Los Angeles middle school has “DAY OF PINK”
Larry Sand teaches at a middle school in west Los Angeles. As he describes it, the school is in a good neighborhood, with the pupils mostly being bused in. They are primarily Hispanic, with some black, the rest mixed. In the past, the school has not done much about homosexual rights, but now it has something called the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). (More on this below.)
Here is a memo that was put in all the teachers’ mail boxes at school last month inviting teachers to express their solidarity with the “DAY OF PINK,” which took place February 26. Mr. Sand says: “Remember that this is a middle school, meaning that children as young as 11 are being exposed to this.”
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,
Please support GSA by buying a pink GSA club shirt for $10. The profits will help support GSA activities, such as our anti-harassment campaign. Shirts are available in SMALL, MEDlUM, LARGE, and X-LARGE (additional sizes may be available upon special request). You may buy it directly from Ms. K__ in Rm. 233 by sending a student with money, stopping by yourself, or slipping the request form in Ms. K__’s mailbox.
We will deliver your shirt in time to wear it for the DAY OF PINK on THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 26, 2009. We are encouraging all staff to support the GSA by wearing pink clothes and accessories on the Day of Pink, a day devoted to ending harassment and encouraging diversity. Not a fan of pink shirts? Consider buying and donating one to a student.
lf you don’t have anything pink to wear and don’t care to buy a shirt from us, we will be putting pink ribbons in your mailboxes to wear on Thursday. We’d love to see all staff members wearing at least a little pink!
Thanks for all your help!
Ms. K__ and Mr. _______
Tear off and drop this slip into Ms. Kim’s box or send to Rm. 233.
We will collect the $l0 for the shirt when it is delivered to your room.
Larry Sand adds:
The Gay Straight Alliance is the brainchild of Kevin Jennings, the founder of the Gay, Straight, Lesbian Education Network. An important angle here is that Jennings was given a “Human Rights Award” by the National Educational Association a few years ago. The association between NEA and gays runs deep. If you Google NEA, Bob Chase, Kevin Jennings, you will get an eyeful.
My baptism into all this was in 2005 when I first discovered the Conservative Educators Caucus, an interest group within the NEA. I wrote the following article at FrontPage Magazine. (Warning: the links in this article are still live. Proceed at your own risk.)
In any case, the principal claims that gays are now a protected class and she has no choice but to put up with GSA’s activities as long as it is not done during instructional time. (The club meets during lunch.)
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Karl D. writes:
I am seeing a different angle on this issue. The letter to teachers asking them to buy a pink GSA shirt and then go the extra mile is really no more then a thinly veiled threat. It really should have been written as “Don’t buy a pink GSA shirt at your peril.”
Obviously those teachers who choose not to buy (if there are any in West LA) will be seen as “Fascist Homophobes.” It reminds me of the days when I worked in an office. Every week you were expected to kick in cash for one thing or another (charities, birthdays, medical bills etc.) regardless if you wanted to or not. Not to do so incurred the wrath of some of your fellow workers. Usually the women. Sorry ladies.
Posted by Lawrence Auster at March 09, 2009 03:34 PM | Send