Dancing with the Stars dancer Louis van Amstel's 11-year-old son was given a heartbreaking introduction to homophobia last week after telling his substitute teacher that he's thankful he's being adopted by his two gay dads.
The incident took place at Deerfield Elementary School in Cedar Hills, south of Salt Lake City, during a pre-Thanksgiving exercise in which the teacher asked the fifth grade class what they are thankful for.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports: “Some of the kids had said turkey and mashed potatoes. One girl mentioned her dog. Another student joked about not having to go to school over the holiday. The boy's response was a bit more serious. ‘I'm thankful that I'm finally going to be adopted by my two dads,' he answered.”
The teacher snapped, “Why on earth would you be happy about that?” For the next 10 minutes she ranted to the classroom that “homosexuality is wrong” and “two men living together is a sin” according to students accounts, the paper reported. She also told the son, “That's nothing to be thankful for.”
Three girls stepped up to report the incident as Van Amstel's son was too frightened. They left the classroom to do so.
Van Amstel posted an irate message on Instagram:
Wrote Van Amstel on Instagram: “This story is too important and hits too close to home not to write about. When our son Daniel answered the substitute teachers question ‘What are you thankful for with: I'm thankful for finally being adopted by my two dads'. The teacher went onto sharing her own views on Homosexuality and that it's wrong. three girls asked her multiple times to stop. When she didn't they went to the principles office to complain. I'm proud of the three girls and school for standing up for our family against this bully. Im disgusted that the bully is the teacher in a public school.”
