Is Michaelangelo’s statue of David pornographic?
Is it appropriate for 6th graders to view it in an art history class in a school with a classical education?   
Should parents be notified beforehand that David will be viewed by their kids?
What role do parents have in the decision of what is taught?

Those are some questions that come out of the situation in a Florida school in which the Principal was asked to resign after some parents complained that their children were shown an image of Michelangelo’s masterpiece.  

I assume they didn’t like the fact that Michaelangelo revealed that David has a penis. Not sure what the big deal is. About 50% of us have one. Basic anatomy. Most 6th graders know that.  

Denise, my wife, and I were fortunate to see David in person, and, yes, we also saw his penis. But honestly, that is not what stood out to us. What did? Size.

• “My what BIG hands you have!” David’s hands are way out of proportion with the rest of his body, which do not support the “Big hands indicate big penis” theory. So why did Michelangelo make David with huge hands? Some say it was because the statue was originally to be placed on the roof of the Cathedral of Florence. That perspective would make the proportions appear more normal. Others say it referred to David’s nickname, “strong hand.”

• The statue is huge - 17 ft tall. But the message to me is what Micelangelo did with what he had. Michelangelo looked at a 20-foot-tall piece of marble that had been discarded by two other sculptors as unusable and said, “There’s a dude in there. I’m going to find him.” With a chisel and a hammer he did. It is one of the most amazing things anyone could see. In addition to the awe of the work itself, there is this bit of inspiration: when we feel thrown away as unusable, remember Michaelangelo and that block of marble.  

In an interview with Slate, Barney Bishop, School Board Chair defended asking for the Principal’s resignation by stating that it wasn’t about the David sculpture. “We don’t have any problem showing David,” he said. “You have to tell the parents ahead of time and they can decide.”  

There were other factors. In an interview with Huffpost, Mr. Bishop said, "Parental rights trump everything else. They didn't like the woke indoctrination that was going on.”

The School Board Chair didn’t explain why a classical school studying a classical work of art would be “woke.”  

“You don’t have to show the whole statue,” Mr. Bishop said. “Show the head. The hands. The muscles, the beautiful work Michelangelo did in marble without showing the whole thing.”

So, it must be about the penis. Right? Would you agree that what parents found offensive about Michelangelo’s David was his exposed penis? 

So, let’s not expose our kids to what Michelangelo exposed. Penises. 

I started this article with a series of questions. Here are a couple of more: 
Should we give the Bible to 6th graders?
Should we ask parents’ permission before giving their children a Bible?  

Phillip, why do you ask that? Of course we should give the Bible to all children.  
And no, we don’t need to ask parents’ permission!

But what if one night, in the stillness and solitude of their room, your child opens up their Bible and randomly opens it to Ezekiel 20:23, which reads: 

“She remembered her lover with a penis like a donkey and a flood of semen like a horse.”  

Yes, that verse is in the Good Book. That verse is in the Bible which lays on your child’s bedside table.  

If one is opposed to Michelangelo’s David for children, should that one also be opposed to the Bible for children? 

“Well,” you might respond, “We have to explain the context of the verse and its meaning within that context,” and you’d be right. (But, how many parents actually know that verse exists, much less the context of that verse?)

Why then would we not allow the teacher to explain the context of Michelangelo’s David.  

Is it possible that our teachers have a better grasp of the subject matter than we’d like to admit? 

Before we react to what goes on in the classroom, let’s take a breath. Let’s listen. Let’s seek to understand. Yes, we have a voice. But let’s use our voice to promote inclusion, safety, justice, and love. It just may be that in that environment, real learning will take place.