ADL, gay activists
lobby Broward School Board
for diversity video
By Chris Kahn,
Newsday.com from the S. Florida Sun-Sentinel, July 27, 2005
Gay rights activists and members of
the Anti-Defamation League crammed into a Broward County School Board meeting
Tuesday to confront the district about comments its Diversity Committee members
made about a children's video.
"There were terrible, ugly, homophobic things said in that committee," said
Stratton Pollitzer of Equality Florida, a civil rights group. "That can't
be allowed to stand."
Pollitzer helped organize South Florida's lesbian and gay community when he
heard some committee members worried the "We Are Family" video would lead to
conversations about same-sex couples.
Superintendent Frank Till won't budge from his decision to keep it out of
classrooms, in part because it duplicates existing diversity programs. But
the ADL, which distributed the video to thousands of schools throughout the
country this year, plans to work with the School Board to make it acceptable for
viewing.
In the meantime, Pollitzer said the district needs to show that it doesn't
approve of anti-gay comments.
"We must speak out," he told the board. "If we don't, then bigotry would go
unchallenged in Broward County."
Outside, Margaret Hostetter of Davie said she wanted to make a speech at the
meeting, but there were too many people. Hostetter, a former Diversity
Committee member, said she was glad the video got rejected.
"It's inappropriate for a child in pre-K to be introduced to the idea that a
family could be any group that loves each other," she said. "It isn't
appropriate."
The video never mentions homosexuality.
Through most of it, Kermit the Frog, SpongeBob SquarePants, Barney and other
children's characters sing We are Family.
During Tuesday's meeting, community leaders stepped forward one-by-one to stare
down board members and ask why the video was rejected.
"Teaching people to value diversity and respect people ... only enforces
democracy," said Dennis Kainen of the ADL. "There's no subliminal message,
as was alleged."
"Please allow this wonderful tape to be allowed in our schools," said Sharon
Saphier-Grad, a former teacher and parent. "We are all part of the human
family."
More than 70 people came to Tuesday's meeting, some spilling into a room next
door, where they debated whether children should be introduced to homosexuality
in school.
Diversity Committee Chairman Bill Rettinger said members had concerns about the
video before voting 10-7 not to recommend it. For instance, he said, they
worried it might teach children to be friendly with strangers.
"We spoke about it for hours," Rettinger said. "It was a very divisive
issue."
Comments about the video by Diversity Committee member and conservative radio
host Steve Kane have drawn the biggest reaction. Kane said he thought the
video was a "foot in the door" for gays to push their message in the school
system.
"This is America. Whatever parents want to do in their home is fine," Kane
said in a telephone interview. "I've done bizarre and perverse things in
my life. But teaching it to kids K-through-sixth [grade] in school is a
different matter."
Marty Rubenstein, the School Board member who appointed Kane, said he regretted
any comments Kane and others made that gays and lesbians considered offensive.
Afterward, he told reporters that he might remove Kane from the committee.
"Kane has done more for kids in Broward County than a lot of people, but he
still says stupid things sometimes," he said. "What do you do?"
Chris Kahn can be reached at cmkahn@sun-sentinel.com or
954-356-4550.
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