Some parents of middle school children in San Francisco have voiced their opposition versus an LGBT acceptance week aimed at teaching lessons about the community to the students. The parents at Windemere Ranch Middle School in San Ramon even launched an online petition demanding that the celebration be limited to a day.
In a petition on Change.org, the parents noted that the are "highly concerned" with the LGBT "Acceptance Week" set to begin on April 11 which aims to raise awareness on discrimination, bullying and harassment that members of the community face. They tagged this event as "discriminatory" saying that the effort is beyond any activity for a single group.
"Inequalities in such efforts are evident when comparing the time, resources and intensity devoted to lessons, activities, and promotional fanfare dedicated to the acceptance of the LGBT group while ignoring acceptance and promotion of values represented in other diverse groups within our community," the petition read. The parents explained that they are not against the LGBT community but only after an equal representation of the concerns of the students.
The petition also indicated that the "Acceptance Week" seems to undermine their capacity as parents and also "humiliate" the cultural, religious and personal beliefs of the kids and the parents as well. They instead called for respect and equality "for all segments."
If not heard, the parents threatened that they will support a walkout on April 11. NBC Bay Area said many parents supported the online petition saying young kids do not need to be exposed to these sensitive subject at their age.
"There is a time for everything in life. I don't think middle school is the right time to expose kids to all this stuff," one parent commented on the petition with another also supporting the stand of the parents. The other commenter noted that the activity does not take into account the diversity and religious views of other kids.
