A Gay-Straight Alliance at Franklin County High School in Winchester, Tennessee is at risk of being disbanded. The local school board is seriously considering to totally prohibit all extra-curricular organizations for the purpose of eliminating the newly formed organization.
Gay-Straight Alliance Opposed
According to the article published on the Newschannel5 website, the principal of the school permitted the formation of the LGBT-straight extracurricular club last December. Since then, it has drawn negative sentiments from among the parents of the students in the school and individuals from the community.
One irate parent has posted hate comments on Facebook, saying that the alliance is comparable to the terrorist group ISIS.
Many of the ultraconservatives in the community have begun creating a stir. They say that the GSA is very inappropriate for a public high school.
As a reaction to the simmering anti-LGBT sentiments, several dozen more moderate citizens of Winchester gathered last Monday outside the school in support of the GSA. This was a week before the scheduled meeting of the school board.
Based on a recent report of The New Civil Rights Movement (TNCRM), the school board could decide on the fate of the Franklin County High School GSA club by next week. The issue of whether to allow or disallow the continued existence of the GSA in the school will be a point of emotional contention among the residents, thereby pressuring the school board to act.
GSA Supporters
Supporters and members of the club said that the main purpose of organizing the club was to have some protection against bullying in the school. It would provide emotional and social support for the students who belong to the LGBT sector.
However, those oppose the club argued that it is the responsibility of the school to protect students against bullying. They also argued that the GSA is a non-academic club and therefore unnecessary.
Legal Impediments
The district school board could not legally single out the Gay-Straight Alliance for banning because the funding comes from the federal government. The only option for the school board is to ban all extra-curricular clubs in all the schools under its jurisdiction.
School Board Chairman Kevin Caroland said in an interview with TNCRM:
“We discussed last night our policies and procedures and the possibility of getting rid of all clubs, and what all that would entail. There was not a consensus. that I could tell. We had a large number of emails that have asked us to look at that.”
“We’re trying to spell out for the community what would happen if we shut down all clubs. I think the community needs to be educated on what the consequences are of doing that. We’re just trying to get it all laid out so nobody’s surprised by anything.”
The case of the Franklin County High School Gay-Straight Alliance is yet another ideological battleground between conservatives and liberals. It is reminiscent of the anti-racism civil rights movement of the 1960s. The struggle for equality and social justice continues.
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
