Kell High’s student newspaper published a column characterizing homosexuals as victims of reproductive error or an unusual upbringing. And no one’s being hauled into sensitivity training. Nor removing copies of the paper from the school. The student who wrote the offensive piece isn’t even being disciplined.
Score one for free speech, even though some students have no idea what that grand idea entails.
Sophomore Kurt Webster said Monday he was surprised the student paper chose to publish such a controversial article. "It should not have been in the paper," he said. "It could hurt people’s feelings."
Opinions, even nutty ones, should be debated, not censored lest they hurt fragile sensitivities.
Principal Trudie Donovan said Monday that she had reviewed the article before it was published last Friday, but said she had no authority to censor it. “My job is the safety and security of the school, not censorship,” she said.
Good for Donovan. Let’s hope the various indignation councils don’t attempt to corrupt a valuable lesson.
