Maryland, Tennessee debate gag order on discussion of homosexuality in schools
Jan 18th, 2008 by Rob
Politicians, parents and educators are at odds this week over whether homosexuality should legally be included in lesson plans for public school sexual education courses.
Arguments held before the Circuit Court in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Wednesday pitted school officials - who believe that lesson plans should be left to educators - against parents and other community members who contend that discussions of homosexuality (particularly the notion that it is innate) infringe on their religious beliefs.
The Washington Post reports that Brandon Bolling, the attorney representing the group Citizens for Responsible Curriculum, argued that the proposed curriculum violates Maryland law:
That sexual orientation is innate is a theory that has been rejected by courts in several states, Bolling said. “The Maryland law says you have to teach something that is factually accurate,” he said. “They are not doing that. That is illegal.”
Meanwhile, Tennessee Representative Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) introduced a bill Thursday forbidding public schools from teaching about homosexuality in any capacity:
…no public elementary school or middle school shall permit any instruction or materials discussing sexual orientation other than heterosexuality.”
Out and About Magazine, a publication of the gay and lesbian community in Tennessee, reports that the proposed bill is already generating backlash:
We wouldn’t have expected something like this,” said Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) President Christopher Sanders. “Since it was filed we have to take it seriously. It shows the absurdity the far right will go. The bill would compromise the very purpose of education and would inhibit the free speech rights of Tennesseans.”
The futures of both the Maryland case and the Tennessee legislation are unclear but are likely to generate more controversy as they develop.
