#educatorFAIL

“Moral of the story: Don’t be gay,” posted Jim Whitney, a math teacher at Joplin High School in Joplin, Missouri, to a former student’s Facebook page. Whitney was commenting on the high school graduate’s, Josh Gonzalez, article related to the suicide of Jamie Hubley and anti-gay bullying - just a day before Spirit Day.  

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, a special education teacher, Viki Knox, also used Facebook to express her views on homosexuality saying it “spreads like cancer.”

And this all follows ‘Teacher of the Year’ Jerry Buell who used Facebook (noticing a trend?) to denounce on New York’s decision to allow same-sex marriage.

While it is still being determined if Whitney was actually behind the posts, Knox was escorted from school grounds. Buell was suspended but later reinstated following an investigation.

It seems to me that there should be tougher rules for educators - especially when interacting with students on social media platforms. Clearly, bullying is an ongoing issue but this issue becomes even worse when teachers are the ones involved.  

[Our trusty Tumblr friend, Toaster-Haus, came across Whitney’s posts and was trying to draw the attention of local media. I’mWithKanye regrets offering poor PR advice and not doing something much sooner. However, we are happy to see that it’s finally getting the attention it deserves.]

When i found out that Jamey Rodemeyer killed himself — I felt deeply troubled. But when I found out that Jamey Rodemeyer had made an it gets better video only months before taking his own life — I felt indescribable despair. I also made an it gets better video last year—in the wake of the senseless and tragic gay teen suicides that were sweeping the nation at the time. But in light of Jamey’s death — it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it — is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality.

--“Star Trek” and “Heroes” star Zachary Quinto, explaining why he chose to come out. To put it simply, 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer’s death really hit him hard. “Jamey Rodemeyer’s life changed mine,” he writes. “And while his death only makes me wish that i had done this sooner — I am eternally grateful to him for being the catalyst for change within me.” Coming out on its own is a brave move; but Quinto’s emotionally complex reasons for doing so only give the decision higher impact. (via shortformblog)

Going Straight - My Ex-Gay Friend

southernbostonian:

A friend of mine periodically writes for the NYTimes.  This is his latest article.  Its kind of fascinating.

Had Michael been secretly unhappy as a gay man, and was he now projecting that onto all gay-identified people? I broached the question later that night at his small off-campus apartment, where we sat in his barren kitchen eating Oreo cookies. “Well, you can’t see how dark it is in a cave when you’re in it,” he said. “But, no, at the time I didn’t consider myself unhappy.”

[Beyond fascinating.]