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that the event took place without the dis-

Eagle Forum president Gayle Ruzicka

trict notifying them, and religious objec-

spoke in favor of the ban, arguing that

tions were raised once again. "We're

the debate is about "having a safe place to

Catholic. So as far as I'm concerned, par-

send our children to school where they

ents should be teaching their children,"

don't have to worry about the environ-

said parent Mary Rouille. "If we can't

ment, where the parents can trust the

bring our religion into the school, they

teachers and advisers to uphold high

shouldn't bring their beliefs in."199

moral standards." What proper "moral

standards" are, however, is a heavily dis-

puted notion. For many in the gay com-

Virginia

munity, what is important about gay-

Religion

· Prince William County--A hellish furor

straight alliances is that they foster toler-

ance. "They give youth--both gay and

erupted in Virginia when it was discov-

straight kids--a place to come together

ered that the C. D. Hylton High School

and talk about issues that affect them . . .

marching band was planning to play

and how to improve the school environ-

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by

ment by talking to teachers and others in

the Charlie Daniels Band at the Peach

the schools, educating them about diver-

Bowl in Atlanta. The spark was provided

sity and acceptance," said Valerie Larabee,

by Robert McLean, who after he heard

executive director of the GLBT center.197

the band play the tune wrote a letter to

a local newspaper asking why a public

school band playing a song about the

Vermont

devil did not violate the separation of

Homosexuality

· Williston--In March, when the Chittenden

church and state. After reading the let-

ter, fearing a bad public response to the

South Supervisory Union school district

song, band director Dennis Brown

attempted to schedule a gay speaker to

pulled "Devil" from the playlist. That

talk to seventh- and eighth-grade stu-

made matters much worse.

dents about harassment of homosexual

After learning that Brown had can-

students, it raised the ire of several par-

celled "Devil" people all over the country

ents, whose disapproval prompted the

weighed in on the decision, including

district to cancel the presentation. Kate

Charlie Daniels himself, who said that "I

Jerman, co-executive director of Outright

am a Christian and I don't write pro-Devil

Vermont, the group scheduled to make

songs. . . . I think it's a shame that the

the presentation, thought the cancella-

[marching band director] would yield to

tion sent a terrible message. "The mes-

one piece of mail." It turned out, even the

sage they (students) got was clearly this

letter-writer wasn't especially mad about

isn't an OK thing to talk about. That's a

the piece. McLean told the Washington Post

lot of damage to the school climate from

that he only wrote the letter to provoke a

one very small action." A least one parent,

philosophical debate, not get the song

though, thought that a speech by

cancelled. "Devil" was even "one of the

Outright Vermont would have been an

first 45s I had as a kid," he said.200

affront to his religion. "They are promot-

ing a lifestyle that is against our belief sys-

tem and our faith," said Chris Geffken.198

Washington

· Burlington--Unlike in Williston, in April

Multiculturalism

· Seattle--A Seattle Public Schools website

an anti-bullying talk by an Outright

Vermont speaker was delivered to sixth-

that presented planning for the future,

graders at Lyman Hunt Middle School.

individualism, and standard English as

This time, many parents were angered

examples of cultural racism--all attribut-

51