Rent Opens at Orange County High School

By Boo Jarchow

A student production of Rent at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, Calif., will open tonight, despite having originally been canceled by the school's principal because of objections to the play's gay content. Students wore rainbow buttons to support the musical, which were confiscated by school officials. However, after reading the script, principal Fal Asrani gave permission to go ahead with the production.

But the drama didn't end there.

Members of Fred Phelps's Westboro Baptist Church have planned to protest the school as classes let out Friday, and they will do the same at tonight's sold-out performance. The Newport Beach Police Department will also be there.

Orange County Equality Coalition will counter-protest Westboro Baptist Church, and a number of groups and community members also plan to attend in support of the students and school.

The groups are planning to gather at the high school at 2:30 p.m., and again in the evening. For more information go to the OCEC website .

The controversy surrounding Corona del Mar's production of Rent , along with misogynistic and antigay harassment of students by football players in January, caused the American Civil Liberties Union to file a lawsuit claiming that officials at the school promote a "sexist" and "homophobic" environment.

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Name: allison
Date posted: 4/25/2009 12:50:00 PM
Hometown: newport beach

Comment:
On the contrary, the Phelps Family MADE the day! I was there. It seemed the entire student body poured onto the sidewalks. They were truly en masse to support their school, their theatre dept, their peers. The students had made terrific signs. About 5 older male students donned speedos and had Sharpie-marker messages across their chests and backs reading: God Loves Gays! These same teens rode skateboards up and down the sidewalks, even across the street on the sidewalk behind the lowly Phelps entourage, while holding signs in support of "Rent." The "speedo" group was a real crowd pleaser!
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Name: Will
Date posted: 4/24/2009 7:56:00 PM
Hometown: Mt. Pleasant, MI

Comment:
Are you serious? The school "confiscated" the rainbow buttons?! Well that's illegal, unconstitutional. A little case called Tinker v Des Moines, hello. Kudos to the kids and theater, and sorry bout the unneeded Westboro attention.
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Name: Thomas
Date posted: 4/24/2009 6:26:00 PM
Hometown: Madison

Comment:
I'm more concerned over those bigots near a high school than the content of the play. They were banned from the UK for a reason. I'd almost feel guilty if we exiled them to some obscure country...what did that country do to us?
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Name: Hector
Date posted: 4/24/2009 4:26:00 PM
Hometown: Titusville

Comment:
Theatre kids and RENT ugh how cliche, they could at have had the class and gay know-how to do La cage aux folles, which has a much better message, if not dance number and also a what's it called ummm...plot?

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