Last summer, a teacher at Hononegah High School, in Rockton, IL, came to the school board with a proposal for a Gay-Straight Student Alliance club. The mission of the club, according to published reports, was to create a safe space for sexual minority students and their friends. The board initially rejected the club, but reconsidered after researching the legal framework within which such an extra-curricular activity would function. According to a report in the Rockford Register-Star by reporter Rob Baxter, the Hononegah School Board approved the formation of the club at a meeting yesterday, by a vote of 5-2.
This was not without a certain level of controversy, obviously.
Elaine Meyer, who presented a petition containing the names of 600 people against the formation of the club, said she and her peers will continue to hound the board to make sure what is presented in the club is appropriate.
“The parents and adults that signed the petition will continue to have concerns about what types of material will be presented about the gay and lesbian lifestyle and the health concerns that come along with it,” said Meyer. “We are very concerned an accurate portrayal of the lifestyle be presented so students who do elect to attend these meetings can make an educated decision on what has been documented to be a very dangerous lifestyle.”
Those supporting the club have argued all along that the club’s mission is not to lure students into the gay lifestyle but rather provide a safe haven for those who feel threatened or would like to talk about issues facing gay students. Others have argued the club is for straight students too, hence its name.
The nice balance given here, between the views of one person opposed and one person supporting such a club, is in the finest traditions of know-nothing journalism. The views of the opponent are simply factually inaccurate, and it might be thought a responsible journalist would have pointed that out, but of course, pointing out inaccuracies is no longer considered part of journalism; we have mindless stenographers, rather than people who think.
Be that as it may, I am quite sure that those parents and others who have "expressed concern" (hateful bigots afraid that all those gays and lesbians are going to entice their wonderfully straight children in to the decadent "lifestyle" of homosexuality) will cause no end of trouble. I am most impressed with the whole "monitoring" thing - all it will take is some student to bring home a rumor from school to start all sorts of public outrage against the club, whose mission, it seems to me, is a wonderful example of what schools should be doing.
Anyone familiar with the patterns and histories of local controversies should know the drill here. These things have certain ritualistic components that are practically written in stone. The biggest problem I have is that those voicing opposition are not called to account for their ignorance and bigotry; being gay isn't a "lifestyle" (I honestly do not know what that word means, not just here, but in any context), and the club isn't about "exploring the lifestyle" but about mutual support and understanding among students who feel a need for such support. The goal of the club is not helped by the constant mewling of parents who oppose it; such intolerance has a way of filtering down to the school and expressing itself in unhealthy ways. More to the point, while the woman claims six hundred names, I did not read where the reporter saw the petition, or any verification of that claim was offered, and I strongly suspect it is nonsensical. Even so, as the law is on the side of the school board, such a petition is irrelevant; the support for minorities is not a democratic issue, but one of fundamental justice. Hononegah High School is to be commended for teaching not just tolerance but acceptance of those different, and for offering the opportunity to create space for those whose lives are vastly different than others.
