Gay and Lesbian students not allowed to use the restroom
Two girls were caught kissing in a high school bathroom in Kentucky. Their principal decided that in order to prevent this from happening ever again, teachers were not to allow gay or lesbian students from using the restroom. (Pandagon )
The Kentucky equality federation spoke up about this. But what is even more awesome:
Students protested this decision!
Echoing Student Activism, I think that it's great to see students recognize and speak out against such discrimination.
So a big "Feminist Fuck Yeah!" to them.
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That principal should lose his/her job. This is so not only offensive but blatant it is hard to believe it is true. Almost
They can't...use the bathroom??? Wow, talk about literally dehumanizing the Other. Outrageous.
Wait, if they couldn't use the bathroom, where DID they go? To the designed "OMG evil teh gay!" bush out by the baseball field or what?
This is ridiculous and wrong on so many levels.
One of the sources isn't even positive the story is true, so it's possible that it isn't. I find it hard to believe. (Not homophobia in schools, but barring anyone from the bathroom altogether).
It may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. When I was a junior in high school (spring 2000) our principal decided the solution to eliminate pot-smoking in the bathrooms was to lock them all between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The entire school was barred from using the bathroom during that time. They finally amended that policy to unlocking one (and placing a monitor at the door) after a number of students were diagnosed with UTIs and they started getting lots of angry phone calls from parents and the students' doctors. There was also at least one incident where a student lost control of their bladder and had to go home, and someone else threw up in the hallway. School administrators on a power trip often seem to be unaware of the bounds of human decency.
That is seriously messed up. I suffer from not actual UTI's, but urinary tract 'irritation', which isn't the actual infection but bacteria still gets up there and irritates me. So that means no pain or anything else, except the insistant urge to go to the bathroom -- which when felt for hours and hours IS a version of pain I hate experiencing. The littlest thing sets me off, too, but I can't do anything about it because it's not the actual infection. I have to wash before and after sex, I have to PEE after sex ((especially after doggie) no post-cuddling for me), I have to make sure I stay hydrated (which, although is a good idea, it's a bitch to keep up with), and most importantly, I'm not supposed to HOLD MY BLADDER. If I have to pee, I'm supposed to go to the bathroom ASAP. I hope that principal gets a severe UTI, and I don't feel bad for my ill-wish.
Barring students from using the bathroom doesn't surprise me. Barring them because of their sexual orientation DOES. But their "logic" follows public school administrators in Kentucky.
What were teachers supposed to do, ask their preference before giving them a hall pass?!
Not to mention, like teenagers wouldn't kiss in the hall or in the lunchroom? Straight students wouldn't try to sneak in the bathroom? Pfft, I know I did.
My senior year (2005-2006) the principal barred students from using the bathroom altogether during class. After about two weeks teachers began ignoring that rule because it was not only unreasonable, but a logistical nightmare. Five minutes between classes with only about five toilets per floor, and twenty-five minutes for lunch with only two toilets in the lunchroom. Not to mention, you'd have students unable to focus because they were trying to keep from pissing their pants.
hah.
the same thing happened to me and a friend of mine.
and i mean literally like THE SAME THING.
except we were 16 and 17.
oh and, not awfully proud about this, but then again not terribly ashamed either. we ended up just stealing the test.
in my friends beautiful phrasing "if they already think im an immoral whore i might as well be a thief too"
its unfortunate that it came to that. but we really didnt see any other option. it was awkward enough for us to go in there once, i dont think we would have been ok with going back again. and we were desperate
Wait, what? Was this for a different post?
I think so. It sounds like the post about the girls who weren't allowed to buy a pregnancy test because they "weren't supposed to be having sex anyways" or something like that.
Straight people kiss in bathrooms. They even have sex in bathrooms. Clearly, bathrooms are dens of sin which lead to fornicating and they should all be shut down. No one is allowed to pee, EVER again.
:)
I'm the author of the Student Activism post above, and I've updated it to reflect the fact that the school's principal is now denying that any blanket ban on bathroom use by LGBT students was ever issued.
She says that certain specific students, who had broken school rules in the past, were told that they could no longer be excused from class to use the toilets. The restrictions were limited to these specific students, she says, and they did not apply between classes. You can read the updated post here.
Thanks for the link!
Any reliable source to confirm one side or the other? This version sounds a lot more reasonable, but I've been seeing this article for days-- if that was the reason why wasn't it given when people first started asking about this?
The school principal told the local paper on Friday that "we would never send out an e-mail that had anything to do with sexual orientations," but that (almost) denial hasn't made it into much of the blog coverage. The story really hit the internet hard over the weekend, so it's not so surprising that school officials didn't respond quickly.
I emailed the superintendent on Sunday, and got back a reply on Monday morning that they were still investigating. It looks like this new denial went up on the school website sometime on Monday, the first business day after the protest.
Until I see a copy of the email, I'm not buying the school's story 100%, but I'm not rejecting it out of hand, either.
"Teacher, may I go to the bathroom?"
"Maybe. Are you gay?"
LOL WHAT
So this principal is so homophobic, he thinks it's okay to deny gay students bathroom breaks so they have to piss their pants?!
While he's at it, how 'bout he just ban everyone from taking bathroom breaks, because I'm pretty sure it's not just gay students that have been caught canoodling in high school bathrooms since the beginning of time.
God, this reminds me of when I was in high school. I was giving my boyfriend a hug before I went to class one day, and the vice principal saw us, came up, and said "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You'll get a detention for PDA like that. Why don't you try a side hug?" and demonstrated by putting her arm behind my neck and patting me on the shoulder. This rule was spontaneously enforced after seeing a lesbian couple share an innocent hug in the stairwell.
this unfortunately hits close to home. (literally) living as a pansexual in paducah, kentucky, i'm hit with so many problems being open with my sexuality. while heterosexual couples are grinding in hallways and are rarely punished, the few lesbian couples are looked after like infants. since i will obviously get punished for gay affection in public, i have been forced to kiss my girlfriend in restrooms. not to mention unsanitary, but this is also a huge risk. i spent pride week in Louisville, Kentucky and attended a few LGBT activites. i can't wear my shirt to school without hiding my chest. it simply states all different types of sexualities (lesbian, gay, homosexual, queer, trans)then boldly, "more than a label" yet i get in trouble. i just want to show my girl some affection. fuck yeah to gay marriage being passed in six states, but fuck you to paducah, kentucky not being any part to this revolution.