Other points:
As for the question of expelling children from a Catholic school (-I’m not sure that happened in this case, but on that subject in general), I didn’t grow up Catholic, much less go to a Catholic school, but I am aware children have been asked to leave Catholic schools for lots of reasons. One was becoming pregnant. Others have included cheating, bullying, and theft.
This is true for public schools as well. I knew a number of students who were expelled for fighting, drug possession or other behaviors that were disruptive. I was actually referred by my junior high principal for expulsion for fighting, which was ironic because I was the one being picked on. Students’ being expelled for pregnancy used to happen in public schools as well but thankfully that’s changed (how on earth is a single mom supposed to support her kids without a diploma, much less degree or trade school?). The true scandal is that while my wife attended her Catholic high school, the school had their first incident of a student having a baby. Previously there were simply a lot of abortions. Terrible and I am glad that a cultural shift has happened.
Be that as it may, Catholic schools aren’t the only ones who kick students out, and often by the time we hear a story we only get the sensationalist side of it. There was a major scandal during my senior year in which two 14-year-old black girls tried out for the varsity cheer team, didn’t make it (they were up against 30-some other girls, many of them juniors and seniors), filed suit, and in the end the head of the cheer team got a permanent record mark for discrimination, and the cheer coach was dismissed. But all you heard in the paper was “Cheer team accused of racism.”
Fair enough. But hypothetically, just for fun conversation, would you agree with a decision to expel such a student?
I honestly don’t know we have all the facts here to make a judgement. On the basis of “can we kick out kids who simply say they’re gay?” No, please, let’s not do that. The lifestyle is incompatible, but is it honestly disruptive? Beyond that I trust the school’s judgement because they have the responsibility of keeping everyone and everything orderly and in line. Freedom of expression is limited in school even though Universities tend to be more lax about it.
A student who will tell you he is gay if you ask but doesn’t hit on the other boys is different behavior from that of a student who dresses in drag, makes sexual comments, or makes out with his boyfriend in the hallway. One is there to learn and acts appropriately, the other is disruptive. A boy sexually harrassing a girl or displaying excessive PDA wouldn’t be tolerated either, and at a parochial school where uniforms are mandatory (I’d be surprised if they weren’t), everyone has the same limitation on how to dress so I’d support the school taking action against a boy who cross-dresses so long as they’d take the same action against another boy who just wears jeans and a t-shirt or a girl who wears an inappropriate-length skirt. Again, it’s a judgement call, and I trust the school more to know what the kids need than a local or even national paper to get sufficient facts to present an unbiased account of events.
Gay students who are kicked out of their Catholic schools are more likely to be embittered and spiteful towards their faith than anything else. And you think that’s a good thing?
They likely will be embittered. I don’t want to make that the decision-rule for discipline or policy, but rather every interaction with a student requires that we keep in mind treating them with dignity and respect without condoning an act that is out of line, illegal or immoral. Regardless of orientation, school is not the place to act out sexual proclivities regardless of your attraction. I was written up once for making out with my girlfriend in the hallway - and my high school security was fond of walking into couples who were holding hands so they’d have to let go. The point, while irritating at the time, was well-taken: keep your hands to yourself while you’re here, and learn.
The older the person, the more responsibility he or she must take. Consider a work-place. At my work, we have a policy of no tolerance for harassment, and a policy of not talking about sex, politics, or religion. I have gay co-workers. We know they’re gay, but they’re here to do their jobs just as we are. It doesn’t come up beyond “what did you do this weekend?” “I went to a movie with my…” etc. Whether someone is straight or gay is irrelevant to the task at hand, and you absolutely do not see rainbow flags, or political stickers, or religious signs at desks or cubes. I keep a crucifix at my desk, where only I can see it. An IT guy (who is Muslim) complained. My response was “you shouldn’t have been sitting in my desk”. It never went beyond that.
