Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Concord-Carlisle High School's “Falsettos” Promotes Polyamory, Bisexuality and Homosexuality



Concord-Carlisle High School is promoting a take-down of family values on Thanksgiving Day – engineered by Mr. Peter Atlas, an old friend of Kevin Jennings (Obama’s “Safe Schools czar” and founder of GLSEN).



Peter Atlas, Concord-Carlisle High School 
Math Teacher and Gay Activist 
[photo: Boston Globe]

A few years back, we reported on Concord-Carlisle High School’s disgraceful hosting of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus on Palm Sunday. Now they’re at it again. Under the direction of perennial gay-activist CCHS math teacher Peter Atlas, CCHS students are performing “Falsettos in December -- a musical pushing polyamory, bisexuality and homosexuality. Community residents are very concerned about the production’s vulgar sexuality and anti-family message. Not content with inflicting this on the community in the weeks before Christmas, the school has added a sneak preview scheduled on Thanksgiving Day

A few words on Mr. Atlas. An ally of GLSEN founder/Obama “Safe Schools czar” Kevin Jennings, both Atlas and Jennings were young gay activist teachers in Concord, Massachusetts in the 1990s. Atlas was a board member of GLSEN Boston in the 90’s.  Atlas followed the GLSEN playbook and “came out” at CCHS in 1993 in the student newspaper. He was the original adviser to Spectrum, the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club at the CCHS.

Peter Atlas, the advisor to SPECTRUM, came out by publishing a letter in his school's newspaper on National Coming Out Day. His motivation was twofold: First, he did it for the students. "It was an attempt to alleviate some of the fear, shame, loneliness, and despair of kids in the high school today that I also felt as a closeted teen." And second, he did it for himself and other staff members. "It takes much more energy to be closeted than it does to come out." He explained. "All of the energy I used in worrying that I would say the wrong thing is now freed up to do other things. I think I'm a much more effective teacher now on many levels." He said that after coming out, "I got tremendous support which surprised me.

He’s also behind a pro-homosexual teachers’ coalition there: 

Peter Atlas, a teacher at Concord-Carlisle High School, said that his school has formed a committee on Gay and Lesbian Student Safety. The committee has two faculty sub-groups in addition to the Gay/Straight Alliance. One sub-group deals with issues of Curriculum and Support by addressing ways that teachers can integrate gay and lesbian issues into the curriculum and offering faculty training, gathering resources. The second sub-group deals with Outreach to the Community by looking at ways to solicit resources and help from the community and to address concerns of the community and parents.

We’ve heard that he gave a speech at a recent CCHS commencement where he talked about “queering” math (his subject). Two years ago, the Boston Globe revealed he offers matchmaking advice to “gay” teens: 

Peter Atlas, the former adviser of Concord-Carlisle's Spectrum group, says that, increasingly, gay kids who turn up at his classroom aren't only asking questions about coming out and getting support. "They want to know where they can meet boys!" he says with a laugh.

Now Mr. Atlas is queering the school's theatre department with "Falsettos". Synopsis from Wikipedia:
It's 1979 in New York City, and Marvin, his son Jason, his psychiatrist Mendel and his male lover Whizzer are Four Jews In A Room Bitching (well, technically, Whizzer's only "half Jewish"). Marvin steps forward to explain his situation: He has left his wife, Trina, for Whizzer, but Marvin wants A Tight-Knit Family and is attempting to forge a new family situation with the addition of Whizzer, a situation no one is happy with.
Trina, on Marvin’s recommendation, pays a visit to Mendel where she wearily wonders how her life has turned out this way. Mendel, who is instantly attracted to her, tries to console her, telling her that Love is Blind. Meanwhile, Marvin and Whizzer comment on their relationship: the two have very little in common, apart from the fact that they both love fighting and are insanely attracted to each other. Both worry that The Thrill of First Love is wearing off.

Here’s a sampling of “Falsettos” song titles:
·      My Father’s a Homo
·      Everyone Hates His Parents
·      Days Like This I Almost Believe in God
·      Four Jews in a Room Bitching

And a quick look at some “Falsettos” lyrics:

My father’s a homo
My mother’s not thrilled at all
Father homo:
What about chromo-
Some?
Do they carry?
Will they carry?
Who’s the homo now?
My father said that one day I’ll grow to be president
And that idea’s not so wild
I don’t live the life of a normal child
‘Cause I’m too smart for my own good
And I’m too good for my sorry little life
My mother’s no wife
And my father’s no man
No man at all

We are manipulating people and we need to know
Our worst sides aren't ignored.
We charge ahead to show--
MENDEL: We're good in bed.
(WHIZZER puts his hand on MENDEL's shoulder.)
WHIZZER: Excel in bed.
(MARVIN puts his hand on WHIZZER's shoulder.)
MARVIN: We smell in bed.
(WHIZZER puts his hand on MARVIN's. JASON picks up the bed and hides it behind his back.)
JASON: Where is the bed?
MENDEL: I love the bed. …
Four Jews in a room bitching (wheee!)
Four Jews talking like Jew-ish men
I'm neurotic, he's neurotic,
They're neurotic, we're neurotic.
Bitch bitch bitch bitch
Funny funny funny funny.

Well, the situation’s this
It’s not tough to comprehend
I divorced my wife
I left my child
And I ran off with a friend
But I want a tight-knit family
I want a group that harmonizes
I want my wife and kid and friend
To pretend
Time will mend
Our pain.
So I make them interact
So I don’t go by the book
We all eat as one-
Wife, friend, and son-
And I sing out as I cook
“I want a tight-knit family.
I hope you all enjoy linguine.
Talk till you hear the dinner bell.
Such a dear clientele.
I swear we’re gonna come through it.
I fear we’ll probably fight,
But nothing’s impossible.
Live by your wit-“
Kid, wife, and lover will have to admit
I was right
I cushioned the fall
I want it all
I want it all
I want it…

Love is Blind 
[Wife Trina & psychiatrist Mendel]
TRINA: 
Love is a mess
So’s my son, expressly to hurt me
Marvin, my ex-
You’ve seen him for years-
Told me over the phone to tell you my fears
Do you only treat queers?
MENDEL: 
Breathe deep, my dear
You’ll find me understanding
Your pain is a priori
Unfold you untold story
Now to break bread
Loosen your glands
Put your head in my hands
TRINA: 
I’m everything he wanted
It’s time I put it all together
The date was set
My father let my marry
I married. I…
Then Marvin came from work
Sat me down on the bed
He told me how he loved me
How needed, that thought valued me
I have…
MENDEL:  What?
MARVIN (as Trina mouths this): Syphilis
TRINA:  He said
MENDEL:  Good
TRINA:  I have
MENDEL:  Yes?
MARVIN (Trina mouths):  Syphilis
TRINA:  It’s true
MENDEL:  Good
TRINA:  I had something rotten
Which appears thought now it’s well forgo, an’
MARVIN:  Maybe, darling, so do you
TRINA:  Maybe, darling, so do you
TRINA (to Marvin):  I am probably diseased
MENDEL:  You’re a lovely girl
TRINA (to Marvin):  And so easily appeased
MENDEL:  What a lovely girl, though she’s probably diseased
TRINA:  He took pains to not excite us
He explains I’ve…
MARVIN:  Hepatitis
TRINA:  Too
MARVIN, JASON, AND WHIZZER:
Hepa hepa hepatitis hepatitis hepatitis
MENDEL:
Love is blind
Love can tell a million stories
Love’s unkind
Spiteful in a million ways

TRINA:
I’d like to be a princess on a throne
To have a country I can call my own
And a king
Who’s lusty and requires a fling
With a female thing
Great, men will be men
Let me turn on the gas
I saw them in the den with
Marvin grabbing Whizzer’s ass…
I only want to love a man who can love me
Or like me
Marvin was never mine
He took his meetings in the boy’s latrine
I used to cry
He’d make a scene
I’d rather die
Than dry-clean
Marvin’s wedding gown…