A girl in pigtails bounds into the kitchen after school and asks her mother to guess what she learned that day. "I learned how a prince married a prince, and I can marry a princess," she exclaims to her mortified mom. (Lisa Leff) There is television advertising for Proposition 8 that encourages parents to "protect" their children from the teaching of gay marriage.
The reality is that Proposition 8 makes no change to education policy. There is no mention of education in Proposition 8 and the proposition makes no requirements for schools to teach about same sex marriage. Schools currently teach tolerance of gay and lesbian students and have anti discriminatory rules in place. However, even though these rules exist they don’t always protect students. While Proposition 8 does not directly affect education, it can make a major change in the experience of gay, lesbian, and transgender youth in schools. Proposition 8 is trying to take away equality and perpetuate discrimination. The ad above simply is trying to argue it is wrong to teach children tolerance. It is sad that people still believe it is better to not educate out youth and it is sad that proponents of Proposition 8 are using education in their favor.
"I've seen the spots on the TV, and (legalized gay marriage) just isn't going to require any kind of teaching of personal relationships or lifestyle," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, who has joined the state's largest teacher's union in opposing the measure. "That's just not an accurate statement or portrayal." "The education code already has a high expectation that school districts are going to create an environment where respect for human dignity and acceptance of differences, including sexual orientation, are promoted," said Laura Schulkind, a San Francisco lawyer who represents school districts across California. "I don't see how the legalization of gay marriage or the passage of Prop. 8 changes that obligation."
This campaign for Proposition 8 explains why there is still such a high rate of discrimination and violence of gay, lesbian, and transgender students. If parents are so concerned with their children even learning about same sex marriage no wonder students aren't be educated at home to tolerate other people's choice and respect them.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/10/22/national/a124203D29.DTL&hw=education&sn=001&sc=1000
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