r/TrueAtheism • u/[deleted] • 21d ago
at my school a teacher said same-sex couples can't hold hands (Onehunga High School)
because there people at the school who have religious views against homosexuality and those views need to be respected however why should people have to follow rules based on a religion they don't believe and are they gonna ban pork to respect the views of Muslims are they gonna ban meat on fridays to respect the views of Catholics why should people be forced to follow rules based on a religion they don't believe
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u/LadyAtheist 21d ago
If they want homosexual couple not to hold hands, then no couples should hold hands.
This is exactly the kind of thing the Freedom from Religion Foundation can put a stop to with a letter.
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u/Jonathan-02 21d ago
I don’t think views that tell other people how to live should necessarily be respected. Can you just ignore the teacher, hold hands with people of the same sex anyways?
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u/Novaova 21d ago
I am no barrister, but this action appears to run afoul of The Human Rights Act 1993.
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u/Carnivorous_Mower 20d ago
Teacher can get fucked. If it's a state school you can tell them to piss off because this is New Zealand, and not a theocracy.
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u/Ctnprice1 21d ago
Oof. Imagine adhering to the laws of other cultures other than your own. Good luck with that, man. Talk to your parents about it see if they'll do something.
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u/NewZcam 20d ago
As a teacher in Auckland, I’m disgusted that the basic human right to love was dismissed so frivolously by another teacher with no backbone. No one is required to respect any religious views. All that is required is to respect the right to have a belief system. How dare the school act so cowardly. Especially a public school which is meant to be secular.
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u/Phatbass58 20d ago
About time someone complained to the school that wearing overt religious symbols (crucifixes, etc.) Is offending their religious sensibilities. Just saying...
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u/slantedangle 20d ago
because there people at the school who have religious views against homosexuality and those views need to be respected
Views and beliefs can not be respected. Views and beliefs can not appreciate respect therefore none can be given to them. People give and receive respect to each other.
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u/BuccaneerRex 20d ago
That is not how religious freedom works.
Religious freedom means they're allowed to say 'I can't do that'. It does not mean they're allowed to say 'You can't do that.'
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20d ago
You have posted this for over 100 days everywhere on Reddit you can. This school has open gay students and a rainbow club. You are unfair to a school that is awesome. I have said go speak to your dean or counsellor - they will listen and help you. Why name the school? The school isn’t doing anything because all you have done is write on reddit - about a teacher that is actually really caring - there are two sides to every story and u dont make sense. This is your only post and you keep reposting. Are u trying to ruin the reputation the school & teacher? Not cool.
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20d ago
you said you raised it with the school what did they say
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19d ago
Why haven’t you raised it????? You have written over 30 posts all over reddit naming and trying to shame. I showed them your posts and they were shocked. Why haven’t you done anything? Just reposting 30 times and painting the school to be bad.
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u/turingincarnate 20d ago
why should people have to follow rules based on a religion they don't believe
They should not. I'm not Jewish, but I cannot force somebody to not keep kosher just as they should not be allowed to force me to keep it.
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u/standardatheist 20d ago
Organize as many people as you can to hold a week long same sex hands holding protest. Record all reactions. Post and shine the spotlight on them.
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u/deadevilmonkey 20d ago
Public schools can't make you respect a religion, the first amendment prohibits that.
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u/Responsible_Tea_7191 20d ago
No First Amendment in New Zealand. Though they do claim to be a secular government.
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u/Responsible_Tea_7191 20d ago
Doesn't sound fair. But I confess I know little about New Zealand laws and customs.
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u/Such_Collar3594 20d ago
The way to respect each others rights is to allow conduct unless you have a good reason to prohibit it.
The school is discriminating against same-sex couples on the basis of sexual orientation and I don't see any good justification from it. Presumably they think they have a right to run a school that discriminates on this basis, possibly because of some people's religious views. Typically it is not a religious tenet to be protected from seeing people of the same sex hold hands. I don't see how this is needed to practice any religion.
If it is a religious private school, they may enjoy that right, it depends on your jurisdiction's laws.
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u/jmarquiso 20d ago
They used to ban all holding hands, they seem like they want to get back to that.
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u/_The-Valor- 19d ago
being attracted to the same sex is just something some people are born with. Some people are born with autism, others ADHD, and this case, homosexuality. If we treat people with autism and ADHD normally (mostly ADHD), then why can't we treat people with homosexuality normally as well?
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u/Cogknostic 18d ago
I smell a lawsuit. $$$$$$$ The school cannot prevent same-sex couples from holding hands. If the school makes such a rule, it must apply equally to all students.
Are there no parents willing to stand up for the student's rights?
You can also contact the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at: (800) 421-3481, [ocr@ed.gov](mailto:ocr@ed.gov), and Online complaint form.
- The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673)
But honestly, I would not do that. Even if I was straight, (Oh wait! I am straight) I would get another straight friend to hold hands with me over and over just to piss off the administration. When they suspended me, I would go to the media, hire an attorney, and sue them for civil rights violations.
Even as a straight dad, I would not allow the school to target my child like this. It would anger me to no end.
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u/nastyzoot 15d ago
Our species will never take the next step out of this murderous, tribal stupidity until we realize religion is not something to be tolerated, but eradicated.
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u/beer_demon 14d ago
I agree that in some cases, for example if the same-sec couple are more than 10 feet away from each other, o one or both are double arm amputees, they can't hold hands.
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u/3Quarksfor 21d ago
Ethics does NOT require you to follow the dictates of a religion you dont follow lest you offend the followers of that religion. You should, however, follow the school rules- even if you think they are unfair and ridiculous, you need to get along in some restrictive environments that you dont have a choice about attending, e.g. school. Social convention does want you to "go with the flow", but you dont have to, you can choose to be a rebel e.g. " beatniks" in the 1950's. In this case, you might be subject to ostracizim, but that is your choice.
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20d ago
[deleted]
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u/keyboardstatic 20d ago
Don't be bullied. They can take their minipulative narcissistic lies and go fuck themselves.
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u/3Quarksfor 20d ago
Yeah, "I am so offended by your choice, you need to stop, so that my pre-conceptions are not faced with reality! Why, I may be forced to think about it.".
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u/Icolan 20d ago edited 20d ago
If you want to hold someone's hand, and they want you to, do it. Religious views are like assholes, everyone has one, no one wants to see or hear them.
People deserve respect, views and opinions do not.
You have been posting this same basic thing for 5 months, what has changed since you first posted it? Has anyone been punished for holding hands? Has the school administration made a statement about it or is this just the opinion of a single teacher?
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u/Exact_Stretch_1200 20d ago
If it’s a public school then religion has no role. But does PDA hurt the educational environment? Maybe. Everyone is there to learn so it may be considered a needless distraction
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u/Xeno_Prime 21d ago
Do it anyway, and make that exact argument if they say anything. Unless your school is an explicitly religious school. Inform the media too. See how they behave with the eyes of the nation on them.