This letter is more of a response to Phyllis Schlafly’s talk last night rather than a response to letters anticipating it. I would just like to say that the metaphor “more bark than bite” has never held more true than with regard to the questions flowing from the self-righteous feminists at the “debate” I watched play out.

Forgetting the fact that such questions as “What can you do for women’s rights in other countries?” and “How much were you paid to speak here?” were even allowed to be asked, I was thoroughly surprised that very few relevant questions were asked. Perhaps the only well-worded and possibly thought-provoking question that was asked was completely negated by the fact the questioner did not even stop for a moment to dismount from her high horse to listen to Schlafly’s response. Instead, Little Miss Green Shirt (for lack of a better description or deriding euphemism) simply spent the entirety of the response turned around talking to her friends. Are we so caught up in our own personal beliefs that we cannot allow ourselves a simple minute or two to possibly hear what the opposition has to say?

Then, of course, there were the questions about how someone could possibly find teaching homosexuality and Islam in school to be an issue. Skirting around the Islam issue, because I think Schlafly made a very good argument in her retort, I would like to focus on the hot topic of homosexuality. I don’t see any reason it should be taught in school. There are some who might argue that it’s the same as being taught the basic sex ed class in middle school. However, I would like to point out the inherent difference. Homosexuality, as its name suggests, is a form of sexuality, just as BDSM, furries or bestiality are forms of sexuality. In fact, I think it’s actually more legal (there is a lesser legal punishment) to practice bestiality than it is to practice homosexual acts in a large number of states. Now before everybody gets their metaphorical panties in a twist, I’m not saying I support bestiality just as I am not saying I have anything against homosexuals, because I’m not and I don’t. I’m just saying I don’t think most of us would want these other forms of sexuality taught in schools. So why homosexuality?

But I digress from my original point, which is that I’m all for freedom and speech and speaking up when you have something to say. It’s the latter that I think is the most important and unfortunately most of the people who asked questions simply had nothing to say. Yes, I am talking to the daycare specialist who was oh-so-offended by being called a babysitter. By having a lot to say about nothing, I believe you represent the entirety of the feminists at the gathering.

Charlie Renfro

ENG ’08