An openly gay graduate from Covington Catholic High School is speaking out against his alma mater after disturbing video of their students engaged in a confrontation with a Native American elder went viral last week.
You’ve no doubt seen the video by now, but in case you haven’t, it shows a large group of angry white male students wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats circling around a solitary Omaha tribe elder as he beats a drum.
Covington Catholic High School graduate Christian Bales says he’s “not surprised” by the video or by the school’s unapologetic response.
“I was not surprised at all,” the 19-year-old tells NBC News. “It was only a matter of time that something this school community did would blow up to this degree, and I think they need to be held accountable.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Last year, Bales was banned from speaking at his graduation by the Diocese of Covington, despite being his class valedictorian. At the time, school officials said Bales speech was “inconsistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church.”
Bales, who is now a freshman at the University of Louisville, says the institution is “notorious for being a not-well-disciplined school,” and described the Diocese as “archaic.”
And, as it turns out, is has quite a history of racist and deplorable behavior.
On Monday, videos from 2011 surfaced featuring white students wearing blackface while shouting at African American opponents during school basketball games.
HuffPo reports:
But as current and former students continue to reject the accusations [of racism], people have come forward with more stories of Covington students’ intolerance or violence. One man said on Twitter that he was harassed by Covington students for being gay, documentarian Arlen Parsa said that members of the community said there “is an ingrained sexism problem” at the school and quoted black students who said they got bullied there, and many on Twitter pointed to a recent news report detailing rape charges against former Covington Catholic basketball player Jacob Walter, 18, after a student was caught on video shouting, “It’s not rape if you enjoy it.”
It should also be noted that the school is located in a 90% white county in Kentucky, and the vast majority of its students, teachers, and staff are white.
Bob LaBlah
I figure the kid in the pic at the rally for a Sean Cody or Helix Studios bottom.
QueerTruth
Being a bottom is not an insult. Why make it one now.
Curtispsf
C’mon Bob LaBlah. Celebrate your “bottomness” openly. It’s NOT something to feel bad about.
Bob LaBlah
I’m an old queen, honey. Be careful of what you wish for when you reference bare bottomness celebration in todays social media. lol Too many of my comments are being held for moderation so I’ll leave it there. lol lol lol
Charlie in Charge
So… you saw a teen who worked hard enough to be his class valedictorian, persevered in a hostile environment (as seen by him not being allowed to speak at his graduation) and your comment is that he looks like a porn star? Way to support the next generation of gay leaders.
Bob LaBlah
Charles, dear, I was referring to the pic with the kid and the Indian elder. I decided to let Boy George’s son be until YOU brought it up.
iamru2
Weird that he’s sticking to the original narrative that’s now been debunked. Also weird that the Muslim group has pretty much gotten off Scott free with their homophobia.
Franklin
First of all the group wasn’t Muslim. Second of all there were bad actors all around. The Black Israelite were bad but these kids were also acting like entitled jerks. None of them looked good.
iamru2
But the kid wasn’t spewing racist insults at anyone big difference!
Kangol
Ignorance is not bliss. The group you’re referring to are Black Hebrew Israelites. They are anything but Muslims. Why didn’t those good Catholic boys grab hands and pray, as Jesus would have done with confronted with people spewing hate? Why didn’t they say the rosary? Why did they end up taunting the Native American elder? Why did one make a joke about rape?
Keebler ILF
I thought I’d heard the last of this story yesterday, but the hits keep on coming.
I saw that kid with the MAGA hat in an interview. His eyes blinked only once in 5 minutes. Creepy.
That Hebrew group was the worst of the bunch. They were antagonizing and saying nasty things about everyone; women, blacks, whites, Native Americans, Catholics. The students and the Native Americans should have been allies in this situation.
BTW, the students could also be seen in the video making the tomahawk chop gesture.
iamru2
He’s a teen jeesh stop harassing the poor kid if you are an adult you should know better.
Polaro
I’ve seen those Black Israelites or whatever they are called and they are vile. They are aggressive, antagonistic and vile. I agree that they should be the real story, but they aren’t white and wearing MAGA hats, so they don’t fit today’s narrative. (No defending anyone wearing a MAGA hat, btw.)
Chrisk
@Polaro I’ve encountered them on the street and their racist and full of hate to everyone walking by. Very nasty pieces of shit.
You can see they’re attacking the kids. Then the Indian guy gets in their faces. Allot of blame that day to spread around.
Dymension
I have seen the Black Israelites for more than 25 years. Probably these kids have never been exposed to that sort of rhetoric, but I truly fault the chaperones. Yes, the kid admitted in retrospect he should have walked away from either situation. My question is why didn’t the adults make that decision? Why did they think it was OK for the kids to start chanting their school slogans or spirit? They should be answering to their lack of inaction, that boy should not be put on TV to answer for anything.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
That kid, Nick Sandman was right in that guy’s face. He wasn’t “being respectful”. And there is something really off with that kid. As above never blinked, was clearly parroting a speech written by someone else. And it looks like he still hasn’t lost his baby teeth….
Riser
Did you not watch the actual footage where Phillips approached the group of students? Apparently not. That is what happened though, they come out of nowhere and get into the student’s face. And people have erratic blinking habits when they’re nervous. The kid has every right to be nervous while on television, it isn’t his everyday.
Dymension
Riser, that’s where the adults come in. It was up to the chaperones to defuse the situation by having the children walk away.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
RISER: regardless of the beginning of the saga, clearly the Black Isrealites are vile noxious smcubags. This kid was right in his face, not “smiling” but rather smirking. And he doesn’t have eratic blinking. He wasn’t blinking!
There is a culture of vile homophobia at that school. And he probably bought right into it. Although he did start my Gaydar pinging….
Riser
Plays Well,
Do you not realize that the child was approached by Nathan Phillips? At first he said he wanted to leave the area via the Lincoln Memorial steps, but video evidence (if you have even watched the full video instead of the 15 – 30 second one that aired first), shows him and a small group of fellow Native American marchers approach the students banging a drum. He singled out the kid, stared him down, banged a drum in his face. Later he told the Press that he was intervening because the children were aggressive towards the young black men and he put himself between predator (the students) and prey (the black hebrew israelites). That’s what he told the Detroit Free Press, you can look it up if you don’t believe me. He later changed that story, but he still said it. Taken into context, his actions cannot be trusted as innocent.
Also erratic by definition fits what he was doing. Like I said, it happens when people are nervous, choose to not believe that if you wish. He’s not some psychopath that doesn’t blink and not blinking doesn’t make you a psychopath, so why bring it up?
Brian
That kid was standing in the same spot the entire time. It was the old man who was in his face, and when he didn’t get the response he wanted he got even more in his face. At this point I think everyone is exaggerating what happened and what their reasoning was, but the Native guy is spinning the biggest tale of BS for sure, the video contradicts so so much of his story.
Terrycloth
These are kids 14 – 15 – 16..saying and doing dumb kid stuff..when you know better , you do better. Yet , getting into ones personal space or in their face is threating..or a threat to me …smirking ? The kid said on tv he did that to defuse the situation..really walking away or standing off to the side would have been better.yet all his school friend were karate chopping jumping up and down and that’s mocking…this kis on tv says he wont apologize but would like to talk to the man..how nice…
Riser
How come no one seems to believe that Nathan Phillips approached and got into the personal space of the kid? There is definitive video evidence that contradicts the kid getting into the face of Phillips, yet people continue to disregard that fact?
Brian
“Yet , getting into ones personal space or in their face is threating..or a threat to me”
You are exactly right. Which is why the elder was completely in the wrong for getting in this teenager’s face, then getting even closer and banging his drum a couple of inches away from his face.
Franklin
Also that school has a reputation for racist and homophobic behavior. All that kid learned is that he can get away with acitng anyway he wants and nothing will happen to him.
Riser
Actually, there is video evidence – also on that longer video – where the Black Hebrew Israelites were spouting homophobic rants and the kids were like, “They are people too,” “They are people too.” Watch the video. They defended OUR community against hate. We are betraying them.
hadrian55
THIS IS 100% FAKENEWS. The EDITOR knows that THIS IS A FAKENEWS STORY. true to anyone who reads this article and gives a damn. Try telling the true story next time QWEERTY or will the mindless flock fly away to some other dirty pile?
Riser
Two of my comments are awaiting moderator review, they have been for nearly 24 hours, is that standard?
truthseeker
This entire article is fake news. Bales submitted his speech late and it violated school policy for being political. Another student couldn’t give her speech either because it was too personal. Speeches were meant to be motivational and not controversial.
Lastly, and biggest of all, Bales never attended Covington High School. The original NBC article says he attended Holy Cross High School, a completely different high school. This story is EXTREMELY misleading and false.
My comment before seems awaiting moderation
Riser
This is pathetic that my two comments are still awaiting moderation. Does Queerty not have Moderation staff? If not, I’ll volunteer.
redzebra1
Check the US timezone times, it’s getting late! Prob. gone to bed already, etc. 1:12 AM in NYC! Calm down!
Riser
I would be okay with that, but my comments were posted 48 – 72 hours ago, days ago. I’m starting to feel censored for my beliefs.