Lexington C.A.R.E.S.Press Release
from Greater Boston PFLAG
February 27, 2007
Lexington C.A.R.E.S.FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Stanley N. Griffith, President, Greater Boston PFLAG.
February 27, 2007
Greater Boston Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Greater Boston PFLAG) applauds last week’s dismissal of a lawsuit brought against Lexington school officials for having included in a “diversity book bag” a children’s book about all types of families, including families headed by same gender couples.
Judge Wolf found that there was no legal basis for the position taken by parent David Parker and several others, and strongly supported the longstanding position taken by the Lexington School and Town officials that the religious views of a small minority will not become a tool for marginalizing and stigmatizing GLBT students and children with same-gender parents. Under the guise of demanding “parental notification” whenever there is a mention of same-gender parents or related topics, and the right to remove children from hearing about families of whom the parents disapprove, they are actually trying to get school officials to brand certain types of families as either unworthy of mention or as inherently “bad”. “As a Lexington parent and President of the Board of Greater Boston PFLAG, I was convinced that the Parker case was completely frivolous. It is nice to have that view vindicated by Judge Wolf and to have his support for diversity education.” Stan Griffith, President of Greater Boston PFLAG, said when the decision was announced.
In the words of Judge Wolf:
In essence, under the Constitution public schools are entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy. Diversity is a hallmark of our nation. It is increasingly evident that our diversity includes differences in sexual orientation. Our nation's history includes a fundamental commitment to promoting mutual respect among citizens in our diverse nation that is manifest in the First Amendment's prohibitions on establishing an official religion and restricting the free exercise of religious beliefs on which plaintiffs base some of their federal claims. Our history also includes instances of individual and official discrimination against gays and lesbians, among others. It is reasonable for public educators to teach elementary school students about individuals with different sexual orientations and about various forms of families, including those with same-sex parents, in an effort to eradicate the effects of past discrimination, to reduce the risk of future discrimination and, in the process, to reaffirm our nation's constitutional commitment to promoting mutual respect among members of our diverse society...In addition, it is reasonable for those educators to find that teaching young children to understand and respect differences in sexual orientation will contribute to an academic environment in which students who are gay, lesbian, or the children of same-sex parents will be comfortable and, therefore, better able to learn.
The Board of Directors of Greater Boston PFLAG, who are parents, families and friends of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons, applauds the courage of the Lexington Schools in striving for support, dignity, respect and safety for all students and their families. They have responded with calm resolve in the face of several years of ruthless, targeted attacks from national and Massachusetts-based right-wing hate groups and held firmly to the principles that make this country and its public education system something of which we can all be proud.
Greater Boston PFLAG is committed to creating an environment of understanding so that all people can live with dignity and respect through:
Greater Boston PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.