SYDNEY (AP) — An Australian school principal has asked students to stop using the word “gay” when singing a classic children’s song, but said Thursday no offense was intended — he was simply trying to keep the kids from laughing.
Principal Garry Martin of Le Page Primary School in Melbourne said he instructed students to substitute the line “Fun your life must be” for the original “Gay your life must be” when singing “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree.” The song about a native Australian bird is a favorite around campfires from New Zealand to Canada.
Martin said he was playing a recording of the song for the students about a month ago when the line “gay your life must be” produced a flurry of giggles throughout the classroom. Some of the students use the word “gay” as a schoolyard taunt, he said, but don’t understand its true meaning. And so, to calm them down, he told them to swap in the word “fun” for “gay.”
“It wasn’t misplaced political correctness, it wasn’t homophobia, there was nothing really calculated in doing it,” he told The Associated Press. “I could’ve stopped the whole class and gone into a very caring, supportive explanation of gay being quite a reasonable choice in lifestyle that some people make, but I was only talking with 7- and 8-year-olds and I think that sort of thing is better explained more fully with parents.”
His decision erupted into a controversy, he said, after one of the students told his parents about Martin’s change to the song. Word then spread from the parents to friends to the local newspaper, which ran a story — and Martin found himself being bombarded with angry e-mails.
“Some think I’m the devil incarnate,” he said.
Crusader Hillis, CEO of the gay and lesbian advocacy group The Also Foundation, didn’t go that far — but he did call the lyrical swap an overreaction.
“It sends a signal to people that just because a word has two meanings, that one of those meanings is unacceptable and that’s really putting us backwards,” Hillis said. “Even if it‘s done for good intentions because ’gay’ is being used in schoolyards as a slur, I think they need to use the word as a conversation rather than banning it.”
Martin said his decision was a mistake made with the best of intentions, and he plans to speak to the students about how different words hold different meanings across generations.
He also plans to ask students to sing the original version of the song.
But, he added, “We might not sing it that often now.”
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LoneRanger
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 5:49pmIf you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or hope to be one some day, it is important you learn what homosexuality is, where it comes from, and how it is presented, Spend a few minutes of your valuable time using the link http://www.normalchildren.com, watch quick video at http://www.homosexuality101.com and find out how public schools are derailing normal childhood development at http://www.miriamgrossmanmd.com. Get involved with ending censorship and child indoctrination at http://www.endcensorship.com.
Ask yourself how 3% of the population has everyone turned on their heads from military service, the Catholic Church, “gay” marriage, decline in human population, and the preventable deaths of about 15,000 Americans every year (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/reports/hiv_prev_us.htm). Answer, the book AFTER THE BALL is basically RULES FOR RADICALS in the progressive “gay” movement (summary http://parentsofgaychildren.org/uploads/After_the_Ball_-_outline_by_Richard_Cohen.pdf). The Obama administration is providing support for the “gay” agenda (http://www.glli.org/professional_development/presidential_faq/).
Face it, the public has been mislead by 40 years of propaganda through the media, progressive thinking, political correctness, and revisionist history.
Do society a favor and share these web sites with others. This truly about diversity of belief, acceptance that there are differing opinions, and tolerance of others.
Report Post »Asher
Posted on September 6, 2010 at 5:31pmI’m a writer.
The lyrics to songs that are sung for such a long time shouldn’t be changed.
But, I do understand why the Teacher did it. Fun is kinda like Gay. He just wanted the kids to learn the song, not think about which kid in class is “gay”.
Report Post »Jynnipher
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 11:27pmI say stick with the original words of the song. I remember a rhyme as a child:
Monday’s child is fair of face.
Tuesdays’ child is full of grace.
Wednesday’s child is full or woe.
Thursday’s child has far to go.
Friday’s child is loving and giving.
Saturday’s child works hard for his living.
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good, and gay.
I’m teaching my son this as one of the many rhymes he hears at bedtime, should we freak out and change the words on this one as well? I mean this could imply a child born on a Wednesday is full of woe and it could hurt their self-esteem…over-reaction isn’t good, it drew attention to something that didn’t need attention.
Report Post »iatoala
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 9:25pmIt’s really kind of shallow for people to identify themselves by their sexual preference. If you want to see natural come on down to my barn you will never, EVER see 2 Stud horses getting it on. It just wont happen. Screw who you want just don’t flaunt it in my face. If people would just mind their own business and learn to keep secrets this world would be a much quieter place. And we should Honor each other as created beings of the Lord God look for the good. That is the Cristian life.
Report Post »hansenjh
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 11:57pm@Iatoala
So if someone asks you if you are gay or straight, you tell them you don‘t define yourself by your sexuality because you aren’t shallow like that. You just leave them wondering, right? Oh please. And you never hold your wife’s hand in public or give her a little kiss at dinner on a romantic date. And I’m sure you never talk about her with your co-workers and friends. Good for you for not flaunting your sexuality!
Report Post »iatoala
Posted on September 3, 2010 at 8:25amI‘ve never been asked if I’m gay or straight.And you are absolutely right I don’t define myself by a preference in sexual partners or their gender. I certainly feel I’m much bigger than that. And frankly I don’t care if people are “wondering” about my sexual orientation and believe it or not I don’t care about yours. I choose not to discuss my personal life with just anyone and of course my friends and co-workers would know me well enough that they would not have to label me or me label myself by my sexuality. The whole question is can you have opposite sexual preferences and still operate in society with out labeling yourself. It is shallow and controversial to label yourself by sexuality why not your profession? And thank you for your commending me on my ability not to flaunt my sexuality, I find it not difficult at all.
Report Post »HuckabeeGingrich12
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 8:39pm@HANSENJH
Oh, so it’s not an “abomination”, “sick”, or “unnatural” for a man to stick his penis into another man’s anus? I ask this rhetorically, but not out of hate or arrogance. I’m just as much of a sinner as any homosexual. The difference between them and me is that I do not take PRIDE in my sins; I am ashamed of them.
Notice the first thing listed which God hates. GASP! God hates? Yes God hates:
Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Report Post »17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
hansenjh
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 11:50pm@Huckabee
That is exactly what I’m saying. Is it any less “abominable”, “sick”, or “unnatural” for a man to stick his penis in a woman’s anus? Straight couples do it all the time, and they seem to find it pleasurable. I’m guessing you would vote to have straight marriages annulled when the couple commit such despicable acts? Some states classify oral sex as sodomy, should we jail straight couples who engage in such low behavior?
It is nobody’s business what goes on in the bedroom between two consenting adults, especially the government’s! The bible also calls eating shellfish “abominable” and instructs women to go sleep in a separate tent when it is their time of the month, so I think you are just picking and choosing the verses that you find convenient. Everybody loves a scapegoat.
Report Post »Huckabee Gingrich 12
Posted on September 3, 2010 at 12:53am@HANSENJH
Now you’re speaking not only for every straight couple, but also for me? Wise up.
I made no presumptions concerning you or anyone else. I merely pointed out how sick and wrong it is for a man to stick his penis into another man’s anus. It”s not “gay”, it’s queer. And when straight married couples do it, it’s also sick and wrong, but legal, in that, they’re not commiting adultery, or fornication. When I say legal, I mean it in a broader scope than the U.S. Code Annotated. I mean God’s Natural Laws, which prohibit homosexuality on the grounds that two men (or two women) together cannot naturally fulfill their designated purpose, i.e., multiplying. And while I’m on a rant here, I want to throw in that prostitution is NOT the world’s oldest profession. That distinction belongs to LANDSCAPERS (see Genesis 2:15). But I severely digress.
Report Post »StephenR70
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 8:37pmI was afraid that the only song the kids sing in school anymore was “MMM…MMM…MMM….Barack Hussein Obama….MMM…MMM…MMM.” I’m just glad to hear they are still singing other songs, gay or otherwise.
Report Post »Juan Cadiz
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 7:26pmUsed to sing a song called “Three Caballeros”. We’re three caballeros, three gay caballeros. Whazzup with that?
Report Post »tharris
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:19pm“If you are too immature or sensitive to get past a simple word, then plug your ears for a few minutes.”
Many of you are missing the point. OF COURSE they’re too immature. We’re talking about elementary students. YES, this is a great teaching opportunity and YES our students should know that this word has two meanings but adults who say that kids should just “get over it” haven’t hung around with 5- 10 year old lately.
As a music teacher I struggle with this song and a few others. I KNOW that they have context and in context have important relevance… however, if given the chance, I‘ll find a different song to teach the same musical concept so I don’t have to spend 1/2 of my time stiffling the giggles and glances to see if anyone wants to giggle with them. I LOVE signing this song, but really, I haven‘t sung it with my students because it’s just not worth an uninformed/unknowledgeable parent’s rampage when their child breaks into song at home. Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport!
StephenR70
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 8:44pmI nominate THARRIS as the most experienced and reasonable reply to this article!
Report Post »tharris
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:13pm“If you are too immature or sensitive to get past a simple word, then plug your ears for a few minutes.”
Report Post »I think many of you are missing the point!!!! we’re talking about elementary students. OF COURSE
RealityCheck
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:03pmI’d like to know, when did people become so interested in who or what a person chooses to have sex with ? I can understand wanting tax breaks and so forth which married couples have but this whole you must accept my sex life is absurd. I don’t condone violence or ridicule for people with that choice, but I also could care less about your sex life.
Report Post »Nalora
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 3:15pmArgh. So we are going to strip every word from any secondary definitions now?
Report Post »garylee123
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 2:23pmWe’ve been getting commercials here about the word “gay”. Usually someone calling something gay and getting pounced on by a bystander saying you can’t use that word for that. How would you like it if someone said that’s so teenager with the pimply face or some other nonsense. Then ending the commercial with “knock it off!!!”. Well…..Why don’t they knock it off? They hijacked the word in the first place. And by the way, when I’m having a private conversation and someone comes up and starts berating me, they better be prepared to be embarrassed. But this is the world of PC and it is destroying us. Don’t worry, be gay.
Report Post »umcanes
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 2:01pmI remember singing that song in elementary school (way back in the day) and never gave that line a second thought. There’s also a line in the song that goes “Merry, merry king of the bush is he.” Come to think of it, they may have to get rid of the song altogether… ;-(
Report Post »saneromeo
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 6:43pmHA!
Report Post »Narya
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 11:07amThe use of the word gay as meaning happy has simply become archaic. I can’t find a single fault with the Principal of a school simply finding it easier to maintain control over a classroom by changing “gay” to what it’s intent is in the song. He didn’t change the song meaning…the words meaning over time has changed. Ridiculous that anyone would blow this so out of porportion. I bet none of those people have spent any real time alone in room with a bunch of seven and eight year olds.
Report Post »SeekerofTruth
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 1:49pmNarya, I think you hit the nail on the head with your statement about spending time in a room full of 7-8 yr olds!!! LOL I can just picture the pandemonium in that room!!!
Yes, somebody blew it out of proportion just be PC. I am sooooooo sick of PC, it’s not even funny anymore.
Report Post »Waiting4George
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 10:01amYes, but we must not hurt the feelings of Gay Kookaburras so we will hum at the word “happy”….
Report Post »Statesman
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 8:15amThe word Gay has been hijacked by the homosexuals and it’s too bad. There was a time when you wouldn’t here about these people in polite society. Now they are being forced on our children and they are being told it’s somehow normal. In the beginning God didn’t create Adam and Steve.
Report Post »I’m sick to damn death of Liberals using scare tactics, threats, and name calling to get their way. Conservatives out number them two to one we need to grow some guts and stand up for what we believe is right and not let these tactics sway us ever.
Wereallthesame
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 9:52pmim sorry you feel that way. but i will say we did not hijack the word gay it was imposed on us as the original derogatory term for homosexual all we did was roll with it to make it socially acceptable. ill pray for you statesman.
Report Post »Bronson
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 8:07am@JJ Coolay- I am not gay so I can not know for sure. But that really want the crux of my post.
Report Post »Bronson
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 8:42am*wasnt
Report Post »Marc Jacobs
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 7:16amThis makes sense…… While visiting Washington, DC for Restoring Honor Rally, my family visited the National Air and Space Museum by Dulles Airport, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. There we saw the original ENOLA GAY. The Enola Gay is a B-29 bomber that dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima during World War II. I suppose, by the time I revisit Washington, DC – this aircraft will be renamed the ENOLA FUN. It doesn’t sound quite right – but at least no one will snicker and laugh when they see the plane in the future.
Report Post »jesusismygunner
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 12:05pmYeah, but that use of Gay was a proper name. Different context.
Frankly I don’t see a problem here. The song wasn‘t written in the 1990’s so the language used should be preserved. If you are too immature or sensitive to get past a simple word, then plug your ears for a few minutes.
Report Post »tharris
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:12pmAdd your comments
Report Post »Bronson
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 7:15amI have often wondered how the word “gay” came to be equated with the homosexual/lesbian lifestyle. I have a couple of friends that are gay. They are intelligent and educated. They are industrious and hard working. However I can not say they seem overly happy with their lives. I have thought a great deal on what it must be like for them. Lets face it, true love is hard enough to find with the advantages of male/female biology. Then add in the significantly higher chance of AIDS and other STDs and it turns into a game of Russian Roulette.
Some say homosexuality is a choice and others say that a person is born that way. Being heterosexual I just do not know for sure. But I can say that they don’t seem all that “gay” to me. It seems they are more dolorous than anything else.
JJ Coolay
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 7:55amHow could it not be a choice?
Our Creator did not make us with an inherent attraction towards the same sex.
hansenjh
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 12:41pm@JJ Coolay- if we go by your logic, you like both guys and girls, but one day made the choice to only like the opposite sex? Somehow I doubt it. I’m guessing like most people, you hit puberty and your sex drive kicked in and you found yourself attracted to women. I wouldn’t call that a choice, anymore than a gay or lesbian found themselves oriented towards the same gender as they matured sexually.
Report Post »hansenjh
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 1:05pm@Bronson. Yep, there’s plenty of reasons why gays and lesbians might not be happy all the time. People on sites like this one call them “abominations”, “sick”, “unnatural”, etc., then fight to have them fired from their jobs, kicked out of their homes, kept from visiting their loved ones in the hospital, and attacked in the streets. Who wouldn’t be happy all of the time when treated this way? I’ve heard conservatives say that homosexuality should be a crime punishable by jail time (heck why not hang em like they do in Iraq). Rather than encouraging them to find a partner and settle down, conservatives vehemently fight to break up their relationships and prevent any sort of legal recognition. They mock the very idea that a same-sex couple could love and care for each other. Maybe, just maybe, your gay friends might be happier and less dolorous around you if they didn’t feel constantly under attack. At the same time, I‘m amazed at the humor and warmth I’ve seen from the gay community considering the obstacles conservatives place in their path at every opportunity.
Report Post »StupidWindmill
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 2:00pm@HANSENJH
Amen.
Report Post »umrebel1991
Posted on September 3, 2010 at 3:55pmIf you believe in God, as most people do, then you cannot believe that people are born homosexual. The Bible says it is an abomination in the eyes of the Lord, so why would He allow people to be born that way? He wouldn’t, so the only other option is that it is a choice.
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:57amAs a man who has a “gay” brother. I can say…he is anything but gay. He is a miserable, bitter and lonely person. He was once a happy young man until he got in to the homosexual lifestyle. The sickness of homosexuality is a horrible thing to watch take over a man’s life…I have seen it first hand.
Report Post »zanemcm
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 7:44amExactly…it’s an abomination…not a lifestyle.
Freelancer
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 10:24amI have several “gay” family members both immediate and extended. They are ALL miserable people. I don’t mean that they are nasty, just that they are very unhappy overall with life. They are all out of the “closet” yet they have NO joy in their lives whatsoever. While they claim to be proud and gay, when you actually sit down and talk to them, they never smile and rarely, if ever, have a nice thing to say about anything. I can’t imagine living like that.
StupidWindmill
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 1:57pmQuite the opposite I have seen.
Only when the “came out the closet” they realized they had no reason to be sad or angry anymore.
basskids
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 2:11pmI agree. My daughter got caught up in this, mostly I think out of a desire to belong to something. It started when some of her friends joined a Gay Club in High School and went down hill from there. I love my daughter, but ever since that time, she has been unhappy, gone from relationship to relationship, life is full of drama, her career goals disappeared, and now she is on what I consider to be a dark road in other areas of her life. The gay lifestyle, politics, etc. dominate her thoughts and actions. It has consumed her. There is no light, no joy. I love her and my heart breaks for her.
Report Post »LaterMuchLater
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 10:02pmThe reason why there is no joy in their lives is that joy comes from God. When you chose to sin, be it homosexual practices, murder, lying, stealing, etc., you are cutting yourself off from God and therefor from the joy of the Lord.
Report Post »JJ Coolay
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:55amHere’s an idea.. how about instead of avoiding the subject, you actually tell them what the meaning of the word is?? You know: Jovial, happy. Not really too difficult to tell that to a group of kids.
Report Post »scootydoo
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 7:29amI totally agree. Just tell the kids that the word means happy and not the other meaning. It’s too bad that we have to second guess ourselves when using a word because of a somebodies lifestyle choice. The word gay means happy just like the rainbow is a thing of beauty and not a sign used to show lifestyle choice. Do you think the homosexuals chose the rainbow as a slap in the face to God? Just a thought.
JJ Coolay
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 7:51amYep.
Report Post »Susan09
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 3:54amFirst of all the word Gay has been Substituted for Homosexual Life style, The word “GAY” is actually a meaning for “Happy” Like He is a very Gay(happy) person. Poor choice for the Community of homosexual and lesbian lifestyle they have lived first in secrecy because of having been known as an abomination to begin with according to The Scripture. It has been man that has changed and removed words and replaced with another. The word “Fun” is fine People have fun playing Basketball soccer, cards, and just being with friends, most would say that Having fUN creates Much Gayity (happiness ) for anyone. I cannot say that many homosexual (Gay’s) have all that much Fun or Find Happiness when they find one of their own has been murdered because of their Sexual preferances. Or Death comes to their Partner because of Desease. The controversy about Same sex marriage should tell some body something about what is truth and lie right and wrong, a good thing and a bad thing. then again we all have a right to sin even when this abomination is so plainly stated in the Holy Scripture, There is an unforgivable sin. Look this up sometime. I have never agreed with the Lifestyle I would never murder someone because of it though. They too shall stand before God someday.
Report Post »srmuel
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:04amSusan although i agree with most of what you say i must urge you towards the use of spell check on your personal computer for the sake of the children reading this thread. Please be assured that it’s fine to capitalize words like “God” and other words beginning a sentence.
“Or Death comes to their Partner because of Desease.”
From an educated conservative with homosexual family members i find this “sentence” particularly offensive and beg you to reconsider your homophobic views.
Thank you and God bless
saneromeo
Posted on September 5, 2010 at 6:42pmThe ONLY unforgiveable sin in the bible is the sin of not accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour….We ALL have sin in our life, and to God one sin is as sinful as any other (except the aforementioned rejection of His son)
Report Post »Daragon29
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 3:26amLOL you gotta be f’in me. I am all for everyone having equal rights and all but there is just a point you have to say “Really?”
Report Post »BrentW
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 3:21amIn my previous comment should have said “West Side Story”. BIG OOPS
Report Post »Asher
Posted on September 6, 2010 at 5:28pmSorry. I replied to the first one without reading the rest. Please don’t be mad at me.
Report Post »BrentW
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 3:19amBetter change that “I Feel Pretty” song in “My Fair Lady” too.
Report Post »Asher
Posted on September 6, 2010 at 5:27pmActually, that song isn’t in “My Fair Lady” – but was written by Sodenheim for “West Side Story”. *lol*
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