This is far from the first time that science and religion or societal needs and religion (or even societal norms at the time) have clashed in schools or other parts of society.
Some religions still teach the universe is 6,000 years old. It isn't and we have incontrovertible evidence supporting our understanding that it is likely about 13.8 billion years old. We have strong evidence the earth is roughly 4.6 billion years old. Contrary beliefs do not deserve equal regard.
The long history of conflict between science and religion (or some people's version of religion - especially those who have held or now hold power) did not begin there.
Heliocentrism was heresy and people were punished for spreading the idea because religion supposedly was right and religion's view superior. Religion was just wrong.
John Snopes was prosecuted in Tennessee for teaching evolution. The evidence for evolution is overwhelming - regardless of religion, God or no god.
The (non-avian) dinosaurs died some 65 million years ago and the evidence for that is, again, overwhelming; yet some want the alternative idea - based on nothing more than religious belief - that dinosaurs and humans lived side by side taught on equal footing in schools.
So the fight goes on with some thinking their religious beliefs deserve equal footing with scientific theory supported by overwhelming evidence.
That would be folly. Beliefs without evidence and scientific theory supported by evidence are not on equal footing for reasonable people.
Moving on to people's comfort levels: Slave owners in the South thought Black people inferior in every way and incapable of self rule and used religion to back up the claim.
That drove them to enslave Black people, keep them enslaved, shed the blood of many to keep it that way, and after losing a war they formed groups to terrorize and murder them and even overthrew at least one duly elected government after Blacks won the election (in NC).
They intimidated people to keep them from voting and then put laws in place to keep them from voting while claiming the laws were actually race neutral.
They intimidated people to keep them from voting and then put laws in place to keep them from voting while claiming the laws were actually race neutral.
They intimidated people to keep them from voting and then put laws in place to keep them from voting while claiming the laws were actually race neutral.
Oh yes, I repeated that line quite intentionally.
Of course, these recent laws are less covert than some of those laws.
Sex education in schools has always been a hot topic, and yet most have decided that children learning age appropriate information to prevent abuse, disease, and unwanted pregnancy is more important than our awkward feelings.
Some still believe that interracial marriage is sinful and goes against God's plan for us.
We don't give them equal time in schools, nor should we cater to their bigotry.
And in every situation noted above pseudoscience has often been used in support of religious beliefs to lend a veil of legitimacy that was not deserved.
History keeps repeating or echoing.
And to be clear, while the Florida law and the video in the first post were a jumping off point for discussion it was not my intent to suggest that the discussion should be limited to similar laws regarding schools any more than I intended it to be limited to the state of Florida.
Several states, despite overwhelming scientific evidence of a biologic basis for transgender existence, have interfered with parents' and children's right to seek appropriate evidence-based treatments and supports.
And despite that evidence that people are literally born this way and are destined to develop these traits many have decided to use the power of the state to discriminate against them.
Sometimes that takes the form of forcing them to use restrooms not conforming to their gender.
Sometimes it just means making them "invisible" by prohibiting discussion of them (against the 1A) in an age appropriate way.
We have placed some people's desire to avoid icky feelings over their rights and dignity.
We have relegated them to the status of "the other of which we shall not speak".
We have openly conflated acceptance with grooming for sexual gratification.
We defend fear and ignorance in the name of parental rights even as we ignore the rights of other parents and the transgendered - parents and children alike.
And in doing so we do society no favors because not talking about these people will not make them truly disappear into nothingness.
Trying to disappear them and taking away their ability to safely and privately access counselling, medical care, and other supports will not reduce their exorbitantly high suicide rates.
Interfering with their right to access medical care will not benefit society.
Interfering with their parents' right to decide medical care and interfering with the doctor-patient relationship will not change who they are even as it does violate their rights.
Distorting the arguments and laws to be "neutral" will not make them so.
en.wikipedia.org
