Mayor Gavin Newsom’s bombastic in your face proclamation on the family, “whether you like it or not” has come home to roost in the California genderless marriage debate. And, at the center is a group of first graders, used as pawns in that debate.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports in an article headlined Class surprises lesbian teacher on wedding day:
A group of San Francisco first-graders took an unusual field trip to City Hall on Friday to toss rose petals on their just-married lesbian teacher – putting the public school children at the center of a fierce election battle over the fate of same-sex marriage.
First Graders? First Graders? Wow! Tossing rose pedals on their just married lesbian teacher? How many parents signed off on that field trip? Liz Hafalia’s photos from the Chronicle confirm this most incredible story:
If anyone needed any proof that children, the youngest of school children will be exposed to gay marriage in ways that many parents will find objectionable, here it is in living color. If you’re so inclined you can even watch the video here.
According to the Chronicle:
The 18 Creative Arts Charter School students took a Muni bus and walked a block at noon to toss rose petals and blow bubbles on their just-married teacher Erin Carder and her wife Kerri McCoy, giggling and squealing as they mobbed their teacher with hugs. Mayor Gavin Newsom, a friend of a friend, officiated.
What a surprise, Mayor Gav, again at the forefront. Remember him? He’s the one who on his own initiative, and even before the California Supreme Court mandated genderless marriage by judicial fiat, and in direct contravention of the popular will of California’s voters started issuing marriage licenses for genderless marriages several years ago. Of course he was eventually rebuked by the courts–still his actions were instructive, and even prophetic way back when.
According to the article, a parent supposedly came up with the idea:
A parent came up with the idea for the field trip – a surprise for the teacher on her wedding day.
“She’s such a dedicated teacher,” said the school’s interim director Liz Jaroslow.
A dedicated teacher? That’s the basis for hauling first graders out to gay weddings, in the midst of a heated political campaign?
The other justification? Why, it’s a teachable moment–of course:
But there was a question of justifying the field trip academically. Jaroflow decided she could.
“It really is what we call a teachable moment,” Jaroflow said, noting the historic significance of same-sex marriage and related civil rights issues. “I think I’m well within the parameters.”
Yeah, I’d say its a teachable moment, all right. It teaches the voters of California that the fears and concerns expressed in the Proposition 8 ads that this decision will directly impact the youngest of school children, are based in fact, not fear. Remember that California Education Code section 51890 about the requirement to teach about marriage to all school aged children? Well, here you go folks.
Even the San Francisco Chronicle conceeded that this stunt provided crediblity to the Proposition 8 campaign’s claims:
Nonetheless, the excursion offers Proposition 8 proponents fresh ammunition for their efforts to outlaw gay marriage in California, offering a real-life incident that echoes their recent television and radio ads.
“It’s just utterly unreasonable that a public school field trip would be to a same-sex wedding,” said Chip White, press secretary for the Yes on 8 campaign. “This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to have an understanding of its purpose.”
The trip illustrates the message promoted by the campaign in recent days, namely that unless Prop. 8 passes on Nov. 4, children will learn about same-sex marriage in school.
“It shows that not only can it happen, but it has already happened,” White said.
Already happened indeed. Whether you like it or not, Californians–it’s here to stay, unless we take back via the ballot box that which the California Supreme Court took away in the stroke of a pen: Traditional Marriage between a man and a woman.
Thanks for the blog. Same-sex mar-riage proponents have been duped…they think they are fighting for equality or love but that is not true and here’s why…
It seems that prop. 8 isn’t really about love.
Prop. 8 is about freedom for ALL Americans.
If prop. 8 fails it will hurt the freedom of you, me, AND same-sex couples.
Yes! Prop. 8 is a vote for freedom. There is a better way we can all live together in peace.
It was so sad to see children used to get political gain. At that age, the child’s prefrontal cortex is not fully developed. That means they believe what you tell them for the most part. That is why the voting age is 18 and up.
The children were used, and so were the same-sex couple because prop. 8 is about freedom, including theirs.
Check it out for yourself instead of opinions we need more facts: http://www.ifprop8fails.com, http://www.preservingmarriage.com, and http://www.protectmarriage.com
You conveniently neglect to emphasis that this was a CHARTER school, not a public school. You also OMIT that EVERY child had to have a signed permissions slip by their parent…which fits the “opt out” clause you keep ignoring! I hope Prop 8 goes down in flames from all your hate speech!
This youtube was awesome. It talks about how we can all live in peace and love with prop.8 stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI-GjWY-WlA
[...] claiming there will be no impact to public school children. The facts strongly suggest otherwise, including my last post of the San Francisco first grade class which recently attended a lesbian [...]
[...] back hard on the idea that school children will be affected. We know this is not at all true. See my post on the California first grade class which was transported to a lesbian wedding, presumably at [...]