As soon as I heard about the suicide of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers college student who was webcast (without consent) while having an intimate encounter with another male, I was saddened and disappointed. Saddened at the loss of a bright young person, saddened for his family and friends. Disappointed in the citizens of this country.
You can read that line again. It’s a bold statement, I realize that, but it is how I feel.
In elementary schools all over the US, students learn that our Declaration of Independence says “all men are created equal.” We learn that, but we don’t live it. My dad didn’t live it when he went to a segregated school. His grandmother didn’t live it when she wasn’t allowed to vote. And today, gay and lesbian couples aren’t living it when they are denied the right to be legally married. (That is just one example, there are many more.)
Stating that there is nothing wrong with being homosexual doesn’t get us very far if our laws don’t say so, too. When you elect the people who will lead your community, your state, your country – I hope you’ll remember that.
“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”
-John F. Kennedy
(And, as a sidenote, if you’re going to lecture me about what the Bible says, please save your breath. I’ve been there and done that.)
thetightropeblog.com 
Don't disagree one bit.South Carolina's embarrassing Senator, Jim Demint recently said "if someone is openly homosexual, they shouldn't be teaching in the classroom and he holds the same position on an unmarried woman who's sleeping with her boyfriend — she shouldn't be in the classroom."What being gay and being a good teacher have to do with each other is beyond me?Welcome to the 21st century in South Carolina also know as the 19th century in the rest of the country.
I agree Mandi. Lots of issues today are very complicated. This isn't one of them. Hell, this shouldn't even be an issue at all.
so true. i've been teaching my students about the civil war era, women's rights, etc and it's amazing the connections you can see in our world today.
The news story brought tears to my eyes. I hope those students are charged with a hate crime.