The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has affirmed that public school teachers in Massachusetts have the constitutional right, not only to instruct their students regarding the alleged normalcy of homosexuality, but to do so without notifying parents (Parker v. Hurley, 2008). On January 31, 2008, circuit judges Lynch, Stahl, and Howard ruled in favor of the Lexington, Massachusetts public school system and upheld an earlier ruling of U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf, who believes “it is reasonable for public schools to attempt to teach understanding and respect for gays and lesbians” (Unruh, 2008), and to do so without teachers needing to consult parents.
So, if first grade teachers in Massachusetts want to read books about Daddy’s Roommate or Jack and Jim to their six- and seven-year-olds, they not only have every right to do so, but are even encouraged by the state to promote such materials. According to both the judicial system and the Lexington, Massachusetts school system, if teachers want to read a book about a prince who rejects all of the princesses who wish to marry him, and instead, chooses to marry another prince (shown kissing on the last page of King and King), teachers are free to expose youth to such material. Parents can “quibble” and Christians can object, but such is the way of life in Massachusetts public schools.
Amazingly, the plaintiffs in Parker v. Hurley were not even challenging the use of “nondiscrimination curriculum” (i.e., books that depict and celebrate homosexual marriages) but simply “the school district’s refusal to provide them with prior notice and to allow for exemption from such instruction” (Parker v. Hurley, 2008, emp. added). Since Massachusetts courts believe that reading books about men kissing and marrying men is not a “human sexuality issue” or “indoctrination,” parental notice is unnecessary.
Among the many things Christians should learn from these latest court rulings is the need for parents, especially those with children in public schools, to instruct their children in what the Bible teaches about homosexuality. Young people are learning earlier and earlier in life about this subject from someone somewhere, perhaps even in their public school classroom. We at Apologetics Press believe that one of the best ways you can teach your children at home about this sensitive issue is by acquiring our book Does God Love Michael’s Two Daddies? The book promotes God’s love for all individuals, while at the same time showing, in a loving way, that homosexuality is sinful (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:9-11), and not something to be “celebrated.”
REFERENCES
Parker v. Hurley (2008), [On-line], URL: http://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/getopn.pl?OPINION=07-1528.01A.
Unruh, Bob (2008), “‘Gay’ Lessons Violate Civil Rights, Man Says,” WorldNetDaily.com, [On-line], URL: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57298.
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