Sunday, April 22, 2012

Sponsor of sexual orientation bill co-sponsored bill that would have required discussion of sexual orientation

Perhaps Steve Cookson, R-Fairdealing, did not learn during his many years in education the definition of sexual orientation.

Cookson, of course, is the legislator and former superintendent, principal, teacher, and coach, who is sponsoring HB 2051, which prohibits any discussion of sexual orientation in the classroom, unless it is in a scientific discussion of reproduction.

The bill reads- "Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no instruction, material, or extracurricular activity sponsored by a public school that discusses sexual orientation other than in scientific instruction concerning human reproduction shall be provided in any public school."

Yet the same Cookson is the co-sponsor of HB 1631 which calls for providing "dating abuse information" to students in grades 7-12.

The bill includes this section:

3. For purposes of this section, "dating abuse" means a pattern of behavior in which one person uses or threatens to use physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse to control the person's dating partner. "Dating partner" means any person who is involved in an intimate association with another person that is primarily characterized by the expectation of affectionate involvement that includes casual, serious, and long-term dating partners
Now correct me if I am wrong, but even if this is limited to discussions of boys and girls dating, isn't heterosexuality a sexual orientation?

How in the world can Cookson recommend that such things be discussed in a public school classroom?

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