Posted on 10/28/2005 7:51:24 AM PDT by scripter
CHICAGO -- High school is a time when everyone wants to fit in.
On Tuesday, NBC5's Anna Davlantes introduced viewers to two suburban teenagers who say that fitting in didn't matter when it came time to choosing the school's homecoming king and queen.
The choice that students made, however, is attracting attention and causing controversy.
Davlantes said it may not shock people that a jock and a cheerleader were chosen as homecoming king and queen at Buffalo Grove High School, but what surprises some and concerns others is what's different about the two students and what it might say about their generation.
Jen Wohlner and Ryan Cooperman are popular leaders at the school. They're also openly gay, Davlantes said.
So, some people were surprised by what happened in their high school gym a little over a week ago, when the two were chosen as homecoming king and queen.
"The entire gym was completely packed. No one knew who was going to be king or queen," Cooperman said.
Then came the announcement: "I am proud to present to you the homecoming king and queen."
"And they were, like, Ryan Cooperman ... Jen Walner. Everyone exploded. It was just amazing," said a Buffalo Grove student and friend of the royal couple.
So, how is it that a gay student and a lesbian win the biggest high school popularity contest?
"I think it shows that is our school, and maybe the generation as a whole, is just a little more progressive," Wohlner said.
Their election shatters stereotypes, Davlantes said. They are not at all the typical homecoming king and queen.
Wohlner plays sports and went to prom with another girl last year. Ryan is a cheerleader.
"I guess you could say this year it was kind of a jock and a cheerleader, but flip-flopped positions," she said.
Other students said that the anomaly doesn't bother them.
Perhaps, Davlantes said, being openly gay in Chicago's suburban high schools no longer carries the stigma it once did.
Time magazine made the subject its cover story last week, saying that students are coming out earlier and earlier.
"I came out in eighth grade," one girl told NBC5.
"I never dated a boy before," another girl said.
"I knew, personally, around sixth grade," Cooperman said.
And the number of gay clubs in high schools has exploded from 100 a few years ago to more than 3000 nationwide today.
"It's really kind of uncool to be anti-gay," said school psychologist Jennifer Zacharski.
Attitudes have shifted dramatically in one generation, Zacharski, who sponsors Buffalo Grove's Gay-Straight Alliance.
"When they saw me in the crowd (at the homecoming) they were, like, 'Ms. Zacharski, we got it,'" she recalled.
But not everyone is cheering about the school's groundbreaking choice.
"For us, it's a sad thing," said Illinois Family Institute's spokesman Pete LaBarbera said. He claims that schools are too politically correct nowadays.
"Something that was once sort of universally regarded as a sin, is now becoming sort of cool in high school," he said. "It's easy for an adult to say, 'Oh wow, I'm doing the compassionate thing by telling this teenaged boy that he's gay,' but they won't be there when the boy becomes a man and comes down with HIV or hepititis B and C."
"Like, you know what? I'm gay and if you have a problem with that, I really could care less," Cooperman said.
"I'm proud of who I am," Wohlner said. "Not just that I'm proud of being gay, but I'm proud of all that I am."
They say their popularity has sent a message -- not about being gay, but being themselves.
"What's so appealling about them is that they are themselves. They are themselves despite whatever people might think," Zacharski said.
Davlantes said that this is the first time anyone can remember two openly gay students being named homecoming king and queen, but that could soon change.
According to a Harvard University study, the average gay person comes out of the closet just before high school graduation.
Davlantes said that conservatives are lobbying to get more groups on campus that represent an alternative viewpoint.
All of which have been banned from here.
" All the talking and degredation of someone else will not change the FACT "
I guess we are of different sensitivity levels on this subject because I don't see the same nasty tone in this thread you seem to pick-up. If I can't call someone a pervert that I find disgusting because of what they do then I don't know where your coming from. This is an issue that is buried in Political Correctness and this issue of the Gay-Media-Cabal brain-washing our kids is of the upmost importance to the future of America.
And ends up in real Hell when he dies.
Part of the behavior modification has been also MTV and shows like Will and Grace which depict homosexuals always as sensitive and beautiful people. Their obsession with hedonism and lust is never even hinted at.
That's because you apparently refuse to read what science says about homosexuality. There is no gay gene and the number of former homosexuals continue to grow. That tells us something about sexuality, and that is, it can be fluid in some who are confused about their identity.
I agree with you but it's not that simple. John Taylor Gatto doesn't think the current school system can be salvaged, and he should know. Read his book The Underground History of American Education online.
As I see it, all Christian parents should yank their children from government schools. According to Gatto, government schools only provide a slaves education. If you want more for your children, send them to a good private school or homeschool.
Perhaps you can provide some examples...
A lot of people say things like that - sometimes it makes me laugh. One of my favorites is when somebody says "nip it in the butt" instead of "nip it in the bud." If you think about it, the former can mean the opposite of the latter.
And we would call that compassion. But for some reason, many, including many here, call it hatred or homophobic.
This was just posted on another thread, it's a history of US public school education, and the quotes posted were an eye-opener.
http://winn.com/whee/PUTwistedRoots.html
Thanks - you made me laugh.
That's excellent. A definite keeper, too. Thanks!
"In short, "it is all part of the big plan."
That's kind of funny. I stopped in a John Birch Society book store in 1967 right before I went in the Navy and they were telling about this grand plan to destroy America. I thought they were nuts but now I think they were right.
Why engage the bigsigh? She's only here to defend the honor of her friends that practice perversion. She would defend her Booger Eater friends with as much the same zeal I'm sure, LOL.
You are so locked into your zealotry you can't even see what this simple story says. The reason? It's contrary to what you "know" is true. You're so blind you can't see anything which doesn't support your position.
I remember your reaction to my story about the two women I know who are happily married in their church. You just won't admit it. Given your prdiliction to ignore facts, you still want us to believe the BS you post as research.
How many times do you have to have your covers pulled before you acknowledge anything contrary to your crusade?
I can already predict your response, so I'm out before you whine to the moderator about the homosexual agenda being supported because some poster showed the error of your ways.
Actually I'm here because I like to point out the truth, especially in the face of zealotry. The post to scripter is for you. I don't want to waste anymore time this morning on your usual crap.
Adolescent rebellion?
My first HS boyfriend turned gay after dating me.
I guess I'm holding out hope that someday he'll read what science says on the subject of homosexuality instead of relying on his red herring lesbian stories.
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