A suit was filed on behalf of a 12-year-old girl who claims she suffered psychological distress when a teacher showed in class the gay-themed movie "Brokeback Mountain."

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This sounds like the work of money hungry parents and lawyers. I don't think the movie is apropriate for 12 year olds but, distress?

I totally agree. People never fail to amaze me.

I've never seen it... Judging by the title and theme, I don't want to lol.

It's nothing new for people to see an opportunity to sue and pounce on it.

Like the lady who got coffee spilled on her and sued a fast-food chain because it was too hot... lol... It's coffee... It's supposed to be hot.

Now I suppose we're going to hear all about how the lady was old and got very badly burned and how the coffee actually was too hot, etc.

Well I would have to say there are parts of that movie that might be , eh, "Socially" shocking. It depends on what level and variety of family you come from. If your family is very deep rooted in say, Christian Faith, seeing some part of that movie even for a heavily indoctrinated small child would seem shocking and distressing. Its all relative though im sure.

At the end of the day, the teacher had no right or authority to show an R rated film without the approval of the school board and without parental consent.

I remember being in high school and the school having to send parental consent forms home to see the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet because of the brief nudity...in a film with a PG rating.

The teacher overstepped her bounds without consent of the school board.

Yes, but a lawsuit for psychological distress is a little bit of a stretch I would think.

At 12-years-old, it is a perfect opportunity to take this "distress" and turn it into an educational experience, provided the parents have an open mind.

A complaint to the board? Sure. Suspension of the teacher? Possibly. A lawsuit? Reveals to the world that once again the "American Way" is to sue what you don't like.

Wow, some people just jump to seize an opportunity like this for suing somebody.

On the other hand, how in the world is a teacher supposed to show 12-year-olds adult movies?!

Extreme Coder

This is typical of the trend nowadays of suesuesue for the smallest things Perhaps the teacher shouldn't be showing R-rated movies to 12 year olds, but then perhaps our society should be more open to this kind of thing? If it had been a woman-man sex scene there wouldn't be these problems.

I don't see the problem with showing the film, really, but the teacher should have expected this kind of backlash when showing an R-rated controversial film in the USA to children...

I've just read the full article...

"The girl, Jessica Turner, and her grandparents Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, are seeking more than $400,000 in damages under the suit filed Friday against the Chicago Board of Education and others."

$400,000?! That's a bit much
Although I think it's still a complete over-reaction I've changed my mind, that film shouldn't have been shown to twelve year olds - although I think being freaked out by homosexuality is something that has to change with today's youth.

Here's a question I'd be interested in hearing the answers to... Is homosexuality still regarded as weird and abnormal in the states? I know in the UK I don't think anyone would be caught dead "coming out" at school, they'd probably be bullied and laughed at, the word "gay" has an extremely negative connotation.
I'm 17, I've just left school, and i still know some people that say things like "don't be gay" (if you refuse to lend someone money or whatever) to mean something negative or "that's gay" (in reply to getting detention for being late). Is the word gay used in that context elsewhere or is that a Glasgow/UK thing?

i think what happens in schools is a special situation that shouldn't reflect on society as a whole. a lot of the kids at that age are not (very) active and unsure about themselves. one of the only way they have to prove to themselves and others that they're on the 'right' team is by bashing the other team. once they'll have a boy/girlfriend to show and more experience they won't feel the need to prove themselves anymore and grow out of it.

if they still do it at 20 or 30, it's another story

If they win that lawsuit it will just prove how stupid the system is, why the hell should someone get nearly half a million for seeing a film they didn't like? At the age of 12 I got a knife put to my throat while someone dug into my pockets and stole my phone and wallet, but I didn't need 400,000 to get over it.

Money grabbing b*stards

I read about it this morning in the papers, apperantly the same guy also went after the school for having their students read books that had curses in them..

@Moniker42: Homosexuality is virtually nonexistant in the Middle East, except for very very few areas which are known to have such people.

Extreme Coder

huh ?

it's not because you can't see them that they're not there
i must admit i haven't been in the middle-east to check that myself but there are probably as much homosexuals there as everywhere else (10%). the reason you can't see it is that they risk their life if it gets out that they're gay.

from LGBT rights in Egypt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"No protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity exist. Egyptian human rights organizations are fearful of defending such an unpopular class of people as sexual minorities[12]. Egyptian politicians either call for the execution of homosexuals or their relocation into prisons and mental institutions until they are reformed. Efforts in the late 1990s to register a gay rights organization designed to stop the spread of AIDS-HIV never received support.

Until 2001, the Egyptian government refused to recognize the existence of homosexuality,[13] and now does so only to brush off criticism from human rights organizations and foreign politicians."

Yeah.. I said in certain areas, it's known most people there are gay.. I've read many articles in the newspaper of people trying to make a gay rights organization in Egypt. AFAIK, gay people here are arrested as soon as known about :P In Saudi Arabia, homosexuality is really nonexistant this time , like about 1%.

Extreme Coder

Coffee is supposed to be hot... but hot enough to leave third degree burns and scald your nether regions _together_?


Anyhoo, such things are common. One of my favorite teacher has had complaints about having kids read Dracula because "witchcraft is the Devil's work" etc. :/

not common in Germany though.

Judges and lawyers will laugh at you.