Oh, Indiana.

So Indianapolis Public Schools are in the spotlight because of something that I think is pretty annoying. You all remember the school library when you were growing up. For me, it was a source of education that I could turn to outside of school hours. Thankfully, it wasn't my only way to learn about other things in the world, as my parents never put any parental locks on my computer, but I know that this was not always the case, and is not always the case, for many teenagers out there today.

Parents all over are finding comfort in new technologies that allow them to set what can and can not be seen by their child on the computer. They're a way to keep your 14 year old from looking at porn, from learning how to make bombs, from seeing graphic images of death and destruction... to keep them from looking at... other... religions?

Yup, that's what I was headed for. And I apologise for all the crazy OMG RELIGION RAWR posts as of late, (well just this one and the last, but it has to be said) but OOH when I get started, it's hard to get me to slow down.

Indianapolis Public Schools have a public .PDF file that shows what they allow and do not allow their students to search for while using the school computers. A lot of it is stuff that makes sense: no porn, no alcohol, no drugs, no chatting and IM-ing, games, hacking sites, etc etc. All that makes perfect sense. If a student were to log onto a school computer after school, it still makes sense that they would be restricted from looking at porn and alcohol and etc etc etc.

But I found a few pretty little gems in the PDF file, not sure if you all saw it the first time. Here, allow me.

LGBT: Sites that provide information regarding, support, promote, or cater to one's sexual orientation or gender identity including but not limited to lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender sites.

Now, I'm aware that little Timmy searching about homosexuality during the school day is probably not the best, as he should be working on his schoolwork. But I don't believe this should be blocked. What happens when Timmy, whose parents are very against homosexuality, has strange feelings about his own sexuality, and can't turn to his home computer for help? How does a Public School have the right to label this as wrong and worth banning?

Alternative Spirituality/Belief: Sites that promote and provide information on religions such as Wicca, Witchcraft, or Satanism. Occult practices, atheistic views, voodoo rituals or any other form of mysticism are represented here. Includes that endorse or offer methods, means of instruction, or other resources to affect or influence real events through the use of spells, incantations, curses and magic powers. This category includes sites which discuss or deal with paranormal or unexplained events.

Notice something missing? I did too. Christianity anyone? Oh wait, that's not alternative spirituality. A public school system is telling kids that Wicca, Witchcraft, Satanism, Shamanism, and Voodooism, are all WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG. How dare you search for those filthy things? Don't you know this is a private schoo-- OH WAIT. That's right. Public. Hm.

Honestly, while I do believe that if the options aren't open at home, kids should be allowed to learn more from the services provided at their school, if you're going to block one religion, you better damn well block them all. That means no Jewish websites. No Christian websites. No Muslim websites. Nothing. Nada. It's either let the Pagans be seen, or block them all.

The kicker here is that they include a little thing about sites that encourage Hate and Racism. Here it is:

Violence/Hate/Racism: Sites that depict extreme physical harm to people or property, or that advocate or provide instructions on how to cause such harm. Also includes sites that advocate, depict hostility or aggression toward, or denigrate an individual or group on the basis of race, religion, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, or other involuntary characteristics.

I'm sorry if I'm taking this a little too far, but it seems to me like this little ban list is denigrating some of the school's students, based on their religion, gender, and involuntary characteristics such as their sexuality.

This is where I'm at for this: Unblock the LGBT websites. Either unblock the Pagan and Atheist oriented websites or block them all, including the Christian ones. This is a public school, not a private one, and you can't go around picking and choosing which religions are good or bad based on your own feelings toward the matter. Stop being so oppressive, Indiana.

-Manda-