Judge dismisses Lexington suit over school lesson involving same-sex couples

[meegbear]

A federal judge today dismissed a lawsuit by two Lexington couples who claimed the local public school district violated their constitutional rights by teaching their young children about different types of families, including those headed by same-sex couples.

Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf of the US District Court said that under the Constitution, public schools are "entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy. Diversity is a hallmark of our nation.''

In a 38-page decision, Wolf said the two couples -- David and Tonia Parker, and Robert and Robin Wirthlin -- have the option of sending their children to private schools or home-schooling them. He also said the couples can ask the school district to excuse their children when classroom discussions touch on issues of homosexuality.

But they have no right to prescribe what the school district teaches, he said, citing precedent-setting federal court rulings.

<snip>

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/02/judge_dismisses_1.html

[WillParkinson]

1. Well now...

Huzzah!

[xchrom]

2. smaq-down baby!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. It is nice to know that some courts can get it right. n/t

[unpossibles]

4. awesome! Sounds like the parents are the ones who need the diversity training

of course.

I honestly cannot wrap my brain around why anyone makes such a big deal about who desires whom. yes, I know why - fear with religion used as a handy prop to hind behind, but it still completely confounds me.

[Ian David]

5. YES!!! FUCK YOU, MAD-DAD PARKER AND THAT ANTI-GAY MAOIST ASSHOLE YOU RODE IN ON!

[Spangle]

6. Good!

I'm sure they embarrased their kids because of this...

[sinkingfeeling]

7. Ooh, that 'activist' judge will have RWers mad at him! You can't teach children about

reality!

[Ian David]

8. Federal Judge Dismisses Anti-Gay Suit Over School Lesson Involving Same-Sex Couples

From TakeMassAction:

Federal Judge Dismisses Anti-Gay Suit Over School Lesson Involving Same-Sex Couples

Today's ruling marks another huge defeat for anti-gay activist Brian Camenker and his gay-hating pal David Parker.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/02/judge_dismisses_3.html


"I'm not gay, but my cardigan sweater is. It's very soft. Do you want to touch it?"

The ridiculous law suit they filled in federal court has been thrown out. Parker accused Lexington Schools of violating his civil rights by including a book in his children's class room depicting different families, including a same-sex couple.


The anti-gay group MassResistance has been putting all of their efforts into this suit. Click here to see them protesting outside the court during the hearing on February 7th.
http://www.massresistance.com/docs/parker_lawsuit/hearing_020707/index.html

Click here to see the MassResistance "report" on the David Parker lawsuit. It is hilarious.
http://www.massresistance.com/docs/parker/index.html

See MassResistance's reaction to today's ruling here.
http://www.massresistance.com/

More:
http://takemassaction.blogspot.com/2007/02/federal-judge-dismisses-anti-gay-suit.html

[IntravenousDemilo]

9. I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Parents are generally the worst judges of what is best for their kids in terms of education, unless those parents are also members of the teaching profession.

BTW, I went to your Fuck You Dan Savage link and read his piece. It made me want to hurl, but it's not that recent. Do you know whether he's moderated his stance somewhat since then?

[Ian David]

10. Conservative parents have different nightmares than normal people do

The following is from an email sent by the Maoist Anti-Gay Gay-Bar-Fly Bigot Brian Camenker:

BREAKING NEWS:

Federal judge dismisses David Parker’s civil rights lawsuit!

Outrageous 38-page ruling goes further -- reinforces right of schools to teach homosexuality without parents’ knowledge or consent!

US Constitution trumped by “case” law and “rational” need to teach “diversity”.


Friday morning, federal judge Mark Wolf issued an outrageous and horrific 38-page ruling dismissing David Parker’s federal civil rights lawsuit against Lexington, MA school officials. David Parker had filed the lawsuit, along with his wife and Rob and Robin Wirthlin, last April after the schools refused to notify parents when teaching about homosexuality and transgenderism in the elementary school. School officials, aided by national pro-homosexual groups, had filed a motion to dismiss the case which was argued before Judge Wolf on Feb. 7.

Wolf’s ruling is every parent’s nightmare. It goes to extraordinary lengths to legitimize and reinforce the “right” (and even the duty) of schools to normalize homosexual behavior to even the youngest of children.

That's a nightmare for a CONSERVATIVE parent.

THIS is a nightmare for a NORMAL parent:

[Ian David]

11. Mad Dad Loses a Huge One

Winger control freaks took a big hit today. The judge in the federal Mad Dad case told the four plaintiff parents to take a hike.

This one was so easy to predict that we can't even be smug. If you scan the past couple of weeks of this blog, you'll see that we were torn over whether U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf would let this go to trial or dismiss it. We never seriously entertained the idea that the two couples could prevail on such a theocratic suit.

The gist of the suit is that the four claimed that their First and Fourth Amendment rights in the U.S. Constitution were violated by the Lexington schools' diversity program. They alleged that mentioning the reality of same-sex marriage and the possibility of homosexual couples would deprive them of their freedom to practice their religion in teaching their kids.

Wolf howled, "No!" His whole ruling is here. At the same site, there are views very opposed to mine.

This ruling may be no huge surprise, perhaps even not to David Parker and his uxorial unit. Theirs, indeed, was a quixotic charge. They gambled that stringing together key amendments with such concepts as parental duty and traditional values would outweigh tomes of law and case law. Honk. Thanks for playing.

<snip>

Perhaps the best outcome of this suit was that the plaintiffs' claims were so outre that they forced Wolf to respond in wording that other federal and state judges will use to quash such frivolous actions. For example, Wolf stated:

In summary, the court must dismiss plaintiffs' federal claims because this case is not distinguishable in any material respect from Brown v. Hot, Sexy and Safer Productions, 68 F.3d 525 (1st Cir. 1995). In Brown, the First Circuit held that the constitutional right of parents to raise their children does not include the right to restrict what a public school may teach their children and that teachings which contradict a parent's religious beliefs do not violate their First Amendment right to exercise their religion.


More:
http://massmarrier.blogspot.com/2007/02/mad-dad-loses-huge-one.html

[Ian David]

12. Diversity is a hallmark of our nation

Friday, February 23, 2007

A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit that Mad Dad Parker filed against the practically everyone in the town of Lexington:

Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf of the US District Court said that under the Constitution, public schools are "entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy. Diversity is a hallmark of our nation.''


My sympathies go out to the children who were caught up in all this mess and the Lexington same sex parents who had to witness this nasty and bigoted attack on their families in their own town.

More:
http://massresistancewatch.blogspot.com/2007/02/diversity-is-hallmark-of-our-nation.html