Lauderdale County High School teacher Bob Grisham is at the center of an investigation after he made a series of derogatory remarks about the LGBT community and First Lady Michelle Obama.
The Times Daily reports:
The investigation includes a 1-minute, 24-second audiotape of Grisham asking who knows who is behind the 600-calorie school lunch.
“Fat butt Michelle Obama,” he said. “Look at her. She looks like she weighs 185 or 190. She’s overweight.”
Male voices interject comments during the discussion, at one point referring to Michelle Obama as a “fat gorilla.”
Later in the tape, Grisham referred to the U.S. as going in the “wrong direction” and tells the students they can “get pissed off at me or not. You can go tell the principal, call the superintendent and tell her. I don’t believe in queers. I don’t like queers, I don’t hate them as a person, but what they do is wrong and an abomination against God.” The tape was reportedly recorded by a student Monday and took place on school campus during the school day.
Superintendent Jennifer Gray said a link to the audio was emailed and that the board hopes to clear up the “unfortunate situation” as soon as possible.
“Before we do anything, we’ll investigate this thoroughly and gather information from other people,” she told the Times Daily. “Whatever we do in response to this situation will be dictated by board policy.”
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According to board attorney James Irby, “the board’s range is to recommend doing nothing to termination. And, of course, they have everything in between, such as suspension with or without pay or merely a warning.”
For his part, Grisham claims that he “misspoke in a debate-type situation,” and that he has “no hatred toward anyone or any group. People that know my heart, they know that.”
Okay, well what part of “You can go tell the principal, call the superintendent and tell her. I don’t believe in queers,” is misspeaking? Is it the part where he openly challenges someone to report him or the fact that someone did?
And Michelle Obama would run circles around this guy. In a kitten heel.
Ron Jackson
This Turd is just another angry, middle-age, white guy with a big mouth who thinks others should listen to his stupidity. I hope the school board does the right thing and fires his dumb ass. Either way I suspect his teaching career just hit a big rock. (but then it is Alabama)
Seth
Gray and the board are no doubt drawing up the language of their ban on all electronic devices capable of recording audio or taking pictures. You know. To keep the children from being distracted.
Ogre Magi
Christians are such jerks
balehead
Just because people are stupid..doesn’t mean the media has to give them props by airing it!!
Brian
Juicy Bob Grisham, you’re quite handsome. I don’t care how homophobic you are. Let me run my fingers through that short hair on your head, Bob. I want to feel it. Then I want you to lie down Bob and let me run my hands over your supple back so that I can feel the undulations.
hamoboy
@Brian: Ugh. Please GDIAF. Damaged gays like you who worship homophobic masculinity need to STOP.
Steve Rider
It seems possible that I might exist despite this unit not believing in me.
Just say NO to ridiculous ancient superstitions used to justify bigotry and intolerance.
Charli Girl
FIRE THAT PEICE OF NO GOOD,NO COUNT,WASHED UP,ZERO,OVER WEIGHT,HIDEOUS PEICE OF SOUTHERN ,BACK WOODS,UNEDUCATED WASTE OF SKIN!!
Charli Girl
He WISHES he had HALF the class Our .First lady has!!! You can say ALL you want big boy about Mr and Mrs Obama,but they STILL run the show boy! Dont they? Go run n tell ya Moma that! Bahahahaha
These Alabama creatures are just so filled with jealousy and hate they step in their own crap!
Sooooo predictable! You fought civil rights before and LOST and you’re feeling the SAME SENSATION NOW!!!
E N J O Y!!!!!
Brian
Bob Grisham, you homophobic hunk, you. Give it to me, Bob, give it to me. I want to inhale of your musky odors.
Men, real men – that’s what I want. None of this effeminate stuff, thanks. I want to have a real man beside me, not some watery twink with capuccino breath.
Dez
just have to say Brian- you are an idiot. A man is a real man, simply if he is born with a penis; gay or straight, butch or femme, a man is a man regardless. Your pathetic and self-hating definition of a ‘real man’ perpetuates societies anti-gay vitriol, and we get enough of that from ignorant straight people- or angry closet cases; we don’t need it from you. If you want a big burly man, that’s your prerogative, but don’t insult effeminate guys and the gay guys who are into them. F.Y.I. the gay guys that do like the effeminate guys are usually the most confident and butch gay guys. I’m sure the reason you want a big man (for some reason, like the idiot teacher Bob) is because you’re an effeminate big nelly bottom, and feel the need to insult other effeminate big nelly bottoms. Don’t be mad about it.
startenout
I think the worst thing I read in the articles about this are the people who support him.
‘One LCHS student said, “I think it’s been taken overboard and people should just understand, what he meant was a joke.”‘
If he had said the same things about any other minority, there would be no consideration by the board. There would be no public support that it was just a joke.
tjr101
Bleh, just another disgruntled republican.
2eo
Unfortunately due to an inability of the local authorities to have accurate census and electoral information my search comes up with 3 different addresses for the same person.
It’d be nice to give his address and phone number, but I won’t take the chance my information would be incorrect and an innocent person pays the consequences of this halfwits utter incompetence.
Cam
No shock here, Bigots are also racists.
Aidan8
A guy from Alabama passed away and left his entire estate to his
beloved widow, but she can’t touch it ’til she’s 14. Ba dum dum!
Evji108
Are you trying to be ironic? You are just being creepy. Get a grip.
1EqualityUSA
How unfortunate for our Country that this man’s chosen profession is teaching.
Aidan8
@Evji108: Was that directed at me?
jsancheznv
@2eo
You can send an email to the superintendent. Here name is Jennifer Gray and her email address is: [email protected].
Below is a copy of the letter I sent her:
Dear Ms. Gray:
I am disappointed, but quite frankly not surprised to hear what Mr. Grisham said in the infamous recording that has now gone viral.
In considering what action is appropriate, I would like you and the Board to consider that if Mr. Grisham does not like being around “queers,” then what is a queer student to do when he or she is assigned to Mr. Grisham. Moreover, what will Mr. Grisham do (or not do) when a queer student is physically bullied and/or called derogatory names. What about the potential queer student that was part of the audience Mr. Grisham was speaking to. What is he or she supposed to do? I do not mean to be cynical, but is your district going to institute a screening process to insulate queer students from Mr. Grisham?
With regard to Mr. Grisham’s comments regarding the First Lady, they clearly lack any class whatsoever and set a very bad example for students who should be inspired with civic duty and country, as opposed to the contrasting example they witnessed by a person in ‘so-called’ leadership. Moreover, implying the First Lady is “fat” is a factually incorrect assertion.
I know Alabama is a very red state and that there are no laws in Alabama that protect “queers” against discrimination; I also suspect Alabama does not have an effective anti-bullying framework that protects LGBT kids from bullying and harassment. Nonetheless, I am hopeful that as Superintendent you, the Principal, and the Board will do the right thing in handling this matter and fully take into account the intentional emotional distress that Mr. Grisham has inflicted upon “queer” students (I am sure you are fully aware that this is the type of rhetoric that causes some queer kids to kill themselves) and the disrespect he has shown to this nation.
Kindly forward a copy of this email to the following parties as I was unable to ascertain their email addresses through Goggle or your website: 1) Mr. Chad Holden; 2) Mrs. Barbara Cornelius; 3) Mr. Jerry Fulmer; 4) Mr. Daniel Patterson; 5) Mr. Dan Beavers, Sr.; and 6) Mr. Eric Cornelius.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation and consideration to my comments.
Respectfully,
Jorge Sanchez
2eo
@jsancheznv: Awesome letter Jorge. I already sent an E-mail to the school. I was more concerned with how voting Republicans in the area are given a none specific address in the centre of the city, as well as two addresses in the outskirts.
Looks like electoral fraud from the GOP to me.
Chad Hunt
Clearly this man needs to be fired. If not for his anti-gay comments or body image intolerances then surely for his racism. By referring to FLOTUS Michelle Obama as a gorilla he is clearly referencing the ideal that African -Americans are a sub species of ape, more animal than human invoking the old image of a porch-monkey.
Mary
Michelle Obama is not obese, but she has a swayback spine (torso bends forward and posterior bends outward) and a pear shape — both which visually increase the size of her derriere. And then surprisingly she often dresses in ways that exaggerate this: close fitting tops and full skirts; dark tops and light/patterned bottoms; tiny shrug sweaters rather than longer tops covering the swayback; and high waisted belts that pull the eye to the area of maximum size contrast. Both her inaugural day-dress and gown had these features thus magnifying her figure flaws. On the other hand, when she doesn’t make these magnifying mistakes, she looks normally well proportioned.
She’s not fat at all, but apparently doesn’t care about the frequent bad optics of her clothes choices. Good on her for not caring, but it is understandable why a large segment of the public thinks she’s too heavy and thus see her anti-obesity campaign as hypocritical.