School threatens boy for opinion opposing gay adoption

School: Opposition to Gay Adoption is “Bullying”
By Todd Starnes/TWITTER

A Wisconsin high school is in the middle of a free speech debate after they apologized for publishing a student essay opposing gay families who adopt children. School officials called the essay a form of “bullying and disrespect.”

The column ran on the editorial page of the Shawano High School student newspaper. It was part of an op-ed featuring a student supporting gay families who adopt children and one opposed to the idea.

The student who opposed gay adoptions cited Bible passages that called homosexuality and sin punishable by death.

“If one is a practicing Christian, Jesus states in the Bible that homosexuality is (a) detestable act and sin which makes adopting wrong for homosexuals because you would be raising the child in a sin-filled environment,” the student wrote.

The school district profusely apologized after a gay couple – who has a child at the school – complained.

“This is why kids commit suicide,” Nick Uttecht told the Green Bay Press Gazette. “When I saw this I was in shock.”

The school district released a statement apologizing for the story.

“Offensive articles cultivating a negative environment of disrespect are not appropriate or condoned by the Shawano School District,” the statement read. “We sincerely apologize to anyone we may have offended and are taking steps to prevent items of this nature from happening in the future.”

Todd Carlson, the superintendent of the Shawano School District told Fox News & Commentary he was shocked by the article.

“We do apologize,” Carlson said. “We have a responsibility as a school district to make sure we create a positive school climate and culture. This article probably didn’t go along with the policies and the guidelines and the practices that we have as a school district.”

But the school district only took issue with one of the opinion pieces – the one opposed to gays adopting children. That’s because Carlson said the essay is a form of bullying.

“It is a form of bullying or disrespect to a group of people – that’s right,” he said.

The school district did not comply with a request to read the entire essay – and they declined to say if the student who wrote the essay would be punished.

“Our efforts have been placed to make sure that items of this nature don’t happen in the future,” Carlson told Fox News & Commentary. “We have this responsibility to create a positive environment for all.”

However, critics said removing the opinion piece is a form of censorship.

“I hope they won’t squash any political viewpoints because of this,” David Hudson, of the First Amendment Center told USA Today. “Bullying is a serious concern, and I don’t take it lightly. But I hope it doesn’t lead to squashing different viewpoints. I do think (gay adoption) is an issue people are deeply divided about. Hopefully, student journalists don’t have to fear they’ll be squashed if they take a controversial view.”

Carlson told Fox News & Commentary this is not a case of censorship.

“It is not a freedom of speech issue,” he said. “I know some are trying to make it that. It’s our policy that we are concerned about – not to create disrespect and bullying and harassment.”

At least one university professor believes the school district did the right thing by apologizing for a student’s personal opinion.

“To see something like this debated in the paper could be devastating,” Christine Smith, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay told USA Today. “How would you feel if someone said your family is abnormal, is not acceptable, that your parents never should have been allowed to have you, that they’re not suitable to raise you?”

Shale wrote:This is so much political posturing and acquiescing by the school administration. I really think all teachers in the US should take a remedial course on the first amendment. (Yeah, I am a card carrying member of the ACLU)

The kid was expressing an OPINION, just like we do here and just like the other kid with the GOOD opinion. Yeah, I am biased - but like Voltaire said a couple hundred years ago - I do not agree with what you say but I will fight to the death FOR YOUR RIGHT TO SAY IT!

It was an open forum going in, then midway the school officials became politically motivated cowards and backed out - and as Red said, hung the screwed up religious kid out to dry. And, from what was reported, he was telling the truth - the Bible that ancient unattributed collection of old myth does say in Leviticus that homosexuals should be put to death. If he attributed that statement to the bible then it is a legit point. And there are a bunch of haters that subscribe to that.

There are extremes and they are not all on the side of bigots - sometimes the do-gooders fuck up like these school officials who are too cowardly to allow the students to debate an issue in an open forum with moderation (not one-sided censorship).

RedBedroom wrote:This story has me very upset. I despise the town of Shawano and it is no surprise something so stupid happened there.

This young man better not get into any trouble with the school. The teacher in charge of the paper set this kid up for a fall giving him a platform to state religion dictates homosexuality is wrong. Then school administration threw him under the bus by giving national interviews about this.

I don't agree with what the kid had to say but that's just it...he's just a kid. For all anyone knows, his views were shaped by adults in his life. Also, I don't know if he is 18 or younger. If he is a minor, it makes the situation ten times worse because in that case, the school really hung him out to dry.

While I am very sorry the gay couple was offended and does not like that their children attend a school district that allowed that to be published, I don't think all the beef should be with the kid. In fact, very little should. He has the right to free speech and freedom of religion.

Forgiveness Man wrote:The issue had somebody in support of gay marriage and somebody opposed to it. What's the problem? If the gay couple had a problem with the piece, they could choose not to read it.

captainbryce wrote:Chris, I love you to death, but I gotta call you out on this one. Unless I've misread your article (which I admit is perfectly possible), the title of your thread seems somewhat misleading here. You say, "School threatens boy for opinion opposing gay adoption", yet I see no such threats in the article you posted.

It goes on to state that: "The school district did not comply with a request to read the entire essay – and they declined to say if the student who wrote the essay would be punished". So what was this "threat" made by the school, or did I miss something?

RedBedroom wrote:Chris may have read another article out there about this as there are other articles out there that hinted at the school possibly taking disciplinary action. That b.s. was thankfully dropped soon after this became a national watercooler topic.