Hot mess in Irmo

The school board met regarding the GSA and other clubs. And if they thought their decision ended this thing, they are wrong.

It's too early to tell the repercussions, but here is what I do know courtesy of WIS TV:

A South Carolina school district has voted to allow all student clubs rather than risk a lawsuit by banning a gay-friendly student organization.

But another part of the policy approved Monday night by the Lexington-Richland School District 5 school board gives parents the option of not letting their minor children participate in any school club.

Another provision prohibits student clubs from discussing sexually explicit topics in keeping with the district's abstinence-based curriculum.

First of all, the second provision is irrelevant. Supporters of the GSA (myself included) have said all along that having the GSA doesn't necessarily mean that members will talk about sexual related matters.

Now the permission slips situation is another matter all together. Parents will be given a handout listing all the clubs and will be able to pick and choose which clubs to opt their children out of.

I don't agree with this because some students are not able to come out to their parents. I have heard of situations where children coming out to their parents have been beaten and kicked out of their homes.

Permission slips do not solve the problem. They are a very cynical way of sidestepping the Equal Access Act. In the long run, those who need the GSA will be denied.

This point was brought home during the newscast. A parent whose child attends one of the schools was interviewed. She was not happy with district allowing the GSA but she does like the idea of permission slips.

Her story gets better.

Apparently, her son is gay but she will not allow him to join the GSA. She said that they have been through counseling and continue to work through the issue.

I hope the irony of this doesn't escape anyone.

My prayers are with her child and her. Hopefully one day she will realize that the very thing she denies her son is what can keep him grounded and alive.

And I hope that one day, the people in my state will stop focusing on nonsense like "I Believe" license plates and saying that they are good people and start acting like it for a change.

Countdown to South Carolina Black Pride

This Monday is very interesting.

The Lexington-Richland School District 5 board is expected to vote on a new policy regarding school clubs. This comes as a result of the controversy involving a GSA at Irmo High School, which I have talked about on many occasions.

Rest assured that when word comes down as to what they do, I will have something to say about it.

Meanwhile, the same folks who wrote that book about John Kerry (remember the Swiftboaters) will be writing one on Barack Obama.

As if anyone is surprised. No doubt, the book will be a hit for people who read One News Now. That phony news site is getting highly shrill in their anti-Obama fervor.

From commentators, to columns, to "news" articles, not a day goes by where readers aren't seeing something new and very negative about Obama.

The last I checked, he has been confirmed as the anti-Christ.

And here I thought the anti-Christ was the person who invented cell phones.

But this day finds me waiting in anticipation.

On Wednesday, the opening ceremony of South Carolina Black Pride will take place.

To tell the truth, I am optimistic about the entire week.

This will mark the third occasion of black pride. The first black pride was mildly successful. We did a good job in many things but had a problem getting the lgbt community of color completely involved.

The second year was a hot mess which I will not speak of.

This year, we went all out. Making sure we learned lessons from the first two, the committee worked its ass off getting the community involved. Many of us went out on weekday nights to hand out flyers and network to the "children" despite the fact that we had to be at work early the next day.

We bent over backwards to involve all facets of the lgbt community of color (hence an excellent mini-ball will be taking place during the expo on Saturday) while at the same time getting press coverage and support from the lgbt community at large.

And we were highly successful. The word is definitely out.

Also, this year, I have not heard any complaints about black gays "segregating themselves" by having a black pride. Maybe I am being too optimistic, but I really think folks are starting to get where we are coming from. I think that people are understanding that black pride does not subtraction but addition.

So keep your fingers crossed because this week is going to be very interesting.

http://www.southcarolinablackpride.com/