Parents send their children to school to get an education and open their mind to the possibilities of the world. They expect their children to come out well-rounded, intelligent individuals who can contribute vastly to society. What they don’t expect is for their children to be taught misogynistic lessons via signs in the school’s hallway.
A Houston school is making headlines after a Twitter user tweeted a photo of a quote the faculty had hanging in the hallway. Lisa Beckman shared the photo from Houston Independent School District’s Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, a school that houses students from pre-K-8th grade.
The quote reads:
“The more you act like a lady, the more he’ll act like a gentleman.”
Obviously, there is something severely wrong with this quote. Beckman tweeted:
This is the wall at Gregory-Lincoln Middle School in Houston ISD.
It's perpetuating horrible gender stereotypes, shaming women, and relinquishing boys of all responsibility. It's sexist, mysogonistic, and discriminatory!I'm horrified. @shannonrwatts #MeToo #HISD pic.twitter.com/UqjaDlI0ys
— Lisa Beckman (@lbeckman) August 17, 2018
Many people on Twitter were shocked and surprised to see that a school would actually hang this quote on a wall for everyone to see. Some claimed Beckman had photoshopped the picture for attention–but, she posted several photos to prove it was indeed real.
Here. Fixed it for you. pic.twitter.com/QvACYGoGrv
— lil’tweeter (@TweetsABitNow) August 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/LittmanTanya/status/1030941242912256002
Oh my. That is unbelievable. Someone tell me that's an old photo. A very very very old photo. Right?
— W A Schwartz MD (@WAnnaSchwartz) August 18, 2018
Ahhh the south. Fighting so hard to remain in the 1950s.
— cathy 🇺🇸zd🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@leadahorse2) August 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/ShannonConducts/status/1031005224130027520
You have good reason to be horrified. 😡
— Dave Hambleton (@virtualham) August 17, 2018
Another way to blame the victim.
— cathy 🇺🇸zd🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@leadahorse2) August 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/micricardo217/status/1031136477495717889
It’s terrible! Tries to make girls take responsibility for boys’ behaviour.
— Corgi Girl 🇨🇦🏈💚🐕 (@barblet30) August 18, 2018
Since the post went viral on Twitter and people began to complain about the quote, Beckman decided to write to the school board to have it removed. After seeing the reaction online and reading Beckman’s petition, the school district has decided to remove the quote.
According to the statement given to Houston Public Media:
The quote does not align with HISD values, and it will be taken down. The input of our community is invaluable, and we appreciate that this was brought to our attention.
The district has since replaced the quote with a new one–spoken by Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai:
