[Gay] Panic in Detroit
In its haste to make sure everyone knows they’re out of their fucking minds, the GOP-controlled Senate in Michigan has unleashed mayhem in its public schools.
Oh, they didn’t mean to do that (maybe). But pro anti-bullying bill SB 137 not only excludes gay and transgender kids from protection, it includes this exception [via The Michigan Messenger, h/t L,G & $]:
“This section does not prohibit a statement of a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction of a school employee, school volunteer, pupil, or a pupil and parent or guardian.”
Now, you know and I know that these asshats thought they were protecting the 1st Am. rights of Christians who think they must shout “Faggot!” at school kids to make the Baby Jesus happy. However, what they have in actuality done is protect the 1st Am. rights of any coward who gets off on picking on someone who is different. (Provided he is absolutely sure there will be no repercussions.)
Kevin Epling, father of an East Lansing student who committed suicide because he was bullied for being gay nails it:
“This will only cause unrest in schools and give schools one more thing to deal with rather than trying to solve a problem. Also it is not a very well thought out ploy, as in some areas of the state the tables might be turned on the ‘anointed ones’ they seek to keep from being punished. This is just very wrong and the way it was done was wrong as well. It was bullying at its best.”
So. Say there is a student, or teacher or parent who has the deeply held moral/religious belief that all Jewish people are going to Hell. He now gets to stand up in the nearest public school and share his opinion in a loud clear voice and there isn’t a damn thing anyone can do about it.
Or say there is a student or teacher or parent who has a deeply held moral/religious belief that women who leave the home unescorted by a male relative are brazen sluts who should be whipped. Or perhaps someone believes that God really objects to mixed race couples. Or that people who eat meat on a Friday (or at all) are sinners. Or any of the other 9,999,999,999 fucked up beliefs that people cling to in order to feel superior to someone else. According to Michigan’s Senate, all of this is perfectly legal.
Of course, as Epling mentions, if a student has a deeply held moral belief that bullying is wrong, he is, by law allowed to tell some God-bothering twerp to get stuffed. Unintended Consequences, anyone?
Plus, I guarantee you thousands of snarky kids are culling through holy books looking for a passage that allows them to declare Geometry/Chemistry/Biology/History/English lessons are an affront to some deity or other. Hell, I know I would.
The bill still has to pass the House, but if you’re a teacher in Michigan (and you aren’t an asshole), you might want to consider a less stressful form of employment. I bet the local bomb squad is hiring.
Dear God but I wish every member of the AFA would come down with exploding boils.
“We’re pleased that the senate has passed an anti-bullying bill that will equally protect all children from all bullying for all reasons, based on their individual worth as human beings, not on being segregated into singled-out groups for special protection,” said Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan. AFA Michigan has been a leading voice opposing enumerated legislation for over a decade, often referring to the legislation as “a Trojan horse for the homosexual agenda.”
Posted by Hunger Tallest Palin on 11/04/11 at 10:12 AM • Permalink
