The bizarre allegations continued on ABC's The View, Tuesday, with co-host Whoopi Goldberg comparing a new Tennessee bill restricting the teaching of gay issues to "slavery."
The liberal comedienne derided the legislation, which would stop schools from discussing homosexuality until high school. She linked, "What's funny is I remember in my youth that they referred to black folks kind of the same way, things you didn't want discussed." Goldberg berated, "...One of the things they didn't want to talk about was what the reality of slavery was, because why bring black folks up?" [MP3 audio here. See video below.]
The co-host described the bill, now on hold, using the friendliest terms for teaching about gays: "So the bottom line is children are going to ask these questions and the real question is not whether the government should have put a bill together, but whether parents are comfortable saying, 'Yeah, this kid has two moms.'"
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who is supposed to be the show's token conservative, went even further, hyperbolically fretting, "What about the fact that kids are committing suicide and if you can't say gay and they feel they can't even be open about it in their community?"
Yet, a look at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network shows an aggressive agenda to indoctrinate children:
Make sure the analogies you use when teaching don't rely on hetro-normative or gender-normative images or viewpoints...The assumption (reinforced by imagery and practice) that a boy will grow up and marry a woman is based on such a viewpoint. A gender-normative image, on the other hand is one that delimits the possibilities for children of either gender by reinforcing stereotyped expectations such as boys preferring to play only with blocks while girls preferring dramatic play in a kitchen.
Less than a week ago, on February 16, View co-host Joy Behar compared a Virginia abortion law to "the Taliban."
A transcript of the February 21 View segment, which aired at 11:11am EST, follows:
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So, a Don’t Say Gay Bill in Tennessee would restrict schools from talking about homosexuality until high school. Now Jesse, you have quite a bit to say about this because not only do they say that but they also point to “Modern Family.” What the hell?
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON: I became aware of this story because they referenced our show, basically saying that they also don't think it's appropriate for kids to watch "Modern Family" because they will learn that there's gay people in the world. And I'm like, that's how they’ll learn. I mean it just seems really, really ridiculous. And I mean like, if we just don't say things- it's not like they don't exist. Don't say, you know, mock turtleneck, oh, they're no longer around. But you know
JOY BEHAR: Don't say menopause. Bye!
FERGUSON: Don’t say menopause, done. But, I just feel like with this, I mean, if you don't want to talk about it in school, okay, I'm fine but don't make a bill about it. Because I t puts us in dangerous waters because it makes these kids feel like they're being stigmatized and there’s I'm sure many gay kids in Tennessee who are thinking–
BEHAR: But it does a disservice to the straight kids too who are not living in a real world.
FERGUSON: Absolutely!
SHEPHERD: But then what about, you know, if you’re a parent like me, and Im going, you know before High School, I don’t want my child talking about sexuality in a high school beyond the reproductive phase beyond what I want. Because if you got somebody in there slanting it, and they’re talking about homosexuality and they’re saying being gay is a choice. That might not be something you want your child talking about because you want to talk to your child about that yourself. Now they're learning something you don’t want.
FERGUSON: I completely, yeah. I completely agree with you.
BEHAR: The teacher has his own position. Well.
SHEPHERD: I mean we had a teacher, we didn't talk about it, but we just had a teacher who had the kids, you know, doing cards and they sent them to her boyfriend in prison. I don't know if I want that teacher talking to my child about sexuality.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: I also think that parents need to– Ultimately the responsibility is yours, right, and ideally you'd have that conversation at home and I think that's probably what you're driving at. You want the ability to get to your, I think you almost feel as a parent you got to get to your kids first if you want to teach them one thing or the other, you got to get to them first and you don’t want to put it on the school system to teach or not teach something that you have a strong feeling about.
BEHAR: But the show “Modern Family” teaches a lot. It shows that you can be in a loving relationship when you're a gay and means being gay is a normal thing.
SHEPHERD: No, but that's “Modern Family.”
GOLDBERG: What’s funny is I remember in my youth that they referred to black folks kind of the same way, things you didn't want discussed, you know, one of the things they didn't want to talk about was what the reality of slavery was, because why bring black folks up? So the bottom line is children are going to ask these questions and the real question is not whether the government should have put a bill together, but whether parents are comfortable saying, yeah, this kid has two moms. I don't know much about that but he has two moms.
BEHAR: Reality.
GOLDBERG: Right, the reality because they're going to meet gay people. Just like folks are going to meet black people and mixed people and all kind of stuff. So let's hope that, you know, the foolishness of the bill will sort of wake parents up to say, I better mention this to you because if you come across it, I don't want you to not know what’s going on.
SHEPHERD:: Don't single out Modern Family because it's I don't want my kids to see a gay couple. Modern Family is an adult show. I mean, it's just– it's adult humor. I can understand if you go the humor is too adult for my child.
HASSELBECK: What about the fact that kids are committing suicide and if you can't say gay and they feel they can't even be open about it in their community?
BEHAR: Well, it's just irrational behavior.
