On the Kevin Jennings’ Kerfuffle & the Silence of the MSM
The more we learn about Kevin Jennings’ past and his leadership of GLSEN, the more questions we have.
The other night, when finishing this post, I wanted to confirm two things I had seen on the web earlier in the day. For one, the question of whether GLSEN had stopped the seminars on “fisting” after 2000, I could find no confirmation in my browser’s history, realizing only later that I had read that information via a comment in a Facebook thread. (A reader would later confirm that in a comment.) I could not confirm the second, that GLSEN regularly prohibited parents from attending events in which their children participated (having evidence that they do so only in 2001).
Further research may confirm the initial views of this blogger–and other conservatives–that Jennings is not fit to serve in the Department of Education. Or it may contradict the emerging picture of this man, showing him to acknowledge the importance of promoting the complex nature of human sexuality and discussing its emotional aspects, perhaps even encouraging high school kids to wait until they find romance for their first sexual experience.
Some bloggers and other independent researchers have looked into this matters on their own, often at great personal expense. (Not to mention the sacrifice of their own uncompensated time.) Much of the information we need is several years old, often only readily accessible via databases requiring paid subscriptions. Other information remains in the “dead-tree” archives of schools and non-profits and not yet uploaded to the web.
Most of us lack the resources to conduct research (it would involve travel to Boston); some might have difficulty gaining access to school archives and need help to file Freedom of Information requests. And right now, we’ve only got bloggers and their amateur allies looking into this. The mainstream media, by and large, seems indifferent to a story which includes some of the same elements which made a recent scandal in the Catholic Church a national, if not international sensation. Why, we ask, isn’t the media doing the followup they would do were this story to involve priests or Republicans?
There are questions that need be asked. And the answers just might put Jennings (and GLSEN) in a better light.
For example:
- After GLSEN’s leaders learned of the seminars on “fisting” in 2000, what guidelines did they put in place to prevent this from happening again? How were such guidelines enforced?
- Where parents allowed to review the curricula of the various conferences? Were they allowed to opt their children out? Could they sit in? And if not, why not?
There is much that we need to know. As time allows, I will look into this, indeed, will begin this process as soon as I post this piece with an e-mail to a correspondent in GLSEN’s New York office.
7 Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I hope GLSEN repsonds to you, since I sent them an angry email, and nothing, no response whatsoever.
Comment by Leah — December 11, 2009 @ 12:32 pm - December 11, 2009
Don’t expect one, Leah, unless the stink made about this becomes too big to ignore. GLSEN is ignoring the first rule of damage control: NEVER ignore a problem, hoping it will go away. If it were me I’d tackled this head-on and rebutt every credible-sounding charge, probably in a comprehensive press release.
Comment by John — December 11, 2009 @ 7:24 pm - December 11, 2009
Kodak has thus far ignored me.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — December 11, 2009 @ 7:40 pm - December 11, 2009
A few observations:
All teens are embarrassed to talk about sex with their parents. That embarrassment may mutate into fear when the teen is not traditionally heterosexual and the parents are not accepting of it. So perhaps a parent-free zone is appropriate. But I can see how it could easily become incredibly inappropriate.
Regarding parents giving feedback to the curriculum for the conferences: I’m horrified to think what sort of feedback my parents would have given! They would have flatly denied that gays could have emotional relationships. There is no complexity to human sexuality in their minds. Of course, this was their view ten years ago, and dealing with me has given them new insights. The tension between what is good for the teen and how much control parents should have seems the core of the problem.
Lastly, when I consider what life is like in more less-gay-friendly societies, I wonder what the reaction would be to giving out the “Little Black Book” in them. Would we collectively cheer that on as providing important information to closeted gays?
Comment by DRH — December 12, 2009 @ 12:15 pm - December 12, 2009
As soon as the children are graduated from high school or age 18 they should be free to read whatever they want. I am taking a different view than what the traditionalists who want the youth to know nothing and the leftists who want to sexualize the children at age 5 or earlier.
We dont live in a liberal culture. Middle America is becoming more aware of what is going on and will retaliate against Kevin Jennings and company big time.
Maybe as queer conservatives and pragmatic straight allies we can create a new social culture that is not as radical as it used to be.
Comment by Matt from California — December 12, 2009 @ 2:20 pm - December 12, 2009
Here’s Doug Giles’ latest column which is on this issue:
http://townhall.com/columnists/DougGiles/2009/12/12/kevin_jennings_and_%E2%80%9Cfistgate%E2%80%9D_should_make_parents_furious
Other than finding Giles incredibly attractive, I also agree with him on most things. He is, however, one of those Christian conservatives who don’t know that gay Christians exist. If we are going to get him past the stereotypes, we need to stop acting like stereotypes.
Comment by Ashpenaz — December 13, 2009 @ 12:26 pm - December 13, 2009
Ashpenaz, nobody who’s entire life is lived in contradiction to the standards of God is a Christian. Period. Can a Christian occasionally fall from grace? Yes. But habitual defiance of God’s standards and commands is not how the true Christian lives, regardless of what your denomination teaches.
Comment by Seane-Anna — December 14, 2009 @ 10:43 pm - December 14, 2009