An author's clash with a Georgia school district over a brief mention of a gay person during a presentation highlights the reach of conservatives' push for what what they call parents' rights.
  •  Jordan Lund   ( @jordanlund@lemmy.one ) English
    3•10 months ago

    “No one has the right to talk to a child about sexuality unless it’s the parent, or the parent has given permission,”

    First, that’s patently bullshit.

    Second, what does Fred Finger or his sexuality have to do with the creation of Batman? I don’t see the need to bring up Bill Finger’s kid at all, regardless of orientation.

    Fred Finger was born Dec. 26, 1948. Nine years after Batman was introduced. 5 years after Batman first appeared on film.

    It’s a tragic story:

    https://www.hivplusmag.com/entertainment/2017/7/18/batmans-real-life-son-died-aids-complications

    Nothing to do with the creation of Batman.

    •  MeetInPotatoes   ( @MeetInPotatoes@lemmy.ml ) English
      10•10 months ago

      “No one has the right to talk to a child about sexuality unless it’s the parent, or the parent has given permission,”

      It’s complete bullshit. I’ve worked as an aide in a kindergarten before and you tell the kids that sometimes kids have two moms because at some point, both moms will have picked their kid up. That’s it…the reason is basic af.

    •  Knusper   ( @Knusper@feddit.de ) 
      9•10 months ago

      It says in the article:

      Finger died in obscurity in 1974, with artist Bob Kane credited as Batman’s only creator. Finger’s only child was a son, Fred Finger, who was gay and died in 1992 at age 43 of AIDS complications. Bill Finger was presumed to have no living heirs, meaning there was no one to press DC Comics to acknowledge Finger’s work.

      But Nobleman discovered Fred Finger had a daughter, Athena Finger. That, he said, is a showcase moment of the presentation he estimates he has given 1,000 times at schools.

      “It’s the biggest twist of the story, and it’s usually when I get the most gasps,” Nobleman said. “It’s just a totally record-scratch moment.”

      Not sure, why you’re thinking this is purely about the initial creation of Batman…

  •  AutoTL;DR   ( @autotldr@lemmings.world ) BEnglish
    3•10 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    Some proponents of broader laws giving parents more control over schools argue they extend to discussion of sex and gender even if the statutes don’t explicitly cover them.

    Eleven states ban discussion of LGBTQ+ people in at least some public schools in what are often called “Don’t say gay” laws, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank.

    “The idea that these folks are saying that they just don’t want to talk about it at all is very disingenuous,” said Cathryn Oakley, a lawyer for the Human Rights Campaign, a leading advocacy group.

    Nobleman’s discussion of sexual orientation has nothing to do with the state English language arts learning standards his presentation was supposed to bolster, Caracciolo said.

    But by the morning of the third day, Nobleman started fielding questions from reporters after the principal at Sharon Elementary sent an electronic message to parents apologizing for the mention of Fred Finger’s homosexuality.

    Matt Maguire, a Sharon Elementary parent who had a daughter who attended one of Nobleman’s presentations, said he was disappointed by the message and felt the school district was being bullied by Martin and others into “reactionary” censorship.

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