Nov. 16, 2011
Open minds, open ears
It's comforting to talk about Blair's diversity. It's comforting, it's easy, and in many, many ways it's true. Racially, culturally and economically, this school is the embodiment of the American melting pot. However, it's easy to see that a "but" is coming, and if you've been here long enough, it's easy to see that the "but" is politics.
Montgomery County, especially Silver Spring and Takoma Park areas that feed into Blair, is a liberal haven. So when fliers for Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (P. Fox) were passed out during advisory last week, the outrage was immediate and widespread. Whole advisories got up and went to talk to Principal Johnson, who made an announcement explaining that she had not seen the fliers before they had gone out and apologizing for anyone who might have been hurt by the fliers.
P. Fox won a lawsuit against the Montgomery County Board of Education over the county's health curriculum – specifically, as an article on the P. Fox website states, "the biased, pro-homosexuality curriculum that made derogatory comments about Christian views on homosexual behavior." Somewhere in that scuffle, P. Fox got the right to pass out the fliers. They sued, they won, it's done. There isn't much room for debate on that score, even if Blazers wish there was.
Let's be clear: there's room to be upset, or at least confused. Although the wording on the fliers never condemns homosexuality and P. Fox labels itself as a friend of gays as well as ex-gays, the organization provides numerous statements that do just that. One of their testimonials calls the gay "lifestyle" (apparently there's only one) "a pointless waste." Another page on the "resources" section of their site calls a child coming out to their parents "a kind of murder of the family." Homosexuality, according to many sponsored articles on the site, is a "problem" and a "sin."
As such, the reaction has been strong. Mary Lou Thornton, Blair social studies teacher and sponsor of the Blair Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) said, "We got sort of blindsided by this, and I hope Ms. Johnson is able to fix that. I had kids crying coming to me and I know she had kids crying coming to her." GSA co-president and junior Allison Goodman, who has learned more about P. Fox through GSA, was angry about the misinformation in the fliers. "I'm really upset about it because I think it sends the wrong message to high school students, because P. Fox is not supporting of homosexuality." Other students, like junior Ellie Musgrave, the other co-president, put her feelings a little more bluntly.
That's not a bad thing. This is not to say that the hurt to a vulnerable population is a good thing – far from it. What's good about this is the discussion. What's good about this is that the world beyond the warm and fuzzy walls of Blair, a world where some people, even a lot of people, think differently than we do, has poked its head into our school. Get angry, complain, but listen. There is a world outside our bubble, and some of its ideas have even made their way in.
Kathryn Klett is a Blair senior and a devout Christian who believes that homosexuality "is a very harmful thing." She doesn't hate homosexuals – "I do have friends who are homosexuals, and I want to do everything that's in my power to be a good friend to all of my friends," she said – but homosexuality is something that she has been raised to believe is wrong. Are Klett's views controversial? Undeniably. Does she have the right to voice them? Undoubtedly. This isn't always easy, though. "Sometimes I'm the only person with my particular opinions in a classroom, and that can make it hard to speak up and voice those opinions. People can be dismissive and even oppressive about clashes in viewpoints," she said. It's not wrong to disagree with a classmate, but it is wrong to shut them down.
I understand that there are people who think that certain opinions deserve to be shut down, and certain people who believe that P. Fox espouses deserve to be shut down. Beyond any moral objection, does this ever actually work? Silencing an idea gives it power. If anyone is so certain that P. Fox is despicable, they shouldn't fear discussing it: the power of their certainty should be enough to convince anyone. What they should fear is the thousands of Blazers who would stew over the idea silently, not hearing information from the other side because no one is talking about it.
The fliers offended people. "Everyone rightfully felt insulted," sophomore Dylan Crosson said. Senior Melissa Herrera agreed. "I think it's rude and ignorant to think that the right decision is a 'straight' decision," she said. Whether or not you agree with P. Fox's message, you have to accept that you're going to face opinions that you find rude, insulting and ignorant in your lifetime. If you want to truly convince someone that your view is right, you have to do them the courtesy of hearing their ideas first.
A few fliers are not going to bring this school to its knees. Blair has a strong, administration-supported LGBT community, and as Musgrave said, "It's pretty easy for students to shrug it off." If these fliers do anything, it should be to remind the Blair community that if we really believe in something, we have to argue for it. Your convictions deserve more than your outrage. They deserve your composure, your ability to listen and your ability to reason without relying on insults our outrage. Only then will you be able to change minds.
The primary function of P. Fox is to give support to what they call the ex-gay community.
P. Fox won a lawsuit against the Montgomery County Board of Education over the county's health curriculum – specifically, as an article on the P. Fox website states, "the biased, pro-homosexuality curriculum that made derogatory comments about Christian views on homosexual behavior." Somewhere in that scuffle, P. Fox got the right to pass out the fliers. They sued, they won, it's done. There isn't much room for debate on that score, even if Blazers wish there was.
Let's be clear: there's room to be upset, or at least confused. Although the wording on the fliers never condemns homosexuality and P. Fox labels itself as a friend of gays as well as ex-gays, the organization provides numerous statements that do just that. One of their testimonials calls the gay "lifestyle" (apparently there's only one) "a pointless waste." Another page on the "resources" section of their site calls a child coming out to their parents "a kind of murder of the family." Homosexuality, according to many sponsored articles on the site, is a "problem" and a "sin."
Thornton says that she thinks it's "underhanded" for P. Fox's name to sound so similar to that of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG.) She thinks the similarity sparks confusion.
That's not a bad thing. This is not to say that the hurt to a vulnerable population is a good thing – far from it. What's good about this is the discussion. What's good about this is that the world beyond the warm and fuzzy walls of Blair, a world where some people, even a lot of people, think differently than we do, has poked its head into our school. Get angry, complain, but listen. There is a world outside our bubble, and some of its ideas have even made their way in.
Kathryn Klett is a Blair senior and a devout Christian who believes that homosexuality "is a very harmful thing." She doesn't hate homosexuals – "I do have friends who are homosexuals, and I want to do everything that's in my power to be a good friend to all of my friends," she said – but homosexuality is something that she has been raised to believe is wrong. Are Klett's views controversial? Undeniably. Does she have the right to voice them? Undoubtedly. This isn't always easy, though. "Sometimes I'm the only person with my particular opinions in a classroom, and that can make it hard to speak up and voice those opinions. People can be dismissive and even oppressive about clashes in viewpoints," she said. It's not wrong to disagree with a classmate, but it is wrong to shut them down.
Obviously, not everyone is as supportive of the idea of ex-gays. However, varying opinions should not obstruct constructive discussion.
The fliers offended people. "Everyone rightfully felt insulted," sophomore Dylan Crosson said. Senior Melissa Herrera agreed. "I think it's rude and ignorant to think that the right decision is a 'straight' decision," she said. Whether or not you agree with P. Fox's message, you have to accept that you're going to face opinions that you find rude, insulting and ignorant in your lifetime. If you want to truly convince someone that your view is right, you have to do them the courtesy of hearing their ideas first.
A few fliers are not going to bring this school to its knees. Blair has a strong, administration-supported LGBT community, and as Musgrave said, "It's pretty easy for students to shrug it off." If these fliers do anything, it should be to remind the Blair community that if we really believe in something, we have to argue for it. Your convictions deserve more than your outrage. They deserve your composure, your ability to listen and your ability to reason without relying on insults our outrage. Only then will you be able to change minds.
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If anyone could find more information about this case, I, the lowly commenter, would much appreciate it.
Ram these things down enough people's throats, and they'll believe everything is okay. A social liberal myself, I have no serious issue with this as long as it only pertains to social matters [which is almost impossible in a capitalist state, but oh well]
Regarding the campaign of P. Fox's: there should be no surprise that it exists, and its ability to make itself heard is just one of the many anomalies that our political system allows, but either way I doubt it will be strong, have much voice, or be in strong favor in the years to come.
Gay and lesbian organizations have said their movement is about violation of their CIVIL RIGHTS, like how unfair blacks and women in this country were treated and how they had to fight for their rights as US citizens. If so, shouldn't they support freedom and equality for everyone, not just them and supporters of their rights only but rather for all people of this great nation?
It just seems so odd after preaching about CIVIL RIGHTS for gays and lesbians, they would want to deny the rights of others who like themselves call themselves as gays (but with self-determination want to excercise other options) and ex-gays. What about their rights??? PFOX understands their rights and I think preverving their civil rights is just as valid as any.
As the popular saying goes from our school's recent play- "All for one and One far all!" should be the attitude regarding our constitutional rights!
The constitution protects your right to have your own views and to speak them publicly. It does not require that public schools give them equal publicity, especially if they're demonstrably bigoted and ignorant.
The school has every right to decide if a flier is appropriate or not, and I (and many others) believe very strongly that propaganda implying that homosexuality is a choice is not only offensive but demonstrably false and a poorly-disguised attempt to insert conservative Christian morality into the school system, where it has no place.
[And might I point you to the longstanding precedent that schools (as well as prisons and military bases) fall in a category in which Constitutional rights are permitted to be "upheld and exercised" in a much more limited fashion than in the "real world"?]
It is the very fact that PFOX can be as offensive as they are is what makes us and our Constitutional values so strong.
Conviction is fine, but constitutional liberties are much more sustaining as a people.