We read:
"Dakota Ary, a 14-year-old high school freshman and honor student from Fort Worth, Texas, found himself in the national spotlight this week after he was given a three-day suspension from school for making an anti-homosexual comment in his German class.
With the help of a lawyer from Liberty Counsel, Ary's suspension was reduced to just one day of in-school suspension, and the school district has said no mark will be made on his permanent record, Reuters reports.
Ary's lawyer, Matthew Krause, said the suspension was unjustified and that Ary is entitled to express his opinion on homosexuality in school.
"Just because you walk through the schoolhouse doors does not mean you shed your 1st Amendment rights," Krause said in a statement. "Dakota wasn't disrupting class. He wasn't bullying or harassing anybody. He was just stating his personal opinion on a topic somebody brought up and in a civil and respectful manner."
It all began in Ary's German class, where the teacher was leading the students in a discussion about religion in Germany. According to a statement from Liberty Counsel, a conservative nonprofit group that provides pro-bono legal assistance, one student asked what Germans thought about homosexuality in relation to religion. Another student asked to hear the German translation of "lesbian."
That's when Ary turned to a friend and said, "I'm a Christian and, to me, being homosexual is wrong," the teenager said in a television interview on Fox News earlier this week. "It wasn't directed to anyone except my friend who was sitting behind me," he said. "I guess [the teacher] heard me and started to yell about it."
Source
So you have to lawyer up if you want to express Christian beliefs these days. After all the attention the case attracted, the school finally did the right thing and suspended the teacher concerned
7 comments:
You may be able to train a bird to speak, but not to spell!
Ahh,the love and tolerance of the internet. Disagree with a post and watch obscenity, profanity and personal insults flow forth. Cool.
Homosexuality is normal? Actually it is a genetic abnormality in all sexually procreating species. The large majority are heterosexual, a minority homosexual.
Does that mean gay/lesbian people should be persecuted and thrown out? Of course not. They have the same right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as every other minority and majority of the human race. Let them live as they wish.
Before the 'get to know them, etc.' comments start: I have worked and associated with gays / lesbians. None of them hit on me (well, I wouldn't expect a lesbian to hit on me anyway), none attempted to convert me or made an issue of sexuality in any way. A couple were good friends, others just acquaintances.
In respect to the article that brought all this forth: there was a tremendous over reaction on the part of both teacher and administration. The young man has every right to express his opinion about homosexuality. He may have offended some, but there is nothing in his First Amendment rights that prohibits statements offensive to others.
Expressing that he feels homosexuality is wrong doesn't make him a hateful bigot. There is no indication that he hates, despises or wishes harm. Just that he feels it is wrong.
Anon 2:19
If a gay person heard the comment they could:
a. Shrug their shoulders and ignore the comment.
b. Initiate a conversation about the person's belief.
c. Choose to stay away from that person.
d. Be mortally offended.
It's their choice.
As an example, I've heard plenty of negative comments about my religious beliefs. They've ranged from snickers to out and out angry declamations about them. Using my intellect I've been able to figure out which people are making hateful comments, and which are merely indicating lack of understanding.
My choice is first, to not allow myself to be offended; second, to determine what response, if any, is appropriate; and third, determine whether I want to seek that person's company in the future.
Everyone has those choices on hearing an opinion.
Of course, if the comments call for harassment or physical harm the situation changes. But in this instance we are discussing a mild comment indicating an opinion.
And, I disagree. Stating an opinion does not necessarily indicate hate. For all you know the student may feel pity for, empathy for, sorrow for, Christ-like love for, or nothing in particular for gay people.
I guess liberals dont belive in the constitution unless it only pertains to them alone
Why is that when the left celebrate sexual diversity they never include hetrosexuality? Is it offensive in their minds to include it in the list of sexual orientations? They never turn the other cheek and show tolerance to people who are not like them or seek to include others that do not fit their beliefs. And to think that they have the audacity to calls others bigoted.
This child expressed an opinion - his own personally held one.
He did it to a friend in response to the topic being brought up in class.
In no way is his expression hateful or hurtful - it is just an opinion.
Trying to silence everyone who disagrees with you does your cause no good.
The fact that the teacher felt he had to punish a student who expressed an opinion he didn't like shows only how weak his position is.
Had that teacher felt strong in his position he could have opened debate on the subject and allowed arguments both for and against, but by foreclosing debate he showed he had no strength to his arguments and instead misused his authority to put the whole subject outside the reach of debate.
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