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And as soon as you
get that done, then do this.
Report for December 12, 2003
An Oregon school district is
embroiled in controversy over a "gay and lesbian support club."
Perhaps once they get that settled, they can move on to an opposite-sex
fornicators support club and a drug users and drunkards support club. The
supporters of sodomy are sensing victory and so, in typical fascist
fashion, are already demanding more than "just" a club. One mom
is demanding that the school superintendent apologize for not being
pro-homosexual, and she wants the school district to "train our
teachers" with Sodom's propaganda. Aren't you glad that your tax
dollars are being used to encourage impressionable, mixed up, and lost
young people to embrace a sin which will destroy their bodies and result
in them being given "over to a reprobate mind" (Romans 1:28)?
Those kids could use some Christians outside of their school handing out
gospel tracts. . . .
Gay-issues club a hot topic for school district
Lake Oswego's schools chief will recommend revoking a rule that kept the
club from forming at a high school
Aimee Green
The Oregonian, December 8, 2003
http://www.oregonlive.com/metrosouthwest/oregonian/index.ssf
?/base/metro_southwest_news/1070715470178490.xml
LAKE OSWEGO - Schools Superintendent Bill Korach will recommend to the
school board tonight that it revoke a rule that prevented formation of a
school-sponsored gay and lesbian support club last year.
But at least one parent of a lesbian student plans to attend the board
meeting to say that the superintendent is not going far enough. Deborah
Lopardo, whose daughter attends Lakeridge High School, said the district
should study how to incorporate information about gay and lesbian issues
into its curriculum.
"The message from Dr. Korach is 'Gays don't exist,'" Lopardo
said. "'We don't train our teachers about it. We don't teach our kids
about it.'"
Lopardo also wants the superintendent to apologize to gay and lesbian
students and recognize their presence.
"If the faculty hear it from Bill's lips, it'll carry more
weight," she said.
Last year, Lake Oswego High School Principal Bruce Plato didn't allow the
formation of a school-sponsored gay and lesbian club because it wasn't
directly related to the curriculum. The district requires all clubs to
have strong ties to the curriculum.
The topic heated up last week, as news spread about last year's denial of
the gay- and lesbian-issues club and parents learned the board was going
to discuss it. Korach said Friday that he had met with about eight parents
in the previous few days.
"It's split right down the middle," Korach said. "People
say, 'Absolutely, you need to provide those types of opportunities for
kids. They need them,' or 'This isn't something we believe belongs in a
school environment.'"
The district started delving into the issue in October after two members
of Lake Oswego's Youth Council told the City Council that a gay-issues
club wasn't allowed at Lake Oswego High.
The students brought it up as part of the discussion of an
antidiscrimination ordinance, which the city passed later that night. It
extends state antidiscrimination protections to gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender people at workplaces, restaurants and housing in the city.
Korach watched a tape of the City Council meeting after hearing that Youth
Council members had taken issue with the school district's club-formation
rule.
Korach said Lake Oswego High denied sponsoring the gay-issues club because
it wasn't directly tied to the curriculum, such as the Math Club, the
Spanish Club or DECA, a business/marketing club. The district established
the rule to limit the number of clubs because they require staff to
volunteer time.
Korach said the school told the students interested in gay issues that
they could meet informally, but they wouldn't have a staff adviser or the
opportunity to advertise meetings in the school's morning announcements.
After investigating the issue in recent weeks, Korach said he discovered
the rule wasn't equally applied to all clubs. For example, Lake Oswego and
Lakeridge high schools have chess clubs, which some have argued isn't
related to the curriculum. And while Lake Oswego High denied sponsoring a
Free Tibet club, Lakeridge has had a Young Republicans club.
"What is clear to me is I have a management problem that's my
responsibility," Korach said. "My two high schools are not
consistent with each other."
Once the issue of consistency is resolved, Korach said the board needs to
address whether it wants to exclude clubs students may be interested in,
such as a gay-straight alliance.
"Then you have (to talk about), 'What kinds of guidelines should
there be for clubs?'" Korach said. "You know, this isn't 1955
anymore."
Korach plans to recommend to the board that schools sponsor any club that
students are interested in and that a staff member is willing to advise.
The club cannot violate district regulations or state or federal law.
The school board, Korach said, also will need to decide on "whether
we would be more proactive in supporting gay students.
"We haven't really had a position," Korach said. "Our
position has been nonexistent."
Peter Rodway, one of the city Youth Council members who brought up the
issue to the City Council in October, said he'd like the district to
change its rule for school-sponsored clubs. He thinks a school-sponsored
gay-straight alliance would help foster understanding among students.
"I think there's a lot of barriers in our school that kids are afraid
to break on their own," said Rodway, a Lake Oswego High senior.
Rodway also thinks students would benefit from other school clubs not
directly related to classes. Last year, he attended a meeting of a new
Dance Revolution club, modeled by the video game in which students
dance. But Rodway said the club was shut down soon after.
"Kids were having fun and keeping out of trouble," Rodway said.
"Nothing wrong was going on."
Homo-Fascism
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