06/22/2009
Chicago Elementary School to March in Gay Pride Parade
In response to a few incidents of anti-gay bullying at Nettelhorst Elementary School in Chicago, parents and administrators have taken action:
"In May, [Lesbian parent Marcia] Festen and other parents collected hundreds of pieces of
fabric -- strips in the rainbow colors of the gay pride flag -- and
each Nettelhorst student tied a ribbon to the school's fence, creating
a beautiful rainbow mosaic. A sign accompanies it, saying: 'Each
Nettelhorst student has tied a piece of fabric to the fence as a
tangible sign of his or her personal intention to create a better
world.' They have also recruited families, mainly straight ones, to march in
the Pride Parade later this month. Nettelhorst will be the only public
school marching. And school administrators, who supported these efforts, agreed to
start a parent diversity committee. They'll be tasked with finding ways
to reflect the school's diversity in the curriculum and in the images
in the school building. Their larger goals are ambitious but doable: to eliminate the stigma
attached to kids from same-sex families, to normalize those families so
there's less to tease about. Their aim is a school culture in which
everyone feels offended by teasing, not just the victims."
The school has at least five students with same-sex parents.
"A few Nettelhorst parents balked at the parade and the fence
project, and a group not affiliated with the school posted a hateful
blog item. But the vast majority of Nettelhorst parents have embraced this
effort. Straight parents helped with the fence project, signed up for
the parade, volunteered for the diversity committee or simply offered
an encouraging word. For the same-sex parents, this has been the most meaningful part."
Posted 9:49 AM EST by Andy Towle in Bullying, Chicago, Education, Gay Pride, News |
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It's good to see kids with good parents. America could use lots more.
Posted by: K in VA | Jun 22, 2009 9:52:19 AM
Teaching,respect,acceptance,and tolerance for others at an early age? Im impressed,if every parent in american did this now,we wouldnt have to worry about another generation of fascist bigots.
Posted by: east 55th street manhattan | Jun 22, 2009 9:58:20 AM
This is a beautiful story. How moving it is read about this after so much disillusionment recently. As these folks have realized, this is not just a gay families issue, it's an ALL families issue. That the straight families whose kids attend this school have figured this out gives me faith for all of us, as a society, moving forward.
What an important lesson to teach those kids - and what a strong message these families are delivering to those in the larger community who are resistant to acknowledge that our rights as people and as real families are not a threat to anyone.
Posted by: seeldee | Jun 22, 2009 9:59:05 AM
This school is located in the heart of Lakeview and the parade actually goes right by the school. I am not surprised that they would do this. Good for them.
Posted by: CB | Jun 22, 2009 10:07:17 AM
Somewhere, Bill O'Reilly is having an aneurism. And the villagers rejoice.
Posted by: Philip Wester | Jun 22, 2009 10:12:05 AM
Ohhh no no no... this is exactly the sort of well-intentioned behavior that passed Prop 8. Keep the kids away from the gays, PLEASE, because every time we don't, Maggie Gallagher puts the video into political ads and we lose another 5% in the polls.
Posted by: Pender | Jun 22, 2009 10:18:44 AM
We love our little gay village.
Posted by: JeffRob | Jun 22, 2009 10:29:25 AM
I'll see this appearing on the Wingnut Daily shortly. The rabid right love these stories!
Posted by: KevinVT | Jun 22, 2009 10:33:15 AM
@CB
Absolutely, this school is in the gayborhood.
As far as Maggie gallagher and those of her ilk, what child raised in a somewhat normal household didn't favor is gay uncle or gay auntie (My nieces and nephews love me, I know that)? That's an aspect of family that rarely gets talked (and the overwhelming majority of those kids grow up STRAIGHT!)
Kudos to the school for their support. And I wish that the NOM NOm people would dare come to Chicago with their vile filth; they will get the Chicago treatment.
Posted by: Chitown Kev | Jun 22, 2009 10:38:11 AM
Love my town. I'm betting the kids will be well separated from the club floats precisely to avoid TV images of Speedos near school kids.
As CB notes, the school is in the heart of Boystown, across the street from Unabridged Books and just down the street from the two gay friendliest mainline churches in the area, Broadway Methodist and Lakeview Presbyterian, both of which host big Pride Parade parties. Nettleton even hosted a huge rummage sale by the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus a while back.
Chicago families, as a rule, see Maggie Gallagher and her crew as the douches they are, bless their hearts....Go Chicago!
Posted by: notshychirev | Jun 22, 2009 10:39:31 AM
RE: PENDER: "Ohhh no no no...Keep the kids away from the gays, PLEASE..."
That's funny I'M gay and remember being in elementary school, so some of the kids in that school ARE gay and what a wonderful affirming opportunity for them as they grow up. Get over it, younger generations are being much more open and fluid about concepts of sexuality. Get on the generational train or get left behind.
Posted by: Ian | Jun 22, 2009 11:37:44 AM
Eh, but Pender's right - the footage of the kids at their teacher's gay wedding played right into the Prop. 8 proponents' lie that kids will be forced to learn about gay marriage.
I'm all for the fence-project, but a gay pride parade is simply not an appropriate place for children. It's not an appropriate place for ANYONE, really (someone here previously called it, "the death of good taste"), but video of naked, dancing go-go boys and elementary school students in a parade is exactly the wrong visual needed to further our cause.
Posted by: Cameron Johnson | Jun 22, 2009 11:43:29 AM
So then lets make Pride parades appropriate for everyone.
We should all be able to agree that having entire families present at parades-with all their members- is more important than the gay gym's float's wardrobe consisting of nothing but aussiebum.
If we act like sex-crazed lunatics, that's all we'll ever be.
Posted by: JeffRob | Jun 22, 2009 12:35:02 PM
I understand people's concern with the images of school kids marching in Chicago's GLBT Pride Parade but doesn't it say a lot that a PUBLIC school in the Midwest will be doing this.
The imagery may feed into H8'ers propaganda but the story doesn't.
Also, remember that recently Adlai E. Stevenson High School in the conservative northern Suburbs of Chicago recently held a gay mixer for students from several area high schools.
I cannot help but take a positive view of these events despite the concerns expressed. I think over time we will see these events more as tipping points and less with concern over how they might set the movement back.
Posted by: badlydrawnbear | Jun 22, 2009 12:37:52 PM
@BadlyDrawBear
But remember conservatives in Illinois are not (by and large) the type of wignuts that you might find in, say, California. The Peter LaBarbera's are the exception and not the rule in Illinois when it comes to conservatives.
Illinois has mostly the "cut-my-taxes and leave me the fuck alone" type of conservatives.
Posted by: Chitown Kev | Jun 22, 2009 1:25:44 PM
I of course support tolerance and teaching children diversity. However, a grade school does not belong in a prade filled with adults entertaining adults. People are literally half naked, some more, they are often times heavily intoxicated, the drag outfits (while funny) may not be in family taste. All in all, it is an adult event. When people try to make it something more than that, people end up showing it on tv or whatnot as something that is fully reflective of gay culture.
Posted by: MJ | Jun 22, 2009 2:15:33 PM
I graduated from Nettelhorst in 1963. I love this story. The Families should be welcomed with cheering as they pass the parade route. Much like the PFLAG families and the Veterans are, every year. This is a 3 to 4 hour parade and it is meant for everyone. this is not an Adult event. This is a public Parade meant for all. I am very proud of my elementary school as a 59 year old Gay graduate. Thank you for this story.
Posted by: JGG | Jun 22, 2009 4:48:23 PM
Well, glad to see a bunch of liberal morons supporting this. Public schools are no place for indoctrination into anyone's philosophy or sexual morality. Although tolerance in and of itself is a good idea, this is not the way to approach it. Elementary school is a poor level of choice to teach kids about what gay is. These kids have had no education or direction on human sexual nature and will have a hard time understanding the concepts. This reminds me of the Gay Pride sign I saw in Dominick's yesterday. Again, not an appropriate place. I do not want to have to explain what a gay person is to my son or daughter who is in elementary school. Maybe you do, but I do not think they are ready for that. I want to approach this topic on my time schedule.
Call me what you will, I have tough skin.
For those of you who will no doubt call me a homophobic conservative will just have to realize that there are moderates out there that do not believe that being gay is an acceptable lifestyle.
Posted by: Pissed | Jun 26, 2009 3:49:11 PM