US school district sued over homophobic 'witch hunt'

[Jack]

I keep reading the topic title as US school district sued over 'homophobic witch' hunt, and for a brief moment I try to imagine what a homophobic witch would look like and how would one go about hunting them.

How does everyone feel about his outing the girl to her parents? Is that an appropriate action for a school administrator to take? I don't perceive that as a very Christian thing to do. Seems more petty and vindictive to me.

[Aussie]

Quote by: Jack How does everyone feel about his outing the girl to her parents? Is that an appropriate action for a school administrator to take? I don't perceive that as a very Christian thing to do. Seems more petty and vindictive to me.

Yes, that sounds very Christian to me!

[tfox_60]

Quote by: SoylentGreen What does "to wear her agenda attire to school." mean? What has this to do with freedom of expression, when it is about someone in authority abusing their power with bigotry?

You cant sue for abusing power with bigotry. It wasnt the lesbian girl that sued, it was her heterosexual friend who sued alleging a violation of her freedom of expression.

He suspended some of her friends who expressed their outrage by wearing gay pride T-shirts and buttons ... Ardena hoped to protect the students' freedom of speech — whether it was the freedom to wear Confederate flag T-shirts to show Southern pride or the freedom to wear rainbow T-shirts to support gay rights. Courts have repeatedly ruled that similar student protests are constitutional as long as they are not disruptive.

Except the confederate flag isnt a good comparison because

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A federal appeals court panel has ruled in favor of a Tennessee high school that banned students from wearing clothing with the Confederate battle flag after several racial incidents. [SIZE=1]Ruling lets stand school's Confederate flag ban - 08/20/2008 - MiamiHerald.com

Like I said, she probably did win extra points with the court because it was gay rights that she was expressing in her speech. Confederate flags, pro life or religious expressions would probably not cause the same concerns in the court.

[Aussie]

Quote by: tfox_60 Like I said, she probably did win extra points with the court because it was gay rights that she was expressing in her speech. Confederate flags, pro life or religious expressions would probably not cause the same concerns in the court.

Ah yes, those gay friendly courts, extra points on offer if you bring two or more gays.

[SoylentGreen]

tfox_60You cant sue for abusing power with bigotry. It wasnt the lesbian girl that sued, it was her heterosexual friend who sued alleging a violation of her freedom of expression.

You need to come up with some proof for this.
The statements made in the paper are quite clearly showing you as wrong. Clearly he was reprimanded for conducting a witch hunt and acting in an inappropriate manner. IE homosexual bigotry.

a federal judge reprimanded Davis for conducting a "witch hunt" against gays. he (Davis)questioned many of them about their sexuality and association with gay students. Some were suspended. "Davis embarked on what can only be characterized as a 'witch hunt' to identify students who were homosexual and their supporters, further adding fuel to the fire," U.S. District Judge Richard Smoak recounted in his ruling. "He went so far as to lift the shirts of female students to insure the letters 'GP' or the words 'Gay Pride' were not written on their bodies."

It was a mother who contacted the ACLU and it was the mother who hoped to protect the freedom of speech of students who protest.

Heather Gillman, an 11th-grader who took part in the protests, complained to her mother, Ardena, a 40-year-old corrections officer and mother of three. Ardena Gillman called the ACLU, Ardena hoped to protect the students' freedom of speech

The court case was not specifically about the protests or about freedom of speech, but about davis's bigoted actions

Except the confederate flag isnt a good comparison because

Try reading a little more carefully

Courts have repeatedly ruled that similar student protests are constitutional as long as they are not disruptive.

A federal appeals court panel has ruled in favor of a Tennessee high school that banned students from wearing clothing with the Confederate battle flag after several racial incidents.

Several racial incidents would count as being disruptive.

Like I said, she probably did win extra points with the court because it was gay rights that she was expressing in her speech.

And exactly what speech would that be when the article says specifically

The problems began last fall when Davis, who did not return phone messages from The Associated Press, admonished the senior, who is identified only as "Jane Doe" in court records and whose friends say she doesn't want to talk about the experience.

Difficult to make a speech when she doesn't want to talk about it.

[Aussie]

Good luck Soylent, you'll need more than silly 'facts'!!

[tfox_60]

Nothing I can do to bring the ability to comprehend the meaning of the written word to you two. We dont have laws guranteeing the freedom from bigotry. We have laws guranteeing the freedom of expression.

OPINION AND ORDER The question presented is whether a public high school may prohibit students from wearing or displaying t-shirts, armbands, stickers, or buttons containing messages and symbols which advocate the acceptance of and fair treatment for persons who are homosexual. .... IV. Analysis A. Free Speech Claim 1. Law The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, as applied to the States by the Fourteenth Amendment, prohibits Congress and the States from "abridging the freedom of speech." ... Cases, such as this, "which involve regulations limiting freedom of expression and the communication of an idea which are protected by the First Amendment present serious constitutional questions .... However, the facts in this case are extraordinary. The Holmes County School Board has imposed an outright ban on speech by students that is not vulgar, lewd, obscene, plainly offensive, or violent, .... In essence, the events which occurred at Ponce de Leon in September 2007, were insufficient to justify a ban on speech because any disruption was, under Holloman, "speculative," "theoretical," and "de minimis." .... The robust exchange of political ideas is essential in a vibrant, progressive society and is precisely the type of speech that is sacrosanct under the First Amendment. .... In light of these findings, I conclude (1) that the speech and symbols banned by the School Board were not sufficiently connected to the students’ behaviors at Ponce de Leon in September 2007, to justify their prohibition; (2) that the proscribed speech did not and would not "materially and substantially interfere with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school" or "collid[e] with the rights of others" under Tinker, 393 U.S. at 509, 513, 89 S. Ct. at 738, 740 (quoting Burnside v. Byars, 363 F.2d 744, 749 (5th Cir. 1966)) (internal quotations omitted); and (3) that Heather Gillman’s speech should not be silenced because of alleged disruptions caused by other students. http://www.aclu.org/images/asset_upl...e980_36150.pdf

[SoylentGreen]

Nice catch, I didn't realise we could access court proceedings like that. a very handy hint , thanks for showing it and the proof.

[ironeagle]

What a dope. Only I wish they had only sued him personally because now the tax payers have to foot the bill for the lawsuit.

[Whilletal]

Quote by: Aussie Yes, that sounds very Christian to me!

Aussie way to go painting with a broad brush. It would be the same as someone claiming all gays are into bondage leather

[Rog]

Quote by: Whilletal Aussie way to go painting with a broad brush. It would be the same as someone claiming all gays are into bondage leather

they are, aren't they?

[Aussie]

Quote by: Whilletal Aussie way to go painting with a broad brush. It would be the same as someone claiming all gays are into bondage leather

Or all athiests are going to hell?

[Sonart]

.

Quote by: Aussie Or all athiests are going to hell?

No, it's all atheists are immoral and going to hell... along with the immoral homosexuals. Let's as Sarah Palin.

.

[Night]

You've gotta feel sorry for his kids, imagine if one of Davis' kids were gay...

[Aussie]

Quote by: Sonart . No, it's all atheists are immoral and going to hell... along with the immoral homosexuals. Let's as Sarah Palin. .

Ahhhh, that's right! (I also forgot it's only Christians that are allowed to generalise, i spose i'll be going to hell for that also!)

[Sonart]

.


Guaranteed. I'll save you a booth.

[Matt W]

This isn't a chat room....move on.

[Reuben]

I believe it is mainly his religious views. He obviously allowed his religious views to come into play. The article states that the area is very religious, and most of them find homosexuality wrong. He allowed his views to get in the way of keeping a school organized, and went on this "witch hunt,".

[loser]

So which do you think it is? Is it about "Davis's personal and religious views about homosexuality ", or is it about "when he endeavoured to silence the opinions of his dissenters."

It's about his personal and religious views, of course. That's what it's always about. If you have religious convictions, you are considered a bigot.

Yet, I see bigotry in the language of the OP. Notice how SoylentGreen uses the word 'homophobic' to describe Mr. Davis' actions. This word has a DERISIVE connotation, contemptuously branding the subject as narrow-minded and prejudiced. Let's examine this word:

Homophobia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Homophobia (from Greek homós: one and the same; phóbos: fear, phobia) is an irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuals.[1][2][3] Some definitions lack the "irrational" component. ..."Homophobia" was first used with its modern meaning in 1972.[citation needed] It has been criticized as a pejorative against those with differing debatable value positions, with several researchers proposing alternative words to describe prejudice and discrimination against gays and lesbians. ...Psychologist and gay activist George Weinberg coined the term homophobia in his 1972 book Society and the Healthy Homosexual,[6] published one year before the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.[7] Weinberg's term became an important tool for gay and lesbian activists, advocates, and their allies. ...The construction of the word is comparable to xenophobia, a much older term referring to individual or cultural hostility to foreigners or outsiders. It fails to make sense etymologically, however, as the Greek 'homo' means 'the same', so, literally, 'homophobia' means a fear of things that are the same.[8] The word homophobia was also used early in the 20th century, albeit rarely. It then had the meaning of "fear or hatred of the male sex or humankind." In this use, the word derived from the Latin root homo (Latin, "man" or "human") with the Greek ending -phobia ("fear") ...The term homophobia is often used collectively with other terms denoting bigotry and discrimination. ...In 1993, behavioral scientists William O'Donohue and Christine Caselles concluded that the usage of the term "as it is usually used, makes an illegitimately pejorative evaluation of certain open and debatable value positions, much like the former disease construct of homosexuality" itself, arguing that the term may be used as an ad hominem argument against those who advocate values or positions of which the speaker does not approve. The social construct of masculinity is not defined by attraction to females alone but also by negative attraction to males. ...In 1980 Hudson and Ricketts proposed the term "homonegativity," arguing that "homophobia" was unscientific in its presumption of motivation.[15] Some recent psychological literature suggested the term homonegativity, reflecting the perspective that behaviors and thoughts that are frequently considered homophobic are not fear-based but instead reflect a disapproval of homosexuality.

So, if the word's meaning was not perverted by homosexuals, it would be lesbians that are homophobes (fear of men).

Did you ever notice that certain classes of people are allowed to convey bigotry in their language but not others? The double standard will continue as long as it is tolerated by the meek and the forgiving.

[SoylentGreen]

loserYet, I see bigotry in the language of the OP. Notice how SoylentGreen uses the word 'homophobic' to describe Mr. Davis' actions.

No i didn't notice that at all. care to point out where i used the word homophobic?