Comments

1
Oh course the pastor didn't read the play. I bet he never even read the synopsis. Evangelicals are happy to be wrapped up on their ignorance - it's their 'Slanket'!
2
pastor? wtf are you talking about? take your own advice, you're embarrassing to the rest of us.
3
She shouldn't be fired - of course - but she should be strongly reprimanded for releasing balloons. Not only is that all kinds of Velveeta cheesiness, the oceans have enough goddamn trash as it is.

4
Well if you are stupid enough to do what she did in the town she did it in, then you kinda deserve to lose your job.

Did she stop to think the town she lives is totally inbred and mentally retarded?
5
My High School in Virginia did it (a few years after I graduated) with I am sure no reaction from the liberal Northern Virginia community.

I sent this on to my former high school theater director. I hope he emails it out to his network. Former theater kids will be mailing that superintendent to death.
6
A local high school in Beaverton, OR performed it. W. B. Baptists came with their signs, too. The show went on.
7
@4 - ... and how to you expect change to ever come about in "inbred," "mentally retarded" towns unless the people who live and work there push for it?
8
TruthFoundHere's comment is kind of sweet, except I still don't get why there's any "gay thing" to "understand." Oh well. Cheers to you anyway ... for ... uh ... not condoning murder.
9
Bravo to the teacher for having the courage, and as 7 said, we have to work to support forward movement, not just complain and mock the ignorance. We have to teach.
10
@8: Yeah, the comment is pretty self-evident to most sane people, the majority of Christians included. Unfortunately, what so many can't see is that the atmosphere of intolerance engendered by "Christian" attitudes toward homosexuality encourages these kinds of heinous acts, which they turn around and unselfconsciously condemn. This lack of basic awareness is so galling there should be a term for it—"cultural autism," but then that would be insulting to autistic people.
11
This story made http://detentionslip.org ! Check it out for all the crazy headlines from our schools.
12
A college here in Oklahoma City did the play; The only problems came from the Westboro Baptist Church people. They came and protested the play and the college for doing it. The students countered and were very peaceful. It ended without controversy.

I was very proud of the students and the college.

The actions of the school board to dismiss this teacher is just rediculous. It shames me to think that this was done right here in my state. This must be a very backwoods town with simple thinking, or no thinking.

Fear and ignorance is no excuse.

Kat
13
I thought it wasn't a "gay" play because it was actually a play about a trans kid.
14
This is absolutely outrageous! It's truly insane in this day & age that a teacher would be fired over a play like this! It's utterly disgusting, repugnant and deplorable. This is the problem with these narrow-minded immoral hypocritical reich-wing religious wackos.

The most perverse people in all of American society are these pious, self-righteous so-called Christians who hide behind the Bible and promote hatred, violence, and injustice.

They pretend to be patriotic and honest, and then they place their hand over their heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag... yet they never seem bright enough to make the connection about the words: "...with liberty and justice for all".

What's wrong with these people? Are they just so congenitally immoral and intellectually deficient that they don't understand the meaning of the words they speak, or are they just so immoral that simply do not care about lying while stating the Pledge of Allegiance? Maybe it's both.
Remember the reich-wing "Christian" judge in Oklahoma who had his masturbation machine under his desk and would masturbate himself while hearing cases? And don't forget Larry Craig... Ted Haggard... the list is endless (see www.armchairsubversive.com).

How truly odd though that everyone seems to miss the bigger point here: There's absolutely nothing at all wrong with homosexuality.

Every major medical, sociological, psychiatric, pediatric, etc., group says so.

It's present in nature and countless animals and insects show evidence of homosexuality too. In fact gay people are some of the best and brightest members of society. Always have been, always will be. The list of famous gay people is endless.

Being gay is something that you're born with and can't be changed. What really should be happening in U.S. society is the PROMOTION of homosexuality. Not that you can be "turned gay" of course (if you're lucky and blessed then you're born gay), but what needs promoting are anti-bullying courses, legalization of gay marriage, elimination of all laws which allow legal discrimination against gay people in jobs, housing, service, etc., overturning the ban on gays in the military, passing hate crimes legislation and ENDA, sociologically promoting the normalization and acceptance of gay people, etc.

Gay people are awesome, cool, fun, intelligent, social, bright, and perfectly normal. What needs to be shot dead and buried though is the Christohet Supremacy that's extant in this country.
15
#14 - I couldn't have said it better myself.
16
She wasn't fired over the play. She was forced to resign because of her actions after being told to stop this particular portion of her lesson plans. She resigned instead of waiting to be fired because being "fired" would affect her ability to get another teaching job.
17
I'm totally proud to say that The Laramie Project was put on by The University of Alaska Fairbanks this fall. It was probably a good thing Sarah Palin was out on the campaign trail while it ran. To keep students away from this kind of material (especially students who WANT to learn about it) is ridiculous and ultimately irresponsible. Isn't it evident that by keeping the youth away from things (sex, drugs, gay rights) all we do is convince them to act anyways, without proper education?
18
Sounds more like insubordination rather than difficulty with the play's content. Sure, the play was pushing buttons. It's meant to do that. But, perhaps the public protest (funeral) of the project was a bit too much for the otherwise open minded administration?

Regardless, the kids got a heck of a lesson on ethics and civil policy!

Rock on Ms. Taylor!

By the way, when South Park High School (yes, THAT South Park) in Fairplay, Colorado produced the play in 2007, the Superintendent not only approved the production, he played the role of the judge. The language was toned-down, but the content was very much intact. Out of the 120 kids enrolled in the school, thirty were involved in the show. Five faculty, one custodian and the mayor of Fairplay also took on parts.

I don't know that I've ever been so proud of my little town.

Douglas Webster
19
As a senior citizen I get to travel. In the past 5 years I have taken a liken to WY and have spent several weeks there each year trying to visit as many towns as possible and resonable each year. Each year I take a different route and some times this takes me back to some of the same towns........Laramie is a nice town to visit..I do believe that with such a narrow minded person as Superintendent Ed Turlington I will think twice about putting Grandfield on my schedule as Okalhoma is on my list of states next to visit .......I may be to outspoken on openmindedness and certainly would not want to cause any ruffeled feathers........maybe I will stay with touring WY and not be temped to visit Grandfield. The action of the Supt. and the Board has really tainted their towns reputation........a bad rap.......the narrowminded folks should have to pay for the damage they have done......fair is fair. Wake up city fathers......I would suspose that you city fathers would not want a teacher to explore the likes of Tom Sawyer.......would you fire a teacher for leting the class study and discuss this Hemmingway book. Think about it........it is not to late to ack for forgivness for making a mistake.
I think that John Wayne coined the phrase, " Life is tough pilgrim and even tougher when you are STUPID"

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