Eddie Walker isn’t a very progressive role model.
The South Carolina-based educator will resign next June after being ordered to allow a gay-straight alliance at his high school.
As Walker explains in his oh-so-heartfelt letter, he’s waiting a year to leave because breaking his contract would violate his “religious convictions.” He does little, however, to elaborate further:
…Due to a recent conflict involving my professional and religious beliefs I sent Dr. Angela Bain a letter of resignation effective June 30, 2009. On May 14, 2008, I was instructed by email to allow the formation of a Gay/Straight Alliance Club at Irmo High School. On May 15, 2008 I told Ms. Ann Pilat to allow the formation of this club for the 2008-2009 school year.
Allowing the formation of this club on our campus conflicts with my professional beliefs and religious convictions.
…
The formation of this club conflicts with my professional beliefs in that we do not have other clubs at Irmo High school based on sexual orientation, sexual preference, or sexual activity.
…
My decision to resign is a personal choice based on my professional beliefs and religious convictions. I have prayed about the decision for a period of time and I have a peace about it.
Faith In America executive director Brent Childers released a statement calling Walker’s decision a “shame” and drew on education’s stormy past: “It is unfortunately very similar to the time in our history when segregation in schools was once allowed to flourish because of the deep-seated prejudice that existed in our institutions and the religious mindset of many people during that period.”
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hell's kitchen guy
I actually would give him a back-handed compliment for having the courage of his convictions. That said, good riddance!
CitizenGeek
Indeed, good riddance! If he doesn’t understand the point of a Gay/Straight alliance, then I shudder to think of what kind of an educator he would make!
Charley
He’s doing the right thing by resigning. He is a
bad influence on the minds of children.
BobP
Yes, he shouldn’t have ANYTHING to do with impressionable young people. He’s certainly entitled to his opinion, but narrow-minded bigots should not be permitted in the teaching profession. Someone should clue him in that there’s a good chance that 10% of the students are Gay and that his beliefs would be highly offensive to THEM.
Britton
First of all, the quotes that this website is using from his originally drafted letter are absolutely inaccurate. Second of all, the man has NO issue with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, etc. community. The ONLY thing he has a problem with is that it is a sex-based club. Check your local high schools, I doubt if there are any porno clubs (sex-based and legal). http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8356379
This is a link to his originally drafted letter.
Note: Segregation is based on RACE, not which gender you choose to have sex with. This topic is not comparable to race AT ALL, and as a South Carolinian–I know all the ins and outs of race and racism, how it exists, and where it exists.
Read the real story and maybe you will understand better about his beliefs.
PS: Y’all are hypocrits putting him down for his beliefs and then shouting about how you should have your own.
Britton
Ahh, and one more thing: Mr. Brent Childers is an idiot if he thinks racism was based on religion. The slaves were Christians just as the majority of the southerners were. Probably read up on your history before you go making public statements that are incorrect.
Thanks.
Miss Understood
I doubt the slaves were originally Christians. When you are born into slavery you don’t have too many outside influences.
And by the way, a gay organization is not a sex club.
hells kitchen guy
Wow, Britton, so Gay-Straight Alliance clubs are just an excuse for big ‘ole orgies. That’s true, if they’re “sex-based.” Kewl!
BTW, you’re an idiot.
Keith
@ Britton…
What?
Though Queerty excluded parts of his letter, he said… “The formation of this club conflicts with my professional beliefs in that we do not have other clubs at Irmo High school based on sexual orientation, sexual preference, or sexual activity. In fact our sex education curriculum is abstinence based. I feel the formation of a Gay/Straight Alliance Club at Irmo High school implies that students joining the club will have chosen to or will choose to engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, opposite sex, or members of both sexes….”
Okay, Britton, Principal Walker makes an incorrect analogy by connecting sexual orientation with sexual behavior. A “gay” person is no more likely to engage in sexual behavior than a “straight” person. A “gay/straight alliance” is not about sex… It is no more about gay kids having sex than it is about straight kids having sex. It is about learning to accept each other. Would Principal Walker have a problem with a multicultural club? Is a multicultural club about trying to make kids of different races or cultures “hook up”? No. It’s about accepting one another. I’m the advisor to a gay/straight alliance at my school, and it is NOT about sex. It is about accepting those with a different sexual orientation, but that has NOTHING to do with any propensity for engaging in sexual activities… If you believe it does, then you are as homophobic as Principal Walker is…
I believe he madethe right decision. If he has a problem with “sexual orientation” (which is not directly connected with whether or not one is sexually active), then he should resign. Sexual orientation is not a “choice”. It is not a “lifestyle”. It is a genetic and biological trait(just as gender, or race, or hair color) and a student organization dedicated to making sure that gay/lesbian students are treated equally as humans has more legitimacy on a high school campus than any religious or prayer group (which, by their nature, are “exclusive” rather than “inclusive).
BootsieGee
I was asked to be a key note speaker at a high school in Denver during an awareness week, at the request of the Gay/Straight Student Alliance. I spoke to the group in a separate meeting about being a gay man and trying to be a positive role model for gay youth. I asked about the formation of the group and their feelings about it and most said that it was one place in school where they felt safe and that they did not have to face beging called names and taunted and harrased. That group was started by a 14 year old lesbian who had simply had enough. I was amazed at her courage and strength (this was about 5 years ago when groups like this were just getting started.) As for the principal stating tha there is no other club based on sexuasl orientation, activity, etc. He is right, but there doesn’t need to be. The school itself is that club, kids are hooking up, greeting each other, forming cliques, etc. Lastly, I also believe that he made the right decision and applaud the school for not caving in to what I am sure was a great deal of pressure to shut this club down.
Sandy
My daughters are at Irmo High and I know Eddie Walker. He is an extremely open, accepting guy and is taking a sacrificial stand on his principles. In his letter (that you didn’t quote in toto) he also said he respects the beliefs of those who don’t agree with him and urged students, parents and teachers to do the same. He didn’t try to recruit anyone to his beliefs or sway anyone’s thinking in the matter. It’s a shame that he is doing the right thing, yet people feel compelled to attach their own biases against his right to his beliefs–Britton is right, Brent Childers and his ilk are hypocrites.
Britton
To Miss Understood: University studies have been done, and even the slave narratives show that slaves were, in fact, Christians. Hence the formation of black churches? The ones who were able, taught themselves to read USING the Christian Bible.
To Hells Kitchen Guy: At no point did I ever say that I believed the club was a sex club. I was merely explaining how Walker feels. At no point did I pose a negative view of ANY alternative lifestyle.
To Keith: Thank you for being the most reasonable out of the group. Sexual orientation is described as such-
sexual orientation–noun
one’s natural preference in sexual partners; predilection for homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.[Origin: 1990–95]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
It states everything about it being a natural part of human beings, as I myself believe it is a natural genetic occurence. However, the whole thing entails the variation of a sexual partner which is where the whole problem lies. No one ever talked about the club being an orgy club or anything of the sort. Simply that Walker believes if you are choosing an alternative sex partner than what is seen as the “norm”, that you are choosing to have sex, period. And having pre-marital sex is THE part that goes against his religious and professional beliefs. It truly has nothing to do with the fact that the kids were born to be different. He did not fight the school board for the club to be put down, he wrote a letter stating what he was doing and gave a clear-cut explanation as to why he was doing it. He knew he could not win, and was not going to try to. His beliefs are no pre-marital sex, which a sexual preference or orientation would imply at a HIGH SCHOOL level. Just as you have your own set of beliefs, and may possibly leave an institution if a gay/straight alliance were not allowed. Correct?
Essentially the man has taken a stand against the system, for his own personal beliefs, just as many gays, lesbians, etc. have for theirs. I know Walker personally, and he is good, honest, southern man that means no harm. He had no intentions of this getting publicized because he knew it would get twisted every which-way it possibly could. He is a very understanding and good-hearted man, so he shouldn’t be scrutinized for taking a stand for what he believes in.
And lastly, To BootsieGee: It is unfortunate the turmoil that young kids are put through. And there is not much pressure to shut the club down, as most high schools already have a gay/straight alliance, and a federal law is a federal law. The high school I attended had many people who attended the alliance meetings and, if my memory serves me, I do not recall any hatred, rudeness, or violence towards the gay community at my school.
jadehawk
being gay/straight has to do with whom a person is attracted to, not whether or not they’re planning on having sex or not.
the whole school has kids falling in love, dating, etc (i doubt that’ forbidden by the school) and i’m sure kids bring dates (often their dates/girlfriends/boyfriends) to dances. could a gay kid safely bring THEIR date to such a dance? could they safely discuss their crushes in the hallways the way other kids do?
basically, this is more about having a club that accepts their differences, where they can openly and safely talk about things that they cannot talk about anywhere else in school. it’s not a “meat market” to pick potential sex partners.
fair enough that he resigned rather than imposing his view on others, but that doesn’t mean his view is a tolerant one
(and on a side note: how exactly does “abstinence till marriage” work for people who aren’t legally allowed to get married in the first place? that in itself is an imposition of ones beliefs and blatant discrimination)
shivadog
Britton
first, the slaves were not christian until after they had been enslaved.And the fact that they bacame christian does not negate the fact that christianity was used as a justification for keeping slaves.
Second, you admit that you believe being gay is a natural genitic occurance, then how is it a different issue than race?
Third, if Walker does not have anything against gay people, only pre-marital sex, why is he opposed to the gay/straight alliance, and not to the prom, or any sort of heterosexual dating.
Fourth, you try to come across as someone with no prejudice against gay people, yet you compare the gay/straight alliance with a “porn club”. Do you have any idea how ignorant and offensive that is?
Fifth,you do not recall any “hatred, rudeness or violence” towards the gay community at your school. That makes me think you are either lying or you really need to get your head out of your ass.
Britton is Retarded
Britton, STFU you are an idiot.
Being gay is about who you are attracted to and love, not who you have sex with.
You could be celibate for your whole life but you would still be gay if you liked guys. It’s quite feasible that a 16 year old would join this club and not actually have sex till he or she was 18, or even 20. That doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t need the support of other LGBT teens during these 2 years, especially in a place like South Carolina.
The prejudice comes from assuming that if gay teenagers meet to discuss and share their problems from growing up gay in a world that largely doesn’t accept them then it’s automatically a “porno club” (your words).
Black teenagers have a younger average age for their first sexual intercourse. If black teenagers met to discuss the problems they face from racial prejudice, would you call that a sex club too? No, obviously not. This situation is no different.
You are so obviously whipped by your own internalized homophobia. It’s really sad.
Also it’s so obvious that the “Sandy” post was just your stupid ass posting again under a different name. Bitch, PLEASE!!!!
Keith
@ Britton and Sandy
You are right. If I were teaching at an institution where a gay/straight alliance was shut down, I would feel an obligation to leave that institution and state my reason for doing so. Thus, I feel Principal Walker did the right thing. We agree there. And I have no doubt that he is a good, honest, and very nice man. However, I disagree with his (and your defense of his) argument about the intention of the club. For space reasons I did not quote the entire letter but only the portion supporting my statement, but I read the entire letter via the link as anyone could.
The statement that the alliance is a “sex club” from your first post? Wrong, wrong, wrong… No more than a cultural diversity group is a “race club”. And you still don’t support your argument–having a sexual orientation DOES NOT lead to sex!! If a student identifies as straight, does their inborn heterosexuality mean they will definitely have sex (marital OR pre-marital)? NO! In fact, I know a few gay men who have never had sex, but accepted the fact of their sexual orientation decades earlier! You say you accept that it’s a natural genetic occurrence, and then you argue that it goes against the “norm”. But how can what is natural not be what is most normal for that person? Obviously by “norm”, you mean the “majority”, and thus prove why just such a club is needed–to teach the majority that the gay minority is no less normal than the straight majority.
It’s obvious you both feel very strongly about Principal Walker, and I am not speaking badly about him, but rather arguing against his point. I understand that he should not be “scrutinized”, but his statement should be scrutinized. When a person chooses to make a stand, they must be prepared to support it. If he did not want this decision to be leapt upon by the media, then he never should have stated his reasons for resigning TO A NEWSCASTER!! You certainly can’t argue against the publicity when he made a choice to state his beliefs on the air!
Britton
I understand your points and I agree that they are valid, Keith. All I will say is that his letter was to his boss, and that he has yet to speak to a reporter– the letter was merely leaked as I suppose, since it’s part of a school district, it is technically public material. I honestly think he should speak, on air, to the state and better explain what he meant. However, I do not believe he will.
To Britton is retarded: No, I don’t even live in Irmo, am not married and do not have any children. I don’t waste time supporting myself via making an alias. Everything I need to have said is written plain as day under my name. And porno club is not what I called the gay/straight alliance. It was a comparison that was both sex-based and legal, and not one that I was making of my own opinion. My own opinions are very clearly stated.
And to anyone who thinks I am a homophobe: As a female I have several lesbian friends, and have worked with and enjoyed my time around many gay guys. I believe, that if I were a homophobe that I would not enjoy those people I am speaking of. Based on the fact that animals, who have no real ability to make decisions, frequently are with same-sex partners- I do believe that being homosexual is a natural, genetic occurence. And those of whom I have been around that are homosexual have never indicated anything more than being scared to come out because they THOUGHT that it would have repercussions. Once they did come out, they had no regrets about it because they got it off their chest. If they had faced any violence, I was never told about it, I never heard about it, and seeing as that my best friend of several years had been a lesbian all along, I believe she would have told me if something abusive had happened to her.