That’s what the argument boils down to for the American Family Association (AFA).
On April 25th, students across the country (who choose to participate) will take part in the Day of Silence — where they will “observe the day in silence to echo the silence LGBT and ally students face every day.”
The AFA will have none of that:
The American Family Association (AFA), along with other family-oriented groups, is urging parents to keep their kids home from school that day — if the school observes the project.
…
The event encourages students to remain quiet throughout the day in order to bring attention to the homosexual lifestyle.
They miss one key point, though, and Ed Brayton points it out (emphasis mine):
… this whole notion the AFA is pushing about schools “participating” in the Day of Silence is nonsense. Schools do not participate, individuals do. Schools cannot stop them from doing so. This is a student-initiated protest.
The AFA also makes no sense in their Action Alert:
By remaining silent, the intent of the pro-homosexual students is to disrupt the classes while promoting the homosexual lifestyle.
“Disrupt the classes”? When has silence ever disrupted a class? Find me a teacher whose day is disrupted because a few students are being quiet.
(In fact, as a teacher, I encourage all advocacy groups to hold days of silence throughout the school year. Support free speech? Be silent next Wednesday. Want lower gas prices? Shush your mouth on Monday. Do you support days of silence? No talking on Thursday.)
And I don’t recall the AFA complaining when pro-life students held their “day of silence” project back in October, to “express their contempt for the murderous act of abortion that has claimed one-third of their generation and continues to take the lives of over 4,000 babies per day in the United States alone.”
What would its reaction have been if other students ditched class on that day…?
Silence isn’t the issue. It’s pure, simple bigotry. And to tell children to stay home from school because of… well, I can’t exactly figure out what they’re staying home from… isn’t just damaging to their education, it takes away their ability to see other perspectives, discuss those beliefs, and even voice their disagreement.
(via Dispatches from the Culture Wars)
[tags]atheist, atheism[/tags]