The superintendent of schools in Granbury, Texas, made clear that he didn’t want any books about LGBT characters or LGBT issues in the school library. He agreed with the angry conservatives who showed up at school board meetings to demand book-banning.
Superintendent Jeremy Glenn has previously emphasized to the district’s librarians that their community was “very, very conservative” and that any school employee who does not possess conservative beliefs “better hide it.” While he started by saying he didn’t care if the books were about homosexuality or heterosexuality, he spoke explicitly about banning books with LGBTQ content.
“And I’m going to take it a step further with you. There are two genders. There’s male, and there’s female. And I acknowledge that there are men that think they’re women. And there are women that think they’re men. And again, I don’t have any issues with what people want to believe, but there’s no place for it in our libraries.”
But then a parent with a child in the Granbury schools got up and pointed out that the folks who were complaining the loudest did not have any children in the schools. And she let them have it for their effort to impose their religion on her child’s public school.
Adrienne Quinn Martin went to the podium and let it rip.
“We know that books are continuing to be purged. We know student library aides have been banned. We know that a group of non-parents have pushed for these removals and continue to do so,” she began. “So, being a taxpayer does not grant special privileges over students, staff, and parents. I do not want random people with no education background or experience determining what books my child can read, what curriculum they learn, and what clubs they can join.”
“Just because you can get up at every meeting and rant and rave does not give you authority over my child’s education.”
“Your personal religious beliefs, people in this room and on this board, should not have an effect on my child’s education either. Our school are not to be used for personal political agendas and our children are here for education, not religious indoctrination,” she told the room as she looked various board members and attendees directly in the eye.
“I implore the board to put an end to attempts to appease these extremists. Focus on retaining staff, providing excellent public education and a safe and welcoming learning space for all students. The speakers speaking about what great Christians they are? Great. Go tell your pastor. Our schools are not your church.”
And as the room erupted in applause for her bold speech, Martin gathered up her papers and, with a nod, left the podium. The superintendent did not reply.
If you want to see her speech, it’s on her Twitter account @Mrsamartini
For her courage and common sense, I add her to the honor roll of this blog.
Bob-
Did you see the video Martin posted at her twitter feed? She identifies it as what led her to give her speech.
Great speech. Next, Adrienne Quinn Martin should make a similar speech to our theocratic Supreme Court and members of Congress. Freedom of religion shouldn’t take priority over everything else. It only ensures that people can worship as they wish, but it should not give states the right to impose particular religious beliefs on all residents.
Amen, RT!!!
On second thought, I am here to impose my Klingon religion on you pathetic Earthlings!
All your base are belong to us.
You have every right to kling on your own religion, but don’t impose Romulan Catholicism on my children.
Have no fear, Earthling. We Klingons killed all our gods long ago.
And a word to the Kardashians (Kim and others). I don’t want my children following your religion either, especially not my girls.
..and a further note to the Zuckerborg: your worship of the almighty dollar is also not something I want my children emulating. So keep your meta-tation out of my school.
But I would gladly have my children follow the Vulcan example of logic and science.
So Spock is welcome any time in our neighborhood school.
And a general message to members of all religions: Tribbling and, quadrubbling are a good example of what happens without contraception.
Finally, I would just like to say this:
Beam them up, SCOTUS!
(Hat tip, Jon Awbrey)
Haaaa!
Conservative religion (promotes straight patriarchy’s entitlement) is behind the attacks on rights for women and gays and against public schools- how bold and accurate for Martin to say it. SCOTUS, the Federalist Society, public school defenders, etc. won’t.
Martin’s twitter feed explains why she said what she said in her speech. A Jesus-quoting speaker at a board meeting invoked Jesus to label progressives as evil and to support a belief that progressives should have a millstone hung around their necks and be dropped to the bottom of the sea.
Conservative religion flourishes in dysfunction. Weak people look to it for the validation that they are better than others when they are not.
progressives should have a millstone hung around their necks and be dropped to the bottom of the sea.”
You know, because that’s what Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount
Blessed are the millstone/cement shoe-makers for they shall be called the children of God”
How many people even know what a millstone is these days?
That gives you an idea of what century such folks are living in.
But practically speaking, a millstone would be huge overkill and it’s not even clear how you voukd “hang” it around someone’s neck and THEN drop them in the sea. Those things are extremely heavy. Your need a front end loader to move it.
Cement shoes are much more practical,c which is why you never read about mafiosos killing people with milestone necklaces.
My grandfather had an old millstone on his farm and the thing was about 5 feet in diameter snd a foot thick.. it must have weighed well over a ton. Hanging it around someone’s neck would have broken their neck outright, which sort if makes dropping them in the water unnecessary. Unless you want to cover up the murder, of course.
Poet-
Thanks for the laugh.
I implore the board to put an end to attempts to appease these extremists. ”
The problem in many places (be, Sarasota, Fla) is that the boards ARE the extremists, so if doesn’t matter what rational parents say.
Reblogged this on Lloyd Lofthouse and commented:
This is a video/speech that should be read, watched and heard across the United States and around the world. If we do not fight back against MAGA world and its traitorous leader Donald Trump, what comes next may be the worst nightmare of all.
That speech and video should be front-page news on traditional newspapers, traditionally news outlets, and reputable cable news sites.
Since that’s probably not going to happen, I urge everyone here reading my comment, that also has a Facebook page, a Twitter and/or LinkedIn account to share it far and wide. And if you have a WordPress Blog, re-blog it there, too. I just did that seconds before I posted this comment.
Sorry, the ‘Importance of being Earnest’ is now banned.
But, doesn’t the name “mrsamartini” sound like a bit alcholic? Sorry, Maam, but if you’re going low (as you are) you deserve the same in return.