McGuffey High School, 30 miles SSW of Pittsburgh in SW Washington County, is my wife's Alma Mater (Class of 2005). She knew a few classmates who came out and were bullied. And it appears things are getting worse.
A group of students allegedly spread the news that if they were “anti-gay,” they were to wear a flannel shirt and write “Anti-Gay” on their hands.
“It hurts me to see how rude and cruel, and some of these people were my friends before this started,” said Zoe Johnson, a student at McGuffey High School.
The students allegedly organized the “Anti-Gay Day” in response to the observance of the nationally recognized “Day of Silence,” where attention is called to gay and lesbian bullying and harassment in schools.
“Yesterday, there was pushing, posters hung on homosexual students’ lockers. Teachers were having to run out and take them down,” said Johnson.
Johnson took to Facebook, writing, “This is why so many students hate going to school.” She also spoke out at Thursday night’s school board meeting, saying that administrators need to do something.
There are reports that the students will continue the anti-gay "festivities" next week. Supporters of the "movement" is using the religious freedom or the "this is what happens when you remove the Bible from schools" argument. Supporters also report that some in the pro-LGBT crowd were also bullying the anti-gay folks.
As a Catholic, I was raised that we are all God's children and to love your neighbor as yourself. So when these "Christians" "follow the Bible" by discriminating against someone because of who they are attracted to or who they love, I often think of the modern Christian mantra: What would Jesus do?