“I realize biology commits many reproductive errors. Homosexuality can be one of them.” So wrote high school student Thomas Benjamin, who thinks gays don’t deserve to marry.
Those words appeared in an editorial in Atlanta-located Kell High’s newspaper, sparking a controversy over what should and should not be printed on school grounds.
Though she knew people would be upset over Benjamin’s piece, Kell High principal Trudie Donovan says it’s not her place to censor students, “My job is the safety and security of the school, not censorship.” School officials agree: Donovan should have printed the piece. The paper’s now looking for a counter-point editorial to take on Benjamin’s exclusionary beliefs.
Heather_L_James
Good for the school, only through open and honest debate on the subject can we challenge people’s hearts and minds on the subject. The path to justice and equality lies in dismantling wrong headed beliefs such as these. We can not fear our enemies nor their arguments based on literature and dogma the majority of the world believes to be fiction. Mark Twain sums it up best, “Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt”. Let the bigots squawk, every hateful word countered by lucid rationality from our side wins support for our cause.
BillieXX
School made the right decision. Now get an opposing view.
Mr. B
Agree with Heather and Billie.
Qjersey
So when a teacher in another state allows a “pro-gay” editorial, she is fired. But in Georgia, a student can publish an anti-gay piece and it’s free speech according to the principal?
Yeah right. I doubt Ms. Trudie Donovan (is that a name for a drag queen or what?) would have allowed a pro-gay article.
Cgoode
Ok i go to kell and the article was not a anti gay article. It was saying that ppl are born gay just like kids are born with dieses they can’ thelp it, we were not sayin that gays should be treated like a dieases thats what most ppl got from it, but they are not right.. Our purpose was not to do that
marybethyl
If the principal’s job included “the safety and the security of the school,” why is she allowing some students to be catergorized as genetic “mistakes?” Classifying others as “less than human” is the first step to brutalizing them.
Had the student said that positions of leadership(i.e. school principal) not be open to women, I have no doubt Trudy would have shot him down. After all, “the natural use of women” is genetically and biologically determined.
Carmen
I’m also a Kell High School senior, and I’m on that newspaper staff. I was right next to Thomas when he wrote these things. NOT ONCE did he state that gays don’t deserve to marry. That’s a completely different topic that was not stated in the article. In any issue, there are multiple sides, and ofcourse not all will agree. But in all, he had the right to state his opinion, and I highly doubt that if someone were to publish something pro-gay they would get fired or whatever. Never did Thomas say that homosexuals are less human, he is just stating a theory. Is it that hard to be mature about this? He had the right to state an opinion, he did, end of story.