No sooner do we settle our family in Maryland than we find that we have a battle going no in our back yard. Namely, the wingnuts — this time in the form of Parents and Friends of Ex-gays (PFOX) and a related organization called Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum (CRC) are trying to take over the Montgomery County School’s sex-ed curriculum to edit their view in (if they can’t edit gays out). Fortunately, there’s an informed organized opposition to the PFOXers, called Teach the Facts. Yesterday, the hubby attended a community meeting sponsored by Teach the Facts.
Montgomery County school officials drafting a new sex education curriculum should reject lessons suggesting that homosexuality is a condition that can be reversed, speakers at a community forum said yesterday.
“A person’s sexual attraction cannot be changed at all. There is no data to suggest that,” said Paul A. Wertsch, a physician and chairman of the American Medical Association’s committee on gay and lesbian issues, speaking before about 100 parents and other community members at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.
Wertsch was among the health educators who spoke at the forum sponsored by Teachthefacts.org, a parent group established to support the education curriculum proposed last year by the county Board of Education. The curriculum, which the parent group considered comprehensive, was dropped in the spring to settle a lawsuit brought by other parents who thought some of the lessons, including a demonstration of how to put on a condom, were too explicit.
With the school board starting from scratch on a sex education plan, both sides are campaigning fiercely to influence what Montgomery eighth-graders will hear about homosexuality and what 10th-graders will hear about contraceptives
Even though Parker is not school-aged yet, and our second adoption is sometime in the future, our kids will be going to Montgomery County public schools (in fact, the meeting was held at the high school that Parker and sibling will attend), so we’re getting involved early. We decided one of us should attend, and — given his credentials — I figured it was best if the hubby went. Of course, he brought home all the materials, and gave me a full report of the meeting.
From what he said, the turn-out was impressive. What was particularly moving about it was that the audience was predominantly heterosexual — many parents whose kids were probably heterosexual. Parents, Friends & Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) was also there in force. It brought home just how much heterosexual support there is for gays in Montgomery County. (Looks like we made the right choice about where to live!)
The basic bones of contention in the curriculum are whether or not it will say that sexual orientation is a choice and can be changed, and what it will say about contraception. The opposition, of course, wants sexual orientation taught as a choice and would prefer that contraception gets little to no mention. The result was a lawsuit that ended with a settlement that would send the Montgomery County Public Schools back to the drawing board on the curriculum, with help from an advisory board that would include two seats for PFOX and CRC.
Basically, the wingnuts are holding the education of all the of all the kids in Montgomery County public schools hostage. Fortunately, an impressive array of forces have aligned against the nutters. Speakers at yesterdays’ forum included: a former chair of the MCPS advisory committee on the sex-ed curriculum, an “ex-ex-gay” who talked about the 17 years of his life lost to “reparative therapy,” the sex-ed policy manager from Planned Parenthood, the chair of the American Medical Association’s Committee on GLBT issues, Maryland elected officials, and other health ed. experts.
Here’s a taste of what the nutters are objecting to. From the 8th grade curriculum:
Myths regarding sexual orientation
Myth: Homosexuality is a mental health disorder.
Fact: All major professional mental health organizations affirm that homosexuality is not a mental disorder.Myth: If you are ”straight”, you can become homosexual.
Fact: Most experts in the field have concluded that sexual orientation is not a choice.Myth: A person is a homosexual if he or she has ever been sexually attracted to, or ever had sexual contact with someone of the same gender.
Fact: Fleeting attraction or contact does not prove long-term sexual orientation.Myth: Children of homosexual parents/guardians will become homosexuals.
Fact: Having homosexual parents/guardians does not predispose you to being homosexual.
Teach the Facts has a great page of resources about the curriculum, as well as a petition you can sign in support of the curriculum. You can also download the petition (Word document) and gather signatures . Check out their Take Action page for information on how to contact your elected representatives if you’re a Maryland/Montgomery County Resident.
Also, check out Teach the Facts’ blog, Vigilance, for a follow-up post on yesterday’s forum, and updates on the battle against bigotry in Montgomery County. From here on out, I’ll be posting updates on this story as I come across them.
What is it that hubby does for work?
T, the ACLU has just launched a new campaign called Not in My State against assaults on health education curriculum.
The focus seems to be primarily on routing the censoring of contraceptive information, but there may be resources there that are helpful for you.
I’m thrilled to hear that your family has landed in such a great and supportive community.
Aren’t you lucky — living on blue Maryland — you can be as gay as you want! Goodluck with those intolerant fellows over at TTF, they are a hateful bunch. Jim will badmouth his own brother if he thought it would get you all excited!