Tag: high school

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High School Senior Barred From Bringing Male Date To Homecoming Suspended For Unwanted Publicity

Last week, I reported on the news that Lance Sanderson, a student at Christian Brothers High School, was forbidden from bringing a male date to this year’s Homecoming Dance.

Today, he was sent home for the rest of the week for bringing unwanted attention to the school’s bigotry.

“I am disappointed that I am unable to sit in class today,” Sanderson told NewNowNext. “While many assignments can be reached online, I was going to take two tests today and an in class timed essay. Tomorrow at CBHS, I was going to meet with admissions representatives from around the country (they do not visit often). I hope to be welcomed back into a classroom setting soon.”

It should be noted that Sanderson did not violate any school policy. When told he couldn’t attend the dance with the date of his choice, he decided not to attend.

The school has made a serious misstep by suspending a student merely for speaking out for LGBT students who experience similar discrimination.

Sanderson has shared a copy of the letter he sent off to the school (which he has yet to received a response to):

Dear CBHS Administration,

Today I arrived at school around 6:30am. I sat down to complete my assignments for the classes I planned on attending today. At 7:30am, I was speaking to a teacher when an administrator walked into the room and told me to gather my books and come to the office.

When I arrived at the office I was told that the administration “had 890 other students to worry about” and could not deal with me. I was told to go home for the week. I said goodbye to a few teachers and students, then drove home.

I am hurt by this exclusion. It goes against the Lasallian value of brotherhood that the school is supposed to stand for. You won’t let me dance with my date and you won’t let me go to class now either. I had hoped that today would be one for positive conversation going forward. Instead, I was sent home.

I haven’t done anything wrong and haven’t hurt anybody. I want to be welcomed back to the school building today and I want this mean-spirited semi-suspension ended, so that I can do my classwork like anybody else.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote from a Birmingham jail cell: “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Sincerely,
Lance Sanderson

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Short Film: “The Text” (“El SMS”)

Coca-Cola’s True Friendship campaign, which shows teens how not to be cruel at “crossroads moments,” teamed up with Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black on this short film about two teen besties and “that” moment.

From the official description:

In this eight-minute film, a group of teen boys joke and tease each other in the usual high school way about girls, video games and such-like.

Two of the boys are especially close buddies, but Rafael is hiding something from his friend Diego – he’s gay.

When he leaves his phone unattended, Diego reads a text that surprises him.

His decision to cover for his friend, and accept him for who he is, is what cements this true friendship. And, as Rafael points out, gay guys know all the pretty girls.

I have to say: well done. The “moment” has it’s tension and the background is laid beautifully. The rhythms of the dialogue feel like those high-school friends we probably still have in our lives today.

Make sure the closed-caption subtitles are on.

Coke and a smile.

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Kentucky: Out High School Senior Dalton Maldonado On Being Removed From Yearbook

From the Facebook page of high school senior Dalton Maldonado.

Earlier today, after receiving many good wishes and lots of support from all over the country, I received a call from the superintendent of schools. He told me that I was in the annual fifteen times, and that they may have over looked my senior basketball picture.

He went on to say that they were going to make a new annual and he hoped I knew they were so proud of me.

However, here is the picture that should have been in the yearbook, along with the rest of the senior basketball players!

They took Outsports’ first article about my experience and swept it under the rug, as if the harassment and humiliation never happened!

I refuse to let this happen again! I was a senior point guard who had played for three years, and I was even in the center of the team picture. I don’t care if I was in other parts 100 times, my individual picture wasn’t in there!

I find it unbelievable that their “investigation” took less than one whole school day and once again they’re just letting it go!

I will not stop fighting this. No one deserves this, and I’ll make sure no other LGBT teen in Floyd Co has to face this type of discrimination!

Maldonado was the starting point guard for his high school basketball team. After he came out as gay, the school left his picture out of a two-page spread in the year book.

The school claims it was an oversight.

Riiiiiiiiight…

Good for Dalton for standing up for himself.

Read more at Outsports.

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James Corden Calls Out Kentucky High School Who

Betsy Layne High School in rural Kentucky honored the boys basketball team with a two-page spread in the school’s yearbook.

Well, almost all the team. One senior was left out of the tribute: Dalton Maldonado, the team’s starting point guard who came out publicly as gay a couple months ago.

James Corden of The Late Late Show took on the scandal last night during his opening:

“He’s a gay basketball player. Or as I like to call him, ‘a basketball player.’ Because there’s no such thing as gay basketball.”

“If you’re a homophobic school, you do not call yourself Betsy Layne High. Betsy Layne sounds like a girl who would LOVE a gay friend”

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Dallas Tech High School Students Get Down With Their “Uptown Funk”

Theatre Arts teacher Scot Pankey at the A. Maceo Smith New Tech High School in Dallas organized what looks like an entire school of tech students to get down with their “Uptown Funk.”

The video poster on YouTube says, “This is a great example of how a bunch of technology students let go of their fears, trusted their teacher and got down to Uptown Funk!!!”

(tipped by TRR reader Kim)

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High School Show Choir Adds KINKY BOOTS To Repertoire

Tony Award winning actor/author Harvey Fierstein tweets today: “When High Schools start performing songs from you show you have LANDED!”

The YouTube description reads, “The North Central High School Counterpoints and soloist Terica Anthony perform Land of Lola from Kinky Boots as part of their 2014 show choir set.”

Alright, kids. Change your mind and change the world!

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Arkansas High School refuses to include gay profile in yearbook

Taylor Ellis, a high school student in Sheridan, Ark., says administrators refuse to include an interview/profile in the school’s yearbook because of his sexual orientation.

The Yellowjacket, Sheridan High School’s yearbook, wrote six profiles of students to run in the yearbook. One of the short features chronicled Ellis’s coming-out story.

Ellis said he wants to get his story out there and he doesn’t understand the problem with printing it. Ellis said Principal Rodney Williams called him a few weeks ago, citing concerns that the story was too personal and that it put Ellis at risk of being bullied.

Now the Human Rights Campaign has addressed the matter. In a letter to the Sheridan School District, HRC President Chad Griffin addressed the issue at hand:

“If not resolved immediately, this act of discriminatory censorship will send a dangerous message to all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students in Sheridan, across Arkansas and around the nation — that they are second-class citizens and their lives are not equally valid. Instead of respecting the wishes of Taylor’s fellow students to recognize him in their yearbook, you have told him and other students who may already feel marginalized that they are not an equally valued part of the Sheridan high school student body.

“As an Arkansas native and a former elementary school student in Sheridan, I was taught the Golden Rule – about treating others as we would like to be treated. Whatever you may say about your intentions, it does not change the fact that you have failed to uphold these values that all fair-minded Arkansans share. Addressing bullying requires stopping bullies, not muzzling harmless free expression.”

Sheridan School District Superintendent Brenda Haynes responded in a statement to the Arkansas News:

“We must make decisions that lead in the proper direction for all of our students and for our community. We must not make decisions based on demands by any special interest group. The seven profiles will not be published in the yearbook…It is clear that the adults who have the responsibility for the operation of the district have the obligation to make decisions which are consistent with the mission of our school. We have done so.”

Watch the news report from CBS News below:

(source)

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California: Transgender teen voted Homecoming Queen

In what may be a first for the country, Cassidy Lynn Campbell of Huntington Beach California was named Homecoming Queen of Marina High School on Friday, September 20.

Marina High School has policies in place to make sure transgender students like Cassidy are able to fully participate at school as their authentic selves, and has embraced Campbell as a part of the student body just like all the other girls.

“I’m so proud to win this not just for me but for everyone out there and for every kid — transgender, gay, straight, black, white, Mexican, Asian,” Campbell said after being crowned. “It doesn’t matter, you can be yourself.”

“Whether I won tonight or not, I was a winner from the beginning and I knew it. I put my message out there. If this can help one child or more or hundreds or thousands or millions, then it was more than worth it,” she said.

The Principal of Marina High School Paul Morrow told KTLA News, “Were proud of the message from home of the Vikings has been one of equity, acceptance, tolerance and respect.”

Last year, another California transgender teen Devon Marchant was on the Katie Couric Show, where she talked about being crowned Homecoming Princess.

Recently, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the School Success and Opportunity Act which makes clear that schools have a legal responsibility to allow all students, including transgender students, to fully participate at school. Anti-LGBT organizations are currently attempting to have the law repealed.

(source)

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Gay “Cutest Couple” yearbook pic goes viral

Chelsea, over on her Tumblr account “Singing-Showtunes,”  share the above pic with this note:

“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.”

“This whole thing has been a bit surreal for us because we have been raised to believe that love is love,” the couple tells Huffington Post via email. “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.”

Let’s hear it for Dylan and Brad!  AND for their friend Chelsea, who’s obviously cool herself.

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Missouri teen can bring his male date to prom

Stacy Dawson, a 17-year-old senior at Scott County Central High School in Sikeston, Mo., had been told last year that he couldn’t bring his boyfriend due to a line in the school’s handbook that said “students will be permitted to invite one guest, girls invite boys and boys invite girls.”

Today, the district superintendent has said Dawson, or any gay teen, may bring a same-sex date, the line forbidding it has been removed from the rule book, NBC News reports:

“I found out why the stipulation in the student handbook was originally put in there, and it’s rather innocent, to be honest,” Alvin McFerren, Scott County Central School District superintendent, said. “This was during a time 10-15 years ago that the previous administration was having issues with some of the students trying to come in on either the single rate or the couple rate. They implemented that to make sure they couldn’t circumvent the rates that students were supposed to pay as they entered into our dances.”

McFerren said Dawson will be allowed to go to prom with his boyfriend.

“It was never intended to be a discriminatory thing,” he said. “We want an educational environment for all of our kids and we’re not ever going to discriminate as to whether or not the board has the policy and we don’t do that based on sexual orientation. Period.”

(source)