Boy Punished For Talking About Lesbian Mom

[Queersetti]

Associated Press
Monday, December 01, 2003



LAFAYETTE, La._—_A 7-year-old boy was scolded and forced to write "I will never use the word 'gay' in school again" after he told a classmate about his lesbian mother, the_American Civil Liberties Union_alleged Monday.


Second-grader Marcus McLaurin was waiting for recess Nov. 11 at_Ernest Gaullet Elementary School_when a classmate asked about Marcus' mother and father, the ACLU said in a complaint.

Marcus responded he had two mothers because his mother is gay. When the other child asked for explanation, Marcus told him: "Gay is when a girl likes another girl," according to the complaint.

A teacher who heard the remark scolded Marcus, telling him "gay" was a "bad word" and sending him to the principal's office. The following week, Marcus had to come to school early and repeatedly write: "I will never use the word 'gay' in school again."

A phone message left for Lafayette Parish schools superintendent James Easton was not immediately returned.

The ACLU is demanding the case be removed from Marcus' file and that the school apologize to the boy and his mother, Sharon Huff.

"I was concerned when the assistant principal called and told me my son had said a word so bad that he didn't want to repeat it over the phone," Huff said. "But that was nothing compared to the shock I felt when my little boy came home and told me that his teacher had told him his family is a dirty word.

 

[simonedb27]

this is so sad!

i had two friends that grew up with two moms. i can't imagine how much damage such an action by a principal could do to a young person.

 

[Ms_Lilith]

That is pathetic. That irks me. A word that is so bad it shouldn't be repeated is like "holocaust", or something. Bah.




*Note: The term holocaust is so emotionally laden that it is painful, but I understand that for the sake of education it is a term, and a concept that should be used and taught... just pointing out what a horrible word it is, to me*

 

[College_geek]

What I hate most, though, is that gay has turned into an adjective for something stupid or hated, by my wonderful generation, I might add. I'm so proud.

It's incidents such as this that are making things worse than they are and creating roadblocks for social progression.

 

[sigh]

You know, I hear about these things, and I know they're true, but it's so hard to reconcile them with what goes on around me all the time. Maybe I'm just lucky. I live in a city steeped in the atmosphere of a major university so maybe things are better here than elsewhere. Maybe life is a little more open, a little more accepting in this sort of setting.

Lots of conservatives bitch about the universities being so liberal, but I'll tell you what, if liberal means people are more understanding and less close-minded, I have to wonder what's so bad about that.

I can't imagine this scenario being played out in my son's school district. It's just amazing that the like of this is still going on (and on and on).

 

[SweetCherry]

As the mom of a 7 year old, I'd have my child yanked out of that school and put into a better one so fast that the heads of the school board members, the principal and that bitch of a teacher would be spinning. That mother has raised a child to be open minded. Too bad nobody taught the school that. I can only imagine the rage I'd feel if that were MY child being punished for something like that.

 

[simonedb27]

What I hate most, though, is that gay has turned into an adjective for something stupid or hated, by my wonderful generation, I might add. I'm so proud.

i HATE that too. i tried to correct my younger cousins sometimes regarding that and my family just laughs at me and tells me that i am too sensitive and/or militant. very bothersome....

 

[Angel]

I currently feel uncontrollable rage.

 

[Mary Hall]

A teacher who heard the remark scolded Marcus, telling him "gay" was a "bad word"

Holy zombie jesus! What the fuck is the world coming to when a little kid is told the word gay is a bad word? The teacher that reported it needs a firm boot in the ass and a firing.

And people say us humans are civilised

 

[Pookie]

From the ACLU website ...

Louisiana School Punishes 7-Year-Old Boy for Talking About His Lesbian Moms

December 1, 2003

ACLU Gives Lafayette School an F in Conduct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LAFAYETTE, LA – After a 7-year-old boy was scolded in front of his classmates and sent to a school behavioral clinic for answering another child’s questions about his lesbian mothers, the American Civil Liberties Union today demanded that the school expunge the boy’s disciplinary records and stop restricting him from talking about his family with other students.

“I was concerned when the assistant principal called and told me my son had said a word so bad that he didn’t want to repeat it over the phone,” said Sharon Huff, the second-grader’s mother. She added, “But that was nothing compared to the shock I felt when my little boy came home and told me that his teacher had told him his family is a dirty word. No child should ever hear that, especially not from a teacher he trusted and respected.”

Marcus McLaurin was waiting in line to go to recess on November 11 at Ernest Gallet Elementary School when a classmate asked him about his mother and father. He responded that he didn’t have a mother and father; instead he has two mothers. When the other child asked why, Marcus told him that it was because his mother is gay. The other child then asked what that meant, and Marcus explained, “Gay is when a girl likes another girl.”

Upon hearing this, Marcus’s teacher scolded him in front of his classmates, telling him that “gay” is a bad word and he should never say it at school, then sent him to the principal’s office instead of letting him go to recess. The following week the school required Marcus to attend a special behavioral clinic at 6:45 in the morning, where he was forced to repeatedly write “I will never use the word ‘gay’ in school again.”

“To tell a 7-year-old boy that he can’t talk about his family not only makes that child feel confused and hurt – it violates his Constitutional right to free speech and equal treatment,” said Ken Choe, a staff attorney from the ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project who is handling the matter. “At the ACLU we often deal with schools that mistreat treat gay children and children who have gay parents, but this is beyond the pale.”

On a student behavior contract form that Marcus had to fill out and give to his mother about the incident, Marcus wrote that the thing he did wrong was that he “sed bad wurds.” A handwritten note at the top of the form from Marcus’s teacher further explains: “He explained to another child that you are gay and what being gay means.” On a behavior report form signed by the assistant principal, the teacher wrote, “Marcus decided to explain to another child in his group that his mom is gay. He told the other child that gay is when a girl likes a girl. This kind of discussion is not acceptable in my room. I feel that parents should explain things of this nature to their own children in their own way.” The forms can be viewed online at http://www.aclu.org/LesbianGayRights/LesbianGayRights.cfm?ID=14478&c=104 and http://www.aclu.org/LesbianGayRights/LesbianGayRights.cfm?ID=14480&c=104.

“Of course we believe that parents should be the ones who talk with small children about things like sex, but Marcus McLaurin’s school seems to think that he was talking about sex when all he was talking about was his two mothers,” said Joe Cook, Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana. “The fact is that there are children of lesbian and gay parents in schools throughout Louisiana, and those children have the same right as any other children to talk about their families.”

In its letter to the principal of Ernest Gallet Elementary School, the ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project and the ACLU of Louisiana demand that the school remove all mentions of the incident from Marcus’s disciplinary record and refrain from restricting his speech in the future, and offer apologies to Marcus and his mother. The text of the ACLU’s letter follows this release.



December 1, 2003

BY FACSIMILE AND MAIL

Virginia Bonvillain
Principal
Ernest Gallet Elementary School
2901 East Milton Avenue
Youngsville, LA 70592

Dear Ms. Bonvillain:

We at the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana represent Sharon Huff, the mother of Marcus McLaurin, a 7-year-old second-grade student at your school. On November 11, 2003, school officials disciplined Marcus solely because he informed a classmate that his mother is a lesbian. Their actions violated his constitutional rights to free expression and equal treatment. Moreover, by communicating to him that it is wrong to speak about his family, they caused him considerable distress. We seek to work with you to resolve this matter without resort to litigation.

The Supreme Court has long recognized that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. Community Sch. Dist., 393 U.S. 503 (1969). It is clearly established that the expression to which a student is constitutionally entitled includes expression involving issues of sexual orientation. See, e.g., Henkle v. Gregory, 150 F. Supp. 2d 1067 (D. Nev. 2001) (holding that a school official may not silence a student when he or she speaks out about issues of sexual orientation).

In addition, the Constitution forbids you from discriminating between students with heterosexual parents and students with lesbian or gay parents. Such discrimination is a form of sexual orientation discrimination as well as sex discrimination, and disparately penalizes the exercise of the fundamental right to personal autonomy. See Lawrence v. Texas, 123 S. Ct. 2472 (2003) (holding that lesbian and gay couples have the same right to enter into relationships as heterosexual couples); Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996) (holding that disfavoring lesbian and gay people is never a legitimate aim of the government).

The censorship and discrimination in which you have engaged not only disregard the fundamental guarantees of the Constitution but also undermine the educational mission of your school. Student harassment is one of the most serious concerns facing schools today. When a student is harassed, his or her ability to learn is jeopardized. A student who is harassed may perform poorly in class, abandon a school activity, or even suffer physical injury. The harm is no less when a student is harassed because he or she is, or his or her parents are, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). Indeed, student harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity is especially egregious and systemic. In a recent survey, 42% of LGBT students reported physical harassment because of their, or their parents’, sexual orientation or gender identity. The severity of the harm of such harassment is recognized by the law. A school that does not act to stop student harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity risks liability. Flores v. Morgan Hill Unified Sch. Dist., 324 F.3d 1130 (9th Cir. 2003); Nabozny v. Podlesny, 92 F.3d 446 (7th Cir. 1996). Given the serious consequences of student harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, it is important that a school discourage such harassment by encouraging statements that foster tolerance of and respect for LGBT and LGBT-affiliated peers. Disciplining Marcus for informing a classmate that his mother is a lesbian does nothing toward this end. Indeed, by prohibiting Marcus from making such a statement, school officials have done a disservice to the best interests of the school community.

We demand that school officials refrain from taking further disciplinary action against Marcus because he informed a classmate that his mother is a lesbian, expunge all records of any reference to such disciplinary action, give assurances that they will neither engage in such censorship and discrimination in the future nor retaliate against either Marcus or Ms. Huff, and offer apologies to both Marcus and Ms. Huff. We ask you to contact Ken Choe at (212) 549-2553 immediately so that we may discuss how best to resolve this matter. In the meantime, this letter shall serve as notice that school officials are not to destroy or alter any document related to this matter, including but not limited to any document demonstrating that, as punishment, Marcus was required to write, over and over, that he will never use the word “gay” during school again.

Sincerely,

Ken Choe
Staff Attorney
ACLU Foundation
Lesbian and Gay Rights Project

Joe Cook
Executive Director
ACLU of Louisiana

cc:
James Easton
Superintendent
Lafayette Parish School District

Nicholas Thomas
Assistant Principal
Ernest Gallet Elementary School




http://www.aclu.org/images/client/mclaurin.jpg
Sharon Huff and son Marcus McLaurin, whose school punished him for talking about his family.

Source: http://www.aclu.org/LesbianGayRights/LesbianGayRights.cfm?ID=14481&c=104

 

[Mary Hall]

I`m so angry at this that no emoticon has been created to show it

 

[sdedalus]

i HATE that too. i tried to correct my younger cousins sometimes regarding that and my family just laughs at me and tells me that i am too sensitive and/or militant. very bothersome....

don't forget me.... i say it all the time as a substitute for "dumb" or "stupid".. (i.e. that's "gay"). It's ingrained... owell... besides that I don't think I do much else... I usually try not to call people fags.... I try to be as politically correct as possible, but you just get in the habit of saying things sometimes... I am probably a horrible person... maybe I will work on it.. no that's gay...

 

[deliciously_naughty]

As a teacher, I want to hug and praise that child for his comfort and honesty, especially in such a conservative part of the country. He must have wonderful mothers.

Also as a teacher, I want to bitch-slap the idiot teacherr and the moronic administration. We are part of a profession that shapes the views of the next generation. We are also incredibly visible in the community, and our actions need to reflect a tolerance, acceptance, and openess of differences (ethnic, religious, preference, or what have you) even if as an individual you may not feel. It doesn't matter if you think that being gay is wrong...how dare you condemn the family of a 7 year old?!

As a member of the community, I am disgusted that a school would react in such a way. I hope the mom sues and gets the administration and the teacher fired.

 

[DVMnLA]

i read this and shook my head. poor kid. i swear ya'll not everbody in LA is like this. but LA is weird. you got one side that's like the people in the article. then you got the other side like my family and friends who are really open. it's funny because their ain't that many people in the middle. you're either on one side or the other. half the time the aclu is wasting my time but i got to agree on this one

 

[Wolf_Song]

The ACLU is acting far more politer and merciful than I would in this matter. Especially with such disgusting deplorable victimization upon an innocent honest child by this school's " professionals " and their policies in this matter.

Though I still wish Marcus, his mother, ACLU and all other supporters of them in this.. the utmost best.

 

[KY Xtian]

While this situation is indeed very unfortunate and hopefully won't ever be repeated, I'm not so certain that a BAD intent by the teacher or school district was put in place here.

We're in a time period of signifigant cultural changes. We're roughly 50 years into an evolution of how we respect and love each other, one that is still just starting to form. We're in a nation that is just over 200 years old itself, which was formed out of a signifigant poltical evolution, all of which has deep roots in a social evolution that started 600+ years ago and quickly established itself as the standard way of life.

It is difficult to break deep roots, whether they are good or bad. A lot of people are caught in the cross-hairs between two very prominent groups with very different political, social and cultural ideals. Many of these people are stuck in a position of trying to please two masters at once, when they don't even know what they want for themselves.

As long as the school realizes that what they did was wrong, and moves quickly to correct the situation and work so that this incident doesn't happen again, I think we can chalk it up to experience and move on without the need for hatred and disrespect to set in, whichever side of the issue you sit on.

 

[Pookie]

While this situation is indeed very unfortunate and hopefully won't ever be repeated, I'm not so certain that a BAD intent by the teacher or school district was put in place here.

We're in a time period of signifigant cultural changes. We're roughly 50 years into an evolution of how we respect and love each other, one that is still just starting to form. We're in a nation that is just over 200 years old itself, which was formed out of a signifigant poltical evolution, all of which has deep roots in a social evolution that started 600+ years ago and quickly established itself as the standard way of life.

It is difficult to break deep roots, whether they are good or bad. A lot of people are caught in the cross-hairs between two very prominent groups with very different political, social and cultural ideals. Many of these people are stuck in a position of trying to please two masters at once, when they don't even know what they want for themselves.

As long as the school realizes that what they did was wrong, and moves quickly to correct the situation and work so that this incident doesn't happen again, I think we can chalk it up to experience and move on without the need for hatred and disrespect to set in, whichever side of the issue you sit on.

I agree with much of what you said. I think the problems really begin when people close their eyes and minds, even when shown the wrong they had always thought was correct just because it's what they've always known and been told. That's when the excuse goes from being just one of ignorance ... to nothing less than bigoted hatred. As long as a person learns and corrects what they know to be wrong, then I can learn to forgive the previous wrong too.