de minimis minutiae

april fools at the school board

so i attended the westminster school board meeting last night, fittingly, on april fool's day.  observations and rants follow, with apologies for my lack of clarity and cohesiveness. 

substantively, nothing happened, as the motion to adopt the revised complaint procedure SO AS TO NOT DISCRIMINATE was "laid on the table" by esteemed trustee Judy Ahrens.  the district has until april 12 to adopt complaint procedures that conform with state requirements, or face the loss of $40 million in funding from state and federal resources, nearly half the district's budget.

basically , the district is free to discriminate against gays and transgendered persons until the state takes over managment of the district.

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at times, the board meeting resembled a jerry springer show, replete with boos, cheers, jeers, and sneers.

a recurring sentiment was the embarassment of being associated with the westminster school district,  be it teacher, parent, community member, former student, former board member. 

to which one fundie wingnut replied, "so leave."  *lusty boos*

ummm, is this 2004 in america?  did i just hear that?

my goodness, we've got some ignorant, fear-peddling people down here.  yeah, i know i'm behind the orange curtain, but it still boggles my mind.  i heard no single intelligent remark in support of the board majority's vote.

a teacher in the district rebuked the board majority in the lyrical, sing-songy, way she would with her pupils:  "it's soooo sad when you make baaad choices."   *jeering laughs and cheers*

the poignant part of the public comments were the passionate and heartfelt statements from transgendered persons, gays and lesbians, and parents of gays and lesbians.  each account resulted in thunderous applause and cheers.

a trangendered woman spoke of growing up on a farm as a little boy knowing she was different.  she spoke of her service in the army.  in response to a comment made by Trustee Blossie Marquez-Woodcock, she said, "I am not trash."

one woman, the parent of a gay high school student, related the accounts of almost-daily physical abuse her son faced because of his sexual orientation.  when she complained to the administration, their suggestion was that her son should get a GED.  he had to finish high school through independent study. 

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had columbine h.s. adopted such a procedure, maybe we wouldn't be here talking about this - those two kids weren't gay, but they obviously needed an outlet for their mounting frustration and helplessness when faced with physical abuse from other students. 

but we are talking about this, and we need to protect all the children.

the board majority cite their christian values as their sole authority for refusing to adopt the revised complaint procedures.  but Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor.

i've observed not one iota of the board majority's love for the children of westminster.  in their smug, belligerent manner, all i hear are resounding gongs and clanging cymbals. 

podunk redux

add: 

the la times comes off the bench late in the game.

and times' columnist dana parsons' view, taking my 'heroic' theme further.

and sneakeasy joint joins the fracas.

just when i thought orange county had cast aside its podunk status...

from the Orange County Register, March 9, 2004:

"Board members Judy Ahrens, Blossie Marquez-Woodcock and Helena Rutkowski have voted to reject state-mandated revisions of the district's anti-discrimination policy that redefine "gender" as a person's actual or perceived sex.

Westminster is the only district in California that has opposed the adoption of the new definition, which became law in 2000, state officials said.

Ahrens, Marquez-Woodcock and Rutkowski said changing the district's policy, which currently defines "gender" only as a person's biological sex, would be immoral because it might encourage transsexual behavior in schools.

Adopting the new definition of "gender" will help further erode family values, which have already been attacked this year with the flood of same-sex marriages and even the Janet Jackson breast- bearing incident at the Super Bowl, Rutkowski and Ahrens said.

"It's time to say enough is enough," Ahrens said. "This lethal 'perceived sex' wording could further jeopardize families in Westminster."

With this new definition, "we create protected groups that will shove their lifestyle down our throats," Rutkowski said. "A person can be anything that they wish to be, but I don't need to accept their behavior. I will do everything to protect the students from this mindset."" (emphasis added)

how can we ever thank you, Helena, Blossie and Judy, for your meritorious service as our moral gatekeepers?  I stand in awe of your fortitude and courage in foregoing over $9 million in funding in the midst of school budget crises statewide in order to stand firm against the agenda of the immoral!

gosh, your keen eye and steel-trap mind found that language (as you described it, Judy, language that was "tricky" and "embedded") that would have allowed a boy to go into the girls' restroom because of his "perceived gender" on that particular day.  bravo!  nice catch!

like you said, Judy, you in the Board majority have done something "we can all be proud of."  perhaps other local governments will follow suit, as will other states.  and, just maybe, we'll get that Constitutional amendment that dubya's been working so hard for. 

we, along with the 10,113 students enrolled in Westminster, can only dream. 

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in the interest of full disclosure, S is a teacher in the Westminster School District. 

eros and homosexuals

a fellow alumnus from chapman law, tim sandefur, has posted excerpts of blogs evidencing the conservative right's "senseless, baseless, [and] crude prejudices" against gays.  specifically, he lists instances (and, thereby roasts the right - 'cause such ain't worthy of full blown attack) of the conservative view that, homosexuals are merely capable of eros, or erotic love, and are wholly incapable of filial love and agape love.

finally, illustrating through sharp relief, tim posts a link to a firsthand acount of the agape that homosexuals are purportedly incapable of having or cultivating.

thanks, tim, for the links.

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w's addendum