Slog Comments
Public High School Principal in Tennessee Tells Gay Kids They're Going to Hell
1
My email: Dear Mr. King and Mr. Garrett,
It seems incredible that in 2012, the principal of a public high school would tell students that gay people go to hell and pregnant girls' lives are over. The insensitivity and flat wrongness of her statements are mind blowing. Do not countenance these remarks, nor give them validity by remaining silent. Dorothy Bond is entitled to hold opinions, but her job as principal is to give all of the children in her district equal access to quality education, not use her position to proselytize her religious beliefs.
It seems incredible that in 2012, the principal of a public high school would tell students that gay people go to hell and pregnant girls' lives are over. The insensitivity and flat wrongness of her statements are mind blowing. Do not countenance these remarks, nor give them validity by remaining silent. Dorothy Bond is entitled to hold opinions, but her job as principal is to give all of the children in her district equal access to quality education, not use her position to proselytize her religious beliefs.
2
Dear Superintendent King:
Our public schools exist in order to educate and care for the youth of this country. They are not a pulpit for you to impose your religious ideology on the student body, and certainly should not co-opted for the purpose of telling children that they are bad people doomed to eternal torment. I call on you to retract your bigoted and intolerant statements with regard to LGBTQ and pregnant young adults, and to institute policies in order to protect and sexual minority students. Please do so IMMEDIATELY or answer to parents who have seen their children harassed and intimidated by the very people bound to protect them.
Sincerely,
[venomlash]
Our public schools exist in order to educate and care for the youth of this country. They are not a pulpit for you to impose your religious ideology on the student body, and certainly should not co-opted for the purpose of telling children that they are bad people doomed to eternal torment. I call on you to retract your bigoted and intolerant statements with regard to LGBTQ and pregnant young adults, and to institute policies in order to protect and sexual minority students. Please do so IMMEDIATELY or answer to parents who have seen their children harassed and intimidated by the very people bound to protect them.
Sincerely,
[venomlash]
3
I'm guessing this Dorothy Bond person is childless, has never been married, and lives alone except for her 19 cats.
4
My letter was too long to repeat here, but it was detailed. It had bullet points. It was a beautiful thing. I hope it makes a difference. Consider this monkey flown.
5
My e-mail - sent to all 3 e-mail adresses for the district with the others as cc:
(unfortunately two of the e-mail addresses came back as failed - garretth2@k12tn.net and kingr4@k12tn.net)
Dear All,
I was horrified to see the news reports regarding bullying and harrassment of both LGBT children and pregnant girls at Haywood High School. Such behaviour is cruel and inexcuseable. Reading through the article it seemed very much that school officials, including the Principal, are misusing their authority, not least by imposing their personal religious views on the students.
LGBT teens have a difficult enough time without this kind of abuse from people who should be there to help them. I can only hope that you will conduct a thorough investigation into this matter - and should the allegations be proven correct then I firmly believe that each and every official guilty of such abuse should be fired.
Thank you for reading this.
Yours sincerely,
(unfortunately two of the e-mail addresses came back as failed - garretth2@k12tn.net and kingr4@k12tn.net)
Dear All,
I was horrified to see the news reports regarding bullying and harrassment of both LGBT children and pregnant girls at Haywood High School. Such behaviour is cruel and inexcuseable. Reading through the article it seemed very much that school officials, including the Principal, are misusing their authority, not least by imposing their personal religious views on the students.
LGBT teens have a difficult enough time without this kind of abuse from people who should be there to help them. I can only hope that you will conduct a thorough investigation into this matter - and should the allegations be proven correct then I firmly believe that each and every official guilty of such abuse should be fired.
Thank you for reading this.
Yours sincerely,
6
Ok, my new #1 pet peeve. Calling shit like this "controversial." Her statements were flatly illegal. A principal telling students that they will go to hell is a clear violation of the law. Just because some morons think she's right doesn't change that.
8
Dear SeattleKim,
Please post your letter -- or, if it's too long for comments, email it to me (savage at the stranger dot com) and I'll post it.
Thanks.
Please post your letter -- or, if it's too long for comments, email it to me (savage at the stranger dot com) and I'll post it.
Thanks.
10
Superintendent King signs open letters as "Dr. Marlon D. King" (eg http://www.haywoodschools.com/page.php?p…), so Dr. King or Superintendent King are probably the best forms of address.
11
Dr. King:
Reading about Dorothy Bond's homophobic speech to the students in her charge sickened and horrified me. A principal, even more so than a teacher, is entrusted with shielding and nurturing young people, creating a school environment where they can learn safely and reach their full potential. Instead, this woman has chosen to intimidate and threaten teenagers who already face discrimination from their classmates and society at large.
Ms. Bond is free to pursue her religious beliefs in her private life, but enforcing those beliefs on her student body is both unethical and illegal, especially when she writes new rules to enforce her outrageous rhetoric. As a product of public schools and someone who believes in them, I urge you to fire Dorothy Bond, apologize for her actions and put into place clear, strong policies to protect all students from the prejudice and cruelty of people like her.
Reading about Dorothy Bond's homophobic speech to the students in her charge sickened and horrified me. A principal, even more so than a teacher, is entrusted with shielding and nurturing young people, creating a school environment where they can learn safely and reach their full potential. Instead, this woman has chosen to intimidate and threaten teenagers who already face discrimination from their classmates and society at large.
Ms. Bond is free to pursue her religious beliefs in her private life, but enforcing those beliefs on her student body is both unethical and illegal, especially when she writes new rules to enforce her outrageous rhetoric. As a product of public schools and someone who believes in them, I urge you to fire Dorothy Bond, apologize for her actions and put into place clear, strong policies to protect all students from the prejudice and cruelty of people like her.
12
So, what was the end result of the ACLU's involvement in Constance McMillan's case? She wound up at a fake prom, and then, what?
13
@12: Her case set a legal precedent that should be helpful in future cases like hers, a judge ruled that the school did discriminate against her, and the school settled, paying her $35,000 and her attorneys' fees, and agreeing to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (first school in Mississippi to do that). http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/mississi…
14
Send this message:
As educators it important to remove personal views from the facts that are to be taught in school. Bigotry, the idea that all people within a specific group, is simply ignorant and should not be tolerated by anyone within the education system. Dorothy Bond's actions are simply unacceptable and she should be fired.
Sincerely,
James and Debra Rose
As educators it important to remove personal views from the facts that are to be taught in school. Bigotry, the idea that all people within a specific group, is simply ignorant and should not be tolerated by anyone within the education system. Dorothy Bond's actions are simply unacceptable and she should be fired.
Sincerely,
James and Debra Rose
15
Towleroad is also reporting that she also ordered the students to pray about their sins. That sounds like a case for immediate dismissal. Let her go work for a private Christian school.
17
Done.
I will save our atheist friends here from reading my scripture laden letter to Ms. Bond. And my letter to Mr. King as it would be redundant at this point.
Take care.
I will save our atheist friends here from reading my scripture laden letter to Ms. Bond. And my letter to Mr. King as it would be redundant at this point.
Take care.
18
Wow. Was preparing to send out an email to all involved parties when I read that Principal Bond has just apparently resigned. Which sounds like an admission of guilt, no ?
@3:
I am a single, straight, childless female (no cats, though!)- please don't disparage us! I am among the biggest supporters of gay rights in my town and am in fact volunteering with the local pro gay marriage group since gay marriage is going to referendum here in Maine this November. If it's uncool to diss LGBT folks and buy the stereotypes about them, surely it's uncool to diss us spinsters :)
@3:
I am a single, straight, childless female (no cats, though!)- please don't disparage us! I am among the biggest supporters of gay rights in my town and am in fact volunteering with the local pro gay marriage group since gay marriage is going to referendum here in Maine this November. If it's uncool to diss LGBT folks and buy the stereotypes about them, surely it's uncool to diss us spinsters :)
19
My email--sent to everyone on the contact list that Dan provided:
Dear Principal Bond and others,
I have just read several online news stories stating that you have, in essence, been waging holy wars upon gay and lesbian students in your school. Among other charges I have read is that you have:
1) told such students that they are ruining their lives
2) told such students that they are going to Hell
3) initiated vastly unequal punishments for gay and lesbian students, including 60 day suspensions, forced removal to alternative schools, or expulsion.
As a public school teacher with over 25 years' experience, I am appalled to read of these charges.
In my many years in the classroom, I have often taught students whose religious or social beliefs differ from my own. It would never, under any circumstances, occur to me to tell such students that they are going to Hell. In the first place, a public school is not the proper setting in which to force religious views upon the students. In the second place, Jesus Christ himself said, "Judge not, lest ye be judged" and "Do not attempt to remove the speck from my eye when you have a log in your own."
It would also never occur to me to tell students that they are ruining their lives because they have decided to come to terms with their sexuality and live it openly. I have many gay friends and many straight friends. In both groups, there are people who live happy, successful, functional lives, and there are people in both groups who do not. Being gay or lesbian is not an automatic sentence to a life of misery, just as being straight is not a guarantee of lifetime happiness.
Finally, the unequal punishments for PDA's that you are said to dispense simply do not hold up to scrutiny. I see PDA's between high school students all the time. Tongue kissing in the hallway is distasteful, but it is no more distasteful when done by two people of the same sex than when it is done by two people of different sexes. To the extent that teachers and administrators have a duty to enforce rules of conduct and teach principles of public decorum, those rules and those principles should be gender neutral.
I am horrified by what I have read of your behavior, Principal Bond, and if the reports are true, I feel that you should be removed from your position. You have neither the judgement nor the basic sense of fairness that are necessary to run a school well.
More...
Dear Principal Bond and others,
I have just read several online news stories stating that you have, in essence, been waging holy wars upon gay and lesbian students in your school. Among other charges I have read is that you have:
1) told such students that they are ruining their lives
2) told such students that they are going to Hell
3) initiated vastly unequal punishments for gay and lesbian students, including 60 day suspensions, forced removal to alternative schools, or expulsion.
As a public school teacher with over 25 years' experience, I am appalled to read of these charges.
In my many years in the classroom, I have often taught students whose religious or social beliefs differ from my own. It would never, under any circumstances, occur to me to tell such students that they are going to Hell. In the first place, a public school is not the proper setting in which to force religious views upon the students. In the second place, Jesus Christ himself said, "Judge not, lest ye be judged" and "Do not attempt to remove the speck from my eye when you have a log in your own."
It would also never occur to me to tell students that they are ruining their lives because they have decided to come to terms with their sexuality and live it openly. I have many gay friends and many straight friends. In both groups, there are people who live happy, successful, functional lives, and there are people in both groups who do not. Being gay or lesbian is not an automatic sentence to a life of misery, just as being straight is not a guarantee of lifetime happiness.
Finally, the unequal punishments for PDA's that you are said to dispense simply do not hold up to scrutiny. I see PDA's between high school students all the time. Tongue kissing in the hallway is distasteful, but it is no more distasteful when done by two people of the same sex than when it is done by two people of different sexes. To the extent that teachers and administrators have a duty to enforce rules of conduct and teach principles of public decorum, those rules and those principles should be gender neutral.
I am horrified by what I have read of your behavior, Principal Bond, and if the reports are true, I feel that you should be removed from your position. You have neither the judgement nor the basic sense of fairness that are necessary to run a school well.
21
Here is the link - Principal Bond has resigned:
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/201203…|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/201203…|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
22
well done, monkeys. it seems the principal has resigned, which is a good step ONE. step two: sue the school district anyway. don't wait on an apology.
23
The conduct of Dorothy J. Bond is inexcusable, and worse so, illegal. A principal telling her students they will literally go to hell, no matter what the circumstance, is a clear violation of the law--imposing religious ideology on the student body is clearly against the separation of church and state. I hope that you take this matter seriously and with disciplinary action if these allegations are true. Remember your decision in this circumstance is reflected not only in your small community, but on that of the nation. We are all listening waiting to hear the outcome. Please do not accept this bullying behavior lightly.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
25
Lets hope the school district sees the light and enacts tolerance education mandates into the school system, both for students and staff.
26
school officials scolded students who did not bow their heads in prayer and threatened them with discipline.
This alone made me so angry I literally couldn't see straight for a few seconds. It made me want to be a student in that high school for just long enough to stand up and exercise my fucking rights. What the fuck is going on at this school that any of this would be tolerated to any degree?
This alone made me so angry I literally couldn't see straight for a few seconds. It made me want to be a student in that high school for just long enough to stand up and exercise my fucking rights. What the fuck is going on at this school that any of this would be tolerated to any degree?
27
She's violating the law. The bigotry is awful too, but her clear violation of church-state separation should be enough to have her ousted.
28
Kim, a little Xtian-on-Xtian violence might be entertaining. Just don't wanna see religion directed at children and innocent bystanders.
30
This is an outrage. I demand Dorothy J. Bond's immediate termination from her post as Principle of Haywood High School.
31
hey all !!
so does showing same sex affection apply to football and basketball players patting each other's fannies ??
don't even get me started on wrestling !
xo
peace
so does showing same sex affection apply to football and basketball players patting each other's fannies ??
don't even get me started on wrestling !
xo
peace
32
I live not too far from where this happened (I'm in Shelby County, TN). I know that the ACLU is also working diligently against the "Don't Say Gay" legislation that is going through Nashville right now. The intolerance that I see in cases like this is atrocious. I have encountered some folks in Memphis that still don't grasp the fact that homosexuality is something as natural as me being childfree with my wonderful cats (Yes #3, I'm talking to you!), but at least they're respectful of my views. This lady, though? Oy VEY....
34
My email to Dorothy:
Hi Dorothy,
As a non-straight male who heard lots of demeaning comments growing up, I wanted to take a moment to share with you how my life has turned out. I'm in a committed relationship which is in its tenth year. I am completing my Ph.D. in Economics and will start work at a software company in October - a job with great benefits and a great salary. I'm excited about my future. I don't feel that my life has been ruined.
My own sexuality has never had a negative consequence on my life. People who have gone out of their way to make my sexuality their business and to pass on to me their negative feelings about it have certainly had a negative impact, though. My point is that telling kids that homosexual behavior will have negative consequences is a self-fulfilling prediction. Please stop choosing to have a negative impact on children's lives.
Best regards,
[smajor82]
Hi Dorothy,
As a non-straight male who heard lots of demeaning comments growing up, I wanted to take a moment to share with you how my life has turned out. I'm in a committed relationship which is in its tenth year. I am completing my Ph.D. in Economics and will start work at a software company in October - a job with great benefits and a great salary. I'm excited about my future. I don't feel that my life has been ruined.
My own sexuality has never had a negative consequence on my life. People who have gone out of their way to make my sexuality their business and to pass on to me their negative feelings about it have certainly had a negative impact, though. My point is that telling kids that homosexual behavior will have negative consequences is a self-fulfilling prediction. Please stop choosing to have a negative impact on children's lives.
Best regards,
[smajor82]
35
My email to the Superintendant and board of ed.
To Whom it May Concern:
It has come to the attention of the public that Haywood High School Principal Dorothy Bond has chosen a staggeringly hateful and ignorant course of action. Her bigoted comments to gay students can not go unpunished. In addition, mandatory Christian school prayer is a clear violation of the establishment clause, and an abuse of power on Ms. Bond's part.
Instead of teaching these children and shepherding them into adulthood, Ms. Bond has chosen to preach her narrow, hateful worldview and make her students' lives miserable. You cannot stand by and allow her to continue unpunished. You need to show your students, your citizens, and the rest of the country that this will not stand. This woman has no place in education, and your students deserve better. There is legal precedent on both issues of homophobia and enforced religion; you stand to lose any court case that comes up, along with lot of money and dignity. Do right by your community and fire Dorothy Bond. It is the clear moral choice here.
Thank You,
To Whom it May Concern:
It has come to the attention of the public that Haywood High School Principal Dorothy Bond has chosen a staggeringly hateful and ignorant course of action. Her bigoted comments to gay students can not go unpunished. In addition, mandatory Christian school prayer is a clear violation of the establishment clause, and an abuse of power on Ms. Bond's part.
Instead of teaching these children and shepherding them into adulthood, Ms. Bond has chosen to preach her narrow, hateful worldview and make her students' lives miserable. You cannot stand by and allow her to continue unpunished. You need to show your students, your citizens, and the rest of the country that this will not stand. This woman has no place in education, and your students deserve better. There is legal precedent on both issues of homophobia and enforced religion; you stand to lose any court case that comes up, along with lot of money and dignity. Do right by your community and fire Dorothy Bond. It is the clear moral choice here.
Thank You,
36
You know it is interesting how everyone on here is commenting but you dont even know what you're talking about. It's absurd that you can talk about someone you don't even know. Everything that people have said about children going to hell that's a total lie. But i guess it is true that a lie does not care who tells it.
37
36:
Sorry, but how much more do we need to know about this (now former) school principal who, according to multiple kids in her school, said several outrageous and flat out dangerous statements/lies to kids in her school ? Kids who possibly otherwise don't feel so good about themselves to begin with ? Or might possibly doubt their own worth or question themselves, if they didn't already ? Things that help fuel the bullies ? I don't frankly care if she might be a good mother or wife or whatever, in her private life, if that's what you mean about "talking about someone we don't even know". What part of 'kids sometimes take their own lives when forced to live with or go to school in inhospitable climates' do you not understand ?
Sorry, but how much more do we need to know about this (now former) school principal who, according to multiple kids in her school, said several outrageous and flat out dangerous statements/lies to kids in her school ? Kids who possibly otherwise don't feel so good about themselves to begin with ? Or might possibly doubt their own worth or question themselves, if they didn't already ? Things that help fuel the bullies ? I don't frankly care if she might be a good mother or wife or whatever, in her private life, if that's what you mean about "talking about someone we don't even know". What part of 'kids sometimes take their own lives when forced to live with or go to school in inhospitable climates' do you not understand ?
38
So glad she has resigned! But can we talk about the *multiple* students contacting the ACLU? Now maybe I'm pushing it, but to me, multiple sounds like at least more than a handful and there probably aren't more than a handful of gay kids in Haywood, TN. Here's hoping at least a few of their straight classmates were smart enough and brave enough to contact the ACLU as well.
Comments (38) RSS