we released the Rainbow Report Card to
work towards that ideal. It’s ironic that just one day after its
official release, a news story broke that a
high school in New Jersey blacked out a picture of two male
students kissing in every copy of the school’s year book,
deeming it “inappropriate.”
But the story doesn’t end there.
Advocates in New Jersey and across the country were quick to
respond. Garden State Equality issued an action alert rallying up
the troops. The story quickly made national headlines. Not only was
the school’s action marginalizing, it was illegal. In New Jersey,
it’s illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation,
gender identity or gender expression.
The school released a statement
of apology and announced that the year book would be reissued
(and the picture unmarked).
This situation speaks to the power of our community and our ability
to speak up, step up and right a wrong. Our schools should safe and
inclusive, with curriculums supportive of equality and freedom
rather than discrimination and censorship.