Yesterday, my diary was about the remarkable level of straight acceptance of Pride Month I witnessed at IKEA. Today, something came over my transom to remind me that straight acceptance is not yet universal—indeed, there is still a long way to go.
We live in Erie County, Pennsylvania. The next county south of us is Crawford County, which is rural and blood red, politically. The Trump signs are still plentiful in peoples’ yards. The Penncrest School District is located mostly in Crawford County. One of the schools in this district is Maplewood Junior/Senior High School, and a controversy has recently arisen regarding a display of books at the library, which took place as a debate on Facebook. The focus was four books in the display with LGBTQ themes.
David Valesky and Jeff Brooks offered contrasting remarks regarding the displays and the topic of LGBTQ visibility at schools in posts which were both made Wednesday.
Valesky, who was sharing a picture and comment posted by another person on Facebook, spoke out against the display in a post made at 11:46 a.m.
"Besides the point of being totally evil, this is not what we need to be teaching kids," Valesky wrote. "They aren't at school to be brainwashed into thinking homosexuality is okay. Its [sic] actually being promoted to the point where it's even 'cool'."
“Totally evil”? Events and changes in attitudes that have occurred in the last two decades or so have flown by Mr. Valesky, and in Crawford County, this is not uncommon. He appears to be against the very existence of LGBTQ people. It should be mentioned that there were a total of 4 LGBTQ-themed books in this display. It should be further mentioned that there were a total of 66 books in the display, with a theme of diversity. You wouldn’t have known that by reading Valesky’s post.
Fortunately, there is pushback. another poster, Jeff Brooks offered:
Brooks said that "being gay isn't new" and that he had gone to school with LGBT people. He said that people "have always been gay," saying it was neither a movement nor a fad, and spoke in favor of defending those who identify as such.
"There have always been gay students in our hallways," Brooks wrote. "And unfortunately there have always been hateful voices looking to discriminate against them. Let's just be a little better today and not make kids [sic] lives worse by being hateful, bigoted and prejudiced."
Said the Superintendent of the school district:
"Our staff is determined to offer a safe learning environment for all students," Glasspool wrote in an email Thursday. "As a public school, we teach tolerance and celebrate diversity."
So LGBTQ students are not without allies. The problem is that out here in the boondocks, there are a whole lot more people who are willing to piss in the punch bowl.
This “controversy” will be discussed at the next school board meeting on June 14. Allies from outside the district are invited. People from outside the district can’t speak at the meeting, but they can provide support for our side. If you’re in the vicinity of Saegertown, PA, on June 14, consider stopping by.
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