Stupid people

This is...really fucking bizarre. So there's this guy named David Parker. Mr. Parker is a homophobe. Mr. Parker is also the father of a five-year-old son. The five-year-old-son was sent home from school one one day with a book about different kinds of families, one of them--the horror, the horror--a gay family.

Mr. Parker objected to this.

After meeting with school officials, Parker refused to leave unless they agreed to notify him in the future if similar material is again offered to his son. He was arrested and banned from school property.

Now, obviously I don't think much of a man who seemingly goes into conniption fits at the notion of his son being exposed to the idea that gay people exist. But that's not what's so stupid about this story.

I think a parent should have the right to dispute the books his or her child reads--though, if I were the child, as I got older I'd be more and more curious about what it was my elders didn't want me to know. But here's where it gets stupid and bizarre.

A right wing group has obtained what are apparently authentic e-mails between the parent and school. Pandagon has excerpts. Now, I'm assuming that almost all of you reading this share my scorn for homophobia and closed-mindedness, but for once, I'm asking you to put that out of your head.

Regardless of whether you agree with Mr. Parker's position or not, have you ever read a less coherent series of arguments in your life?

It is one thing to endorse to not persecute/harm homosexuals/lesbians, it is another to teach young children implicitly that these values are acceptable. Some may maintain that if they can not present homosexual situations in school--- this is a form of persecution and harm. To us- this is a very contrived argument. The real question is-do parents have the right to exclude/shield their children from these contrary values being pushed upon young children in elementary school.

Our parental rights and Christian belief system will be respected in this diversity- oriented, anti-biased school community.

This last, one, believe it or not, is from their lawyer, who presumably had to go to school:

the Parkers find it alarming that the definition of diversity does apparently not include people with views such as theirs. Moreover, although this town claims to be "no place for hate" there seems to be no shortage of hate for people who do not agree with the norms endorsed by segments of the populace.

To hell with offending me as a left-winger. This offends me as a writer. And that's when you're really in trouble.