Lawsuit Over Brokeback Mountain in Class

Brutuskend

Lifer
Apr 2, 2001
26,558
4
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Lawsuit Over Brokeback Mountain in Class
By Associated Press
3 hours ago

CHICAGO - A girl and her grandparents have sued the Chicago Board of Education, alleging that a substitute teacher showed the R-rated film "Brokeback Mountain" in class.

The lawsuit claims that Jessica Turner, 12, suffered psychological distress after viewing the movie in her 8th grade class at Ashburn Community Elementary School last year.

The film, which won three Oscars, depicts two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair.

Turner and her grandparents, Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, are seeking around $500,000 in damages.

"It is very important to me that my children not be exposed to this," said Kenneth Richardson, Turner's guardian. "The teacher knew she was not supposed to do this."

According to the lawsuit filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court, the video was shown without permission from the students' parents and guardians.

The lawsuit also names Ashburn Principal Jewel Diaz and a substitute teacher, referred to as "Ms. Buford."

The substitute asked a student to shut the classroom door at the West Side school, saying: "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class," according to the lawsuit.

Richardson said his granddaughter was traumatized by the movie and had to undergo psychological treatment and counseling.

In 2005, Richardson complained to school administrators about reading material that he said included curse words.

"This was the last straw," he said. "I feel the lawsuit was necessary because of the warning I had already given them on the literature they were giving out to children to read. I told them it was against our faith."

Messages left over the weekend with CPS officials were not immediately returned.

LINK

I feel for her. Hell I'M 53 and I would probably suffer psychological distress myself! ;)
 

blackllotus

Golden Member
May 30, 2005
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If being exposed to homosexuality causes someone that much distress then they need to be admitted to a mental hospital asap
 

AreaCode707

Lifer
Sep 21, 2001
18,447
133
106
WTF - you don't show a movie with sexual topics - ANY sexual topics - to 12 year olds at school unless they're in sex-ed class going through an approved curriculum.
 

Gunslinger08

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
13,234
2
81
Lawsuit worthy? No. Fire worthy? Yes. You don't show movies above PG to students without parental consent.
 

Jadow

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2003
5,962
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hope they win. The whole "showing movies in class" thing is just a way for lousy teachers to skip teaching a couple classes. Kids watch movies all the time, they go to school to fricken learn.
 

Leros

Lifer
Jul 11, 2004
21,867
7
81
This reminds me of my Latin book when I was in high school. A parent got angry because the book contained pictures of statues of naked people and her precious 17 year old daughter saw a penis. We had to turn our book back in and every picture was covered up with a sticker.
 

Brutuskend

Lifer
Apr 2, 2001
26,558
4
0
Originally posted by: Leros
This reminds me of my Latin book when I was in high school. A parent got angry because the book contained pictures of statues of naked people and her precious 17 year old daughter saw a penis. We had to turn our book back in and every picture was covered up with a sticker.

:roll:
 

Gunslinger08

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
13,234
2
81
Originally posted by: Leros
This reminds me of my Latin book when I was in high school. A parent got angry because the book contained pictures of statues of naked people and her precious 17 year old daughter saw a penis. We had to turn our book back in and every picture was covered up with a sticker.

I don't think most parents realize how badly they screw up their children by sheltering them so much.
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
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Originally posted by: Jadow
hope they win. The whole "showing movies in class" thing is just a way for lousy teachers to skip teaching a couple classes. Kids watch movies all the time, they go to school to fricken learn.

:thumbsup:
 

slpaulson

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2000
4,414
14
81
Originally posted by: Leros
This reminds me of my Latin book when I was in high school. A parent got angry because the book contained pictures of statues of naked people and her precious 17 year old daughter saw a penis. We had to turn our book back in and every picture was covered up with a sticker.

It's girls like that who will go off to college and get pregnant their freshman year.
 

chusteczka

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2006
3,399
3
71
Hollywood movies intended for entertainment, such as this controversial movie, should not be viewed in an educational institution during normal school hours. Adult topics, such as curse words and sexuality, should not be presented or discussed in an educational institution less than high school. A lawsuit in this situation is definitely appropriate.
 

GTaudiophile

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
29,767
33
81
Shouldn't have been shown in class. Period.

I'd love some public school to screen "The Passion of the Christ" for its students and then count how many hours it takes for the ACLU to serve them with a lawsuit.
 

cKGunslinger

Lifer
Nov 29, 1999
16,408
57
91
12yo in 8th grade? That doesn't sound right...


I remember in 6th grade, for our final day we got to watch a movie, and we somehow convinced our teacher that "Critters 2" was a good choice. She ran to the TV and tried to cover it up with a folder during the gratuitous boobage scene. =P
 

AgaBoogaBoo

Lifer
Feb 16, 2003
26,108
5
81
Originally posted by: Jadow
hope they win. The whole "showing movies in class" thing is just a way for lousy teachers to skip teaching a couple classes. Kids watch movies all the time, they go to school to fricken learn.
There are some situations where this doesn't apply, but 99% of the time, I agree. I feel history class should be able to make an exception because of the power of certain movies that a textbook can't portray, such as Schindler's List. That doesn't need to come in until HS though and so yes I agree with you.
 

Brutuskend

Lifer
Apr 2, 2001
26,558
4
0
Actually it was probably the parents that suffered the most.

[Daughter] Daddy, what's anal sex?

[Father] Go ask your mother...on second thought....
 

Gunslinger08

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
13,234
2
81
Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Originally posted by: Jadow
hope they win. The whole "showing movies in class" thing is just a way for lousy teachers to skip teaching a couple classes. Kids watch movies all the time, they go to school to fricken learn.
There are some situations where this doesn't apply, but 99% of the time, I agree. I feel history class should be able to make an exception because of the power of certain movies that a textbook can't portray, such as Schindler's List. That doesn't need to come in until HS though and so yes I agree with you.

I'd sue if they made me watch Schindler's List in school.... old man balls....
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Shouldn't have been shown in class. Period.

I'd love some public school to screen "The Passion of the Christ" for its students and then count how many hours it takes for the ACLU to serve them with a lawsuit.
What civil liberties were violated when this hypothetical school hypothetically showed TPotC?
 

cubby1223

Lifer
May 24, 2004
13,518
42
86
Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
12yo in 8th grade? That doesn't sound right...

I remember in 6th grade, for our final day we got to watch a movie, and we somehow convinced our teacher that "Critters 2" was a good choice. She ran to the TV and tried to cover it up with a folder during the gratuitous boobage scene. =P
12 in 8th grade sounds right. Most are 13/14, but there are always a few that are 12/13 as they go through 8th grade.

But now you're reminding me of my high school psychology class when we were decided a year end movie to watch - I lobbied hard for Strange Brew (there's a mental hospital in it), but it was out-voted by As Good as It Gets... ;)

As for a lawsuit - most here agree that such movies should not be shown in classes, but sometimes a lawsuit, even if it fails, is the only way to force action & discussion of the issue.
 

dartworth

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
15,200
10
81
they should be sued for just showing such an awful movie...damn that movie was bad:(:thumbsdown:
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,487
17,955
126
Humm, R rated movie in 8th grade classroom and no parental permission slips? Toast.
 

mflacy

Golden Member
Aug 8, 2001
1,910
0
0
Regardless of the content in Brokeback, the substitute was a complete moron for showing a R-rated movie to a bunch of 12 - 13 year olds.
 

Roguestar

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2006
6,045
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Originally posted by: blackllotus
If being exposed to homosexuality causes someone that much distress then they need to be admitted to a mental hospital asap
QFT

Originally posted by: Leros
This reminds me of my Latin book when I was in high school. A parent got angry because the book contained pictures of statues of naked people and her precious 17 year old daughter saw a penis. We had to turn our book back in and every picture was covered up with a sticker.
Shens.

The substitute teacher doesn't seem to have much of a defence, though. Showing a movie instead of teaching = fail. Showing an R-rated movie to kids = double fail.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
52,788
46,607
136
Originally posted by: HotChic
WTF - you don't show a movie with sexual topics - ANY sexual topics - to 12 year olds at school unless they're in sex-ed class going through an approved curriculum.

I'd have to agree with that. The teacher was an idiot for showing that to the kids without parental consent.

If this was a HS in question instead of a grade school I'd say its fair game.