Ranting: gay rights

[anotheranon]

Or rather, gay non-rights. Seems the whole furor about gay marriage is spawning more/better discrimination than usual around the country:

For instance, evidently GBLTQ Federal employees no longer have civil rights (found in tommx's LJ and Metafilter). That's funny, I thought all Federal employees could just assume they had civil rights on the grounds that they're human, but I guess that's changed - the language regarding discrimination on basis of orientation used to be there, but has been removed. I can't wait to see how they plan to enforce this, let alone prove charges - do they plan to bug every bedroom of every federal employee to find out whether they are engaging in "homosexual conduct" or not? Jayzus >:(

LBTGQ individuals have also lost their rights to be in Rhea County TN at all - not like I can imagine any would want to be, as the town is still proud that the Scopes "monkey trial" took place there 80 years ago. Maybe they're campaigning for Most Back-Assward County in America? And what "crimes against nature" are they talking about, anyway? Destroying rare foilage, frightening the wildlife? timcharmorbien - I know this is nowhere near you, but you're at least residents of the state - are there any petitions you can sign/letters you can write about this?

Also news to me: Gay people don't have the right to have cutesy fairy tales written about them! Because perish the thought that the little children might learn that Gay is Okay! (There is actually a silver lining to this one: readers of Metafilter's post on this story have purchased for the school library in question copies of Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate in addition to a new copy "King and King", the book that set off the parents in the first place. This makes me happy, not just because it tweaks the noses of dedicated homophobes, but because it gives me hope that their kids won't grow up as small minded as they are. [A tangential note - if you have books you can't sell on Half.com, try giving them to your local public school library - I'm in a fairly well-funded school district and they're still thrilled to get anything I can send them, no matter how outdated or worn.]).

At least I've finally found a copy of the Gay Agenda, along with an instructional video of same - I never got it so I was wondering just what the plan was!

Comments

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

The Hartsells said they are keeping the book until they get assurances it won't be circulated.

Things like this make the lyrics to "The Man From S.A.C.O.N. (Self-Appointed Censors Of the Nation)" play over and over in my head. If they don't want THEIR kid to read the book, fine. That's their problem. But deciding that they get to make that decision for every other parent and everybody else's kids ... that's damned conceited of them.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Damn right! Also, I suppose it teaches the little girl in question that men kissing is bad, but stealing library property is ok :P

My mom used to work in a public library and they had a problem about 10 years ago with a bunch of parents who wanted "explicit materials" (in this case, child sex ed books) removed from the shelves. The library prevailed - on the grounds that no, they don't get to make decisions for everyone else's kids.

It's just stupid. What year is this again?

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

Most libraries have a review policy in place just in case a patron tries to start the censorship ball rolling. The usual practice is to require the patron to submit, in writing, the reasons they think a particular item should be removed from the collection. Amazing how many people disappear when they're required to work for what they'd rather rant for. ;-)