OPINION
WWW.KANSAN.COM
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2005
▼ GUEST COMMENTARY
L E N S E X Y T S A M U E A R R Y / winds ce
Don't uptight high school administrators
Fart.
Boobie.
Penis.
Remember
when these
words caused
you to giggle?
For most of
us, that time
was second grade, and as immature children, it was appropriate to laugh or feel uncomfortable when you heard or saw "anatomy words."
But in a Minnesota high school, that playground-mentality has drifted up into secondary-school classrooms, and school administrators are the whistle-blowers barring students' free-speech rights.
MARISSA STEPHENSON mstephenson@kansan.com
After attending "The Vagina Monologues," Winona high school seniors Carrie Rethlefsen and Emily Nixon decided to show their support for women's rights by wearing homemade buttons at their school. The buttons displayed a simple statement: "I ❤ My Vagina."
But Rethlefsen and Nixon, both exemplary students who have nary a blemish on their scholastic records, refused to depin, and instead started a campaign to support their controversial badge. The pair created "I My Vagina" shirts for women and "I Support Your Vagina" counterparts for men. So far, more than 100 students have placed T-shirt orders. Winona school officials say any student who wears one of these vulgan vagina shirts will be expelled.
School officials, however, didn't ♥ the buttons, or the "inappropriate and discomforting" message they said the pins sent. They told the women their message was vulgar and disruptive to the school and, thus, unprotected speech, and that they must leave their pins at home.
The issue here isn't about lewd or disruptive speech. It's about comfort levels. Although students and faculty at Winona may be uncomfortable viewing "vagina" in print, it doesn't make the first buttons any less protected by the 1st Amendment. With "I My Vagina," Rethlefsen and Nixon are expressing a feminist viewpoint, and in their own words, they want to "spark discussion about violence against women and women's rights." This is political speech, and the law protects it.
inappropriate. But in the 1969 case, the Court decided student political speech couldn't be
In the United States Supreme Court case, Tinker v. Des Moines, students wore black armbands protesting the Vietnam War. Much like at Winona, school officials in Des Moines, Iowa, said the armbands were disruptive and
restricted or punished unless school authorities could prove it "would materially and substantially interfere with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school" or impinge other students' rights.
The vagina buttons are not interfering with Winona school operations or impinging others' rights. No brawls or mobs have appeared since the women donned their buttons. And the only rights impinged upon thus far are Rethlefsen and Nixon's.
By banning the buttons, Winona High School is engaging in viewpoint discrimination. If it wants to ban one button, then it must ban them all. No more "I Math" buttons. Throw out the "I voted" and "Winona pride" buttons, too. To fairly eliminate one message, it will need to eliminate every message.
The crux of the problem is this: "I ♥ My Vagina" just makes some people unasy. Which begs a different question: why is the scientific word for a woman's reproductive organ taboo?
Why, in a high-school setting, is the mention of anatomical parts considered bawdy-talk? Rethlefsen and Nixon had a slew of vagina synonyms they could have used for their pins, many of them vulgar, but they chose "vagina" because of its cultural history — in connection with "The Vagina Monologues," — and because a mature audience should accept it.
Winona principal, Nancy Wondrasch, told Rethlefsen that by wearing her button she was "giving people the wrong ideas," and "sending an open invitation to guys." If that's the case, why not wear an "I ♥ Your Pen's" button?
If that's the perception, Winona High needs serious education. The principal needs to learn the difference between a political statement and a potty-humor come-on. And students and faculty bothered by the V-word need to know that just because you don't like it doesn't mean you can ban it.
- Stephenson is a Tonganoxie senior in journalism and international studies. She is a managing editor for the Kansan.
Free All
Free for all callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Standerous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded. www.kansan.com
Call 864-0500
Remind me why anyone would ever drink tequila.
Hey, whatever happened to Broadband Man? I haven't seen him in awhile. Did he get captured or what?
So every time I pick up The Kansas City Star from the stupid free paper thing, it's been missing an FYI and a Classified section. I want to do my crossword puzzle, so put 'em back in.
Whoever said it was quarter hot dog
onethings, go to www.kansen.com
night in the newspaper forgot to
mention that it was only the first
1,000 hot dogs.
I just want to say thank you to the Kansan for providing such vivid commentary on the Catholic Church, none of it from a Catholic. Good coverage.
Editors note: If you're referring to recent editorial board pieces, then it might help you to know there are several Catholics on the board who arrived at a consensus on the issues surrounding the Catholic Church.
▼ STAYSKAL'S PERSPECTIVE
Wayne Stayska/KNIGHT RIDDER/TRIBUNE
On Sunday, America celebrated V-E Day, which marks the 60th anniversary of the Allied defeat of the Axis powers, and the end of Adolf Hitler's brutal regime.
PAGE 7A
THE CROSSWORD CAN WAIT
Don't Ask, Don't Tell unjust policy for gays in military
The nature of war was different back in the 1940's, and manpower and quantity of
MATT SEVCIK msevcik@kansan.com
personnel was the ultimate indication of a military's overall power, so when America needed people, regardless of their personal feelings, people showed up and fought.
Times have changed, and our military is much smaller, but still as brave and effective. Today's army is one that values precision over power accuracy over size.
Think of the armies of the 20th century like gigantic rocks that a man hurls at his target, and today's army like a high-powered rifle, with a scope, able to root out weak points and exploit them, with as little overall bloodshed as possible.
Because of these changes in emphasis, our military enjoys the privilege of an all-volunteer army. No one is forced to fight that doesn't want to, and the system works. Soldiers who want to fight for America are far more effective than drafted men and women who may not agree with the politicians.
But, can you imagine men and women who want to serve, but can't? Men and women who want to put their lives on the line, men and women who want to do the dirty work that allows people like me the freedom to express my petty opinions in college newspapers, but just aren't allowed to?
Yes, that's right. He's finally gotten to the topic, gays in the military. Right now, a man or woman must keep their sexual preference a secret, or be forced out of the military. And if you aren't aware, this isn't a wink-and-nod policy. If
you are suspected of being a homo sexual, the military spends thousands of dollars on investigations and kicks you right out.
Ten-thousand soldiers have been discharged from our military since the policy was instated. About 191 million of your tax dollars have been spent on their investigations. Talk about unnecessary
machine gun or throw a grenade. It's a common fact that gay people can't throw worth a damn. Limp wrists, you know.
Maybe arguments against homosexuals in the military aren't quite as prejudiced and ridiculous as that, but they
aren't far off. For example, one argument says allowing openly gay men into single-sex units will introduce sexual tension, thus disrupting the battle-readiness of the unit.
This argument is unreasonable for many reasons. First of all, a small percentage of the military is divided into single-sex units. These contingents are mostly restricted to combat arms, and there are literally thousands of jobs to do in the military that don't have anything to do with combat arms.
Why should we kick out translators, lawyers, doctors, nurses, computer technicians, engineers and other occupations based on the introduction of "sexual tension?" This is only assuming that our military is not professional enough to brush aside petty differences like race, religious preferences, and "sexual tension," and stay focused on the mission at hand. I feel that this argument is an insult to the professionalism of our military.
My pick for a translator is based on their ability to translate well, not on whether or not "they's one of them there fags," just like I wouldn't care if my doctor was a lesbian so long as she could give me an I.V.
And don't tell me that most of the military's personnel just aren't ready for a change like this, because they sure as hell aren't going to get over their homophobia by government-instated segregation. I believe we heard similar arguments in 1948, when Harry Truman ended segregation in the military.
government spending.
But, we got over it. I've always thought of the
STATISTICS ON GAYS IN MILITARY
Oh, but wait, he's gay. Better kick him out.
God knows he can't shoot a rifle, or man a
Neither Bill Clinton nor George W. Bush had the courage to fight like Sgt. Stout, and neither will know what it's like to receive an honor like the Purple Heart, which Sgt. Stout earned when shrapnel from a grenade hit him in the face, arm, and legs while he manned a machine gun.
Number of gay military personnel dismissed in 2001 under Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
1.227
Number of gay military personnel dismissed in 2004 under Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
653
Does anyone else think it's funny that the commander-in-chief who instated the Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell policy dodged the draft, and now the commander-in-chief who advocates the policy got his dad to sign him up for a unit that he knew would never be deployed? I sort of have to laugh at the ridiculousness of things like this, or I might go crazy.
Soldiers like Sgt. Robert Stout, who care enough about their country to serve in Iraq for more than a year, but because of something private they do in the bedroom, will be discharged from the Army on May 30.
$28,228
Cost of recruiting and replacing enlisted troops after an expulsion.
Cost of recruiting and replacing enlisted officers after an expulsion.
$120.772
Source: Defense Department
military as an organization so prestigious and professional, that they would be the pioneers in acceptance, especially when they stood the chance to employ intelligent, capable American soldiers.
This is blatant discrimination, pure and simple. It's like saying you can't talk about your religion, or which political party you support, or your nationality. Do we realize just how un-American this policy is?
"Oh, but gay people can serve in the military, so long as they keep their mouths shut about it."
This policy is not only impractical; it's a direct attack on people's liberty, on people's ability to be who they want to be. If you support this policy, you need to take a good long look at what you think America stands for. Does it stand for policies that protect liberties, or policies that create a weaker military for flawed, stereotypical reasons?
Because that's not what gay soldiers are putting their lives on the line for. That's not what any soldier puts their life on the line for. Telling a man who risks his life for your freedom that his service isn't valid because he's gay is like spitting in his face.
We ought to be ashamed of ourselves for handling Sgt. Stout a medal with one hand and stabbing him the back with the other.
♦Sevck is a Leavenworth junior in English.
▼ REPORT CARD
Pass:
♦ Moustaches.
Members of the Kansas baseball grew out the upper-lip facial hair because they knew ESPN was televising their series against Texas last weekend. We're not sure if that's the reason they won two out of three games in the home series, but whatever it takes, right?
They looked hilarious enough for ESPN announcer Gary Thorne to notice.
♦ Gas prices. They're falling a bit, so let's keep hoping that it will become a lot.
Fail:
- Evolution hearings. At this point, it seems as though the state of Kansas would be remiss to pass up on an opportunity to embarrass itself. The evolution hearings are just the latest manifestation of this. It appears there is no stopping this state from hurtling full-force on its way to becoming a full-fledged theocracy. Possibly the worst of it all is that it's plastered all over national headlines, which means out-of-state students can't lie about it when others ask, "What's the matter with Kansas?"
TALK TO US
Andrew Vaupel, editor
364-4810 or avaupel@kansan.com
864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
Donovan Atkinson, Misty Huber,
Amanda Kim Stairrett and Marissa
Stephenson
Steve Vockrodt
opinion editor
864 4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Laura Francoviglia associate opinion editor 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Ashleigh Dyck, business manager 864-4358 or advertising@kansan.com
Danielle Bose, retail sales manager 864-4358 or advertising@kansan.com
Malecl Gibson, general manager and news adviser
864-7667 or mgibson@kansan.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
David Archer, Viva Bolova,
John Beyley, Chase Edgerton,
Wheaton Ekins, Paige Higgins,
Matt Hoge, John Jordan, Kyle Koch,
Dou Lang, Kevin McKernan,
Mike Mooffa.
Erick Schmidt, Devin Sikes, Gaby Soura. Stacey Savac and Anne Waltem
SUBMISSIONS
SUBMISSIONS
The Kansan welcomes letters to the editors and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions.
For any questions, call Steve Vockrodt or Laura Francoviglia at 864-4924 or email opinion@kansan.com. General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
LETTER GUIDELINES
Maximum Length: 200 word limit
Include: Author's name and telephone number; class, hometown (student); position (faculty member); phone number (will not be published)
1
GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES
Maximum Length: 650 word limit
Include: Author's name; class, hometown (student); position (faculty member); phone number (will not be published)
Also: The Kansan will not print guest columns that attack another columnist.
SUBMIT TO
Kansan newroom
111 Stairfer-Flint Hall
1435 Jayhawk blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045
(785) 664-841
opinion@kansan.com
1
---