Castro Valley schools sued over gay pastor talk

[FreeState]

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12379796?nclick_check=1

Castro Valley schools sued over gay pastor talk

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif.—The Castro Valley School District is facing a lawsuit by dozens of parents who want more information about a recent school talk by a lesbian pastor.
Pastor Arlene Nehring of the Eden Church of Hayward spoke at Castro Valley High during its annual Days of Diversity program.

Some parents became upset after an anonymous e-mail was sent, claiming that Nehring gave step-by-step instructions on how to become gay and transsexual. Nehring denies those claims.

Now 31 parents have sued, saying the district failed to comply with requests to see all writings received and sent by school employees to and from Nehring and her church....

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"Nehring gave step-by-step instructions on how to become gay and transsexual"  WTF??? Sometimes I swear people are just stupid.

[FreeState]

1. Day time kick n/t

[LeftyMom]

2. There are steps?

:shrug:

[hulklogan]

7. Yes.

1. Be born that way.

The end. :patriot:

[liberalitch]

17. I'm sure they think there's more to it than that,....

...., like maybe just knowin' a gay or maybe drinking after 'em.

[realisticphish]

24. Step 1: Be Attracted to the Opposite Sex

Step 2: ?
Step 3: Profit!

[Morning Dew]

3. She's in big trouble now...

You can't just give away those instructions, you gotta sell them.

[FreeState]

5. LOL - Ill sell em for $500 along with Sarah Pallins bridge... :) n/t

[LeftyMom]

4. On second thought maybe Castro Valley HS will give your kids The Gay. Most famous grad?

Rachel Maddow.

:cue soap opera organ music:

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Mandatory assemblies for controversial items draw this kind of flack

regardless of content and intent. Not sure that they add much of anything to the educational experience, particularly at the high school level. It could just as easily have been a series of presentations by the recruiters from the military services.

[FreeState]

8. If you are a GLBT student these types of assemblies may save your life n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

9. How? I am yet to see, attend, or participate in any HS assembly that any any serious impact

A single hour lecture will not turn around a person's attitude and on any campus that would have such an assembly there are other and arguably more effective resources got GLBT students

[FreeState]

10. Well for one try being gay in school with no support

An assembly not only would help a kid see that there is nothing wrong with being gay but also give the student a role model to look up to. I know wehen I was in school there was absolutely no positive words spoken about GLBT persons yet alone anyone standing up for GLBT students.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. That is certainly not the case at Castro Valley

I am not against GLBTs, especially not with my family members being who they are. However, I oppose the lightweight feel good stuff that is often a lightening rod for controversy that accomplishes little or nothing.

[EFerrari]

13. This "lightweight feel good stuff" is called community outreach

and it's instrumental in building better relationships between the wider community and the minority segment of that community.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. HS assemblies are far from community outreach

At that age, small seminar groups are much more effective

[AB_Positive]

19. Having been a gay GLBT student...

I gotta agree here. Mass assemblies do *nothing* at the HS level.

Middle school sometimes - but trust me. Working at a public school and not-being-too-old-to-remember-HS I can say that's a fairly certain assessment. I remember dozing off at mass assemblies even if I was interested. It's just not a good environment for taking in knowledge.

Small seminar groups allow for closer interaction and better learning. Plus - with the more anonymous nature of it (wouldn't want to be caught being interested in a "gay talk" at a HS if you're in the closet, amirite?) the small seminar might actually do something positive.

[EFerrari]

20. In what way are HS assemblies not community outreach?

You have both young people, teachers, sometimes admin, other workers and sometimes parents there.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

21. They are ineffective and sometimes even produce negative results

There are much better ways to accomplish the same goals. See upthread

[EFerrari]

23. Oh, bullshit. There is a potential for failure every time you reach out. n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

25. Some has a higher record of success than others and mass assemblies are an epic fail

for just about anything. I am far from alone in that opinion

[anonymous171]

12. Wait, there are multiple steps to become gay?

[LWolf]

14. Your link isn't working for me.

My first question was "Why was a pastor invited to speak?"

Then I realized that the topic may have been, not about religion, but about sexual identity.

I'd like to know what the woman really said; does the article tell us?

It really doesn't matter how reasonable her words might have been; the very act of allowing a lesbian to speak to students about sexual identity is going to automatically spark protests, and lawsuits don't surprise me.

As long as our majority religions are more about judging others, gaining political power, and proselytizing as part of the effort to build that power, the glbt community will not be afforded public acceptance or equality.

In my opinion, of course.

[lunatica]

15. Well that way they can choose the gay lifestyle, or not

Didn't Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson always say it was a lifestyle choice. How do they expect the children to be informed?

Geez. Castro Valley is part of the East Bay Area. South of Oakland where I live. They aren't San Francisco and Berkeley for sure!

[MadHound]

18. Excuse me, but what is a pastor, gay or straight, giving a "school talk"?

I find this sort of religious encroachment into our public school system beyond disturbing.

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. Encroachment? Did the pastor say anything religious? Do you kow?

Do I know?

What's next - can't let butchers talk, because vegetarians might object? Lawyers?

What other classes/professions of people are second-class?

But I suppose we can't let atheists talk, either, since they're a sort of religious view as well.

Clearly having a pastor come in and preach is bad news; no reason a gay person, who happens to be a pastor, can't come in and talk about being gay.

And more likely this pastor, being gay, is part of that liberal church tradition in which she could stand in front of kids for eight hours talking about being gay and never evangelize, and speak about her religion only as it relates to her personal story as a gay person.