School's cross-dressing day angers Christian network

[flashl]

REEDSBURG, Wis. (AP) — An elementary-school event in which kids were encouraged to dress as members of the opposite gender drew the ire of a Christian radio group, whose angry broadcast prompted outraged calls to the district office.

Students at Pineview Elementary in Reedsburg had been dressing in costume all last week as part of an annual school tradition called Wacky Week. On Friday, students were encouraged to dress either as senior citizens or as members of the opposite sex.

A local resident informed the Voice of Christian Youth America on Friday. The Milwaukee-based radio network responded by interrupting its morning programming for a special broadcast that aired on nine radio stations throughout Wisconsin. The broadcast criticized the dress-up day and accused the district of promoting alternative lifestyles.

"We believe it's the wrong message to send to elementary students," said Jim Schneider, the network's program director. "Our station is one that promotes traditional family values. It concerns us when a school district strikes at the heart and core of the Biblical values. To promote this to elementary-school students is a great error."

USA Today

[ingac70]

1. They really need to get that stick out of their ass....

my school did this 25 years ago and I don't recall anyone raising a stink in my podunk bible thumpin' town then.

[SteelPenguin]

24. It's a radical shift in this country

We did it at my elementary school 30 years ago as well. We had wacky dressing days, school bonfires, and our mascot for the district was the Blue Devil. It was a small town (under 2,000) and everyone got into all the Rockwellian americana stuff.

That small town now is a very different place somehow. Much more visibly christian. The population is the same, but the churches are new. No more wacky dressing days. No more school bonfires. The mascot is no longer the Blue Devil....etc.

It makes me sad for our country.

[DarienComp]

2. Pathetic bunch of losers.

The Milwaukee-based radio network responded by interrupting its morning programming for a special broadcast that aired on nine radio stations throughout Wisconsin. The broadcast criticized the dress-up day and accused the district of promoting alternative lifestyles.

Yeah, they literally have nothing better to do.

[leftofcool]

3. Oh for cryin' out loud

We did this back when I was in high school and that was in the stone age of the 60's

[liberal N proud]

4. These are people who need to get a life

They are people who never had any fun growing up and can't stand to see anyone else enjoy life.

[hobbit709]

5. If they pissed off a bunch of religious nuts

then they must be doing something right.

[Solon]

6. Even my Catholic primary school had something similar to this...

A type of wacky week where we dressed up on certain days. Some were educational, like a literary character day, others were just fun, like Hippy day. I don't specifically remember a crossdressing day, but then again, on Hippy day, I think that partially counts, much of the clothing was androgynous to say the least. :)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. In the FIFTIES people would do this sort of thing

It was taken in fun and was not a reflection of anyone's sexuality but rather just silliness. No one commented on it at the time. But back then, churches tended to worry about things like civil rights.

[rpannier]

12. If you ever hear any of the fundies complaining about someythinglike this aloud

remind them that it went on in the 50's.

I mean, that's the decade they got the hard-on for.

Although, they claim it's the 1950's, I think they really want us to go back to the 1250's

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. I remember as a kid wearing high-heels and dresses in "dress-up" games at home.

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.

Yeah, I'm a guy, and haven't been tempted in my adult life,

BUT

I think a loose dress might be more comfortable than tight jeans squishing everything . . .

high heels are out though, I'd rather walk barefoot.

I can get wobbly enough without the challenge of balancing my heels on a pinpoint . .

:toast:

[goddess40]

9. Just proves their extreme stupidity about cross-dressing issues

It's beyond the polite ignorance and on to the blunt stupidity. These morons operate under the belief that those that belong to the GLBT choose their wiring. They also operate under the assumption that not only is it their choice but that it is also the sum total of who these individuals are. Lastly, they, the right wing nutters, have some god complex that seems to make it their business.

[Firespirit]

10. These people really need to take a laxative

A school has a dress-up day for elementary aged children and one of the themes is "opposite gender."

Fundies immediately conclude that the district is trying to "turn them all into trannies."

The fundies who think that gender dysphoria can be cured with counseling or being "born again" piss me off, but they at least get that it's a condition you're born with, and not something you become by dressing as the opposite sex. This is beyond ignorant.

[rpannier]

11. I join the Voice of Christian Youth...whatever the f they call themselves

I think it sends the wrong message to elementary school students when you encourage them to dress as senior citizens.

What an outrageous idea.

[moggie]

13. These idiots are scared of everything

Oh no, little Timmy will see boys dressed as girls! He might catch Teh Gay!

Since the message the school was sending was that cross-dressing is something ridiculous to be laughed at, seems to me these uptight idiots ought to support that. Doesn't it, in a way, reinforce standard gender roles?

[kevinbgoode]

14. "Christian" my ass. . .dominionist is more like it....

and for a hefty profit, too. What the hell are these people doing hijacking the public airwaves? As if we don't have enough crazy-ass loons broadcasting from the public airwaves day-in, day-out. . .

And what the hell do they mean by "our station is one that promotes traditional family values?" Who the hell told these dominionists that they knew anything about "family values?" I'd like to see some outrage directed at the radio stations for their blatant impersonation of Christianity.

We wonder why we get looney-tune cults in this country, and yet they are broadcasting on the public airwaves while the overwhelming majority of Americans get no access at all. It's just like those FLDS people taken from that polygamy/abuse scandal in Texas and hauled off in First BAPTIST Church buses. . .will they be placed in "proper" Texas foster homes for re-indoctrination into the BAPTIST faith? Like Southern Baptists don't have their own fu*king issues and bigotry?

I'd have a message for those "Christian" broadcasters. I was told last week by a student that she attended a "church" where the sermon was that a woman MUST always be subservient to the man...and one example was that, if the man walked into the house after work and decided he wanted chicken for dinner, she best be frying it up or God will smite her. It doesn't matter if she spent all afternoon making a special meatloaf...it's all about what mood he might be in the moment he walks into the house. Is that their idea of "traditional family values?"

[flashl]

15. Yes, there's been a push for the return of 'Stepford' wives. nt

[Echo In Light]

17. West meets east

[Echo In Light]

16. I work in customer service and often speak with many nasty, bitter Wisconsonians

Just sayin'. I'm sure there are plenty of liberals too. A band I was in yrs ago played Madison a few times, and of course a college town usually leans liberal. As a kid we used to camp a lot in northern Wis, beautiful country, to be sure. However, given the abundance of tightly pursed lipped ugliness I've encountered from Wisconsonians at my job, it doesn't surprise me that some ridiculous, do-gooder took it upon themself to act as an "informant."

No offense intended to any Wis-based posters here...

[KharmaTrain]

18. 9 Radio Stations and Nobody was listening...

This "network" is using public airwaves and doing what? Other than making total asses of themselves? They interupted programming? What? They pre-empted James Dobson's 20th replay of the day?

[midnight]

19. I wish this group,Christian radio group,would please

find homes for the homeless, and food for the hungry.

[Echo In Light]

20. Why, that's something Christ would do!

Who-da-thunk-it?

:eyes:

[ConcernedCanuk]

31. Can you imagine how much food for the poor, and homes for the homeless

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.
.

could be achieved if the USA spent their "war" money to help the poor and homeless?

Sadly

War comes first over the health of USA citizens.

Sad state of affairs indeed.

[alphafemale]

21. One of our popular HS events was Powder Puff football. Cheerleaders & Jocks switched roles.

Cheerleaders played football. (touch of course...but mill town touch which could get pretty rough) :D And the football players dressed up like cheerleaders.

This was an annual event and as best as I can recall tickets were sold to benefit some charity or other.

This was the 70's and 80's and I don't recall anyone thinking there was such a big deal about it.

Some people are at their most uptight as I have ever seen.

[Echo In Light]

22. Jocks/Cheerleaders: manifestations of the same mindset

[alphafemale]

23. I don't recall them being "that bad" at our school

I think the jock, princess, geek, rebel, goth...etc distinctions have become more pronounced and extreme recently than they were when I was in school.

But the point was that there was not an aversion to a gender role swap when I was in school in the 70/80's

Another poster had pointed out that this sort of thing went on in the 50's without a second glance.

[Echo In Light]

25. Ironically, gender roles had greater rigidity back then, too

We moved a lot when I was a kid, and I never attended a school where the primary bullies weren't the most popular, future repubs-to-be who ensured hierarchy and pecking order, be they male or female. Even as kids they had culturally conditioned toward praising the cut-throat Might Makes Right ideal. I'm sure some of them are making a killing in corporate America.

[alphafemale]

26. I guess we just had different experiences.

Most of the bullies I've ever known were bitter, angry, losers and always will be.

But that doesn't make either one of our experiences wrong...okay?

:hug:

[Echo In Light]

28. The ones I knew were like that too, yet wildly popular and admired for their assholism

A central aspect of that assholism was reading competition into every situation, which relied upon black/white oversimplification of "winners" and "losers." Hence their pre-occupation with first and last, structured order, etc, all quite authoritarian.

[elizfeelinggreat]

27. typical homophobic behavior

Perhaps this incident could be used in class to identify homophobic behavior.

[Echo In Light]

30. Good suggestion

And from that point, use it to aid in identifying authoritarian behavior, and the mindset it springs from.

[B3Nut]

29. Aw fer cripes...

at my old high school in Virginia, they used to do a "Mr. Miss" pageant where the football jocks would dress in drag. It was a fundraiser for something, forgot what it was. At any rate, nobody got upset about it, it was just a fun joke. The band I was in back then played at it...that was a fun gig. :D Cross-dressing and that eeeeeevil Rock'n'Roll music! OH NOES!!!!