KY teacher sshows BBM clips to students

[slayers_creek_oth]

Investigation under way in school divided over homosexual issue

An English teacher in Kentucky is under investigation for showing her students a clip of "Brokeback Mountain," the controversial film about a homosexual relationship between two sheepherders.

The brief showing – about two and a half minutes long – took place at Boyd County High School, where tensions have been high since a group of students petitioned to form a homosexual awareness club at the school in 2002, the Associated Press reported.

The school district later settled a lawsuit that resulted in anti-harassment training for all staff and students.

Parent Kelley Smith, whose 17-year-old son was in the senior cinematography class, said it's "really bad time for all this to have happened."

"If she wanted to show it in class she should have gotten parents permission and if some students wanted to see it, it should have been their choice," Smith said.

None of the film's sexual content was shown to students.

Earlier this week, an Alabama teacher who showed 8th grade students a video filmstrip referring to President Bush in vulgar terms was fired by his school board after an investigation found porn on his computer.

Administrators determined that Steve White, also a Democratic candidate for the Alabama House, was showing videos rather than teaching science. The investigation found White showed videos with sex acts, nudity and other obscene images to students.

In Kentucky, Superintendent Howard K. Osborne would not say if action was taken against the teacher, who was not named. But he indicated "Brokeback Mountain," which won an Oscar for best director, will not be shown again at the school.

"We've had an investigative inquiry and we've taken appropriate action," Osborne said.

In March, a high-school student in Oregon produced a film based on "Brokeback Moutain" for a class assignment that included two boys in bed together. He showed his film to his Marine Biology class then was called into a meeting with three vice principals and told he was being transferred to a local community college to finish out his senior year. He later was allowed to return, however.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50272

[Impish]

Just found this news item on Advocate.com:

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid31218.asp

I don't know why I continue to be shocked at the ignorance and bigotry in the U.S......

[starboardlight]

Just found this news item on Advocate.com:

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid31218.asp

I don't know why I continue to be shocked at the ignorance and bigotry in the U.S......

ugh! i'm with you. I don't know why it shocked me, either. I really hate people sometimes.

[pinku]

Why should it be shown to children? The movie is meant for adults only and some portions are very erotic. If grown-up men like me got so disturbed watching this movie then the affect on children might also be profound! After all a school is meant for acquiring an education not for deciding one's sexual preferences!

[SFEnnisSF]

Pinku,

If you had actually read the entire whopping 3 paragraphs, it says only 2.5 minutes of the cinematography was shown, for the purposes of the cinematography only.

[belbbmfan]

That's some kind of educational message to give to young people. I only hope all the kids in that school feel very sure about their own sexuality.

this film should be mandatory viewing in all schools! Because there're some very good lessons to be learned by everyone, straight or gay.

[stubbyeddy]

I agree with you sfericsf... the context in which the school intended to use the short clip of film, there really wasn’t anything to make so much fuss over. The only thing that has upset people is the fact the film is showing two men in love with each other. To most of the world Brokeback Mountain = Gay = Disgusting. I don’t blame people for complaining about it but it asks the question, in a perfect world this film wouldn’t have ever been made, we would all love our fellow man. But if we are going to get even close to that we are going to have to find out what makes people so disgusted with homosexually in today’s world. OK you might think you don’t have to tell kids about sexuality in school, but we are doing something wrong somewhere. Can’t most problems and unwarranted fears can be resolved with education??

Eddy

[Penthesilea]

Why should it be shown to children? The movie is meant for adults only and some portions are very erotic.

How old are US kids when they start High School? At least 11 or 12, I guess.
Well, in Germany the movie is rated "FSK 12", which means everybody 12 years or older can see it without company of an adult. And I think this is completly right. My niece has just turned 13 this week and I wouldn't have any problem letting her see BBM.

For the eroticism: "...no sexual content was aired" (from article). Not the whole film was shown, only a 2 1/2 minutes long clip without sexual content.
And speaking of sexual content: what do we actually see? - Nearly nothing. Counting naked skin: a very brief look on Jack's bottom in profile, topless men, a short shot of naked men from faaaar away (jumping from a cliff) and 2 times naked female breasts. In many advertisement breaks on TV in Germany you can see as much skin.
Additionally we see a very passionate kiss and some indicated sex.

For European standards nothing that's worth any flurry. And I can't believe that US kids are more behind the times or more damageable than European kids are.

And yes, I think BBM should be shown in schools. The whole movie!

[Mikaela]

In another part of Europe, children of 11 years of age could see the film without an adult accompagnying them. And this age limit was explained by the censor board as being due to the level of physical violence in the film, which younger children might find frightening. Teenagers of high school age hence could freely see the film and I can't imagine it being anything than an emotional and  thought-provoking experience to them, as to other and older viewers.

But anyway, according to the article:

....at least one parent was upset that any part of the movie would be shown in the classroom.

So what would they have done if at least *two* parents demanded they show the whole film?

In a way, it seems this was a tempest in a tea pot, except for the previous school history that the article also relates, and the fact that the school backed down so quickly instead of supporting their teaching staff's professional decisions and integrity.

[twistedude]

So what the hell DID he show? I posted the ONLY HORSE PHOTO I have (the keepaway with Jack's shirt, with a horse tied in the background (that Aguirre sees--the first part of it, it's taken from) on  the Vintage Baaseball card Forum, someone recogised it, and as soon as the "Moderator Dude" (that's what he calls himself), a Texan,  saw the post mentioning it, he wrote (AND I quote from memory):

"I am completely neutral as far as fags are concerned, but I don't want to see any pictures of them, or have anyone teach it to my kids."

He modified this, after I told him a few simple things, like that some men over 45 don't like the word at all, and that nobody would teach it to his kids...

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, and all it's accutrements, SUCKS!