A Michigan Middle School Teacher Is Suspended For Three Days For Playing This Growing Up Gay Song In Her Classroom

Susan Johnson says this song is exactly what she thinks her students need to hear - and yet instead of praising her, the South Lyon's Centennial Middle School suspended her for three days in November 2012!

Hear Susan explain what happened:
Fox 2 News Headlines


And watch the video of the Macklemore song - by the way, Susan didn't show the video, only let her student play the song...





And here's the artist Macklemore talking about why he wrote this song, and how he believes in GLBTQ equality:



Love the video, the artist's heart, the teacher's desire to help her students and make them all feel safe...

and so frustrated that the system in Michigan is still on the wrong side.

Namaste,
Lee

The Witch Hunt Against An English Teacher Who Writes Erotica, and How It Backfired!

So here's the scoop: A High School English Teacher, Judy Buranich, writes erotica under the pseudonym Judy Mays, and has had her books published.

But some parents found out that Judy's books were erotica and tried to get her canned.

The good news? In Judy's words:

"...the entire fiasco backfired on the parents who complained. The support I have received from around the world has been unbelievable. Two complete strangers started a support page for me; and, the last time I checked, it had over 9000 “like” hits. However, it’s been the support from my current students, many, many former students, and their parents that has humbled me and warmed my heart. I was always pretty sure I was respected, but the outpouring of support from “my kids” has brought tears to my eyes more than once. They have rocked my world.

Also, the support of the romance community, both authors and readers, has been overwhelming. So, I want to thank everyone who has joined me on this wild ride from the bottom of my heart. You are all truly wonderful people.

And, not to worry. I am not going to lose my teaching job over this.

Oh, my books sales will probably go up too.

Again, thank you all very, very much."

Check out this video, made by a former student of Judy's, that says it brilliantly:




I'm so glad to see that the vast majority of reaction to this has been in the teacher's defense. We ARE moving our world in the right direction - we just have to make sure we keep pushing and standing up and having our voices of reason heard!

Oh, and here's the link to the support Judy Mays facebook page - they were at 9,153, but then I just liked it - so they're at 9,154! If you're over 18, you can like it, too.

If you're under 18, I'm curious: Would it matter to you at all if one of your teachers - in their spare time - wrote erotica?

Namaste,
Lee

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day.. And That's So Gay (I mean that in the BEST way!)

Precious (left) and her teacher, Ms. Rain

I've been thinking a lot about the lesbian teacher character in last year's Oscar winner (Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique, and Best Adapted Screenplay - Geoffrey Fletcher) Precious (Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire.) I loved how they had this teacher who really was the only adult reaching out to help Precious, and when the going gets horrible for Precious, it's this teacher who takes her into her home.

Then it's revealed that the teacher has a female spouse/partner, and that the teacher is a lesbian.

Uh-oh, I thought, watching the film for the first time.

I was so nervous it was going to go where Hollywood so often does - that homophobic cliche of queer adults preying on younger innocents. That fear of the charges of "pedophilia" is what fueled the "fire all the gay teachers" crusade of Anita Bryant and the Briggs Initiative back in the late 1970s, and frankly it is still what destroys the bonds between generations.

Gay Adults are afraid of being unjustly seen as predators, so we're not there for Gay youth. Gay youth, with no one to guide them, are often lost on their journeys. And Gay Elders, not having had anyone mentor them, are ill prepared to mentor Gay Adults. And because of that the generations are disconnected. And because of that, many of us don't really evolve or mature as individuals or as a culture, we just age.

We see this reflected in the larger straight society also, expressed in the near phobia of aging (or showing any signs of aging) but it seems even more pernicious and damaging in our GLBTQ circles, due to this generational isolation.

Teachers take the risk to bridge that gap.

Their mission is to reach across the generations, to create links of shared information and experience and nurture the passion and journeys of their students.

I was so happy that the lesbian teacher in Precious remained just that - a steadfast mentor, trying her best to help this girl find her path. There was no hanky-panky. And I loved the movie even more for being brave enough to let a lesbian be a role model in a movie full of people with such huge flaws.

The performances of so many of the cast stay with me, Gabby Sidibe as "Precious," Mo'Nique as her crazy mean mother "Mary," Lenny Kravitz as "Nurse John," Mariah Carey as the social worker, but most of all Paula Patton as "Ms. Rain."

If you haven't seen the movie yet, I recommend it (but be prepared, it's intense!) It's a powerful reminder of how great an impact a teacher can make in someone's life. Of how great a teacher can be. And of the power of words - which each of us can yield, and which ultimately help Precious find her voice, and her way.

In the real world, too, teachers ROCK!



Openly Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (Gender Non-Conforming) and Questioning Teachers are doubly heroes. For being guides, and role models of authenticity, for us all.

So Today, National Teacher Appreciation Day, even if you're not in the USA, tell someone who is a teacher in your life that you appreciate them, and that they are making a difference, to you.

Any teacher will tell you - hearing that is better than an apple, any day!

Namaste,
Lee

The cool rainbow apple image is from here.