A Gay Dad’s Letter to the School Seeking to Censor a Mural of a Kiss

The kiss. For some reason, it, and the experience of giving and getting one, is a completely integrated aspect of the high school experience. While puckers may have been planted in earlier years, it is the high school ones that create the milestones to adulthood, the firsts we will remember our entire lives and in truth, the magic of our adolescence.

One depiction of such a kiss is not folding harmoniously into the tapestry of its school’s life however. It is causing controversy. Kaela Wilton is a 16-year-old student at Onoway Jr/Sr High School in Alberta Canada. As the subject of an art project, approved by her art teacher and the school principal, she depicted two young men in an affectionate kiss. After its unveiling and subsequent complaints, the school covered the mural and would not allow it to be seen.

They are now deliberating on what to do.

For me, I know what to do, I am writing them a letter.

Dear Onoway School Officials,

I am a gay dad, father of two twelve year old boys. Next year, they will be in a school such as yours. I dearly hope that in that school, there is a mural on the wall exactly like the one that Kaela Wilton has created for you.

I write that not as one who is wildly enthusiastic for public displays of affection, nor as one who is anxious to encourage potentially sexually inappropriate behavior amongst teens. I have set standards for my sons in both those areas, and my expectation is they will adhere to them.

Kaela’s mural is a gentle image of young affection and blossoming adulthood. While its depiction might make some feel it makes such gestures too visible, I would remind them that the audience observing it is participating in school dances, first dates, landmark crushes and unforgettable romantic moments on its own. The image from a purely sexual content level, stays appropriately underneath a PG-13 level.

The value of the image far outweighs any offense to even the most over reacting sensibilities.

When I was 17, I buried my instinctual longing for same sex affection deep inside myself. It was taboo to be gay, and even though my feelings told me that was exactly what I was, I consciously suppressed it. I suppressed it to the point where I reached a suicidal crisis point.

I will never forget first witnessing a same sex kiss. I was on a trip into Los Angeles to look at prospective colleges for the future, and parking on the streets of Hollywood. A man was saying goodbye to his partner, and without giving a second thought, gave him a quick affectionate kiss on the mouth.

My reaction? The reaction from a young closeted gay man? I laughed out loud.

It was not a laugh out of derision or condemnation. It was not a laugh because the kiss was funny. It was a laugh because it took me completely off guard, and even though my psyche was bombarded with same sex feelings, seeing it displayed was completely foreign, and I laughed in the shock of it.

The man shot me a look of disgust, and a sense of violation. He was right.

Years later, and on many streets with different relationships with men I wanted to kiss, I experienced karmic retribution for that laugh. As I wished to innocently reach out and kiss the person I was with, the homophobic world around me rose up and invaded my psyche. I could not give my innocent kiss because some would react badly around us, and many would react as I did, never seeing such a gesture before, with laughter. Or I could kiss my man anyway and make a statement, a bold move in the face of a disapproving public. As Panti Bliss pointed out in a recent TED talk, that option is fine for activism, but my desire to kiss was not to activate, it was to be romantic, and so even to take a bold move would ruin my intention. The romance would be gone.

The first kiss I shared with the man was not until I was 21. It was in a disco, hidden down a secret alley, and populated with only gay men. He was a lovely young british man with a perfect smile and a dancing glint in his eye. He put his arms around me, and gently kissed my lips, and no one around us made us feel ashamed. It was a beautiful experience that I deserved. It is an experience your gay students deserve, and they should not have to retreat to a secret and hidden enclave in which to experience it.

Whether they are LGBT or not, your students have been inundated with opposite sex kisses their entire lives. If not played out in front of them in person, such events are common place on all available media from commercials including children’s programming. They have likely not seen even a single same sex display of romantic expression.

This mural can change that. For your students who have same sex attractions boiling up within them, such an affirmation can be life saving. It gives them and others the opportunity to witness something warm, yet rare, as normal and accepted. It allows them to embrace the parts of themselves they have kept secret, and removes it as a dark excuse for self-harm.

For those who are shocked at the display, they can react to the unfeeling stone wall, so that in the future, when they are in front of real honest to goodness humans they can be un-shocked and react with appropriate support, or have rehearsed how to keep their disdain to themselves.

Ms. Wilton has created something of value, both in its intention and its execution. It should not be kept hidden, but unleashed to inspire hearts, love and acceptance. What could be more important than that?

My sons are on the brink of discovering who they are, and what deep instincts drive them. If they were going to your school and they were finding that their instincts were heterosexual, I am sure they could look around and see plenty of public displays of affection between other guys and their girl friends and feel, “oh yeah, that is me, and what I want.” If it turns out that one of them is actually gay, and he looks around and sees no one, I would hope that he could gaze upon a mural in one of your hallways and think, “Ok, there. There I am…” and walk on to class with hope in his heart, and a dream that a painting on the wall promised him was his to fulfill.

This Vlogger's High School Threatened to Expel Him for Being Gay and It's Infuriating

Austin Wallis, a 17-year-old YouTuber, has posted an emotional video online telling the story of how he was essentially kicked out of his private high school for being openly gay.

Austin, joined on camera by his boyfriend Nicolay, recounts being pulled into the principal's office after the administration found out he was gay. The school also notified Austin's parents and called his mother into the meeting.

"He basically told me...I had to go back in the closet, which means I had to delete all my social media including YouTube. I had to erase my digital impact on the world. And he said I would have to do that to stay at the school and I could never be involved in another video or do anything for that matter..."

After two days, Austin decided to leave the school rather than stay in an environment that wasn't welcoming.

He continues:

"I don't want people to think that I left just because of the social media. It was because I can't stay somewhere where I feel like I'm being forced into something that I'm not, or I feel like I'm not wanted by my own principal...I'm not a bad student. I really want to try and change this. I think it's ridiculous that in this day and age you can be excluded from your own school for being gay. When I came out I knew I was going to have bullies and I knew people were not going to be okay with it. But i never expected it to be from the peole who were supposed to protect you from the bullies. Who were supposed to try to stop that. And then they themselves are the bullies."

Austin says that the principal told him his YouTube channel was having a "bad impact" on the school. Austin, however, has made the decision not to reveal the school's name because he says there are faculty members who support him and doesn't want the video to reflect badly on them. He adds that he hopes the video can raise awareness for situations like his and will be a call to action for change.

The message I'm trying to do this for and I'm trying to tell y'all is because I think its ridiculous that people are allowed to exclude children and teens for what they are...I want to make a change and I've always wanted to with this YouTube channel. I want to change the world for the better. I want to change the world in a way where this can't happen - where a student can't feel excluded by his own faculty and we be basically forced to leave "by choice"...If you feel like this is outrageous and awful and if you feel like this isn't what you want our country to be considered please help in my fight to make a difference. I want you to share this everywhere. Let people know. I hope that my story will help make a difference in someone else's life. And maybe I can change things so this won't ever happen again.

This Kid Stood Up To Bullies In The Best Way Possible!

Josh Yandt is a London high school student that was being bullied. His father had recently died and he was feeling depressed and alone. One day, he decided to stand up to bullies and "kill them with kindness". 

By simply using the phrase "Let me get that for you" and holding the door open for his fellow students.

Yandt said, “I was sick and tired of being a no one. I wanted to be someone. And I wanted to reach out to people and show who I was".

His classmates started to turn around and you'll be amazed by what they did to return the favor!

SHARE this wonderful story on Facebook!

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!!!”

Watch This High School Principal Have A Kid Arrested For Saying He Is ‘Disappointed’ In Him

Students at an Indiana high school were upset that their school refused to allow them to have a moment of silence for a former student who had committed suicide, so they staged a sit-in to request one.

More than 200 students gathered at around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2 in the Wedge and Main Street to protest the school’s refusal to allow the loss of one of their own to be recognized. Tenth Grader Natalia Kuzbel told Lake Central News, “I went not to rebel or get out of class…I went for Mike. No, I didn’t know him. [I’ve] seen him a few times, but he is one of us and to not stand up for one just like myself would be cowardly of me.”

What should have been a simple matter of the school listening to the assembled students’ voices and recognizing the person that they cared about, it turned out, was not that simple. After Principal Robin Tobias and other administrators arrived on the scene, the school called in the local police to help supervise the students–because it was absolutely necessary to handle a crowd of peaceful students standing up for what they believed…by sitting.

When Tobias entered, he was greeted with “oh’s.” Students, who only wanted the school to recognize the death of someone they felt deserved recognition, were threatened with consequences, including suspensions. One student stood up and declared, “One moment of silence…is all we are asking for from the school!”

The Principal responded, unconcerned, “OK, can we sit down now? You’re not in charge here. I am, number one. Number two: everybody get your IDs out. right now.” His lack of concern was met with an angry response from the students, who remained peacefully sitting. He demanded students’ attention, but received none until a student asked everyone to “shut up.” Tobias then told the students, “Alright I’m disappointed.”

One student bravely voiced the overall feelings of the assembled crowd: “We’re disappointed in you too,” earning raucous cheers from the crowd and greatly irritating the principal. Tobias expressed his disapproval with students having a voice by asking a police officer to remove the student who spoke up.

As an officer obediently physically removed the still-peaceful student, Tobias continued, “I understand you’re sitting here for what you think is a good cause. I think a lot of you are here because it’s a joke in your own head. I understand a lot of you think this is not a joke. I understand that,” before he was interrupted by supportive cheers as the police officer dragged the student who had the audacity to express disapproval with the school’s–and its principal’s–uncaring attitude and lack of concern for how they felt away and turned him over to cuff him.

Tobias went on to explain that, if necessary, he would have police remove the students “one by one if that’s what it took” or that students could go to the LGI room to reflect. He did not agree to recognizing their lost friend over the intercom, but did mention that a signature banner had been approved in the Guidance office.

Whether the principal was right or wrong, what sort of person refers to a young person’s death, or students standing up for something in which they believe, as a “joke?”

High School Teacher Upset Over Teen Porn Star Writes To SeanCody, Gets Response

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Betrayed And Exposed

This is a teen-written article from our friends at Youth Communication, a nonprofit organization that helps marginalized youth develop their full potential through reading and writing.
By Anonymous

A guidance counselor outed me to my mother

It was a sunny winter afternoon and I was heading to after-school drama club when I heard my phone ring. “Come home, now!” my mom yelled when I picked up. Rushing home quickly, I thought, “Did someone die?” When I got into my building, I bounded up the stairs. The moment my mom opened the door, I realized by the disappointed expression on her face I was in deep trouble.

When I entered the living room, I saw my whole family there. I felt like I was at an intervention. I sat down on the couch. There was an awkward silence in the room.

“I went to your school today and I talked to your guidance counselor,” my mom said.

For a moment, I was relieved that no one in my family was dead. But I could tell by her tone I had done something

“She told me you were gay, and that you had sexual relations with another boy.”

I was shocked! I didn’t know how my guidance counselor found out about my sexual encounter. At that moment, I felt as if my world came crashing down onto me. I was afraid that my mom would kick me out the house. All of a sudden, the environment of my living room went from a quiescent, comforting area to a harsh, judgmental arena.

“You know, it’s a sin to be gay!” my aunt yelled. “The Bible doesn’t accept homosexuality!”

“I don’t want a faggot for a brother! What will people say about me?” my brother screamed.

“Society makes people believe that being gay is a new trend. But, it’s not! You will go to hell! I will never have a son as a faggot!” bellowed my mom as she started to cry.

Punished for Being Me

I ran into the bathroom crying. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve to be treated so cruelly by my family. They made me feel as if I wasn’t a part of the family by calling me names like faggot and sissy. I knew deep inside they still loved me, but they believed that my being gay would belie their Christian codes of conduct.

Later that night, my mom took away all of my electronic devices and put me on punishment. I didn’t understand how that would change my mind about being gay. I didn’t choose to be gay. As a young boy, I always had a copious interest in boys. That night, when I went to sleep, I asked God to turn me straight.

My mother had always been overprotective but now she was even more so. I don’t want to say she was all up in my business but suddenly she paid more attention to who I spent time with. If I hung out with friends, she would call the parents to make sure that’s what I was really doing.

Over the next few months, a friend I thought I could trust told a few people I was gay and soon everyone in my school found out. Other people I thought were friends began to scream gay slurs at me as I walked to class, on my way home, and even on Facebook. No one was there for me. I started cutting my wrist. I didn’t want to live anymore. Was I supposed to conform to the “normal” way of life?

Texas School District Says Picture Of Trans Student In Tuxedo Violates 'Community Standards'

A controversy has emerged out of La Feria, Texas after the town's high school refused to allow transgender senior Jeydon Loredo to wear a tuxedo in his senior portrait for the school's yearbook as it allegedly violates "community standards," according to District Superintendent Rey Villarreal. Villareal apparently told Jeydon's parents that his picture would only be included if he wore "stereotypically feminine attire, such as a drape or blouse." 

 

Jeydon, who was born biologically female but identifies as male, has enlisted the help of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) who in turn brought in the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to petition the school board to allow him to appear in his yearbook in a tuxedo, an act that would respect and recognize his gender identity. However, after a meeting on Monday night in front of the La Feria School Board, where representatives from both SPLC and HRC were present to argue on Jeydon's behalf, the school board took no immediate action and is evidently not required to render a decision within any ascertainable time-frame. Moreover, Jeydon and his supporters now find themselves in something of a catch-22 as to how to proceed with their case:

"The superintendent...told representatives from the HRC that the "only formal way to address it" was through filing a disciplinary grievance form, though the district's own policies state that a gender discrimination complaint against the superintendent is made directly to the school board. Complaints made through a disciplinary grievance form, as the superintendent requested, would put the superintendent - the target of the complaint - in charge of the investigation's early stages."

You can read the letter sent earlier this week by SPLC to the La Feria School Board, outlining how they are discriminating against Jeydon and why they must move towards inclusivity, HERE.

In case you wanna call:

Superintendent of Schools

Mr. Rey Villarreal

(956) 797-8300

Or contact the District's Board of Trustees!

Texas teen who fought bullying suspended from school

Isaiah Smith hasn’t handled bullying in school the way other teens do. He’s petitioned his mayor and city council, started a gay-straight alliance and contacted media.

This week, he was suspended from school, so he didn’t handle that the way most teens do, either. He called Dallas Voice as well as TV news stations.

Smith is attending Birdville High School his senior year.  As a member of band and a retired teen court attorney and police explorer, he’s never been suspended or in trouble before.

He said he’s been bullied in school and told he can’t be Christian and gay.

“The Bible is a beautiful thing,” Smith said. “It’s not a bullying tool.”

So he began carrying the Bible to school with him, and this week, when he was taunted for a line in Leviticus, he tore that book out of his Bible.

“The assistant principal called me into the office,” he said and told him, “’You can bring it to school but can’t rip it.’”

The assistant principal told him he couldn’t create a disruption in class. He said the administrator asked him how Muslims would feel if he ripped up the Koran. The difference is Smith is a Christian tearing his own religion’s book.

Smith was given a three-day suspension.

Last year, Smith petitioned the Keller City Council to add a nondiscrimination ordinance after collecting about 1,200 signatures of voters and 800 youth signatures.

Although the council didn’t act on the petition, the mayor complimented Smith on his passion and allowed him to speak beyond the usually allotted three minutes.

Smith has political ambitions, created a Facebook page to promote human rights, and when he asked the Council on Foreign Relations a question, they answered on their website.

He should be graduating from school this year and plans to go to college — hopefully in someplace like Massachusetts.

High School Punishes Honor Student for Going to a Party — to Drive a Drunk Friend Home

We spend our lives teaching our kids to to the right thing.  What do we do when their honorable actions lead to terrible decisions and undue suffering?

Two weeks ago, honor student Erin Cox received a phone call from a friend who was too drunk to drive.  After she got off work, she drove by to pick up her friend.  Moments after she got there, the police arrived — damaging twelve futures with citations for underage drinking/possession of alcohol, and promising fourteen others that they would receive summons for their alleged consumption of the same thing High School students have been consuming for generations to blow off steam.

Erin, too, was caught up in the sweep.  While she was cleared by police, who of course agreed she had not been drinking, North Andover High School had something else to say on the matter! Erin told the Globe:

“I felt like going to get her was the right thing to do, saving her from getting in the car when she was intoxicated and hurt herself or getting in the car with someone else who was drinking. I’d give her a ride home”

Erin, in doing the right thing and attempting to get her friend home safely, had “violated” the district’s “zero tolerance” policy against alcohol.   Erin’s new reality became grim in an instant:  She lost her spot as Captain of the volleyball team–her good heart got her suspended for five games.  Worse yet, she now has an undue stain on her excellent record.

Erin’s mother is worried about the impact this situation will have on her:

“She’s very fragile and I’m worried about her. Very worried about her. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

The Cox family has filed a lawsuit, attempting to overturn the school’s poor judgment.  The school, however, was going “all in” on this one:  A lawyer for the school district argued against the injunction, even claiming falsely that Erin was arrested.  The judge ruled the court did not have jurisdiction over the school’s awful decision.

Meanwhile, Erin’s volleyball team has started petitions in support of this kind girl.  The community — everyone but the school, that is — is being very supportive.  The school is ignoring the message that it is sending by punishing Erin for her desire to not see a friend die in a fiery car crash.  Wendy Murphy, attorney for the Cox family, put it best:

“If a kid asks for help from a friend, you don’t want that kid to say ‘I’m sorry I can’t help you. I might end up in trouble at school.”

Unfortunately, that is the message that is being sent by the school’s irresponsible decision.

State Champion Colorado High School Coach Micah Porter Tells Team: I'm Gay

Outsports has the story of Micah Porter, a four-time state champion high school track & field coach in Denver, Colorado who recently came out to his students, the culmination of a four-year journey in which he came out to his wife and two children, school administration officials, and had begun changing in a school bathroom for fear of accusations of impropriety from conservative parents.

Porter now finally appears to have taken the most important step of all:

Porter called his team together before practice a week ago and told them he had some news. He let them know that an article about him would be coming out this week, and that the article discussed him being gay and would talk about his partner, Brandan.

The news was met with the same silence that stared back at him when he came out to his wife four years earlier.

After a few seconds, one of the team leaders - who Porter says could end the season as a conference champion - stood up, shook his hand, told him it didn't matter to him, and asked what that day's practice had in store for them. The rest of the team laced up their shoes and followed suit.

Read the full story at Outsports.

Cheerleader with Spina Bifida Shows Team Spirit from Her Wheelchair

Sequoia High School in Redwood, CA has a group of cheerleaders that certainly gets the fans’ attention, thanks in part to an addition to the team that exemplifies school spirit. Angel Gonzalez-Prado is the newest team member. What’s different about Angel is she has spina bifida and cheers from her wheelchair.

There has never been a cheerleader in a wheelchair at Sequoia High School, and the United Spirit Association, which handles the competitions at the state and national level, had never seen one either. Angel didn’t let that stop her from trying out–and making–the squad this year.
Angel has spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spine doesn’t form properly around the spinal cord. She has had more than 15 surgeries to correct the defect, which has left her legs paralyzed. Despite her disability, Angel does all of the upper body and arm movements right along with the squad.

335-pound Dallas High School Footballer also participates in Cheerleading Squad

Armand Fernandez-Pierre is perhaps one of the top dual-sport athletes in the country, but it's not a combination of skills you're probably used to seeing.

He participates in both football and cheerleading — every Friday night.

According to MyFoxDFW.com, the 335-pound defensive lineman for Episcopal School of Dallas doubles as a cheerleader, even participating with the cheerleading squad at halftime of last week's 41-0 victory over John Paul II.

Fernandez-Pierre reportedly hurt his neck playing football when he was in eighth grade.

He then pursued cheerleading, until Episcopal School head coach Clayton Sanders eventually convinced the agile giant to suit up for the school's football squad, which finished 3-6 a year ago.

The cheerleading coach initially balked at the idea of Fernandez-Pierre playing both sports, according to MyFoxDFW.com.

"We fought tooth and nail to keep him just on our team and our sideline," cheer coach Eric Daboa said. "But we realized what a good athlete he is and understand the opportunities that he would have with football."

Iowa High School Principal Bans 'The Laramie Project', Says It's 'Too Adult'

A high school principal and superintendent in Ottumwa, Iowa are denying the students the right to perform The Laramie Project, Moisés Kaufman's play about the hate crime murder of gay Wyoming teen Matthew Shepard.

The Ottumwa Courier reports:

"None of us can understand why they are shying away from it," said Jordan Young, 16, a student who is secretary of the OHS drama club. "The principal [of OHS] wants to get away from bullying, and he has initiatives he really [pushes]. So to hit so hard on a show that addresses bullying, it makes no sense."

She said other students she's met with feel similarly. "We were all confused more than anything," she said. "We didn't understand what was wrong with it. The planning started in October of last year. We have auditions in a month and a half!" She said students believe the problem lies in the subject of the play.

The Heartland Connection adds:

OHS Principal Mark Hanson denied the play from being performed through the school’s drama department. We reached out to Principal Hanson but he did not want to go on camera but he said “the play is too adult for a high school production but it does preach a great message.”

Ottumwa Community School’s Superintendent Davis Eidahl (pictured, top) says he fully supports Principal Hanson’s decision. “We really want the focus of our Ottumwa High School productions to be for the entire family,” said Eidahl.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation released a statement, which reads, in part:

This is not a play about being gay, or promoting anyone being gay; it’s about being targeted, hurt, murdered for being different, or perceived to be different, whatever that difference may be – and how this affects the community.

It is regrettable that the administration decided not to take the lead to provide their students and their community such an important learning opportunity, and instead is focused on a desire to show off their auditorium in what they feel is a “family-friendly” manner. We respectfully suggest that the main mission of a school district is to educate, not to entertain.

Twins Raised by Two Moms are Key West High School's First Valedictorian and Salutatorian Sisters

Erin and Elizabeth Czerwinski were named Valedictorian and Salutatorian of Key West High School in Florida this month, Freedom to Marry reports. They had grade point averages of 4.713 and 4.746.
They are the school's first sisters to take the double top honor, and they were raised by a lesbian couple.
Now, who was saying gay people can't raise children?

"Cutest Couple" Goes to the Prom and Talk about Future

Brad Taylor and Dylan Meehan, the gay Carmel, NY couple who have become a viral internet sensation this week, talk to USA Today as they headed to prom on Monday:

Their best friend, Chelsea Blaney is responsible for their Internet fame. After she posted a picture Friday of the two on her Tumblr blog, saying they won cutest couple, she went from 15 likes to 7,000 in minutes, she recalled.

Her blog and Taylor and Meehan's picture have since been shared online more than 100,000 times. Taylor said he soon got a message from his cousin in Pennsylvania saying they were "Tumblr famous." Other messages have poured in from around the world.

"I got comments from 'They're cute' to 'This has inspired me to come out to my parents,' " said Blaney, 18. "It's mind-blowing."

The couple is headed to NYU in the fall, to the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where they expect to study theater, business and the sciences. Both have 4.0 grade point averages and scholarships, according to USA Today.
Watch their interview (warning: autoplay)

The 'Cutest Couple' This High School Didn't Expect

When 18-year-old Chelsea posted a photo of her classmates Brad Taylor And Dylan Meehan to her Tumblr blog this week, she did not anticipate the incredible response it would receive -- within 24 hours, the entry had been shared almost 100,000 times.

The image was taken from her high school yearbook, and she included this caption:

"Two of my best friends won Cutest Couple of our senior class. First time in my school history a same sex couple has even been able to run for this category, not to mention winning it. So proud of them, and my school."

No one was more surprised, however, than the couple themselves. In an email to The Huffington Post, Taylor and Meehan shared their reaction to the image -- and relationship -- being shared around the world.

This whole thing has been a bit surreal for us because we have been raised to believe that love is love. We never realized that our happiness and openness would inspire so many individuals. The support we have received from our family, friends, and even strangers has led us to believe that our affection for each other is normal ... When we started dating a year [ago], the thought of a photo of us traveling throughout the world would be a bit frightening, but now we are proud to be part of the LGBT community.

Not only are they the cutest, but if there were a "most inspiring couple" award, we'd venture to guess that these guys would be a shoo-in.

Girl Arrested and Expelled From High School Over Gay Relationship

Earlier this school year, high school senior Kaitlyn Hunt began a relationship with a fellow classmate, a 15-year old girl. This past February, soon after her 18th birthday, she was arrested and charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12–16 years of age.
Hunt's parents claim the the family of their daughter's girlfriend has never approved of the same-sex relationship and has since made Hunt a target. According to The Examiner:

“They are out to destroy my daughter, because they feel like she ‘made’ their daughter gay. They see being gay as wrong and they blame my daughter. Of course, I see it 100% differently. I don’t see or label these girls as gay. They are teenagers in high school experimenting with their sexuality – with mutual consent. And even if their daughter is gay, who cares? She is still their daughter.”

The other girl's family has taken even more action against Hunt: "The girl’s family petitioned the school board and got Kaitilyn expelled from school, weeks before graduation. This decision was made in spite of a judge declaring she could continue to attend school as long as she didn’t have contact with the girl."
More from Opposing Views, who reports on a plea deal that Hunt has been offered:

Her mother, Kelley Hunt Smith, claims State Attorney Brian Workman offered her daughter a plea deal that she has until Friday to accept or face trial. The plea deal includes “two years house arrest and one year probation.”
Her father, Steven R. Hunt, said the school disapproved of the relationship from the beginning. Hunt reportedly had good grades and participated in cheerleading, chorus and basketball. She was voted “most school spirited.” But when she began dating another girl from the basketball team, her coach dropped her citing that the relationship would cause “drama.”