Spring Break
Discussion, photo of student angers parents
High school teacher sparks transgender controversy
Karline Koehler
Issue date: 5/12/05 Section: Campus News
|
On April 14, Memorial High School English teacher Beth Franklin showed classes photos of Janiuk's face before and after (see photo) her sex change. The lesson took place during the Day of Silence, an event "to recognize and protest the discrimination and harassment" against LGBT people.
During the discussion, one student walked out of the classroom. His father, Neal Bennett, filed a complaint against the school board, stating the situation constituted harassment.
"She's taking her own agenda and she is forcing it on the students," Bennett said. "It doesn't matter what that agenda is - if it's a controversial issue, that's wrong."
Franklin is the adviser for GLASS, Memorial's LGBT student group. She declined to comment for this article.
"This whole incident is the very reason that the Day of Silence even exists," Janiuk said. "This is an attempt of a large community to silence minority groups. I won't stand by and let that happen."
That's why Janiuk organized a rally in support of Franklin Wednesday at the corner of Keith Street and Clairemont Avenue.
"Her lesson was in line with all the policies of the school," Janiuk said. "The problem here is ignorance. It's not bigotry; it's not hate speech. The only way to fight ignorance is through education."
However, Bennett said he believes such discussions can be harmful to still-maturing high school students.
"They may look like they're adults, but they're teenagers," he said. "They have a lot of stuff that they're trying to figure out."
Janiuk said the parents' criticism of Franklin's teaching was also personal.
"Even though he may not have directed it at me, it attacked me," she said. "It's not an easy thing to deal with, knowing a sizeable part of the town is upset that you exist."
Bennett said parents should have been notified ahead of time about the discussion and given the option to remove their children.
"You can talk about gays, but there are times when that discussion needs to stay away from the students. It becomes offensive to people," Bennett said. "If someone decides to do that to their own body, that's a very private issue."
Be the first to comment on this story