There’s only one lifestyle that is supposed to be taught in schools: the heterosexual lifestyle.
This statement seems to be the opinion of the state of South Carolina’s legislature that led them to cut funding to colleges for including books that feature homosexuality in their freshman required texts.
The books causing this fiasco are “Fun Home” by Alison Bechdel, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award, and “Out Loud: The Best of Rainbow Radio” according to an article published in the Los Angeles Times by Carolyn Kellogg. State Representative Garry Smith cut $69,000 to two South Carolina public universities because of themes associated with homosexuality in these books.
“I understand academic freedom, but this is not academic freedom…this was about promoting one side with no academic debate involved,” Smith said.
He justified his argument that the books went beyond academic debate due to the depiction of “graphic” lesbian scenes.
I have seen college essays written on books by E.L. James and there doesn’t seem to be any rioting at the University of Wyoming… So college-age students should stick to reading their 50 Shades of Grey in order to learn about and promote the sacred bondage between a man and his wife. Here’s to promoting quality literature.
I guess you really can put a price on keeping the heterosexual lifestyle alive and well in colleges. Thank goodness. I was worried about the decline of heterosexual couples in American campuses. Banning these books should keep these students from “choosing to be gay” for the time being.
Apparently, students should not be forced to read about sexual encounters between people of the same sex. However, text including incest and rape scenes like The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison-which is read in most high schools- is perfectly fine. Here’s to equality.
Obviously sexual objectification of people is okay to teach when it is through the scope of the white, heterosexual man…but the world isn’t ready to read about any other sexual encounter-regardless of its degree of emotional stability. Or are they? Maybe the students should be polled, and faculty too so that the representatives can see how the people directly affected feel.
It is the job of the State Legislature to keep homosexuality out of public universities. That’s what they seem to be telling themselves in any case. What happened to this being America and citizens having the freedom to gather their own opinions about the world and everything in it without the bias of the government intervening?
I can’t imagine the terror that these Southern Carolinian state legislatures would experience if they ever witnessed an Introduction to a Women’s Studies class here at UW. And aren’t we as Wyoming supposed to be the old school western place?
The terror is real; heterosexuals beware. If you read these books your sexual orientation is subject to change and our public universities are doing nothing but encouraging it. If this were twitter, I would add a #facepalm.
