New law contradictory, misguided
Mike's Politically Right
Michael Culver |
HISTORY AIN’T WHAT it used to be. In fact, now that SB 1437 has passed, history will be rewritten and textbooks will be changed. But that’s just the academic changes that will take place because of the law.
In case you haven’t heard, SB 1437 is a law that prohibits textbooks, school activities, and teachers from presenting any material that portrays the nature or actions of transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality in anything other than a positive light and prohibits discrimination based on gender.
Due to gender specific issues related to the law, there will no long be prom kings or queens. I guess we will call them prom people.
I wonder what they will do with the tiara and the crown. Maybe they should put them in a time capsule, and 20 years from now kids can open it, and wonder just what the heck those silly things are.
There will no longer be boys’ or girls’ sports teams. Identifying a team as a boys’ or girls’ team will discriminate against the transsexuals by being gender specific.
I guess the next time you go to your high school football game they will introduce the team as the “transsexual fighting Gamecocks.” Oops! Did I say fighting?
That might be construed as portraying transsexuals as fighters. That isn’t positive. So I guess it will just be the “transsexual Gamecocks.”
This law will undoubtedly lead to reverse discrimination actions. Boys are boys and girls are girls.
Team sports recognize the individual contributions made by the differences in gender. Awards and categories for record setting are gender specific.
This is so males and females can be recognized for their individual and team performances. Will we be combining all state high school athletic records to be gender neutral?
Don’t get me wrong, I am and have been an outspoken advocate for the rights of all people or groups to practice, to say, or to promote themselves. I’ve written several columns advocating the rights of gays and lesbians.
The problem is transsexuals, bisexuals, and homosexuals are people. They are, for the most part, boys and girls.
To intentionally portray any single group in such a way that only reflects the positive contributions the group has made to society will mislead students. And to disallow gender specific categories at public schools is simply ludicrous.
In the long run, this under representation will lead to a stereotypical identity that doesn’t reflect the true identity of a particular group. This stereotypical view is ironic because this is exactly what the law is supposed to overcome.
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