Last tango in Bristol
Categories: Newborns, 2Moms2Dads, Education, That's entertainment
It's happening again, this time in England -- two elementary schools have removed And Tango Makes Three and King & King after parents complained about the books. King & King tells the story of a prince who falls in love with another prince. And Tango Makes Three tells the true story of two male penguins that raised a female chick together as a family.The schools had been using the books in an effort to prevent bullying of homosexual students. Nearly a hundred parents turned out at the two schools to protest the books, complaining primarily that parents were not notified or consulted before the books were purchased. The schools have pulled the books in order to ensure that the schools are able to "operate safely" -- I guess that there were concerns about possible violence or disruption if the books were not withdrawn.
I still don't get why parents get upset about books like these. The message isn't that the kids should go out and get involved in a homosexual relationship but that there are different types of relationships. Certainly, in the case of Tango, why would anyone want to deny their children from learning about something that really happened?
It seems odd to me that no one has ever protested the use of books that discuss heterosexual lifestyles? Why is it acceptable to put straight-inclusive materials in the classroom without notifying parents, but gay-inclusive books require (almost literally) a court order?
Via Mombian
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
RobMonroe 4-14-2008 @ 11:44AM
I'm with you, Roger. I'm adding the book to my Amazon list now because I pray very much that my children will be more inclusive than a lot of folks seem to be.
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queenoqueens 4-14-2008 @ 1:40PM
I don't think there is anything wrong, morally or otherwise, with homosexuality. But I have to wonder whether it has any value being discussed at the elementary school level. Is the bullying occurring at that grade level? Or is this supposed to be a pre-emptive strike?
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pbhj 4-14-2008 @ 2:28PM
>>> why would anyone want to deny their children from learning about something that really happened?
Come off it. That's not really your argument is it? At the end of the story do they get tossed around like play things by an Orca and then eaten alive, that really happens too ... Perhaps they'll bring out a similarly toned kids book about dolphin rape or monkey promiscuity or insect cannibalism next.
Either way I think some things that happen aren't appropriate for children's books.
However as long as the book doesn't in anyway try to anthropomorphise the animals or situation. I presume it mentions that the penguins also paired with other penguins before and after?
From an amazon review >>> A fantastic book showing how this is a family like any other without labouring the point.
It's about penguins. They're incarcerated. Their keepers interfere with them.
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