McGuffey High School Students Turn Day of Silence Into Day Of Bullying

For those who don’t know, the National Day of Silence is a national day of action in which students across the country vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. Sounds like a good thing, right? I mean, ending bullying in schools, the bullying of any student for any reason, has got to be good, right?

Well, some folks call this ‘special treatment’ for The Gays because straight folks don’t get a national day; perhaps they should be thankful that most straight kids don’t suffer bullying and harassment and physical abuse for being straight, but I digress …

Up in Claysville, Pennsylvania, a group of students at McGuffey High School apparently spread the news that they were “anti-gay;” they were to wear flannel shirt — which, and, be queer, I’m joking a little, sound kinda Lesbian to me — and write the words  “Anti-Gay” on their hands. And they took to social media to spread the word, and post photos of themselves — like that one over there — in their anti-gay plaid.

So, a day to call attention to the bullying of LGBTQ students turns out to be a day for bullying LGBTQ students because certain students, the ones who are openly LGBTQ or at least perceived to be LGBTQ, were pushed and shoved in the hallways, and the lockers of those students were decorated with anti-gay posters.

One student, Zoe Johnson was not amused:

“It hurts me to see how rude and cruel, and some of these people were my friends before this started. “Yesterday, there was pushing, posters hung on homosexual students’ lockers. Teachers were having to run out and take them down.”

Johnson took her disgust to Facebook:

“This is why so many students hate going to school.”

And she also took her disgust at a school board meeting, demanding administrators do something:

“They made an announcement this morning, saying the only colors [students could wear] are blue and gold, but I feel like that is not getting the point across. Just to ignore it isn't going to work.”

In response, Dr. Erica Kolat, the superintendent of McGuffey School District, released a statement:

“Yesterday afternoon, April 16, 2015, allegations of harassment were brought to the attention of our administration. McGuffey School District, along with school police officers, continue to investigate all allegations. We will follow our Student Code of Conduct, and file legal citations, as warranted. We resolve to ensure that all children can grow and learn in a safe, supportive environment free from discrimination.”

It’s not clear how they well the district did their investigating when you consider that some of the students involved in the anti-gay bullying posted their pictures online, proudly wearing their flannel.

Oh, and the day after the National Day of Silence, those same students allegedly wore orange as their anti-gay color of choice, and vowed to have another five days’ worth of “anti-gay” attire planned for the following week.

It doesn’t sound to me like the school district is investigating as diligently as they should. I mean, students in flannel one day and orange the next are pretty easy to spot; students taping anti-gay posters to the lockers of others should be a cinch to find.

But hey, it’s just gay kids … it’s just bullying … it’s just Freedom of Expression ... and it’s all well and good until someone kills themselves over it.

Here’s the queer; if you don’t like gay people, good for you. Have a happy life; enjoy yourself. But when you take your dislike, and your homophobia, and, possibly, your own inner self-loathing at the fact that maybe you’re gay, too, and use it to bash, intimidation, bully, harm or threaten another individuals, you are the lowest of the low.

And just because you pose on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook in your pretty little flannel shirts doesn’t change the fact that you are haters and vile disgusting people.

Yeah, have a happy life.

via:

LGBTQ Nation
WPIX
Day of Silence
The Advocate