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Same-sex marriage opponents in Massachusetts sue schools
Parents cry foul when school officials permit discussion of homosexuality in kids’ classrooms
Published Thursday, 18-May-2006 in issue 960
BOSTON (AP) – Two couples claiming their parenting has been under attack in the only U.S. state that allows same-sex marriage have sued school officials for permitting the discussion of homosexuality in their children’s classrooms.
Tonia Parker and her husband, David, did not want to discuss sexual orientation yet with their 5-year-old son and were shocked when he brought home a book from school that depicted a gay family. The book was included in a “diversity book bag” last year, they said.
David Parker subsequently was arrested for refusing to leave his son’s school in Lexington, Mass., after officials refused to meet his demand that he be notified when homosexuality was discussed in his son’s class.
The Parkers and another couple, Joseph and Robin Wirthlin, sued school officials in federal court, claiming Lexington officials violated their parental rights to teach morals to their own children.
The Wirthlins joined the Parkers in the federal suit after a second grade teacher read to her class the fairy tale King and King, which tells the story of two princes falling in love.
The way the opponents of same-sex marriage see it, the 2003 ruling that cleared the way for same-sex weddings in Massachusetts has emboldened gay rights advocates to push their views in schools and ignore those who feel homosexuality is immoral.
“In many parts of the United States, we could have presented our concerns and our objections, and it wouldn’t have been a problem,” Tonia Parker said.
Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, said there is no pro-gay campaign in the schools, just isolated cases exaggerated by anti-same-sex marriage activists who suffer from “narcissistic activist personality disorder.”
Carisa Cunningham, spokesperson for the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, said school curriculums have not changed, just the reaction to them by same-sex marriage opponents. “Maybe the impact of the law is that it has made people much more defensive and much more afraid,” she said.
In Massachusetts, like most of the nation, there is no official education policy on when or how to discuss homosexuality in the classroom.
“It’s done purposely to make sure local school boards reflect the values of the local district,” said Martha Kempner, a spokesperson for the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.
Just 10 U.S. states have laws that deal with teaching sexual orientation, two of which require some teaching of it and eight of which put restrictions on how it’s presented, according to New York-based SIECUS.
Massachusetts guidelines say only that teachers should define the different sexual orientations by the fifth grade and it is up to each school district to decide how to do that.
Officials there say that since same-sex marriage is part of life in Massachusetts, it comes up naturally and that it is impossible to notify parents every time the issue is discussed.
“It certainly strengthens the argument that we need to teach about gay marriage because it’s more of a reality for our kids,” said Paul Ash, superintendent of schools in Lexington. “The children see married, gay couples.”
An “opt out” provision in state law requires parental notification and the chance to remove their kids from the classroom if the curriculum “primarily involves human sexual education or human sexuality issues.” But same-sex marriage comes up in current events classes and other forums where it’s not the primary focus and, educators say, not subject to the “opt out” law.
Kris Mineau of the Massachusetts Family Institute, which opposes same-sex marriage, says educators are using the perceived loophole to bypass parents.
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