Principal outs his students
Categories: Teens & tweens, Love & sex, In the news, Education
Here in San Francisco, being a gay high school student may not be the easiest path, but it is certainly not as dangerous as in other areas of the country. There are, sadly, places where simply being gay can -- and does -- lead to harassment, assault, and even death. I don't know where Tennessee falls on the tolerance scale, but given the 56 anti-gay hate crimes in 2007, I imagine it's not quite San Francisco.So, I could understand that teenage boys might not want to advertise their sexuality to the whole school. Too bad the principal at Hollis F. Price Middle College High School in South Memphis didn't understand that. Daphne Beasley asked her staff for the names of students who were paired up, ostensibly to be able to control public displays of affection at the school.
Unfortunately, what she did with the list of couples was much worse -- she posted it where staff, students, and even parents could see it. On that list were Nicholas and Andrew, two boys who had just begun a relationship. "It was actually frightening," said Nicholas, an 11th grader, "to see a list with my name on it where not just other teachers could see but students as well."
Since then, things have not been the same at school with the teachers and other students. Both boys have been subjected to verbal assaults and Nicholas was not allowed to join other students in rebuilding homes in New Orleans because, according to one teacher, he would "embarrass" the school with his gayness.
So far, the response from the school district has been that no one did anything wrong. I guess what passes for wrong in Tennessee is not the same as elsewhere. "I really feel that my personal privacy was invaded," said Nicholas. "I mean, Principal Beasley called my mother and outed me to my mother!" I don't know about in Tennessee, but that counts as doing something wrong in my book.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
queenoqueens 5-03-2008 @ 4:06PM
And in the process Daphne Beasley outed herself as a complete moron.
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Jennifer 5-03-2008 @ 4:17PM
So if either Nicholas or Andrew gets hurt or comes to harm can Principal Beasley be charged as an accessory???
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pbhj 5-03-2008 @ 6:24PM
Kids at the school were being over passionate together. They were listed on a notice board. What's the problem?
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Monica 5-03-2008 @ 8:24PM
Some students were being overly affectionate at school. The principal posted a list of all known couples.
See the difference?
Derek 5-03-2008 @ 7:18PM
The problem is, they're gay... and because they're gay they deserve special treatment.
Look if someone is an asshole and beats up because your gay, it's because they're an asshole. You can't blame the teacher/principal for being fair and posting everyone involved... if your being cudly enough to be noticed then that's too cudly for school hours. Being overly cudly goes for everyone.
Personally I don't approve of the whole man on man love, and I really don't want to see your parades... but that doesn't meant I want to see a straight couple making out either or parades celebrating heterosexuals.
We're all people, we're all equal, and in America... we're all Americans... we need to stop drawing lines in the sand if we ever want to get around bullshit violence and hate.
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Mel 5-03-2008 @ 7:38PM
Derek, you should comment more often. Your comments are always logically meaningful.
Becca 5-03-2008 @ 8:06PM
pbhj:
I think you misunderstood. This was NOT a list of kids who were getting "over passionate", it was a list of kids who were couples. It may have been compiled due to some students being "over passionate" but it was a list of ALL known couples.
No where did it say that any of the students on the list, much less the two boys, were involved in the inappropriate behavior the Principal was supposedly trying to stop.
There was no reasonable excuse to post that list. None of the students on that list deserved to have their personal lives posted for all to see. Not even those who were acting overly sexual on campus deserved that.
Derek:
All it takes to be noticed by a teacher, or other adult, as a couple is to hold hands, or been seen together at lunch, or even after school on a date. Not everyone who is JUST starting to date "Makes out" in public. Gay kids are usually very careful about that, unless they are already out to everyone.
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emjaybee 5-03-2008 @ 11:29PM
Derek is just the kind of person that these kids have to contend with, that makes them want to not make themselves targets. Well, him and their principal. And the fact that one kid lost an opportunity to do volunteer work for basically being gay? Appalling and frankly, that teacher should be fired. Shame on them.
It's entirely possible to cut down on school PDA without shaming and humiliating kids. And I don't understand what the list was necessary for anyway; PDA is about what's in public. If the principal saw two kids behaving inappropriately, she could just tell them so. Why does it matter whether they are part of a "known couple" anyway? And if she or anyone else is not seeing them, then they're not her problem.
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Derek 5-07-2008 @ 9:37AM
I'm the problem? Here I go preaching equality and love and you call me the problem?
My cousin is Gay and in highschool I had two friends that we're gay. I may be a conservative, but that doesn't make me a heartless bastard. I was friends with all walks of life growing up and will continue to be as I get old and die.
As for my actual opinion on this matter (notice I never actually stated it). I agree that this list is just petty and pointless and that a blanket notice should have just been stated on the intercom.
Then again with all the random stupid acts we've been reading about the public school system around the country, I'm not all that surprised by this.
Mel 5-03-2008 @ 11:50PM
Well, I really don't see what the problem is. The principal treated everyone *equally.* She disclosed ALL names; there was no disparate treatment. Further, there's not even much of an argument for disparate impact, which is really what you all are concerned about. All of these kids have the same opportunity for negative consequences as a result of the disclosure. Say, for example, that one of the hetero kids has a violent parent who beats the crap out of them for getting in trouble. Or, say that one of the hetero kids has a father who is a clergyman, and the disclosure results in a church scandal.
Bottom line is that one can argue that the principal's decision was a bad one. I agree; I think the whole anti-PDA thing is petty and frivolous. This is the ONLY legitimate criticism of this situation though. Any other complaint is a straw man argument, made solely as an attempt to further the ultra-liberal agenda.
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Jennifer 5-04-2008 @ 12:34AM
While it is much more likely that the boys would be singled out (and in fact one was, hence him being denied the right to participate in volunteer work) my reaction is the same. If one of these students is harmed due to their name being on this list can the principal be charged as an accessory? Also, did Principal Beasley call and talk to all of the parents whose children were named on the list or just Nicholas and Andrew's? When a child reveals he/she is gay the odds are much higher that their well being is in danger than if a girl reveals she likes a boy or a boy reveals he likes a girl, that is just a sad fact in today's world.
ghost 5-04-2008 @ 12:28AM
You outed a well-known tot about being the product of a rape. You claimed in that case it was worth it to harm the girl because awareness of one more rape in the world will somehow make the world a better place. Seems you could use the same logic to justify what this principal did.
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Mel 5-04-2008 @ 1:50AM
Great point! I didn't even put it together in that way. Great to see you back!
Meagan 5-04-2008 @ 1:15PM
The problem I see with this is that supposedly this list was posted to prevent PDAs... and if the gay kids were "outed" clearly they weren't guilty of PDAs, or even at risk of being guilty of PDAs. I can't disagree that giving gay kids special treatment is wrong, but I have to question the way this list was made at all. Starting to form relationships is perfectly normal for teenagers. By posting a list of every known couple, rather than the students who've had problems with PDAs, they're damaging the very students who've shown restraint and are the ones most likely to be responsible outside of school. They've sent the message that being in a relationship is "wrong." How can this be a good thing, in any form?
The fact that gay students are more likely to be attacked is a huge problem, but technically not really the principal's fault. That said, it's irresponsible for the head of a school to take an action that puts some of his students at risk whether that increased risk is his "fault" or not.
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george 5-04-2008 @ 1:48PM
I hope Principal Beasley called all the parents and informed them about their kids. If she didn't that will hang her.
The ACLU will sort it out
"Nicholas was not allowed to join other students in rebuilding homes in New Orleans because, according to one teacher, he would "embarrass" the school with his gayness"
That just makes her a stupid bitch
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Karen 5-04-2008 @ 8:12PM
Well, what made these couples "known?" I think that makes a difference. If it was based on rumor, then I find this iffy. If they were "known" couples based on their behavior, then nobody was really outed were they?
I think the kids had an expectation of privacy at the school that does not exist. If you have a relationship with someone at school, it may get revealed to your parents.
I know it seems that PDA is a silly little thing, and I used to agree, but it really does lead to a multitude of other problems. Actually just about ALL touching (even friendly hugs) often end up a problem. While I'm not for banning all contact, I think peopel don't really realize how easily any touch can go wrong in a school setting. It can be a very time consuming and distracting thing.
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cocobaker813 5-04-2008 @ 9:45PM
I can't even beleive that someone on here wouldn't see a problem of posting all known couples on a bulletin board to prevent PDA on the school campus. What about all the kids who AREN'T couples and just hooking up randomly? Who's to say that the "known couples" are the ones to blame for PDA overdose? What if the alleged "known couples" aren't really couples at all? Another can of worms opened if the real boy/girlfriend reads the list! Then a teacher tells a student that his sexuality would be an "embarassment to the school" in New Orleans? Frankly, I'm not sure the citizens who live in FEMA trailers and are trying to rebuild their lives really give a damn about someone's sexuality when they are volunteering to build them a new home! Talk about "equality" all you want, the list was equally asinine, pointless and just made two young men's lives much more miserable. Maybe the principal should be put on a list of something she may or may not be, post it publicly and see what it feels like to be singled out unfairly.
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Amanda 5-04-2008 @ 10:57PM
I think no one's name should have been posted on a list, no matter what their sexual orientation. It is in no one's best interest, and frankly, high school kids swap boyfriends and girlfriends weekly, and we've already seen the statistics regarding teenage promiscuity. Maybe they should watch all students equally, whether they are paired or not. Really: This is about snogging in the halls, and they are outing kids over it?
Apologies for dragging out the old saw, but what if this was a list of biracial couples posted in school 40 years ago?
This is why I would never live in a small town.
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eugene 5-05-2008 @ 12:49AM
Homosexuality aside, I don't think the principal had any business invading the privacy of these students. If PDA was such a big concern, there should have been a blanket school wide announcement without singling out anybody.
If this were a problem with say, littering, the prinicpal wouldn't post a list of kids who were seen littering, or a problem with low grades, you wouldn't see a list put out with all the average and below students listed.
The way I see this, this list was an attempt to humiliate and embarrass *all* the couples in a misguided way to try to change their behaviour.
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Terry Candee 5-05-2008 @ 1:38AM
The principal did a very stupid thing- posting a list. If PDAs are a big problem then notify ALL teachers to warn or send to the office ALL offenders. It's that simple. No one should be "listed" publicly for any problems of any kind in a school setting. This was totally an invasion of these kids privacy!
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