Gay Male Cheerleader Expelled From Team, Suspended From School For Kissing Boy

A school in Texas is bullying one of its students for being gay. Not the students at the school, the school itself, or rather its administrators.

On Thursday, October 13, a high school boy in Alice, TX reported that he was kicked off the cheerleading squad and suspended from school when he and another boy were seen kissing on security camera footage. No one else was around when the two kissed. No teachers or administrators observed the kiss in person. The boys thought they had a private moment in the band room and took the chance to kiss one another.

According to the student, public displays of affection are common at the school and that if he had been caught kissing a girl, he would not have been kicked off the squad nor suspended. "If that were the case, suspending everyone for that[kissing], half the school would be suspended," he said.

He also mentioned that the school generally only reviews security tapes when something has been stolen or damaged. According to the Alice ISD Handbook, Texas state law permits public schools to videotape students without a parents' consent when it pertains to school safety or "when it relates to classroom instruction or a co-curricular or extracurricular activity." So why were the administrators reviewing tape from the moment when this student and the one he kissed were alone in the band room? The student says that he suspects the administrators were specifically watching tapes of him because of his sexual orientation. This sounds like discrimination to me.

It's also a form of official bullying, in my opinion. Hurting someone for no apparent reason, simply because you can, is what a bully does. The student worked for years practicing his cheerleading, and just when he finally makes the Varsity Cheer Squad, he is forcibly removed from it. He was extremely hurt by being banned from the squad. "It was a heartbreaker when I was told I had been kicked off," he said. By punishing this teen because of his sexual orientation, the school is basically engaging in the same sort of anti-gay, bullying behavior that most schools have rules against. How is this acceptable?

Fortunately, there are those who are showing their support for this gay teen. His own parents have met with school administration to try and appeal this discriminatory ruling. They state that they are ready to take legal action if he is not re-instated on the team. Other parents agree that the boy is being treated unfairly. They point out that one cheerleader who had a child and another who is currently pregnant are still on the team and have faced no disciplinary action.

So... as far as the Alice High School administrators are concerned, having unprotected heterosexual sex resulting in pregnancy is acceptable, but exchanging one homosexual kiss is worthy of getting expelled from the cheerleading program and suspended from school. Does that seem fair to you? It certainly does not to me. It seems like discrimination and bullying.

Even the Alice High School Administrators seem to be a little confused. They released a statement on Friday, October 14, that said,"While kissing is not an appropriate conduct for students at school, the District does not suspend students for kissing other students at school, regardless of the gender of the student. The matter is still under review by the District." Are they saying that they did not suspend this student?

The press release goes on to state,”Members of a cheerleading squad are required to abide by the District's student code of conduct as well as the Cheer Program Handbook. The Cheer Program Handbook requires students to adhere to a higher standard of conduct than that which applies to the general student population. Alice ISD does not discriminate against students in issuing discipline. ” The statement was signed by the principal of the school, Lucy V. Munoz. Umm... Did she forget about the cheerleader with a child and the one who is pregnant who are still on the team?

According to Chuck Smith, Deputy Executive Director of the advocacy group Equality Texas, "There aren't any laws in Texas that protect on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, unfortunately." He goes on to state,"The issue here is whatever is in the school's code of conduct, and whether it's being enforced equally [for gay and straight students]." Considering that the gay cheerleader who was caught in one kiss was punished and the two other cheerleaders who either have a child or are in the process of having one were not, it certainly does not seem as if the rules are being enforced equally.

There is some hope for the future however. While there is no Texas law that currently protects people based on sexual orientation, the state will be implementing a broader law for the 2012 school year. According to Smith,”We did pass a new anti-bullying law, and it does have many good things in it ... It defines bullying in such a way that everyone is covered."

So hopefully, in the next school year, students of all sexual orientations will be protected. However, it will be interesting to see what happens with this student, this year.

You can see MSNBC's news coverage of this story, including their interview with the student in question, in the video below. (Sorry about the advertisement before the news coverage. It came with the video.)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Links

MSNBC article and video
9News.com's video and article
Huffington Post article with Video
Alice High School Press release
Alice independent School District Student Handbook

Useless, But Amusing, Knowledge (and a truly amazing pig)

I came across this “information” online. I have no idea how accurate this stuff is or who originally wrote it all down. But it's fun to read, so I thought that I would share it with all of you. Here goes:

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)

If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it !)

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
(O.M.G.!)

A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.
(In my next life, I want to be a pig..)

A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy.)
(I'm still not over the pig.)

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour
(Don't try this at home, maybe at work)

The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.
(Honey, I'm home. What the...?!)

The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(30 minutes.. Lucky pig! Can you imagine?)

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)

Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity)

Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I always wanted to know.)

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue..
(Hmmmmmm......)

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.
(Okay, so that would be a good thing)

A cat's urine glows under a black light..
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
( I know some people like that.)

Starfish have no brains
(I know some people like that too.)

Polar bears are left-handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer)

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
(What about that pig??)

I'd wondered why they made an inflatable sex pig. I suppose this explains it.

Inflatable sex pig available at Eden Fantasys

I hope you enjoyed that. If you have any useless, but amusing, knowledge to share, feel free to post it in the comments. Also, if you know who originally wrote this, let me know, so I can give them credit.

Another -- and much more beautiful -- Ivy Wilde

When I chose the name Ivy Wilde for my online identity, i had no idea that there was already a famous Ivy Wilde. She's a burlesque performer in jolly old England.

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!

Here are a few more pictures of her:

Here's a video of one of her performances:

I must say that I am honored to share a name with such a fun and fabulous burlesque performer!

Links for the Burlesque Ivy Wilde:
Ivy Wilde Burlesque website
Ivy Wilde Burlesque on FB
Ivy Wilde Burlesque blog

Saving The Ta-Ta's One Sex Toy At A Time

EdenFantasys and Evolved Novelties have teamed up to fight breast cancer with sex toys. During the month of October, for every pink Evolved Novelties toy you buy, Evolved will donate a certain amount to the Save the Ta-Ta's Foundation. EdenFantasys is helping out by placing their Evolved Novelties toys on sale 25% off. Take advantage of it while you can. How often do you get a chance to buy a sex toy and fight breast cancer at the same time?

Buy Evolved Novelties items and help fight breast cancer.

You can find out more about Evolved Novelties work in the fight against breast cancer by clicking here.