The good people of Irmo, South Carolina aren't total dolts. Well, not all of them.
The sleepy town first appeared on our radar when Irmo High School principal Eddie Walker announced he would resign after the school approved a gay-straight alliance. Walker claimed the decision violated his religious beliefs. The rest of the school distract soon found itself inflamed and set out to vote on whether they should stop the gay invasion by shutting down all clubs. And, after a bit of a delay, they finally voted:
[The] school district has voted to allow all student clubs rather than risk a lawsuit by banning a gay-friendly student organization.But another part of the policy approved Monday night by the Lexington-Richland School District 5 school board gives parents the option of not letting their minor children participate in any school club.
Another provision prohibits student clubs from discussing sexually explicit topics in keeping with the district’s abstinence-based curriculum.
That's a pretty prudent win, although we totally feel bad for the kid with the overbearing 'rents.
On another note – OMG, look at that cat! She's a cheerleader! Now that's what we call a good morning!
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Its a pyrrhic victory at best–that little clause about "not discussing sexually explicit topics" will be used to keep the gay-straight alliance from doing anything. We've seen it before.
Doesn't the discussion about abstinence violate the policy since, after all, it is the subject of refraining from having sex? The policy is too vague and should be stricken.
Love the little pussy pic. Oops, did that violate the policy?
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
The "abstinence-based curriculum" that is. It's so unrealistic to think that just pretending that young people aren't having sex will prevent it from taking place. It's irresponsible, at best. Dangerous, at worst.
i live in the lexington/irmo area. I know how weak this decision sounds to you guys, and i know how tempting it is to mock it. but believe me, it's huge. i graduated high school seven years ago and this club would have never made it out the gate while i was there. scratch that, it never would have made it to the gate. the fact that there are enough out-in-the-open homosexuals to form a club is so gigantic to me i can't possibly describe it. so can we just take a moment to celebrate the incredibly brave young people who have come forward with this club before we move on to discussing how ridiculous the adults who barely let it pass are?
O Irmo: you fun, wannabe Columbia.
Irmo High School was very interesting, because it's a top-ranked school in the state. It's got an insane amount of smart and tolerant kids. It just happens to be in the middle of a Columbia exurb with all the really bad trappings of being in the South in an upper-middle-class neighborhood, namely the judgemental churches.
Now Columbia, the state capital just 7 miles down the road, is just awesome. It has a vibrant gay community and around 5 or 6 gay organizations, including one for youth. Nothing in the high schools yet, though. Just sharing thoughts.