Posted on 06/24/2007 5:52:34 PM PDT by Eric Blair 2084
A gay-rights group is demanding an apology from Newark School Superintendent Marion Bolden for ordering her staff to black out a picture of a gay couple kissing be fore distributing copies of the yearbook to students at East Side High School.
Calling the directive homophobic and unlawful, Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, said yesterday the school also should redistribute a new batch of uncensored yearbooks at the district's expense.
"This action by the school district will have an unspeakably vile chilling effect on other gay and lesbian students coming out," Goldstein said. "Her (Bolden) trying to erase a student and his boyfriend is a metaphor for her trying to erase the gay and lesbian community out of Newark and its school system. It's wrong and it's ridiculous."
The photograph shows East Side High graduating senior Andre Jackson, 18, kissing David Esco bales, 19, of Allentown, Pa., on the lips. It was among several photos printed on a special page paid for by Jackson to commemorate his high school experience, at a cost of $150.
Yesterday, Bolden said the photo was not targeted because it was two men kissing, but because it was "suggestive" in nature and that she should have also censored other suggestive photos in the yearbook.
She said she promotes an atmosphere of tolerance for gay stu dents at Newark schools and in tends to apologize to Jackson if he believes the district did something to hurt him because of his orientation.
"I will call the student to let him know nothing was intended to hurt him or slight him," she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
As long as they are also editing suggestive photos of boys kissing girls I don’t see what the argument is. My school had a general ban on anything it called a “public display of affection”—it didn’t matter the gender of those involved.
Ahh, the antidote worked............
I took it as a challenge to find the photo. It ain't really all that bad. It's not a lip lock or tongue.
BTW, in Poland and moste eastern European countries men kiss as a greeting. I kiss my dad all the time.
Yeah, where I come from (somewhere in the vicinity of Kazakhstan) we kiss our fathers, brothers and uncles too...on their cheek (let me clarify, the cheek on their face, once on each side, much like Borat).
Then we drink beer, talk about sports, business, women and politics and then play cards to wash the gayness of the kiss away.
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