Trying to overcome a history of noxious anti-gay bigotry, the San Leandro high school in California authorized the creation and display in every class room of posters which showed a rainbow flag and the words 'This is a safe place to be who you are.' Some teachers objected to the message and symbols, citing their personal religious beliefs that homosexuality is evil, and refused to hang them.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports:

District officials said the poster is an effort to comply with state laws requiring schools to ensure students’ safety and curb discrimination and harassment. They say that too often teachers do not reprimand students who use derogatory slurs or refer to homosexuality in a negative way.

“This is not about religion, sex or a belief system,” said district Superintendent Christine Lim, who initiated the poster policy. “This is about educators making sure our schools are safe for our children, regardless of their sexual orientation.”

It may not be “about religion” from the perspective of administrators, but from the perspective of some Christians it is — because it’s against their religion to send the message that gays should be safe. Why? Because this suggests that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality and “normalizes” homosexuality in society.

Some of those who object to such signs are anti-gay bigots; others, though, simply fail to recognize that gays in America suffer from persecution and refuse to take seriously their reports of bullying and attacks. Rick Duncan, the Welpton Professor of Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law, has for example described the students seeking reassurance that the school is safe for them as “whiny victims” who are part of “the culture of complaint.” I guess gay students should stop being so whiny about being afraid of others beating them.

Duncan further finds these “whiny victims” to be somehow equivalent to “whiny complainers” who don’t like having “Pink Triangles shoved down their throats.” Thus, complaints about having to look at pink triangles is no more or less “whiny” than complaints that one should not be required to get an education in a school where they are afraid of being attacked. These are just “dueling whiners” whose dispute should be resolved in some “neutral” manner.

It’s arguable, though, that refusing to take seriously gays’ complaints of persecution is little better than overt anti-gay bigotry because it tends to be based upon a refusal to see or treat gays as fully equal citizens in society. It’s not usual for these same people to leap up in defense of Christians at the slightest hint of alleged persecution. Because gays are immoral, persecution of them just isn’t worthy of serious time and attention — and so people continue to suffer.

 

Read More:

• Gay Rights, Gay Marriage
• Evangelical Christianity & Homosexuality
• Catholicism & Homosexuality