A group of parents in a southern Illinois town is protesting
the exchange of Valentine's Day cards between students of the same sex.
The parents warn that students who give Valentines to their same sex
peers are undermining the sanctity of the February celebration.
Parents decry 'heartless' attack on traditional family values
By Cole Walters, Education Correspondent
MT VERNON, IL—Christopher Biggins has been working on his Valentine's Day cards since last week. The 6-year-old, who attends the Buford Elementary School in this southern Illinois town, hand addressed 23 envelopes—12 to the girls in his class, 11 to the boys—and signed his name to cards bearing messages like "you're cool," "I like you," and "let's be friends."
But then Christopher's family got word that some parents here are planning a Valentine's Day protest. Their issue: the exchange of Valentines between students of the same sex. Giving cards and candy to their same sex peers, say the parents, constitutes an attack on traditional family values and undermines the sanctity of the February 14 celebration.
One boy, one girl
"We couldn't believe it when we got the news," says Christopher's mother, Elise Biggins, who works part-time as a bookkeeper in nearby Marion. "These are first graders. How can it undermine someone else's Valentine's Day to have them giving each other cards?"
The Bigginses decided that rather than risk attracting the ire of the protesting parents, Christopher wouldn't hand out any Valentines this year. "We gave him a choice between only giving Valentines to the girls or not handing out any and he decided to give it a pass this year," says Elise Biggins. "Can you blame him?"
No same sex VD
Mary Ann Boone is one of the organizers of the Valentine's Day protest. She said that she had never really thought about just how offensive it is that girls and boys often exchange Valentine's with their same sex peers—until this year. "It just hit me all of a sudden that this is something that really undermines traditional family values," says Boone. While Boone's daughter Rebecca, who attends third grade at Buford Elementary, will be bringing Valentine's cards to school today, she will be distributing them only to the boys in her class.
To make their point, Boone, along with 15 like-minded friends and neighbors, plans to spend much of today demonstrating in front of Buford Elementary, a 1940's era brick school building on the west side of Mt. Vernon. Armed with signs that read "have a heart," "respect family values," and "no same sex VD," the parents are hoping that they can win over the hearts and minds of the students who go to school here—before it's too late.
"This is how it starts, with one little girl giving another little girl a Valentine," says Boone. "But before you know it, you've got serious problems."
A tarnished celebration
Boone's friend Michelle Nardullis says that she was originally planning to sit out the protest, as she has no children of her own. But she changed her mind, says Nardullis, after she realized what the exchange of same sex Valentines meant to her own celebration of the annual tribute to cupid.
"This is one of the biggest days of the year for me, second only to my wedding anniversary," says Nardullis. "I'm expecting at least a dozen roses, maybe even a piece of jewelry. What does it say about my Valentine's Day when school kids of the same sex are giving each other cards?"
Can this holiday be saved?
Officials at the elementary school say that they're now considering banning all future celebrations of Valentine's Day in the classroom in order to avoid offending parents to whom the exchange of same sex Valentines is offensive.
"We've already eliminated peanuts from the school cafeteria to accommodate children with food allergies," says Assistant Principal Cathy McGovern, noting that the Mt. Vernon school board will soon consider a measure banning cupcakes and cookies in an effort to combat obesity in the schools.
"Valentine's Day is a nice tradition," says McGovern. "But we don't want to end up undermining our families just so kids can give each other cards."
this is ridiculous!! so what young children don't exactly know what "be my valentine" means.. people are turning this into something it is NOT! and besides alot of valentines day card say for a friend or something along those lines! some people have ALOT of growing up to do! let your children have fun and be kids! be a real parent and get s damn life stop being so worried as to how your children "turnout" even if for some reason they decide to be gay is that going to make you love them any less!! they r your children and when they r old enough they will make their own flippin choices!
Posted by: Natasha | February 11, 2009 at 10:21 AM
come on people its obvious!!! they just want 15 minutes of fame.... we are writing comments about it.... i think they got what they wanted!!!! if not then they are wrong for acting this way..... they dont want their children to get the wrong impression about vday then what kind of impression are they giving them????
Posted by: melissa | February 19, 2008 at 12:28 PM
I'm amazed at this comment trail.
IT'S SATIRE, PEOPLE. READ THE REST OF THE BLOG BEFORE YOU FREAK.
Posted by: Taylor G. | February 17, 2008 at 07:17 AM
Doctors should have, should not have the permission to end the life of a terminally ill patient
Posted by: mechanical | October 16, 2007 at 06:24 PM
I live in Mt. Vernon, IL.
This article is completely false, satire if you wish.
None of the people are real, they are as maded up as this story.
Buford is for 4th and 5th Grade students only.
Just goes to show all you people who commented, that people in So. IL should grow up, that you cant believe everything you need, not even on the Internet.
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
Posted by: LadyJay76 | February 05, 2007 at 06:40 PM
I never saw Valentine's Day referred to by its initials before.
Posted by: Freddy the Shreddder | March 05, 2006 at 08:09 PM
I am SO glade you are back. So, how was Abugrabe? How did the brain-washing go? Don't worry the burn-marks will go away in little while... mostly. It is nice that you are one of us now. ;-)
---" and the word of the lord say's if a man lay with another man let him be put to death. It says nothing about "laying little boys" so what is wrong with teaching kids early? wink wink, the Priest said"...
Posted by: Mark Oort | March 02, 2006 at 02:22 AM
Wow! There I was thinking that you were all sucked up in the Rapture, and (a) I missed it, and (b) I wasn't included!
Praise be to Gaia that your hiatus was of only temporary duration.
By the way, most of my queer friends became queer after receiving same-sex Valentine's Day cards in days of yore. 'Specially the females, who received the "Lezzbe friends" cards.
Oh, the humanity!
Posted by: Kaboom | February 19, 2006 at 03:18 AM
Glad you're back!
Posted by: Seen and Heard | February 18, 2006 at 11:32 PM
THIS STORY IS A HOAX! I emailed a link of this story to a staff person at the Mt. Vernon Illinois school system and this was their response:
"I don't know where this is but it isn't here
First of all, our Buford School is for 4th and 5th grade not 6 year olds.That would be our Primary School and we don't have anyone named Cathy
McGovern."
Posted by: FYI | February 16, 2006 at 08:05 AM
Good to see you back! Thanks for the many good laughs. Hope all is OK with Deanna.
Posted by: News Junkie | February 16, 2006 at 04:07 AM
Welcome back! I've missed the mordant (sometimes) skewering of the Bushpigs and their ultra-religious acolytes.
Hope you can keep blogging.
Nemo
Posted by: Nemo | February 15, 2006 at 01:18 PM
Once again the WANTS of the few outweigh the needs of the many. When will it end? I can't say a prayer at a ball game because some jerk is offended, I can't put up a tree at my office because someone who isn't Christian might be offended. Where is my God given right to do whatever I WANT TO DO? If you don't like something on TV, don't watch it, if you don't like a certain book, don't read it, if you don't want to say a prayer, keep your mouth shut, if you don't want your kid to give out Valentine's cards, then make sure he/she doesn't, but don't push your narrow minded BULLSHIT off on the rest of us.
Posted by: Edna Taylor | February 15, 2006 at 11:18 AM
What utter, stupid bullshit! These idiots are seeking to preserve the "sanctity" of the holiday. Since when is valentine's Day a religious holiday? It's a day made up by Madison Avenue and candy and flower companies. It's not a real holiday. These dmmies are taking something that's purely innocent among elemntary school children and projecting their own hang-ups, perversions and biases upon it.
Posted by: West_Grand_Baby | February 14, 2006 at 01:35 AM
Outrageous - I hope the school defends its right to promote free love against this aggressive heterosexuality. It seems like the parents want to groom their children for the hetero lifestyle.
I say VD for all orientations!
Posted by: JohnKerry | July 04, 2005 at 03:55 PM
This sounds about right for the folks in So. IL worried about an holiday and young kids giving cards to the same sex. Why dont you people in IL get a life. SpinDentist you got the right Idea, maybe her mother is a whore
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Posted by: lobinos | May 16, 2005 at 06:51 PM
Calm down, people. Take a look around the site. It is completely satirical.
Posted by: NK | February 28, 2005 at 03:18 PM
STUPID STUPID STUPID. Innocence is being taken away from these children. Children have exchanged cards with chidren of the same sex for years and years without any damaging effects on "traditional family values". I know I did when I was a child and it didn't harm my values what-so-ever.
Posted by: Penny | February 24, 2005 at 09:15 AM
"...the parents are hoping that they can win over the hearts and minds of the students who go to school here—before it's too late."
WTF?!
First of all, too late for WHAT? These parents are only training their children that a loving exchange between two same-sexes is wrong. I'm hetero and all, but it's ridiculous to take away a party from 6-year-olds.
Second, my memories of "V Day" are mainly of making the best cards for my closest friends--boy or girl. We were required, in my classes, to give cards to everyone, not just the people you liked. If that were the case I probably would not have gotten many cards. The warmest ones were always from my friends who were girls as well. And the cards from the boys were often crossed out. I recall one that specifically said "Disregard the card"... from a boy. Yeah, receiving cards from boys only is a great esteem boost for a 6-year-old girl. Better than allowing your kids to make a sexual connection with signing a piece of cardboard with cartoons and colors.
F*ck, y'all, seriously.
Posted by: CB | February 21, 2005 at 06:46 PM
"To make their point, Boone, along with 15 like-minded friends and neighbors, plans to spend much of today demonstrating in front of Buford Elementary, a 1940's era brick school building on the west side of Mt. Vernon. Armed with signs that read "have a heart," "respect family values," and "no same sex VD," the parents are hoping that they can win over the hearts and minds of the students who go to school here—before it's too late."
____________________________
Before it's TOO LATE? Too late for what? These children might grow up to be bisexual serial killers!? This sounds to me like it's a joke, or hoax, and can be found on the Urban Legends Reference pages. I hope so, because if it's not, the mom who rallied this, has some serious issues of her own, but I doubt that it all started with Valentines Day.
Posted by: Jane | February 21, 2005 at 12:30 AM
What a bunch of whining crybabies. I guess you could consider me a homophobic, because I am truly against homosexuality. I believe it is against my Christian morals. However, I don't feel that kids giving other kids Valentines cards, especially at that age, is giving them wrong ideas. I think it is teaching them to love one another !!!
Posted by: Glen | February 19, 2005 at 11:36 PM
I am a Christian....I give my best friend a Valentines Card every year...always have...always will. What is the most important part of being a Christian...LOVE...read ICorinthians 13....Lets not turn loving our friends and family into something sexual and wrong. Read your Bible
Posted by: Cindy | February 18, 2005 at 10:28 AM
Giving valentines in elementary grades was about how many cards you received and how many friends you could say you had and most of your friends were of the same gender. I could totally understand why the little boy in the story opted out altogether. Why would he want to give cards only to icky girls with cooties and not his real buds???
Orwelian P.C. idiocity!!!!!
Posted by: Denice | February 17, 2005 at 01:34 PM
Wow.
Unless the kids are giving the cards AND THEN BOINKING, I see no room for this objection.
Of all the...
Posted by: Scix | February 17, 2005 at 05:47 AM
This story seems to me to be obviously a spoof. There are some folks crazy enough to mount such a protest, but most of them are living in institutions. BTW, most of the "history" people are citing for Valentines Day is folklore.
Posted by: Isaac Bonewits | February 16, 2005 at 09:14 PM