undeRliRcs Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Florida principal yanks student newspaper column on gays A high school principal in Orange Park, Fla. has withheld published copies of a student newspaper to eliminate an opinion column written by a student about homosexuality. Katie Thompson, a 17-year-old senior, wrote the column "Homosexuality is not a Choice," for the Oct. 10 edition of the student newspaper at Ridgeview High School. Ridgeview is located in Clay County, about 12 miles south of Jacksonville. Thompson, who is bisexual, said her teacher approved the 300-word essay, but Principal Toni McCabe objected and claimed the subject was "too mature for a high school audience." Telephone calls Friday to McCabe, Clay County School Superintendent David Owens, school spokeswoman Darlene Mahla, all five School Board members and Thompson's home were not immediately returned. According to an e-mail sent by Mahla to School Board members, the school principal was able to intercept the newspaper, Panther Prints, before it went to students. "A member of the school's newspaper staff wrote an article that was placed in the opinion section of the newspaper about her sexuality as a lesbian and her Christian views," said the e-mail obtained by The Florida Times-Union. The newspaper also obtained a copy of Thompson's column, which reads in part: "Homosexuals do not choose to be the way they are. It is a biological stimulation of the brain. ... Some individuals think that they, with their extreme religious beliefs, can turn homosexuals to a heterosexual status. Those people, along with other homophobes in our country, set up counseling groups for homosexuals to try to change them." Thompson said she was called to McCabe's office and told the newspaper would not be circulated because of her article. "I didn't understand why?there's no reason to pull this. It wasn't overtly sexual or obscene or racist," she told The Florida Times-Union. The student made copies of the article and began distributing it over lunch. She was again called back to McCabe's office and threatened with suspension. Jo Thompson, Katie's mother, said district officials are narrow-minded about issues of homosexuality and repeatedly have mishandled similar situations. The newspaper censorship is the third time the district has been embroiled in controversy over sexual orientation issues. In February, lesbian Kelli Davis wore a tuxedo instead of a traditional drape for her senior school portrait. Fleming Island High School Principal Sam Ward cited a dress code violation and removed her picture from the yearbook. Both the School Board and superintendent supported his decision. After the issue drew national attention and Davis threatened to sue, the School Board approved an out-of-court settlement that revised the photo policy and added the term "sexual orientation" to anti-discrimination policies and training. On Sept. 29, sixth-grade teacher Larry Eger resigned from Swimming Pen Elementary School while under investigation by the district. Eger is accused of punishing two boys by bringing them to the front of the classroom and telling them to hold hands. They refused and then Eger told them to sit knee-to-knee. He reportedly called them gay. Mark Goodman, executive director of the Student Press Law Center in Arlington, Va., said a 1988 Supreme Court ruling gives school officials the power to censor content if there is a reasonable educational justification. "But to silence student expression because you disagree with their view, that is virtually never permissible," Goodman said Friday. "This is clearly an issue there is a lot of disagreement about. What school officials have to accept is these issues are a part of life, part of the American debate," Goodman said. Karen Doering, an attorney with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, who represented Kelli Davis, said Clay County Schools have a record of discrimination against gay and lesbian students. "This administration is so overly hypersensitive to anything related to sexual orientation, that it can't been seen, heard or discussed," she said Friday. "It is an age-appropriate topic for the editorial section of a school newspaper," Doering said. (AP) Story source: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid22271.asp "Yay, I have stopped the gay agenda!!! Hahahaha!" says the principal:devil:l: "So what is the gay agenda principal?" a student asks. "I don't know, it's something to do with those gays." responded the principal. "Oh, okay. I'll help to stop them too." The bigotry continues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Veteran Posted November 4, 2005 Veteran Share Posted November 4, 2005 Bigotry has nothing to do with it. The Principal has the right to prevent any topic he wishes from the newspaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samoa Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Bigotry has nothing to do with it. The Principal has the right to prevent any topic he wishes from the newspaper. 586767951[/snapback] agreed. :yes: besides, behavior is always a matter of choice. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Golden Deal Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Bigotry has everything to do with it. There's no reasonable explanation about censoring the article. According to the OP's article, the piece wasn't crude, didn't contain foul language, wasn't graphically describing sex, etc. "Too mature for a high school audience", eh? Does that mean that high schools (which are already pretty homophobic) shouldn't have a serious discussion about homosexuality and the way its represented and treated by others? High school students aren't mature enough to have a serious debate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cchasem Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 High school students aren't mature enough to have a serious debate? 586768183[/snapback] I'm sorry but.. not really.. Not very many of them, at least. (This, coming from personal experience.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Golden Deal Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Neither can a lot of adults. Should we censor other newspapers or television because they address difficult issues as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cchasem Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Nah, I didn't say they were right for censoring it. I would have to actually read the article to pass judgement on that.. I was just saying a lot of high school students ARENT mature enough to have a serious conversation about that kinda stuff. Remember, we're dealing with kids that just got out of 8th grade. Not all of them are immature, but i think there's more immature people in high school than there are ..adults. I'd say it's better safe than sorry on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-Flex Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 It's a matter of censoring anything that is even mildly controversial. Yes, it may not be considered by some to be controversial, but it isn't the usual thing you would find in a school newspaper. I am not agreeing with what the principal did, but that is what I expect happened. This reminds me of a few school theatre productions in the Greater Vancouver area that have been banned. Conveniently, all of those banned have had homosexualism in them. However, they were blamed for excessive mature content (i.e. sexual content), because small children may view it. It is clear that the districts were merely trying to avoid something that may cause some people to be uncomfortable, because not only would have disclaimers have been displayed, but parents can merely not bring their small children. In February, lesbian Kelli Davis wore a tuxedo instead of a traditional drape for her senior school portrait. Fleming Island High School Principal Sam Ward cited a dress code violation and removed her picture from the yearbook. Both the School Board and superintendent supported his decision What? That's ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Bigotry has nothing to do with it. The Principal has the right to prevent any topic he wishes from the newspaper. 586767951[/snapback] Bingo. Not to mention the article's subject is a fallacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Veteran Posted November 5, 2005 Veteran Share Posted November 5, 2005 agreed. :yes:besides, behavior is always a matter of choice. Period. 586768047[/snapback] :yes: Bingo. Not to mention the article's subject is a fallacy. 586768763[/snapback] :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted November 5, 2005 Veteran Share Posted November 5, 2005 Wow, a lot of you guys could choose to be gay then? I couldn't. For me, being straight was genetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Principal Toni McCabe objected and claimed the subject was "too mature for a high school audience." :laugh: Yes, clearly high school teens never think about sex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boffa Jones Veteran Posted November 5, 2005 Veteran Share Posted November 5, 2005 Wow, a lot of you guys could choose to be gay then?I couldn't. For me, being straight was genetic. 586768788[/snapback] Agreed. No matter how much I tried, a guys ass just couldn't do it for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted November 5, 2005 Veteran Share Posted November 5, 2005 Agreed. No matter how much I tried, a guys ass just couldn't do it for me... 586768943[/snapback] Well, I figure that if I can't choose then a lot of gay guys can't choose either. I mean, it seems like common sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizardx Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 People are born and raised, each with separate feeling and thoughts. You might live in a family that supports one thing, but have family members which support another, and it was that girls right to write about it, but however, her choice of a medium to publish it was overseen by the Principal of the school, who has just as much right as the legal manager of it, to remove any and/or all opinionated articles from it. It;s that simple. She can publish it in a local paper, her own prints, or on the net, but she has to adhere to the rules of where she sent it to in the first place, a high school newspaper overseen by administrators. The same thing applies to Neowin. Post something they think will go nowhere, or IMHO is just too mature ever for us as it seems to happen sometimes, and they have the right and responsibility to close it, and if necessary, remove it altogether. Apply the facts, not your judgements or those from others. She had a right to write it, and the principal had a right to kill it, end of story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Agreed. No matter how much I tried, a guys ass just couldn't do it for me... 586768943[/snapback] baRf :x Me neither. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted November 5, 2005 Veteran Share Posted November 5, 2005 Apply the facts, not your judgements or those from others. She had a right to write it, and the principal had a right to kill it, end of story. 586769539[/snapback] From the article: "But to silence student expression because you disagree with their view, that is virtually never permissible" It's one thing is she has a genuine pedagogical concern with the article but to kill it because she doesn't agree with the view expressed is not within what should be permissable by an administrator. Educators are supposed to encourage critical thought and dialog they are not supposed to be filling empty vessels with knowledge. Heck, TV can do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelic Marge Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Well, I figure that if I can't choose then a lot of gay guys can't choose either. I mean, it seems like common sense to me. 586768954[/snapback] That's a very good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Perhaps you may not be able to make that choice now, but you DID make that choice at some point in your life. Whether that choice is made actively or passively doesn't change the fact that it is a choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlishFun Veteran Posted November 5, 2005 Veteran Share Posted November 5, 2005 Perhaps you may not be able to make that choice now, but you DID make that choice at some point in your life. Whether that choice is made actively or passively doesn't change the fact that it is a choice. 586771587[/snapback] So out of curiosity, what age did you make the choice to stop being attracted to men and be straight? Not saying you ever were gay, but if you chose to be straight (just like someone chose to be gay) you must have been attracted to both and just made the choice, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 As I said, some make the choice actively and some passively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdb815 Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Oh I see, everybody is bisexual then. Gotcha. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 What that has to do with anything we are discussing here, I don't know. I'm guessing you're trying to twist my words. How you go from a choice to everyone being bisexual is quite a leap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdb815 Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 What that has to do with anything we are discussing here, I don't know. I'm guessing you're trying to twist my words. How you go from a choice to everyone being bisexual is quite a leap. 586771998[/snapback] Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you. I dunno, all I know is I never chose to be straight. Perhaps you can tell me when you chose to be straight. How exactly does that work? :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boffa Jones Veteran Posted November 6, 2005 Veteran Share Posted November 6, 2005 On top of that, I can't imagine who would choose to be gay with ignorance and hate running rampant in our world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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