Here is the seventy-first article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is Republican High School Principal BJ Buchmann. He is so honored for his hateful Republican way of dealing with a student.
Clearly, we still have a looong way to go fighting for LGBTQIA acceptance.
From Boulder’s Daily Camera:
A St. Vrain Valley charter school’s leadership is under fire from gay rights activists and others for blocking a class valedictorian from giving a graduation speech in which he planned to out himself as gay.
Evan Young, an 18-year-old graduating senior at Longmont’s Twin Peaks Charter Academy High School, with a 4.5 GPA and a scholarship awaiting him at Rutgers University, also was not recognized as valedictorian at his school’s May 16 graduation.
Young said he had agreed to several advance edits to his speech by school Principal BJ Buchmann. But he resisted when Buchmann told him to also take out his disclosure of being gay.
As a result of refusing to remove his disclosure of his sexuality from his speech, his speech was cancelled.
Inserted from <Daily Kos>
If that isn’t Republican enough, Buchmann went on to out Young to his parents, who were still unaware that their son is gay. It doesn’t get much more Republican than that.
19 Responses to “Republicans on Parade–6/2/2015”
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I am happy that this young man cancelled his speech. I am all about LGBT righs.. My friends know this or anyone who has read my profile page. Oh, and I have another Volunteer day at the Lambert House. This a place for LGBT youth to gather. We prepare a nice meal for them. It is well adult supervised and am looking forward to my next evening there.
You should be Proud for the good work you do! (And I trust you are.)
Amen!
I stated that incorrectly. The speech was canceled, not by him, but he stood up for who he is.Bravo.
I would like to point out that Boulder is generally considered to be a liberal town and, as far as I can tell, it is. This was not Boulder, however, but Longmont. Same county. Same state. Different universe.
And DO NOT let me get started on charter schools.
Exclusive: Gay High School Student Delivers Valedictorian Speech He Was Barred from Giving
VIDEOS:
PART 1:
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/6/1/exclusive_gay_high_school_student_delivers
PART 2, Exclusive Interview:
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2015/6/1/part_2_banned_from_giving_valedictorian
Thanks for the links!
Excellent! Thanks!!
I thought Colorado was a liberal state, guess not. I watched the links Jim posted. Good for that young man, he gave his speech in spite of the mean spirited bigoted principal.
The stupid censorship mentality never gets this. Young is now getting much more attention and support, and recognition for his courage in standing up to them, than he would have if they'd just let him give the speech as scheduled.
There can be a lot of variation within one state — certainly here in Oregon there is. Another story from Colorado:
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/colorado-valedictorian-comes-out-during-graduation-speech/ar-BBkBAKa
No doubt Republicans and fundies (but I repeat myself) around the country will soon complain that Buchmann is being hassled by the media for his "sincerely held beliefs" and that a Religious Freedom Law is needed to defend the sacred right to silence gay students and out them to their parents.
Infidel is right. There are places in Oregon where wingnuttery is king. Fortunatrely, we outnumber them statewide.
Colorado is quite mixed. By and large it's probably close to 50-50 but poor Democratic voter participation in midterm years can let them get WAY ahead. That explains Cory Gardner. Klingenschmitt, however, was elected to the State House in a truly wingnut district and would have won in any year.
Thanks Jim for the links.
BJ Buchmann (I wonder what "BJ" stands for?) had the opportunity to support a student and teach a life lesson to the rest of the student body and the community. But he squandered it, presumably on religious grounds or from severe ignorance. Buchmann's SNAFU!
I so agree, this "…principal needs to be fired. Immediately."
I admire how Evan handled things . . . a mature young man who is looking forward!
Whatever BJ stands for, may he never get another one!
TY TC – up to my ears at the moment – will try and comment later if I can, sorry….
It's so gratifying to see that the backstabbing actions of principal Buchmann completely backfired and in the end got him exactly the opposite of what he was hoping for. Evan Young's parents were quite OK with him being gay and didn't give Buchmann the satisfaction of getting upset about hearing it, and by cancelling the speech and outing Evan to his parents behind his back, Buchmann crossed so many lines that his Republican conduct went viral very quickly and got so much attention from both the LGBT community and students, teachers and parents from the school that it very unlikely he'll be in this position for very long. Thumbs up for Evan Young, thumbs down for principal Buchmann.
Thanks all!
Oooooh! That is one dastardly deed that principal did to that young man! What an idiot!
He should have said nothing to the administartion, and just said it during the speech.