LGBT Parenting Tips: Join the PTA
I always think of the PTA as the bastion of stay at home moms in all their stereotypes, but the Family Equality Council blog has a different take - they say that LGBT parents should join the PTA not only to create connections with other parents but also to increase diversity and inclusiveness throughout the school:
It’s particularly important that LGBTQ parents get and stay active in groups like the Parent Teacher Assocation (PTA). PTA activities often set the tone for the school culture. Parents build relationships with other parents and teachers through shared work and efforts to improve the schools, and therefore get invested in each other and each others’ families.
Being involved in the PTA should first be about improving the educational experience of a child’s life, but in the case of LGBTQ parents, involvement doubles as a way to make the school safer and more inclusive of diverse family types.
I admit, I hadn’t really thought of this angle, but it’s a good tip, especially since study after study indicates that hatred and discrimination decrease with actual contact to people who are different from oneself. What do you all think - would you join the PTA to increase diversity in your child’s school?
GLBT Families, GLBT, PTA
June 21st, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Think about it in reverse: if they had attacked an older woman just because she might be weaker and more vulnerable, would they receive a lesser sentence, thus meaning that her life had less value than that of a recognized minority?
Actually, no. As even the current hate crime legislation deals with age and gender, it stands to reason that if targeting a gay man because his orientation makes him “unlikely to fight back” is a hate crime, so is targeting an older woman for the same reason. Or targeting a Quaker or other member of a non-violent religion. Or a mentally-disabled child.
Of course, that complicates things even more. Are we willing to punish those who choose “weak” targets more than those who do not? Is it “more okay” to attack someone in a “fair” fight? Should we trying to make these distinctions with hate crime legislation, or is it a separate issue? It’s an issue that needs work, I think.
June 21st, 2007 at 12:30 pm
True. The old woman thing was a bad example and the reason I shouldn’t write at 5 a.m. with no sleep. I think someone else in the article used the old woman example, and I followed their lead instead of having the sense to think that through for myself. The point I was trying to make still stands, though: if they chose someone who wasn’t included under the hate crime laws, would they then get a lighter sentence since killing someone based on a hate crime demands a harsher sentence? And would that then devalue the life of the victim?
June 21st, 2007 at 2:15 pm
[...] note: Check out fellow 451 Press bloggers Lyndsey D’Arcangelo and Adrien-Luc Sanders at their respective websites, Lez Keep It Real and Pride and Opinions. Posted in General [...]