORMALCY!" conversation for her kids' Sweet 16 party? Or maybe rather than the clichéd graduation gift, "Oh, The Places You'll Go," she was planning on marking her children's high school commencement with the alternate tome, "Oh, The Gays You'll Avoid"?
2. Why is the 'forced' conversation any sort of a tragedy here? Gay people are around. That is a verifiable fact. And if you personally have chosen to see them as lesser-than beings, then you not only can have that talk with them at an early age -- you probably SHOULD have this conversation with them from an early age. Let them know where you stand.
3. If you fully admit that you, a grown adult, have come to a place of non-acceptance for your queer brothers and sisters, how DARE YOU act as if your outrage on this matter is only about "protecting children"? Books like these are designed to inform children about families that truly exist, likely even within your child's own classroom. It is perfectly acceptable for a school to provide inclusive instruction about diversity. And if you stand in the way of that to the point where you have turned yourself into a public martyr, then this is about your own attempts to keep the portrait of society one certain way. The only "threat" being posed to your child is the possibility that they will more fully understand the reality of LGBT people!
4. How is a book like this presenting the idea that same-sex couplings are "good, right, and how things should be" anymore than CInderella or Sleeping Beauty speak to opposite-sex couplings? Simple: IT'S NOT! These books are not saying that anything "should be" this way. These books are saying that things ARE this way for a certain number of people. Such positive images are crucial for a young gay kid who goes through young life with few to no models that match their minds!
We're done. Blech.
Your thoughts
Sadly, these people want to put a paper bag on their head and pretend that gays don't exist. Then they're shocked (SHOCKED I TELL YOU!) to be reminded that, yes, in fact, gays do exist. They're even more shocked when their children are exposed to reality!
Tony sounds particularily unhinged because he keeps referring to "if same sex marriage is legalized..." uh, Tony, IT IS LEGAL. It was legalized. Legal legal legal. Voters have an opportunity to change that, but that in no way means it is not currently legal.
These parents are...well...horrible parents. It would be one thing if they taught their children about the world and also taught them about their family's moral stance on various issues. Perfectly acceptable. But these folks are intentionally putting off supposedly important talks with their kids until it's basically too late. A kid who knows about gay folks at age 5 isn't being indoctrinated, he's just paying attention to the world around them.
Sorry, fundies, but we're not going to warp the world to fit your expectations, you're going to have to actually get off your ass and teach your values to your kids yourself.
Posted by: Jason D | Sep 19, 2008 11:15:47 AM
Thanks, JH for wading through all that B**** again for us. Keep it up though...in all ways.
We are winning.
Posted by: LOrion | Sep 19, 2008 12:04:09 PM
*Picture of two dads in the kitchen making a meal for their daughter, like good parents should*
THIS IS WHAT THEY SENT HOME WITH YOUR FIVE YEAR OLD?
They just needed some ominous music to go along with it. Made me laugh.
Posted by: | Sep 19, 2008 12:04:45 PM
Basically, they want their kids to grow up to be as bigoted as they are. And, of course, they couldn't care less if there happens to be a child with same sex parents in the class too; just so long as their fairy-tale view of the world is the only one presented, that's all they care about.
BTW, I noticed Tony couldn't resist using Massachusetts resident martyr, David Parker, in the video too.
Posted by: Jon | Sep 19, 2008 9:42:50 PM
Well put.
And on an odd scary note, I think Tony Perkins was a blip on my gaydar.
Posted by: johnozed | Sep 20, 2008 12:12:53 AM
wow, and to think I put of my spanish homework to watch him
I originally wrote a long message about how insulting that video was, but I think all of you understand. On another note, as the child of a librarian, I think I'm going to buy those books for my mom for next christmas, as part of a banned books gift basket.
Posted by: Piper | Sep 21, 2008 9:27:51 PM
My mom was sent this exact same video right now by one of her Christian friends. She actually believes a source whose background she has NO IDEA about more than her own son's words, and I do a lot of research about these kind of "PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN" groups. That sounds like a more fitting description of "indoctrination" than what the people in this video are describing.
Posted by: | Oct 8, 2008 9:46:46 PM
Really cool video.
At first I was weirded out by the moronic opinions, but then I realized it was just a very subtle sarcasm!
The people who made them should be rewarded for doing such a good parody of anti-gay videos, it's rare we have parodies that aren't TOO over-the-top obvious.
Posted by: Aerion Snowpaw | Oct 11, 2008 8:17:35 PM
Bigots! People need to wake up, we as humans are too critical about standards, we are all the same. Love is love, not just because your straight. Society needs to wake up and realize we are people and not be bigots. I am not usually violent but can I kick Tony Perkins bigot ass?
Posted by: Shauna Baggett | Oct 20, 2008 10:53:58 AM
this is bull. me being straight have had gay freinds (not love) and they areperfectly normal people!
Posted by: Dirtracer | Oct 25, 2008 1:44:31 AM
The link to the story about the homo-sex obsessed Wirthlins is:
http://www.miketidmus.com/blog/2008/10/25/the-wirthlins-hit-the-road-for-hate/
Posted by: SaveOurCalifornia | Oct 25, 2008 9:55:08 PM
A public school should NEVER EVER provide a background for religion. Send your brats to Catholic school or the non Catholic equivalent.
Posted by: john ozed | Oct 22, 2009 7:13:57 PM
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