Re: [Peckers_Pics] Male/Gay Health-Discussion-PICS Muscle Wars-Oct 20, 2011-Trump-TARGET-FOX NEWS-Salvation Army

Something does not sound right in this case to me. With the parents unwilling to pursue any action or challenge (either legally, or through either Jim Wells County or the Texas state Education Agency channels, since the Alice school district has already ruled in favor of the suspension) it is not clear that there was not some other serious infraction rightly warranting the student's suspension. And clearly all parties here have self-imposed a gag order, so it seems that we are not going to find out what really happened. What also clouds this issue for me is that the school's Principal Munoz so bluntly stated that any kind of kissing was not a suspendable offense.

On the other hand, Alice Texas is in one of the most conservative parts of Texas - it is the area around Corpus Christie in southeast Texas around 100 miles from the Texas/Mexico border. I can only surmise how easily ostracized and excommunicated the student could have been, in response to his expressing himself in an openly gay way. 

But, again, if the student and his parents had believed that the suspension was due to the kiss, they would almost certainly have grounds for an appeal to a higher educational authority. Just my 2 cents.

Warren                                                                                                                              

On Oct 20, 2011, at 6:14 AM, bob wrote:

 

Thanks for the candid photo of Ben Godfre.

On Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 6:30 PM, Shawn Adam <davros73@gmail.com> wrote:

If someone is suspended from school, does their not have to be some reason given to at least the student and his parents?

I think he should get his friends to all pair up with someone of the opposite sex and start kissing in front of the staff, they can't suspend everyone.

On Wed, Oct 19, 2011 at 16:08, Jake <jakewest_tn@yahoo.com> wrote:

Student Says He Was Suspended, Kicked Off Cheer Squad for Gay Kiss

Time - Oct 19, 2011 - By: Erin Skarda

Is this life imitating art, or the other way around?

In a controversy that could be played out on the set of Glee, a male student at Alice High School in Texas claims that he was kicked off the cheerleading squad and suspended from school for two days after a surveillance tape showed him kissing another male student in a hallway.

The 17-year-old, who has spoken to the local media about the situation but does not want to be identified, told KRIS-TV in Texas that he feels he was targeted by administrators because of his sexual orientation, since public displays of affection are common throughout the school and rarely considered punishable offenses.

"We would be the ones getting caught because I'm sure we were the only ones, sexual orientation wise, being caught like that," the student told KRIS. "In this school [kissing] is everywhere. If that were the case, suspending everyone for that, half the school would be suspended."

The school has denied that the student was suspended for merely puckering up, yet the administration has refused to give a reason for the disciplinary action. After reviewing the case at the request of the student's parents, the district released a statement Monday saying that the suspension and removal from the cheer squad would stand, even though Alice High School principal Lucy Munoz told KRIS, "The district does not suspend students for kissing other students at school, regardless of the gender of the student."

So what was the real reason that the student was booted from the squad? Judging from the district's statement, it seems we'll never find out:

"The student code of conduct and cheer handbook are designed to improve conduct and encourage students to adhere to their responsibilities as members of the school community. The student and parents are clearly aware that the student was not removed from the squad for kissing another student at school. While the student is free to discuss certain aspects of his discipline in the media, the District cannot discuss the specifics of this incident and must respect the privacy rights of the students involved in this matter."

As for the student, he told KZTV that he and his parents disagree with the punishment, but have decided against pursuing further action. While it appears he won't be cheering this year, the student has managed to collect his own team of cheerleaders who support his call for equality.

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