I am gradually getting reports of how the Golden Rule Pledge was implemented around the country. This report comes from Meryl, a young woman who is a youth leader, UNC-G student, and singer-songwriter. I have the entire article posted at the Golden Rule Pledge website. Please give it a read.
Category: sexual identity
T-shirt case decided: “Be happy, not gay” allowed in school
We may see more of these t-shirts around on Monday since the
7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals instructed the district court to order the Neuqua Valley High School to suspend its ban on the “Be Happy, Not Gay” T-shirt while a civil rights lawsuit in the case proceeds.
Given the ingenuity of adolescents, we will see this envelope pushed further and further (“Be smart, not Christian” is sure to come).
I have seen this issue less of a free-speech matter (you can go outside and say, “Be happy, not gay” and no one will arrest you), but how much school administrators can limit speech in the service of school order. I have not seen this as a religious free speech issue since there is nothing inherently religious about that t-shirt. I think schools will have more of these kind of issues to adjudicate and some may just throw up their hands and let anything in. Some will perhaps let nothing in. I don’t know but as much as I am a defender of free speech and religious liberty, I am not happy about this outcome. I figured the court might decide that the boy had a right to wear the shirt, but I do not believe it would be right to wear it.
I think our Golden Rulers should keep passing out the cards on Monday.
Should Larry King’s killer be tried as an adult?
At issue in the trial of Brandon McInerney for the murder of Larry King is whether McInerney should be tried as an adult. Many people, including gay rights groups believe he should be tried as a juvenile. This in no way minimizes his crime. However, it does recognize that the McInerney is a child and may be able to alter his life with help.
Sadly, the defense attorney in this case seems to lay some of the responsibility on King’s behavior and alleges the school should have intervened. That defense cannot be taken seriously.
This case is very sad. GLSEN has made the Day of Silence this year in tribute to King’s memory.
American Psychiatric Association symposium on religion, therapy and homosexuality
I am looking forward to the May 5th symposium in Washington DC, hosted by the APA at their annual conference involving Bishop Gene Robinson, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President, Al Mohler, Past-President of the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists, David Scasta, Harvard psychiatrist John Peteet and me. Here is a rebuttal to a critical article from Wayne Besen about the symposium and brief coverage of the event by Citizenlink.
Some responses to the Golden Rule pledge
I suggested on this blog that perhaps parents and students should consider pledging the Golden Rule on the upcoming Day of Silence instead of staying home as some very conservative groups have suggested. The response has been mixed. A facebook group has formed to promote the idea and some college groups are implementing the idea in a variety of ways. You can read more about that on this page.
Here are three recent assessments of the idea:
ExGayWatch, six11ministries, and Wayne Jacobsen’s Lifestream blog.