Lesbian mom starts petition to keep politics out of classroom

BY Chris Sullivan  on November 19, 2012 @ 5:43 am (Updated: 7:04 am - 11/19/12 )

A lesbian mom in Port Angeles has started an online petition to prevent teachers from wearing political buttons in class after her daughter's middle school teacher wore a "No on 74" button before the election.

Cynthia Deford says her daughter doesn't feel comfortable in class anymore, now that she knows her teacher does not support same sex marriage.

The Peninsula Daily News reports the teacher at Stevens Middle School wore a button reading "No on 74: one man plus one woman equals marriage."

Deford believes teachers should not be allowed to have political speech in class, unless it relates to their subject. She wants an apology and sensitivity training.

The district says its policy does not allow employees to campaign for any issue during school hours on school property, and it has dealt with the issue.

More than 200 people have signed the petition so far.

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
More Local News
Top Stories

  • Otherworldly
    Amazon has new plans for huge biospheres on its new campus

  • One
    Microsoft calls its new Xbox 'truly intelligent TV'

  • Skillet Spreads
    Seattle's Skillet Street Food and its creator are growing way beyond the Airstream
MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (39)


  • Add A Comment

  • Cameron wrote...
    Interesting, I wonder if she would be protesting a Pro R 74 button?
    November 19, 2012 6:09 am
    If the teacher had been wearing a Pro R 74 button should the Muslim and Christian parents start a petition? Ask for an apology?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Cameron
    November 19, 2012 6:16 am
    I think you're correct...liberals are typically anxious to stifle free speech when it differs from their own opinions.

    That being said, I think it would be a good idea to leave politics out of school...but the liberals believe that one of the goals of education is to train a citizen, which means bringing politics into the classroom.

    This is just another example where liberals want 2 diametrically opposed ends and fail to grasp reality.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    @rational
    November 19, 2012 7:13 am
    Touché' ! Tolerance is a one way street with Liberals
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @rational....
    November 19, 2012 10:34 am
    "...liberals are typically anxious to stifle free speech when it differs from their own opinions." --- please make sure you view that with a full glass of reality rather than a 'my point of view' bias. There are elements on BOTH sides that do this very thing. Yes, Even right wingers and conservatives. It happens there as often as it does with liberals. So let's use reality when we make claims instead of just slamming 'the other side'. Otherwise, you're just not meeting the definition of your name.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    FormerMarineSgt
    November 19, 2012 5:18 pm
    It happens there as often as it does with liberals.

    I'd agree with you that there are republicans that would also happily stifle free speech, but I don't agree that it's even. For example, it's always the left that wants to push crap like the "fairness doctrine" with the intent to stifle free speech of others.

    Can we agree that stifling the free speech of others is a bad thing regardless of who is more guilty of it than the other?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • A Man Watching wrote...
    Wacko Lesbian
    November 19, 2012 6:44 am
    Time we start playing using the Liberals' tactics. We demand that marriage between a man and a woman be redfined as "True Marriage".
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • blood brother wrote...
    Man Watcher
    November 19, 2012 7:18 am
    I totally love your idea. Where can I sign?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • blood brother wrote...
    Sorry...
    November 19, 2012 7:20 am
    I meant a man watching.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HikerACE wrote...
    Geez lady!
    November 19, 2012 6:17 am
    You want everyone to be tolerant of your opinion but you wouldn't dare be tolerant of anyone elses. I too would like to know how many yes button wearers got a free pass.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • A Man Watching wrote...
    Geez lady!
    November 19, 2012 6:42 am
    How many? Try all. Liberalism isn't about tolerance it is about oppression.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @A Man watching....
    November 19, 2012 10:37 am
    I guess you only see the right wingers actions to force others to comply with the right wing view of politics, religion, abortion, guns, etc. as 'legitimate' and anything liberal as 'oppression'. Interesting tactic of telling the other side they're wrong in doing the very thing you are doing. I guess the concept of ironic hypocracy escapes you and sooo many others on here...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • A Man Watching wrote...
    Lesbian Mom
    November 19, 2012 6:40 am
    NO SPEECH BUT MY SPEECH! This is only the beginning, once you have let the lesbian's nose under the tent....How about a new name for heterosexual marriage,True Marriage?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @A Man watching....
    November 19, 2012 10:39 am
    "NO SPEECH BUT MY SPEECH!" You should look closer at what the anti-gay rights folks have done - the are kings of the NO SPEECH BUT MY SPEECH! concept. I guess that it must be ok in your book because you agree with them, but not with any leftie, so they can't do the same thing that your side does.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Sid Vishess wrote...
    Are you lost?
    November 19, 2012 11:51 pm
    Shouldn't you be over at KOMO's site?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Hectic wrote...
    Stupid
    November 19, 2012 6:56 am
    I think teachers need to be smart enough to what is acceptable classroom free speech and what would be considered insensitive. The teacher had to know that the students parents were gay, but still chose to wear the botton, and that was stupid. We have more than enough stupid teachers; this one needs to be replaced with someone who is a tad bit smarter, which would be pretty easy.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Fuego wrote...
    Why report this as
    November 19, 2012 7:09 am
    "a lesbian mom". I thought keeping political preference out of the classroom would be supported regardless of gender preference.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Danutdlp wrote...
    This will never end
    November 19, 2012 7:14 am
    We gave them a finger and now they are taking the whole hand. They said they don't want special treatment just to be able to marry the one they love. As soon as r74 passed.... King county to open an 12:01 am (our tax dollars paying for all of that) judges to "donate time" on a normally closed day at city hall. (We still pay for the support staff, electricity, heating, etc) now they want everyone who spoke out against r74 to never have a right of free speech. Screw the gay community. Screw Kiro and mynw for NON stop pushing the gay agenda. They are a Mormon radio station! I thought Mormons were against gays? I will soon stop visitin mynw even though I did enjoy the local stories and news. Every day I see a new story about gays. It's sickening.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cbrew wrote...
    I don't see where all the liberal hating comes from on this
    November 19, 2012 7:51 am
    I'm actually for keeping politics like this out of schools but it does indeed go both ways. This woman is complaining about a "No" button, well I have a friend who's 7 year old came home and said that she approves of Gay Marriage and thinks her parents should vote for Obama, when asked where she got these ideas she said her teacher taught her this... I was for Obama getting re-elected and i really don't care if Gay people get married but i'll tell you what, I think that is the most detestable thing to push on a 7 year old. The kid doesn't even know what a gay person is and her teacher is pushing these ideas on her? I would have a hard time not punching a teacher in the face for pushing their political ideas on my child. That is not what school is supposed to be about. So yes, school's shouldn't be allowing teachers to push their political opinions on students, but this lady should know better than to assume it only cuts one way... in fact from what i've heard it cuts back the other way probably twice as bad.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Forrest wrote...
    What if the teacher had worn a button that said...
    November 19, 2012 7:52 am
    All conservatives are idiots? Or "creationism is not science"? Or "I'm an atheist". Then you whiny conservatives would be up in arms.

    Good comment AJ. Good consistent point of view.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • vanderleun wrote...
    Wrong Wrong Wrong
    November 19, 2012 8:00 am
    And wrong again. Decolonize your mind.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @Forrest...
    November 19, 2012 10:42 am
    If a teacher dared to wear a button that said anything negative about the conservative / right wing political ideals, these guys would be demanding that she be fired for daring to bring her politics into the classroom. They'd be picketing and demanding her immediate removal from the classroom for daring to bring 'liberalism' to the classroom. It's the typical double standard unfortunately.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Gar57 wrote...
    Well that's just too easy Forrest.
    November 19, 2012 1:50 pm
    "All conservatives are idiots" probably true, but subjective and not allowable. "I'm an atheist" No more or less objectionable than a cross lapel pin, but both would be speech best left out of the classroom. "Creationism is not science". Allowable-it's not science. It's theology. That's just a fact.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • vanderleun wrote...
    "A lesbian mom in Port Angeles"
    November 19, 2012 8:01 am
    Would that be Mr. or Mrs. Turkey Baster?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • flipper wrote...
    Heterosexual Dad starts petition...
    November 19, 2012 9:27 am
    The intolerant left agenda has been so infiltrated by the radical LGBTQ agenda, that you'd likely never see this headline because KIRO and all the other media are in bed with the left. Let me know when it's OK to be a middle of the road, white, overweight, middle aged male once again, and not be pilloried by the libs. We're the only group that is allowed to be openly discriminated against and we're getting just a little bit tired of it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • mnpat wrote...
    I'm with Flipper
    November 19, 2012 10:05 am
    The caucasian male whether single or married has no rights. We are only tolerated long enough to deposit funds by direct deposit and taxes of course.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    mnpat
    November 19, 2012 11:10 am
    Hey meathead,would you change your Caucasian male status for ANY other?Chris Rock did a routine on this issue,he stated none of his White audience would change places with him and he stated he was RICH
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Gar57 wrote...
    Speaking as another middle aged white guy...
    November 19, 2012 1:52 pm
    I say I'd much rather be another race. Cause they have it SOOOOOO much easier than us, you know? What an idiotic comment.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }