If you read the wingnuts, and I do, you’ve been seeing this melodramatic story floating around the internets this week. Basically, here is what had happened was:
A high school in Connecticut staged a production of a play called Zanna Don’t, which seems to portray some sort of reverse world where gay is the norm, where straight is what is “different.” Among other things, at one point in the play, there is a same-sex kiss. This apparently prompted a few homophobic jocks to use that good old seventeen year-old maturity they’re so well known for and hiss, boo and then leave the room. The principals of the school stand by their decision, pointing to the childish reaction of some of these kids — and their parents — as evidence that these kids still have some learning to do about accepting other people.
Of course, that will be difficult, as the professional fundamentalist wingnut set have stepped up to model childish behavior for the rest of us, and to reassure those victimized football players that they, too, can grow up and be whiny, crying wingnuts. So, let’s look at a couple of the wingnuts and then move on to something else.
“Even though it’s kind of chaotic, kind of wild and crazy, I see it as very successful,” Chambers said. “Our kids never deal with this, they keep it inside, and that’s that nervous energy. That’s why they walked out.”
It apparently did not occur to him that some of the kids had moral issues with the scene — believing that glorifying same-gender romance is wrong. Chambers’ intent was to wear down the students sense of disgust and discomfort with viewing homosexuality on stage.
Wingnuts never seem to understand that their kids wouldn’t act like uncomfortably repressed bigots if their elders did not first model that behavior. It says more about the weaknesses of the people raising them than it does about gay people.
Rob the BeliefNet Guy decided to quote a bunch of reader comments from an article on LifeSiteNews, apparently not realizing that highlighting poorly constructed and inadvertently hilarious wingnut comments is really not helpful to their cause. Let’s see what they had to say:
“This is one more example of how parents can simply not trust the public schools when it comes to teaching their children about morality and sexuality,” wrote a reader identified as Sunshine. ”They knew this would offend Christian students and their parents, but went ahead without notifying parents in advance. This school is encouraging young people to experiment with a lifestyle that is dangerous and immoral. I can’t believe such things are happening in America. When will this nightmare end?”
Why, every single time a wingnut is presented with “gay,” do they feel like they are being “encouraged to experiment with homosexuality?” In all seriousness, I think this is revelatory of the entire fundamentalist lifestyle and obsession with uncleanliness and sin. These are people who have been taught to fear themselves so much that they believe that merely being exposed to something different will immediately lead to them dressing in drag, marching in pride parades and having sex with the lights on for the first time.
“Do you think Mr. Chambers will tell his students that life expectancy for a 20-year-old practicing homosexual is 8 to 20 years shorter than that for non-homosexuals males? I would not bet on it,” wrote Allan D.
Why would he lie to them, Allan D.? Schools are places for education, not fundamentalist indoctrination.
“I have a suggestion. Since Chambers thinks “a release of students’ inner conflict about homosexuality” is good, why not make a play educating the public on the destructiveness of the LGBT lifestyle? That will sure elicit that ‘reaction of disgust’ which he thinks is ‘a good sign.’ The play would be nonfiction, too!” wrote “John John.”
Thanks, John John. Actually, though, virtually nothing that fundamentalists believe — like the above comment demonstrates — is nonfiction.
“I applaud the young men that got up and left the show,” wrote Jacqueline. ”It shows courage to stand up for what is right. Instead of sitting by silently and being forced to accept views they do not agree with, they stood up for their on beliefs and convictions. Real men stand with courage for what is right.”
By getting up and running away, showing the world that they can’t handle being confronted with people who are different from them! Pathetic.
We’ll wrap this up with some bullroar from Marcia Segelstein, writing for World Magazine:
Getting rid of bullies isn’t the real point of productions like these, which happen in different forms and with different names in schools across the country. The real goal is to stamp out any objections—moral or religious—to practicing homosexuality.
Well, considering the fact that we’re the only side that’s actually trying to do anything about bullying, I think it’s quaint that the Religious Right is still trying to absolve themselves from responsibility for creating the climate where anti-gay bullying happens. I mean, I understand why they do. People don’t like to realize that their entire worldview is responsible for kids ending up so depressed and self-loathing that they end their lives.
The grown-up reaction would be to accept it, process it, and then try to make it better.
Or they could just continue sticking their fingers in their ears and running out of the proverbial school assembly any time it’s brought up.
