2 Fla. students challenge school's gay club ruling

[meegbear]

An attorney for two gay students at a north Florida high school told a federal judge Thursday they should be allowed to form a campus club promoting tolerance toward gays, despite a school prohibition.

But a lawyer for the Nassau County School Board said the group's name, Gay-Straight Alliance, is against school policy.

Yulee High School students Hannah Page and Jacob Brock, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, are suing the school board to overturn its decision banning them from forming the club at school. Yulee is about 25 miles north of Jacksonville, near the Georgia state line.

U.S. District Judge Henry Adams Jr. said he would issue a ruling on a motion for a preliminary injunction "as soon as I can," but gave Nassau County three days to submit additional written arguments. The students want an injunction to allow them to meet until the case goes to trial.

ACLU Attorney Robert F. Rosenwald Jr. argued that Page and Brock had been the target of anti-gay epithets and threats of violence at school and wanted to start the Gay-Straight Alliance to open a discourse among students.

Attorney Frank Sheppard, who represents the school board, said the district's main complaint is the name of the group, saying it does not approve of groups dealing with sexual orientation and noted the school has an abstinence-based sex education curriculum.

<snip>

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/934393.html

[NOW tense]

1. What does abstinence have to do with sexual orientation? n/t

[LeftHander]

3. Becasue abstinence is only for breeders.....

Gay folk do not exist, so they turn their head to violence towards LGBT kids.

[imdjh]

5. I object to the language, but the point is well taken

Looking back at my school days, I'm amazed at the number of teachers who allowed all sorts of unacceptable behavior to go on. Some even appeared to be seeking the approval of some of the kids who were abusing other kids.

[NOW tense]

7. That is not what I meant.

What I meant is that they imply a group about sexual orientation only has to do with sex. I disagree with that.

[imdjh]

9. part of the anti-gay M.O.

Deny that we exist.

If we do exist, then deny that we have anything in common or a community other than "sex act" or "sexual preference".

If we do exist, then deny that we have anything to contribute to society.

If we do exist, and if we do contribute to society, then deny that it had anything to so with sexual orientation, community, shared values or culture.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Yet they allow the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to meet.

If judge stops them they should change their club's name to "Ruck the School Board Club". I bet everyone but the FCA members would join.

[imdjh]

4. The FCA annoys the hell out of me

The FCA is clearly a peer-pressure dynamic designed by adults and applied to youth in a team environment, is clearly evangelical, and somehow they get away with it.

[meegbear]

6. Let's hope the club gets the go ahead ...

:party: WECLOME TO DU!! :party:

[imdjh]

8. thanks

[BR_Parkway]

10. Please "abstain" from bashing in the heads of the non-specific orientation

students. WTF do these people think when they constantly refuse to do things to help kids from being abused over wording that they think might violate someone's precious morality. Do they even know any modern teenagers? Have they not looked at gaming boards, MySpace or the pics on someone's cell phone.

Talk about bury your head in the sand mentality.

I hope the kids who get picked on just sue the fucking ignorant school boards into oblivion because they neglected to take steps to protect them.

[tbyg52]

11. >>not approve of groups dealing with sexual orientation

Which means "let's assume everyone is straight." Straight is the default, and ignore the rest.

I see his point, but I don't buy it.