Utah School District Stung by Lack of Gay-Free Textbooks, Move To Repeal Gay Military Ban Gains Support From Retired Brass

Utah School District Stung by Lack of Gay-Free Textbooks
Morons.org -

In which a school district in Utah attempts to spin a homosexuality-free cocoon to protect its high-school students from actual reality.

The Nebo School District in southern Utah has a problem.

The introductory psychology textbook it uses in its high schools is out of date, and it's time to choose a new one. The problem is that there doesn't seem to be a textbook available that meets the Nebo District's exacting criteria.

According to curriculum director Nedra Call, the problem is homosexuality, and the requirement is simple: "Our policy is that it will not be taught unless it is teaching the negative consequences thereof."

It's been thirty years since the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association stopped treating homosexuality as a mental disorder. Both organizations now actively denounce stigmatization or discrimination against homosexuals for any reason; the former has come out strongly in support of same-sex marriage, and the latter of at least its legal equivalent.

The textbook industry seems to be catching up. High school psychology teacher Priscilla Leek says that most of the textbooks now available contain "small amounts—a paragraph or a couple of pages" of material on homosexuality. And it's no surprise, given the current psychological consensus, that the material is not negative enough to meet the district's standards.

A number of solutions are being considered. One is to require parental permission in writing before a student can enroll in a psychology course. This policy is already in force for AP Psychology students in Nebo's three high schools; their textbook is currently the only one in the district's curriculum to mention homosexuality.

Another option, according to Leek, is to dispense with a textbook entirely. "I can find current research material, selected readings and we have the Internet," she says.

Move To Repeal Gay Military Ban Gains Support From Retired Brass
365Gay.com -

Legislation to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s ban on gays in the military was introduced in Congress on Wednesday. The bill was filed by Rep. Marty Meehan (D-MA) in the House of Representatives. The measure has more than 50 Congressional co-sponsors. Rep. Meehan is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee, as are 7 co-sponsors of today’s legislation. A group of retired military generals and admirals announced on Wednesday that they support the bill. The flag officers are among the highest-ranking veterans to publicly support repeal of the military’s gay ban. They include Major General Vance Coleman (Ret.), Rear Admiral John Hutson (Ret.), Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy (Ret.), Brigadier Generals Keith H. Kerr (Ret.), Evelyn “Pat” Foote (Ret.), Virgil A. Richard (Ret.), Major General Charles Starr, Jr. (Ret.) and Rear Admiral Alan M. Steinman (Ret.).“Our national security depends on having the best and brightest Americans protecting our freedoms,” said Foote, one of the first women to achieve the rank of Brigadier General.

Gay Republican group confounds stereotypes
Arbutus Times, MD

Being gay and a Republican doesn't sound like a compatible combination - just ask Joseph Zuber. "As a Republican, the gay community doesn't look at me too friendly, and as a gay man, Republicans don't look at me too friendly," Zuber said. Zuber is president of the Maryland Log Cabin Republicans.

ACT removes gay ref from PC campaign
Gay NZ, New Zealand -

The ACT party is to remove references from its anti-PC campaign that suggest gay people have hijacked the English language to attain a 'new veneer of legitimacy'.

ACT's PC-Free-NZ campaign, spearheaded by deputy leader Muriel Newman and detailed on the party's website, aims to bust the use of so-called PC language.

Kidnap: 'Gay triangle' emerges
News24, South Africa

Cape Town - A man accused with his former lover of kidnapping a Dutch teenager, on Wednesday named his present lover as his co-perpetrator.

If Marcus Muhlthaler's testimony is true, Michael Brundl's arrest as the second man involved in the kidnapping, was mistaken - as he has repeatedly claimed in the Cape High Court.

Muhlthaler told Judge Dumisane Zondi and two assessors of his drug addiction, and his relationship with a man identified only as Vincent after his break-up with Brundl.

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