Gay W. Virginia high school soccer player comes out by dancing with homecoming king

It was something I thought I'd never do -- dance a slow dance with the homecoming king at his high school.

I am an 18-year-old senior all-state high school soccer goalie for Musselman High School in West Virginia. I also have been on the school's football, tennis and swim teams. And I am openly gay. Growing up in rural West Virginia, it's not the easiest place to be a gay teenager and it took me a long time to come out to myself and others.

We both started the dance with our female friends who were our "dates." The final song came on and Jem and I danced for a brief time. It was my first school event where I was with another guy, even though we came to the dance separately. I held his hand when we went to get refreshments and when we took breaks from dancing. It was a weird feeling for me, since I had just barely started coming out. I was nervous yet excited. After the dance we went to his house. That is where I asked him to be my boyfriend. I posed the question by writing it on the dry erase board on his wall. He quickly said yes.Yet there we were, Jem and I, on an October night this fall, slow dancing with each other. We attend schools in different counties and met through friends and I was thrilled that he asked me to his dance so we could be together. He was wearing his gray vest and pink bow tie while I had on my black shirt with a gold tie. We danced to "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, which was a perfect song for my first dance with a guy.

My homecoming dance at Musselman -- two weeks after the dance at Jem's school -- was the big moment I revealed being gay to my school. Jem was the date of girl at Musselman and her outside guest for the dance, while I went "alone." The girl knew Jem and I were together. I was on the homecoming court, which was a big honor and something I never thought would happen. Only some people knew about me before the homecoming, so it was a shocker for some seeing me dance with another guy.

Students Prevail Over Principal Who Blocked Efforts To Establish Gay-Straight Alliance

A high school principal who tried preventing students from establishing a Gay-Straight Alliance is eating his words this week.

Students at the Winfield High School in Putnam County, West Virginia had been lobbying to start a GSA alliance at their school for weeks. But principal Bruce McGrew, who has worked for Putnam County School District for over 20 years, blocked their efforts, saying “It’s not a subject to even discuss.”

In an interview with Charleston Gazette last week, he claimed a GSA would promote bullying.

“It would bring more problems to the issue of bullying and so forth if it were to occur,” he claimed. “Our job is to protect all kids from that.”

But not everyone agreed.

Teacher Steve Shamblin, who runs a GSA at a different high school, told the newspaper, “I get as many straight kids as gay kids, who just want to ask what they can do to help and make sure their friends aren’t bullied. It promotes tolerance at our school.”

Jennifer Meinig, executive director of West Virginia’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, went so far as to say denying students a GSA would be breaking federal law, citing the Equal Access Act, which states public schools must treat all extracurricular clubs fairly.

“I think that this proves how much the school needs a club like this,” Meinig said, “because it must be a hostile environment there for students if there are concerns about bullying. On top of that, it’s the legal thing to do. It’s important that these students have somewhere to go.”

So McGrew changed his argument. Rather than saying the club would promote bullying, he said there wasn’t a faculty member willing to sponsor it.

Refusing to take no for an answer, students launched a Change.org petition aimed at McGrew.

“A gay-straight alliance club (GSA) is a club that would provide support, acceptance, and a safe place for students at this school, especially members of the LGBTQ+ community,” the petition said. “The Equal Access Act (1980’s) requires public schools to treat all extracurricular clubs fairly. This club is not being treated fairly, and it should be approved.”

The petition garnered over 150 signatures and got the media’s attention. This ultimately prompted McGrew to reverse course. Within a day, he located a faculty member to oversee the group and gave the GSA the green light.

Jeff Haught, the school’s show choir director, will be the club’s sponsor.

Putnam County Schools spokeswoman Rudi Raynes told BuzzFeed News, “Everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs. I can’t speak for Mr. McGrew. We have to set aside personal beliefs and go with the law of the land. Our school district is very open to all the preferences of our students.”

We presume you meant “orientations” instead of “preferences,” Ms. Raynes but we’ll let it slide this time.

After it was announced the school would get a GSA, an update to the Change.org petition was made. It now says:

“GSA Club is a go!! … Thank you for all your support!!!”

Company Responsible for West Virginia Chemical Spill No-Shows Congressional Hearing

The entire fiasco that’s been the Freedom Industries chemical spill into the water source for thousands of West Virginia residents seems to get worse by the day.

It started with reports about the company not reporting the spill immediately.  Then questions about exactly what chemicals were spilled.  Then there was the classic press gathering where the president of Freedom Industries, Gary Southern, took a refreshing drink of bottled water while discussing the contamination of drinking water his company was responsible for.

Then I’m sure many of you heard about the company filing for bankruptcy shortly after the spill, more or less protecting them from lawsuits they would have undoubtedly faced.

Well now, when a Congressional hearing was being held concerning the spill, not a single person from Freedom Industries decided to show up.

You know, the company responsible for the damn chemical spill to begin with.

Republican Representative Shelley Moore Capito said, “I find that extremely telling.  Freedom Industries’ decision not to testify today compounds its gross misconduct, and is an absolute affront to every person impacted by its spill.”
But what I call this chemical spill is unregulated capitalism in action.  Heck, look at this situation.  With regulations, this company got away with this.  Do people really believe deregulating big corporations would cause fewer instances such as these?

You’re insane if you really believe that.

When asked by the Huffington Post for comment, Freedom Industries directed to them to their lawyer who issued a statement saying that no one from Freedom Industries showed up, “because the company is relatively small and we are focused exclusively on remediation of the spill.”

Right.

They didn’t show up because they’re cowards.  They undoubtedly know it was their mishandling and incompetence which led to this spill, and instead of showing up at this hearing to face the harsh questions concerning their incompetence – they decided not to go.

It’s ridiculous.  The company responsible for the chemical spill that led to these hearings refuses to show up?  And their “excuse” is that they’re just a small company focused on cleaning up the spill.

It’s something you would almost expect The Onion to write.  A story about a company that poisons the water for thousands of Americans deciding not to show up at the hearing because they basically didn’t want to.

Which might be a funny article, if it hadn’t really happened.
But the next time someone wants to talk about the “evils” of regulation and the “greatness” of deregulation, just point them to instances such as the chemical spill in West Virginia, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico or the plant explosion in West, Texas.  Because even with regulation these horrible accidents happened.  Without these regulations I can promise you we wouldn’t just see a few more of these accidents, we’d see many more and they’d be a lot worse.

West Virginia Governor On Safety Of Water Supply: ‘It’s Your Decision… I’m Not A Scientist’

Amid growing concerns over whether or not the water is actually safe for 300,000 West Virginians following a massive chemical spill into the water supply, the state’s governor said it was up to each of them to decide whether they use it.

“It’s your decision,” Gov. Tomblin told reporters at a press conference on Monday. “If you do not feel comfortable drinking or cooking with this water then use bottled water.”

“I’m not going to say absolutely, 100 percent that everything is safe,” Tomblin continued. “But what I can say is if you do not feel comfortable, don’t use it.”

On Saturday, the last of the ‘do not use’ bans were lifted, meaning all of West Virginia American Water’s customers were given the green light to use and drink their water. While state officials have maintained that a level of the coal-cleaning chemical mixture, known as crude MCHM, below 1 part per million is safe, the justification for that threshold has been called into question.

Of primary concern is the fact that it is still unclear what exactly spilled and whether or not the proper tests have been conducted. Crude MCHM is a mixture of six chemicals but only the pure form of the main ingredient, 4-MCHM, has been studied. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) set the 1 part per million threshold based on one study of 4-MCHM conducted by Eastman Chemical Company in 1991.

It figures....

I went on Google earth to check out the area where the WV spill occurred. Was not disappointed nor shocked by the ignorance. Freedom Industries: job killer.

Billboard text:
Obama's NO JOB ZONE
The President talks about creating jobs but his EPA is destroying jobs.

Stand up for coal jobs.

If you think this was Photoshopped, it was not. It was a screenshot taken in Google street view. Feel free to view it yourself 2237 Pennsylvania Avenue, Charleston, WV.

http://goo.gl/maps/vm7Vn

West Virginia Attorney General Files Motion to Defend State's Gay Marriage Ban in Court

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has filed a motion to intervene and defend the state's ban on same-sex marriage in a lawsuit challenging it, the AP reports: 

 

New York-based gay rights group Lambda Legal contends West Virginia’s Defense of Marriage Act violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Huntington in October on behalf of three same-sex couples and the child of one couple...

...Morrisey’s filing notes that state agencies enforce or otherwise execute the laws in question.

...Lambda Legal argues West Virginia’s ban unfairly discriminates against same-sex couples and their children. In addition to its own ban, the state doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages that occurred in other states. The organization says its clients are denied the legal sanction, societal respect, financial protections and other support that marriage gives to heterosexual couples.

The plaintiffs are partners Casie McGee and Sarah Adkins, and Justin Murdock and Will Glavaris, all of Huntington, and Nancy Michael and Jane Fenton, of St. Albans, and their son, Drew.

OKLAHOMA: Governor Might Sue To Block National Guard Benefits For Gays

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that he was ordering all National Guard units to comply with Pentagon policy regarding spousal benefits for gay soldiers. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin may go to court to stop him.

Alex Weintz, spokesman for Gov. Mary Fallin, said she “is working with Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to evaluate the legal options available to the Oklahoma National Guard.” Weintz stopped short of saying Oklahoma will refuse to follow Hagel’s order, but made it clear Fallin would not go along with it willingly. “Gov. Fallin is calling on President Obama and Secretary Hagel to stop using the National Guard as a pawn in a larger social agenda,” said Weintz. “The president has made it clear he supports gay marriage. He has the legal authority to order federal agencies to recognize gay marriages. He does not have the legal authority to force state agencies to do so, or to unilaterally rewrite state laws or state constitutions.”

Following Hagel's edict, Indiana's Attorney General agreed to comply. Other states who have not yet done so: Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.

Lambda Legal to Challenge Gay Marriage Ban in West Virginia

Now, West Virginia's same-sex marriage ban is going to have its day in court in a lawsuit to be announced tomorrow, the Charleston Gazette reports: 

Lambda Legal will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. in Huntington to announce the lawsuit, according to a release from the firm. The group was among those who filed a lawsuit in Virginia in August challenging that state's ban on gay and lesbian marriage. 

A spokesman for Lambda Legal wouldn't release details of the West Virginia lawsuit on Monday. According to the group's website, it has been working with Fairness West Virginia, a gay rights group, "to find a way for all same-sex couples and their families in the Mountain State to get equal legal treatment and protections." 

Casey Willits, executive director of Fairness West Virginia, would only confirm Monday that Fairness has been working with Lambda.