Pennsylvania’s McGuffey High School has fallen under scrutiny after a group of students organized an “Anti-Gay Day” during the nationally-observe Day of Silence.
The Day of Silence encourages students and young adults to take a vow of silence in order to address the problems of bullying, harassment, and injustice upon members of the LGBTQ community. Organized by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the day has continually strengthened the gay rights movement since 2001.
Students participating in the “Anti-Gay Day” protest wore flannel shirts, wrote the words “anti-gay” on their hands, and stuck Bible verses on LGBT students’ lockers.
First, wearing flannel during the protest is kind of weird considering there’s a stereotype that only lesbians and lumberjacks wear flannel.
Second, to those who wrote ‘anti-gay’ on their hands, I hope they get skin cancer.
Third, Leviticus 18:22 may be your pablum, go-to holy script to support your inane intolerance, so I direct you to Mark 12:31 and Proverbs 17:15, and I cast upon you 2 Kings 2:24.
Zoe Johnson, a 16-year-old bisexual student, reported, “I got called a dyke, a faggot. They were calling us every horrible name you can think of.”
Johnson and members of the Gay Students Association at McGuffey High School organized a counter-protest to the protests that protested the Day of Silence. They wore black, painted rainbows, and remained silent for most of the day.
Johnson said that students uploaded Bible verses to Instagram and tagged gay classmates. She also said some students began circulating a “lynch list” of students who participated in the Day of Silence and that a noose was tied to a flag in one teacher’s classroom.
Sue Kerr, editor-in-chief of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents, wrote in a blog post, “This is a troubling turn of events. These kids didn’t just spontaneously pull a homophobic move. They have a plan. They have coordinated outfits.”
The school district and local police officers continue to investigate all allegations. Superintendent Erica Kolat said in a statement, “We resolve to ensure that all children can grow and learn in a safe, supportive environment free from discrimination.”
A school should never be used as an environment to hate one group or another. It’s a place for learning and education and should be used to promote positive campaigns for society and not as a place for discriminatory practices against a certain group.
American Family Association’s Tim Wildmon, an outspoken opponent of LGBT causes, called the Day of Silence a “highjacking of the classroom for political purposes.”
Wildmon calls gays “unnatural and immoral,” but the only thing unnatural and immoral in this world is his ferret ‘stache; call Animal Services because I’m pretty sure it’s animal cruelty. Also contact the United Nations because Wildmon’s mustache is a crime against humanity.
Let’s clear the air with some people inappropriately labeling the topic of LGBT as a political issue. LGBT is not a political issue; it’s a civil rights one.
It’s a civil rights issue because bigots are infringing upon a group of people’s rights. It’s a civil rights issue because people who were born differently do not hold the same rights as those who were born with “socially acceptable traits.” It’s a civil rights issue because we live in a society where some believe they are entitled to decide who gets married or not, a society where a gay couple who wholeheartedly loves each other are forbidden to join in holy matrimony.
Until the day comes when members of the LGBT community can cheer to the world who they love, we will share their hushed screams and muted discomfort with a Day of Silence.
Until the day comes when a gay couple can publicly express their affection and walk into a store without discrimination from “religious freedom” laws, we will observe a Day of Silence.
And until the day comes when a person who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender can openly speak about their orientation with freedom from hate and intolerance, we will show our support by observing the Day of Silence.
