When students at Ohio’s North High School in Eastlake, Ohio, began taunting their football team’s opponents with a “power blue faggots” cheer (a nod to the color of Willoughby South’s uniforms), Principal Jennifer Chauby (pictured) insists she “was at the game and heard the students chanting in the stands. The assistant principal and I stopped it immediately.” The clip of the chant is only 30 seconds, so maybe Chauby did step in to stop it! Except student Heather Ike, who originally uploaded the clip to YouTube, noted, “No teachers or parents from the sidelines intervened to stop the problem, and this chant occurred 3 times in the first 3 minutes of the game.” Okay then. But now that the game is over (the Rangers lost), how is Principal Chauby handling the aftermath? By not suspending anyone.
Because there were too many kids shouting the cheer. And even though Chauby has identified many of the students in the video, it’s not like she can suspend the entire school, or something.
Chauby said that a number of students admitted that they were just following everyone else and that they didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings. Chauby also said that she didn’t see what good would come from suspending about 300 students. “What the students learned is a life lesson,” Chauby said. “This is an opportunity to learn from a mistake.”
But they will be punished. Somehow!
Superintendent Keith Miller said he is disgusted and this behavior will not be tolerated. He attended the game, but missed the pregame and didn’t hear the students. “We will take disciplinary action against those students,” he said.
And everybody is at least getting a talking to.
How about we take this to the next level?
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South High Principal Paul Lombardo said Chauby and Willoughby-Eastlake administrators are doing their best to get rid of negativity at games. “The administrators are on the sidelines by the student section,” he said. “We do our best to put a stop to inappropriate actions we see or hear from students. We have asked kids to leave the game.”
Chauby said there was general announcement made on Monday to the student body stating she was disappointed in their behaviors. She has been meeting with students to identify those who were chanting, however, her main goal is to educate. “It’s important to educate students on how hurtful that term is to so many people,” she said. “Every student I spoken to didn’t realize the gravity of that word.”
[Superintendant Keith] Miller said the school plans to hold an assembly, and Chauby will continue to talk to students in groups or one-on-one. “The student body has taken notice (of their actions),” he said. “The students said they didn’t mean anything negative by the chant.” Chauby said the school has groups in place that deal with issues of bullying. “The school has a gay-straight alliance group that meets after school,” she said. “We also have an anti-bullying program we started to address any issues students been having because of race, orientation, ethnicity, or status in school. We hope that has helped open the lines of communication to address those needs.”
“Didn’t mean anything negative by the chant?” Is this man kidding himself? They meant to taunt the other team. By using a word that marginalizes an entire class of students. Would the response be different if they screamed “powder blue niggers” or “powder blue kikes”? I believe so.
Chauby says the chant is nothing new — it began several years ago, but it hadn’t resurfaced (to her knowledge) until this game. And when parents wonder why their complaints about bullying fall on the deaf ears of administrators, it’s because of people like Chauby, happily in the dark about what’s going on inside their own schools.
Meanwhile, the original YouTube video was pulled, but we’ve got a copy here:
[flv:http://media.queerty.net/antigayslursfootballgame.flv https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/docs-null/2010/10/nor3823.jpg 650 400]
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Fitz
Very reasonable punishment: forfeit the next game.
Jimmy Fury
You know… I always sort of thought that once I got older I would come to realize that HS administrators couldn’t be as stupid, naive, and out-of-touch as I thought they were when I was a teenager.
Then I read this.
Nope. I was right. They really are insultingly stupid.
timncguy
@Fitz: Fitz, I think your idea is excellent.
scott ny'er
@timncguy: I agree. Man, will those kids be pissed and they won’t do that again.
SBC19
She’s right. There *were* too many random kids in the crowd chanting that for them all to be suspended. What is the school supposed to do, make an announcement over the PA: “everyone who chanted ‘Powder Blue Faggots’ at the recent ball game, please report to the principals office for your suspension” ?
Just tell the kids to not do it again, and during the next game, place more administrative personnel in the stands so that they can spot offenders who don’t comply.
the crustybastard
“Every student I spoken to didn’t realize the gravity of that word.”
This principal is:
a. Naive
b. Credulous
c. Both
Silas
You are all so negative! This principal STEPPED IN to stop this show of latent homophobia, and is spending time trying to educate these kids about the gravity of the word. In today’s climate, this is exactly what we need educators and administrators to do- kids are dying because of these shows of homophobia.
Yet Another
@Silas:
Exactly, everyone here is just so caught up in wanting to “punish” homophobia and emotionally shell shocked by the recent flood of youth suicides that the gut check reaction is to do something that will hurt just as many kids.
You can’t suspend 300 students for a mob mentality. The best you can do is do everything you can to make sure it never happens again and to educate the children on the effects. There’s nothing wrong with a stern talking too as long as its effective. Show the children the faces of the kids just their ages who killed themselves because of behavior like they showed at the game. Let them hear the commentary of the family of those kids. Show them examples of homophobia and hate crimes. Relate homophobia to racism and anti-semitism. In other words, educate. Teach tolerance. But sending them home to the environments they probably got the homophobia from won’t do anything but quell the voices of bitchy gay bloggers.
By the way, I’m equally offended by Queerty’s use of the words nigger and kike as I am by their use of the words faggot.
Gorbeh
Screw that. When I was in high school they suspended the entire junior class for having a food fight. That was 350 students, I doubt the amount of students chanting that was that big. Suspend them.
W-E Mom
This whole mess started by a former student wanting to get her name in the media. If in fact she was so upset, why then did she not contact either school or the school board>
For the record both schools have been chanting either Powder Blue Faggots or Halloween Homos at each other since the late 1970’s. South High wears powder blue uniforms, North High wears black and orange uniforms.
Students from both schools were chanting last Thursday, students of varying sexual preferences were chanting as well. No one asked the openly gay students if they felt attacked, that would have nullified the whole uproar.
The words have to be changed, when the chants first started no one objected, but awareness was at a different level back then.
Before the whole country gets themselves in a tizzy, check out all the facts.
No one is condoning the words but many are disputing the intent. No gay bashing occurred, no bullying either, nothing but two rival schools taunting each other.
The kids know now that some traditions have to be stopped, and so they will be, as far as suspensions go, the principals at both schools would be kept busy for weeks trying to positively iidentify those involved, get them suspended, deal with all the appeals, and whatever lawsuits would ensue because of the lack of proof of each student identified.
The students are involved in heavy duty bullying and awareness training this week. Let’s stick to education, and positive training vs sending them all home for three days to watch tv, play video games, and learn nothing.
slobone
Yawn, how boring. Who gives a shit if a bunch of high school kids call another bunch of high school kids faggots? Seriously guys, isn’t there a better way to spend your time than looking for reasons to be offended?
NAP79
Here’s more of this “victim mentality” like all gays have been personally traumatized by a bunch of idiots shouting words we don’t like. Why not fight back instead of insisting they all be punished? Get the next team they play to shout “White Trash Idiots!” at them or “North High School Bigots!” Suspending these kids is a stupid fucking idea and basically just gives them the day off for being assholes. They should be shamed and humiliated for being assholes.
Robert
Hilarious. Its good to know kids can still be kids!!! You don’t see anyone standing up for the cross dressing Colonel in Cananda that everyone is calling the Killer Colonel.Were’s the outrage.
Amazing that a few get offended at such a stupid act by some teenagers. Every single person on this blog has likely used some sort of slur, degrading remarks, or other term that wouldn’t look so good in a youtube video. But you call the kettle black.
Why on earth should the football team forfiet a game. They weren’t chanting. The fans were.I always enjoy the attitiude that if its real hard to punish someone you should look the other way. The irony of it all is that if they did suspend them all the goofs on this blog would be yattering on about how unfair it was to punish them.
DR
Suspending 300 kids will be a meaningless gesture on the part of the school. That’s 300 kids who get the day off. As others have suggested, this needs to be used as a real teaching moment instead.
Put away the hysterical need for retribution and cries of victimhood for a moment and really think about what the school can do with this in a positive way.
Kev C
Talk about the blind leading the blind. Stupid teachers teaching stupid students how to be stupid in Stupidland, Ohio.
alex
I don’t know the specifics for Ohio; but, most school districts get paid according to the number of students in class per day. Suspending 300+ students would be a financial hit the school probably can’t afford.
Hopefully this unwanted national attention on North High School will be a lesson for other schools.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@W-E Mom:
This whole mess started by a former student wanting to get her name in the media.
This whole mess was started by school administrators thinking it’s fine to allow students to chant anti-gay slurs. What you’re upset about is the fact that someone decided to point this out.
If in fact she was so upset, why then did she not contact either school or the school board
How do you know she didn’t?
For the record both schools have been chanting either Powder Blue Faggots or Halloween Homos at each other since the late 1970’s.
And? Just because something has been done for decades, doesn’t make it right.
South High wears powder blue uniforms, North High wears black and orange uniforms.
Oh well then, that makes it ok!
students of varying sexual preferences were chanting as well.
How do you know this, W-E Mom? Have any evidence to back up this claim?
No one asked the openly gay students if they felt attacked, that would have nullified the whole uproar.
Unless you’re one of the openly gay students you claim to be speaking for, your opinion doesn’t matter. I’m fairly certain that if gay students had been asked how they feel about these chants, the answer could very well be different than what you believe it would be.
Before the whole country gets themselves in a tizzy, check out all the facts.
The fact is, a school was caught on video chanting anti-gay slurs. If not for the fact that the there is an uproar, the school would not have done squat about these anti-gay chants.
No one is condoning the words
You’re certainly defending them.
No gay bashing occurred, no bullying either,
Words mean things. Just because you don’t believe this is bullying, doesn’t mean it isn’t.
nothing but two rival schools taunting each other.
Would you defend these actions if white students were using racial slurs against a rival school’s team?
The kids know now that some traditions have to be stopped,
And why do you think that is? Hmmmm…Maybe because a student decided it was time to point out that this school uses the anti-gay slurs. If this had never happened, guaranteed these anti-gay chants would have continued. if it’s been happening since the late seventies, then clearly no one was in any hurry to stop it.
and so they will be, as far as suspensions go, the principals at both schools would be kept busy for weeks trying to positively iidentify those involved, get them suspended, deal with all the appeals, and whatever lawsuits would ensue because of the lack of proof of each student identified.
Yeah, who cares. It’s not like gays are real people deserving of respect, and dignity, and an expectation that school will be a safe place, not filled with anti-gay chants.
The students are involved in heavy duty bullying and awareness training this week. Let’s stick to education, and positive training
Once again, because these anti-gay chants were exposed. If you’re so supportive of training, and education, why are you bemoaning the fact that these anti-gay chants, and the people shouting them were exposed?
How loud were you chanting, W-E Mom?
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@SBC19:
Just tell the kids to not do it again, and during the next game
Yes, because students always do as their teachers tell them to.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@NAP79:
Here’s more of this “victim mentality”
Being victimized isn’t a mentality–it’s reality.
like all gays have been personally traumatized by a bunch of idiots shouting words we don’t like.
No, just the queer students at that school.
Get the next team they play to shout “White Trash Idiots!” at them or “North High School Bigots!”
Because those students could quite possibly be proud of being white trash, and bigots. But no one wants to be thought of as a faggot, or a homo.
They should be shamed and humiliated for being assholes.
If they had any shame, they wouldn’t have been chanting in the first place.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@Robert:
You don’t see anyone standing up for the cross dressing Colonel in Cananda that everyone is calling the Killer Colonel.Were’s the outrage.
Why would anyone defend a raping, mutilating, murderer?
Amazing that a few get offended at such a stupid act by some teenagers.
Teenagers grow up to become adults. And anti-gay teenagers grow up to become anti-gay adults who can legally vote.
B
Regarding QUEERTY’s statement, ‘”Didn’t mean anything negative by the chant?” Is this man kidding himself?’ No, he’s not kidding himself – he had actually made a factual statement about what some students had said. It’s worth mentioning because it suggests that part of the problem revolves around students who are completely and utterly clueless.
Re No 1: “Very reasonable punishment: forfeit the next game.” Good thinking – punish the football team for behavior that they had not engaged in. How about playing the next game but telling certain spectators that they’ll have to watch it on You Tube.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@DR:
Put away the hysterical need for retribution and cries of victimhood for a moment
Tis isn’t about hysteria, retribution, or victimhood. This is about a school administration who, if a commentator above is to be believed, has been allowing students to chant anti-gay slurs for decades. Only when students were caught on video doing so, did the administration step up and decide that something should be done. What is being done does not guaranty that this will not happen again. This is a band-aid solution.
and really think about what the school can do with this in a positive way.
You mean think about what the school can do to spin this in a positive way.
Laughing Elf
This Is Retarded. You People Over react. The Gay Population Makes Up 1% Of the US Population, So who The Fuck Do you Think Your offending? Less Then Half of that 1% Cares. Nobody Cares. Your All Dumb. Like If Your Really Worried About this Just Wait till The Next Homicidal Terrorist Attack On the School Because Of You. SUSPENDED FOR A FOOTBALL GAME TAUNT? Are You Serious? WOW. Chauby Needs To Be Fired, and The Students Need TO Be Praised for School SPIRIT 🙂
scott ny'er
@Laughing Elf: OK. Let’s try this another way. What if the chant was a racist remark or womanist remark, how well would that go over? Let’s say the offensive “n” word and the black population is like 5% at the school. Should the school not be doing anything? Of course not, the school needs to do something.
gina
@Yet Another: How about Queerty’s repeated use of the term “tranny” which is considered insulting by a large number of people in the trans community especially when used by non-trans people? Queerty uses it repeatedly. If Queerty is so upset about “faggot” (which they should be) a term which is used by some people in the gay community, then be consistent and stop using tranny.
Fitz
@gina: Your oozing all over the place. That’s not the topic at the moment, dear. And anyway, many many trans people use the word Tranny. In fact, I love going to a bar called the Tranny Shack.
Mark
@W-E Mom: No gay bashing occurred, no bullying either, nothing but two rival schools taunting each other.
Excuse me W-E – yes, there was bashing and bullying, and it was verbal! Verbal abuse is bashing. You need to become better educated and stop making excuses.
Whether this has been going on a long time, as you say, or not; there is no need to accuse the young lady as you do. Thankfully, it has been brought to the forefront and can be put to a stop.
Bullying / Bashing does not always have to mean physical marks on the body. The psychological scars run much deeper and are much longer lasting.
Mark
@slobone: And calling kids that name makes their self esteem go in the gutter and leads to some completing suicide.
Mark
@Robert: “Every single person on this blog has likely used some sort of slur, degrading remarks, or other term that wouldn’t look so good in a youtube video. But you call the kettle black.”
Oh and you personally know every single person on this blog and their entire personal history? I was raised to respect others and have never used a racial slur nor called anyone the ‘f’ word. It’s called respecting others.
adman
I think a a school admin and therefore leader of the educational approach these kids are participants in, I would think about privileges and how to impress upon the students the meaing of the concept. The last thing students representing themselves as a body in a public place need to be subject to is a chance to represent themselves in public again. That might mean not another football game, since they don’t seem to deserve the chance to entertain themselves by participating in school activitie.
Just cancel spectator attendance at the next game, hold an assembly and explain why letting them watch football has become a liability to the school. Ask the kids how to remedy their behavior and regain trust in the community. Hand out pens and paper. Get the student body leadership involved, that kind of thing. Is this shit really so difficult? It seems the privilege to marry and breed has grown to include the entitlement to run institutions without adding any benefit via the simplest leadership. Wouldn’t want to “be the bad guy”, I guess. Breeders are the new retards.
adman
@adman: “The last thing students representing themselves NEGATIVELY as a body in a public place need to be subject to..”
Sorry folks, keyboard is getting old.
reason
@Fitz: The administrators have a school to run and suspending 300 people cost a crap load of money. Considering the state of some of our schools, I don’t think they have a penny to waste. A kid sitting at home for using the F word will not only be missing out on education but it wouldn’t change his usage of the word. Banning people from attending would cost the school in ticket sales. Forfeiting the next game is ridiculous why would you punish the players for not doing anything wrong? I know when I was a high-school athlete the fans were nothing more than a distraction that I completely ignored. Real athletes are focused on the game and tune out all the other crap taking place, and would rather have everyone in the stands spend the night in prison than lose a game. The fans don’t lose anything by making the team forfeit granted they aren’t the ones out there training five days a week to play well. The school should have an education session about appropriate behavior at the next pep rally and that should be sufficient.
prohomo
@Laughing Elf: I’m laughing at your arrogance and stupidity. And we’re 1% of the US population??! More laughs.
gina
@Fitz: And many gay men use faggot. If you don’t want people to use a term you’re not cool with people outside your community using, then don’t make assumptions it’s okay for you to use a term which many in my community hate. I wouldn’t presume to tell you faggot is okay, so who are you to make that choice for trans people. Tranny shack is run by gay men who do drag, I don’t know of anyone who’s involved with it who actually views themselves as transgender. Bad example.
alan brickman
Gays use these same words….more educating…less suspending…
W-E Mom
I think I am offended by someone calling himself Mr Enemabag who assumes he knows what others are thinking and feeling.
My post was based on facts as things happened, and for your information my daughter was at that game with her friends three of whom are openly gay at our school.
This has been a topic for discussion for a week now, feel free to contact the Gay Coalition group that meets at the school and ask their opinions before you sling whatever your enema bag is oozing.
You are so offended yet, you make blind accusations toward people you don’t know. As for gather all the facts, were you there? Have you ever been to one of our “Civil War” games?
Are you aware of the drama from the week prior to the game, where african americans were insulted by the other schools use of the Confederate Flag on their spirit shirts? It sparked quite a media frenzy with accusations of racism.
These kids are some of the most tolerant, accepting, unaffected kids you will ever meet. No distinction is made by the non-gay students against the gay students. They hang out, play sports, and socialize together. Perhaps actions in this case really do speak louder than words, but then believing that would mean being tolerant and accepting yourself.
And please do not glamorize the little bimbo who posted the video, she openly admits she did not go to any school or board administrators, and all her interviews to date do not address tolerance or awareness, they are all very self serving comments about how ‘big this has gotten’, how SHE made national news. Look into her background before you judge anyone else.
I do stand behind my response, it was not bullying or gay bashing, it was a chant that has been repeated between the two schools for decades, the kids now understand that the word isnt just a word and it is being dealt with, at least at North. The other school principal stated that he hasnt heard any complaints about his students so he is moving forward like any other game week.
You should applaud the awareness that this incident has raised, the things the kids are doing to make changes, all you want to do is be insulting, intolerant and insensitive. No one is bemoaning the exposure, just questioning the reason behind it, you seem to be quite ready to attack everyone on this blog for having an opinion that isn’t yours.
I don’t chant, I cheer and I have always taught my own children not to use slurs.
And just so you know. the same kids raised $9,694.00 for United Way last week, and $3,685 for the Wounded Warrior project and nearly $6,000 during their Relay for Life. Bot too bad for a bunch of hoodlums eh?
The one thing that really stood out in your post is that you had no solution to the problem. How would you handle the situation given ALL the facts? Would you give the kids who so offended you a 3 day vacation? What methods would you use to try to identify the 300 students who were in that section of the stadium, how would you prove that all of them were chanting? Do you believe that education and awareness is the wrong way to handle this? Just exactly what would you actually DO Mr Enemabag?
gina
W-E Mom: What you don’t seem to understand is that someone who raises money for United Way with one hand can also do blatantly homophobic actions with the other. If you can’t get that basic concept then don’t bother posting your mushy defense of your offspring’s actions. They knew EXACTLY what faggot means… are you pretending this is something new? But they thought, in the context of a football game, that it was cool to chant it. What if you had a gay son who attended the game… would you think it’s so harmless then? If they used nigger or cunt in a chant would that be cool?
And when you characterize the girl who posted the video as a “little bimbo” that’s your own sexism and nastiness towards a female student coming out. Wow, good modeling for your own kid. Would you repeat that statement in front of her parents? And, much as I dislike Fitz’s justifications when it comes to the trans community, I totally agree that your school should forfit its next game. It would be a good and just lesson, just as pro soccer teams have forfeited games due to the hooliganism of their fans.
W-E Mom
@Giina
What you dont seem to understand is that this entire issue is not about gay bashing its about team rivalry. Why not ask yourself about the chant. You obviously know the school so well, so does this chant occur at every game? Has anyone gay or straight ever in the past 32 years ever once complained about it? Does the lovely young lady who is not a student but a 28 year old self proclaimed DJ truly care about gay/straight relations?
Everyone here who is outraged is a pawn in her pathway to fame. The kids were chanting, they were told to stop, they did. Where on thie video do you see them repeating the offense? Nowhere because Heather Ike only caught the one time it happened.
And as I see it, you Gina like many others, want to punish over a thousand students, their parents, alumni for the actions of allegedly 300. Good plan. Oh and as I said earlier, the chant involves two teams Eastlake North and Willoughby South, they meet once a year on the football field. No other teams are or ever have been involved. So using your logic it would mean punishing over 2000 sutdents, their parents , every other fan for the chants. Seriously? As opposed to a district wide awareness and education program in the schools themselves?
And finally Gina, you do not know Heather Ike, but she isnt hard to find, just check any bar in Willowick, Willoughby or Eastlake where she spends her evenings and weekends drinking and hanging on men, thus earning herself far worse euphemisms than I used. You cannot begin to equate this nearly 30 year old woman with a bunch of teenagers. Find out her agenda, gather every fact about the incident then pass judgement.
Tallest
This whole thing is stupid. The students are stupid, football is stupid, the teachers are stupid, the parents are stupid. But I never really expect better from Ohio…
What nasty children.
North High Alumni
First, I’d like to note that during a time of Zero Tolerance, the students should know better and take into consideration how their words, however not meant to be offensive, still can be hurtful.
I feel suspension of the students is out of the question since the entire cheering section was chanting and beyond what the video could see. The goal is to teach the students what they were doing was innappropriate. This negativity towards North is getting rediculous though and is making it out to seem that the enitre student body was gashbashing the opposing team. As a North graduate, and was involved in these chants before, can say that there was no personal attack intended, but do apologize for hurting someone. The students are not horrible people; they were in the heat of the rival.
Where is the negativity towards South’s chants? Lets not start pointing figners, but address the issue at large. The schools are making an effort to teach tolerance and the students really are a lot more accepting, and you would realize that if you took the time to see their point of view instead of insulting them and saying they are all homophobics. Yes some traditions do have to come to an end, but stop ridiculing the entire student body. Look at all of the facts instead of jumping to biased conclusions.
Another North Alum
Not that I am condoning this behavior, but this chant is nothing new. Parents of friends have even said they chant was around then. Due to the new-found emphasis on bullying, it is just now coming to light. Again, I’m not excusing this behavior, but where were the cameras when South chants “Halloween ‘homos'” to North? Both schools are equally guilty.
Pete
Buahhhhhh!! Buahhhhh! Why doesnt the World turn around us faggots? Why doesnt society bow down to us?? Why???? We must destroy society my fag-comrades, they must know that the Universe orbits around us!!!
Soupy
It doesn’t turn around us because of you Pete. And when it rains, it’s god crying about you pete.