Do Father-Daughter Dances Promote Gender Discrimination? (The ACLU Thinks So)
SodaHead Living
2012/09/23 20:42:35
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Father-daughter dances and mother-son ballgames are now a thing of the past—at least in the Cranston Public Schools district in Rhode Island. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) targeted these longstanding traditions after a single mother filed a complaint when her daughter was prevented from attending a father-daughter dance in Cranston.
Apparently, the district’s hands are tied because Rhode Island’s gender-discrimination laws do not exempt such events—thought federal laws do. Strangely, the policy change banning these events was apparently made months ago. However, it only began to receive widespread media attention lat week when Sean Gately, a candidate for state Senate, announced that he would reinstate such events if elected.
The ACLU said in a statement:
"The controversy that has suddenly arisen in a political campaign over father-daughter dances in Cranston is old news -- the matter was amicably resolved with school officials over four months ago. And it was resolved for a simple reason: the school district recognized that in the 21st Century, public schools have no business fostering the notion that girls prefer to go to formal dances while boys prefer baseball games. This type of gender stereotyping only perpetuates outdated notions of 'girl' and 'boy' activities and is contrary to federal law.
"[Parent-teacher organizations] remain free to hold family dances and other events, but the time has long since passed for public school resources to encourage stereotyping from the days of Ozzie and Harriet. Not every girl today is interested in growing up to be Cinderella -- not even in Cranston. In fact, one of them might make a great major league baseball player someday.
"We commend the school district for its resolution of the matter, and are sorry to see some people turning it into a political football -- a game that they may think only boys should be interested in."
So SodaHeads, what do you think? Do father-daughter dances promote gender discrimination?
Apparently, the district’s hands are tied because Rhode Island’s gender-discrimination laws do not exempt such events—thought federal laws do. Strangely, the policy change banning these events was apparently made months ago. However, it only began to receive widespread media attention lat week when Sean Gately, a candidate for state Senate, announced that he would reinstate such events if elected.
The ACLU said in a statement:
"The controversy that has suddenly arisen in a political campaign over father-daughter dances in Cranston is old news -- the matter was amicably resolved with school officials over four months ago. And it was resolved for a simple reason: the school district recognized that in the 21st Century, public schools have no business fostering the notion that girls prefer to go to formal dances while boys prefer baseball games. This type of gender stereotyping only perpetuates outdated notions of 'girl' and 'boy' activities and is contrary to federal law.
"[Parent-teacher organizations] remain free to hold family dances and other events, but the time has long since passed for public school resources to encourage stereotyping from the days of Ozzie and Harriet. Not every girl today is interested in growing up to be Cinderella -- not even in Cranston. In fact, one of them might make a great major league baseball player someday.
"We commend the school district for its resolution of the matter, and are sorry to see some people turning it into a political football -- a game that they may think only boys should be interested in."
So SodaHeads, what do you think? Do father-daughter dances promote gender discrimination?
Read More: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na...
The ACLU was founded by two communist party lawyers to defend communists charged with subversive activities. Hence, the ACLU is an American Communist Lawyers Union.
Who among the thinking would believe that a single event, dance, has any comparison with a ball game. I took my girls to both. You can almost always count on the spineless cowards who run our schools taking the side of a pack of liberals who find any male/female activity sexist.
So long as the gender battle is between male/female I have no grudge but when it becomes a homosexual issue, I'm going to stand up and take action.