LOCAL MAGISTRATE WARNS THAT HOMOSEXUALITY IS NOT A CRIME. OH, ACTUALLY IT WAS THE POPE [1]
_The AP__: Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.___
_“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said during an exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.___
_Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against LGBTQ people, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of “sin.” But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.
FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICT
REMOVES TONI MORRISON NOVEL FROM CURRICULUM
THE FIRST BOOK WRITTEN BY THE LATE NOBEL LAUREATE TONI MORRISON IS BEING REMOVED FROM CIRCULATION BY A FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICT AFTER A COMPLAINT BY A PARENT WHOSE 15-YEAR-OLD WAS REQUIRED TO READ IT IN AN ADVANCED LITERATURE COURSE. THE PINELLAS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD DECIDED TUESDAY TO REMOVE “THE BLUEST EYE,” MORRISON’S DEBUT BOOK PUBLISHED IN 1970, A NOVEL ABOUT AN 11-YEAR-OLD AFRICAN AMERICAN GIRL GROWING UP AFTER THE GREAT DEPRESSION WHO THINKS OF HERSELF AS UGLY AND PRAYS HER EYES WILL TURN BLUE SO THAT PEOPLE WOULD CONSIDER HER BEAUTIFUL. THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION LISTS [2]”THE BLUEST EYE” AS THE EIGHTH-MOST CHALLENGED BOOK IN 2021 BECAUSE IT DEPICTS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AND WAS CONSIDERED SEXUALLY EXPLICIT, AND THE BOOK HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND CLASSROOMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE TRAINING [3]SET BY THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS DESIGNED FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO REVIEW AND SELECT AGE-APPROPRIATE MATERIALS AND LIBRARY RESOURCES. THE COMPLAINT WAS MADE BY MICHELLE STILLE, WHO IN A YOUTUBE VIDEO [4]POSTED JAN. 15 SAID SHE IS A MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHER AT A “CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL” AND HAS SEVEN CHILDREN UNDER AGE 16. I WAS SO SHOCKED THAT ANY ADULT WOULD EXPOSE 15-YEAR-OLDS TO SUCH EXPLICIT DESCRIPTIONS OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES THAT I HAD NO RESPONSE. SHE SAID AFTER HER CHILD’S TEACHER WAS TOLD TO REMOVE THE BOOK FROM THE CURRICULUM BY THE PRINCIPAL, THE TEACHER SAID “SOME PARENTS DON’T LIKE TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE.” SHE ADDED SOME STUDENTS SAID THE TEACHER WORE A T-SHIRT TO SCHOOL THAT READ “BAN THE FASCISTS, SAVE THE BOOKS.”
SHE SAID SHE IS PULLING HER CHILDREN OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL. “PLEASE CONSIDER BEING INVOLVED IN YOUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS,” SHE SAID. “PLEASE CONSIDER LEARNING WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING.”
Links:
[2] webmail.spectrum.net/HTTPS://WWW.ALA.ORG/ADVOCACY/BBOOKS/FREQUENTLYCHALLENGEDBOOKS/TOP10
[3] webmail.spectrum.net/HTTPS://INFO.FLDOE.ORG/DOCUSHARE/DSWEB/GET/DOCUMENT-9557/DPS-2022-83.PDF
[4] http://webmail.spectrum.net/HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=67QZJO9DHNU