Be heard on the issues that matter most to you!
I can't tell you how much it angers me that people who claim to care about the dangers faced by gender non-conforming teens contribute to that danger by insisting that the closet is the only source of safety and by spouting the kind of rhetoric that endangers the teens in the first place.
So, two young women at an Illinois high school were voted "cutest couple" by their peers. The students should be applauded for treating this couple like all the other couples at the school. And bravo for the two young women for having the courage to be out at school.
First, of all, it is imporant to realize that this does not seem to be a big issue at the school. I have not been able to find a story about a mass of parents up in arms over this. In fact, the only controversy apparently stems from the fact that the mother of one of the girls objected at first. The school decided to defuse the issue by putting the couple's photo amid photos of five runner-up opposite-sex couples. So it is important to remind ourselves that there is no real controversy at the school. People there seem basically okay.
Back to the video: O'Reilly wants Dr. Berman to recognize that people who are homophobic have legitimate reasons for bieng so. He claims these reasons include the fact that gay teens are treated harshly by society, that some parents have religious objections to homosexual behavior, and that it is inappropriate for teen sexuality to be recognized at school.
Berman does a masterful job of staying calm in the face of O'Reilly's bluster and she holds the sensible line that straight teens have sexuality just like gay teens do. But O'Reilly isn't having it. The lesbians should have just pretended to be "just friends" because their sexuality is a private matter.
So I guess the straight couples whose photos surround them don't have to pretend to be "just friends" because everybody must know that straight kids don't have any sexuality to flaunt.
Or something.
...because public space really matters!
Elizabeth
O'Reilly proves that logic and critical thinking are beyond his mental capacity.
Dr. Berman very clearly pinned him down on his inconsistent approach to different types of sexuality, and he was apparently more than happy to flaunt his ignorant stance that teenagers' sexuality should be subject to his religious censorship.
Once again, it all comes down to the press to create an American theocracy led by the fringe of the political right wing. No one is safe until the iron fist of the would-be Taliban is marginalized and castrated of its influence in every arena, from politics and policy to education and science.
Kisses,
JanieBelle
my family have been going on about "fox" but living in england i just didn't get it....now i get it!!!
you would never see this discussion in the UK or europe. i'm a bit speechless except to say congratulations to the happy couple!
i'm sure they were more acceptable than a homosexual(male)couple, why is it that (american) society has such difficulty with gay men?
my daughter took photos for her high school yearbook so i know the thrust is to capture the "real" student life. i am completely comfortable with students showing their sexuality, whether they are experimenting or whether it becomes a way of life.
i was or attempted to be intimate with guys back in my high school days (70's) who weren't "able" to consummate~~~i later found out they were happy with other guys... at the time i was confused but it all seems so clear now, i almost wish i could say it's okay, you shouldn't have wasted your time with me~you should have been with tom, dick or harry!
ps. so proud ms berman is in chicago, my hometown!!!
