Students of North Carolina’s Maiden High School are protesting their principal’s recent decision to cancel their school play due to its “inappropriate” content, an excuse they believe refers to the play’s two gay characters.
WSOC TV reports rehearsals for the John Cariani play “Almost, Maine” had already begun when principal Rob Bliss cancelled all upcoming rehearsals and performances, caving to pressure in the form of alleged complaints from parents and local churches in the community.
The play is a romantic comedy that features multiple loves stories in several unrelated storylines. According to students, complaints about the upcoming production were mostly about a gay couple that appears in one scene.
Though it’s been performed at high schools and colleges around the country for decades, principal Rob Bliss said in a statement to WSOC TV that the play was unsuitable for the community because it contained “sexually explicit overtones and multiple sexual innuendos.”
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“As principal of Maiden High School, I have an obligation to ensure that all material, including drama performances is appropriate and educationally sound for students of all ages,” he said.
A disgruntled member of the would-be production took their frustrations to Reddit last night, where they claimed the school’s production budget has been drained as a result of the fiasco, and that the future of the school’s drama program this year is in jeopardy:
The theatre department is protesting the cancelation on several grounds. First of all, they already paid for the scripts and everything and now only have like 2 dollars left in their budget. They use the profits from this play to pay for the next production and now that won’t be able to happen.
Second of all, this is the 21st century, things like this shouldn’t be happening. There are gay people in the theatre department, ones I’m glad to call my friend, and their voices are being suppressed and that is not okay.
At time of press, a student-organized petition to attempt to reverse Principal Bliss’s decision had collected over 200 signatures online.
The scene that includes two gay men can be seen in a 2010 William Woods University performance below:
Paul Nadolski
And so religion is used as a weapon once again. Unfortunately.
Cam
In other words, Gay people shouldn’t exist and they want to deny their existence.
This should have been a non-starter, the second the complaints came in, they go to the circular folder.
Elloreigh
Just another attempt by haters to keep us invisible in the name of so-called ‘morality’. Barf!
Ogre Magi
christians are such scum
tricky ricky
if anything this play is a crime against theatre.
Large Marge
STOP WITH THE AUTOPLAY VIDEOS!
I’LL CUT A MUTHA!
Billy Budd
Religion is poison.
Ummmm Yeah
Well this is a good lesson for the kiddies. Christianity is a hateful vile cult that constantly attacks and harms other. Either you get with the program or you leave the fucking cult.
mykelb
Dear Mr. Bliss, By censoring this play, you have censored, ignored, and invalidated the lives of 19% of your student body. You sir, are a coward and a thief. You are afraid of the community’s religious fanatics and you have stolen the education of the 81% of the hetero population by your actions. Shame on you and your yellow liver. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/10/09/study-polls-may-underestimate-anti-gay-sentiment-and-size-of-gay-lesbian-population/.
PLEASE LET THE PRINCIPAL KNOW HOW YOU FEEL BY WRITING HIM AT: [email protected]
ralphh
OMG. How cute. Where do we donate to continue this production????
enlightenone
Innovative and creative way to express awkward male teen love. Bravo!
DarkZephyr
I am so sick of Christian busy bodies!
BTW here is Mr. Bliss’ email addy: [email protected]
@Ogre Magi: I remember I used to argue with you about that but I have to agree that a great many of them are. You won’t find me defending them to the extent that I once did and I will never debate with you about it again.
bambamboom777
Please sign the petition that’s listed in the article above. It costs nothing, but it helps show how many people out there don’t agree with this kind of censorship and bias.
gaym50ish
What do you expect from a school that’s called “Maiden High School”?
4runnergui
I still can’t believe that this “gay” relationship (which by the way is played as a slapstick comedic scene and really isn’t gay at all) was any problem!! How many men have confided in their other male friends about a female and have gotten tired of all the games women play so they’d rather hang out with their guy friends . . isn’t that what this scene is all about . . . they are “falling” for each other . . . like LITERALLY FALLING DOWN ON THE STAGE NUMEROUS TIMES in fact which is FUNNY. Oh please . . .if this play is offensive, then they need to take all of Shakespeare’s work out of the schools because they contain a WHOLE LOT MORE sexual innuendo than this particular play. What about one of the last scenes where the two characters (Male/Female) undress down to their long johns . . . is that too sexually explicit? My goodness, it’s a romantic COMEDY . . . people GROW UP!