Eugene Volokh compares Hindus and homosexuals and asks why conservative Christians would (generally) be ok with Hindu school teachers but not homosexual school teachers.
I wouldn't oppose either Hindu or homosexual public school teachers (although this highlights yet another difficulty with the publicly-funded school paradigm), but I am a conservative Christian and so I can speak to what our general concerns are.
It's pretty simple really. Most parents take the sexuality of their children very seriously, and a homosexual teacher is seen as directly threatening. Not necessarily from a sexual abuse standpoint, but from a confusion and misinformation standpoint. Homosexuality isn't the only sexual issue that Christian parents have to deal with; they're also faced with teaching their children to avoid sexual promiscuity (which the world glorifies), to carefully guard their romantic emotions, and to only enter relationships with other Christians -- for starters. There are a whole host of other issues, all of which are undermined by the stereotypical homosexual. Obviously not all homosexuals are like that, but the most publically visible ones are the precise antithesis of what Christian parents want for their children. Certainly heterosexuals in our culture have similar problems, but I think you see my point.
In contrast, many Jews, Hindus, Muslims, whatever, hold many of the same social values as Christians (on the surface, at least). They're against murder and theft, and in favor of helping people and doing good. The issues that are likely to come up in a school setting that relate to religion are less threatening to parents than the issue of their child's sexuality.
Eugene specifically mentioned school teachers, but let me briefly address the larger issue of adults who work with children. I work with kids (of all ages) at my church, and one thing we're very careful about is not leaving girls alone with men, or boys alone with women. That's not because we think any of our adult workers are likely to abuse a child, but we want to stay away from any possible accusation or appearance of impropriety.
Adults who work with children are often alone with them (maybe not high school teachers, but certainly camp counselors and day-care workers). What should be the guidelines for homosexuals? Should they be prohibited from being alone with boys, girls, both, neither? The question brings the sexuality issue directly to the front, and puts it right in the kids' faces. It wouldn't be acceptable for an adult man to be the cabin counselor for a bunch of 12-year-old girls, so why should it be acceptable for an adult homosexual man to be the cabin counselor for a bunch of 12-year-old boys?
The issue comes down to publicly flamboyant sterotypes and concern over the appearance of impropriety (as well as actual impropriety, as the Catholic Church has demonstrated).
When you're talking about such young children and impropriety, I think you should be talking about pedophilia and not homosexuality. The two are not the same and I think it's a little insulting to homosexuals to imply that they are. These days (as the Church now knows) it's not safe to leave a man alone with boys.
With the possible exception of public libraries, government schools were America's earliest foray into socialism. The experiment has been a failure, as the various factions that comprise America cannot agree upon what is a proper education, and we cannot abandon the argument, as we are all forced to participate in it in one way or another, either by subsidizing it or by relinquishing control of our children to it.
The one accomplishment the government agents who run the schools has been to convince most of our citizens that government force is the source of all good things. That concept violates the very principles of individual liberty that underlie the U.S. Constitution.
So Michael is right; we must abandon the experiment and privatize all education. Let those who value education put their treasure into the institutions they choose. Let those who do not suffer the consequences of ignorance.
America was a great country even when most of us did not complete high school. A return to freedom would not be particularly harmful.
An argument can be made that education is overrated. I know many college graduates and even Ph.D's who are as ignorant as rocks. They cannot be called educated, merely degreed.
Well we agree on something then :)
The issue is that people who publicly define themselves as homosexuals are putting sexuality in front of nationality, religion, profession,and other identities. What field you're interested in should be far more important than what kind of person you're attracted to. If a man considers himself an American first, an educator second, and a homosexual a DISTANT last, I would have no problem trusting him with my (future) children.
why do peoaple think about doing this to kids and then they try to get away with it i know what it is like to be verbaly and physicaly but never sexualy that would crush me fo life.