Teacher Warned on Gay, Racist Slurs

By Julie Bolcer

A suburban Chicago school board Tuesday night warned, but did not fire, a high school teacher after he admitted to slurring gay black men during class.

Dave Burk, a veteran consumer education teacher at Geneva High School, allegedly made the comments in a lecture on October 5 about tax money and the National Endowment for the Arts.

"How would you feel about your tax dollars going to pay some black fag in New York to take pictures of other black fags?" Burk allegedly asked students.

Burk will have a letter of reprimand placed in his permanent file, according to the Daily Herald.

The teacher acknowledged the offense to students.

“Burk read a letter of apology to students in each of his classes Tuesday, saying he ‘used a very poor example of words to make my point,’” according to the Daily Herald. "The message I conveyed was insensitive and hurtful,” said the letter. "This is not what I had intended."

Gay senior Jordan Hunter, who reported Burk to school administrators, has been assigned a different teacher. School district 304 officials called Burk’s behavior “unacceptable” and said he could be fired if another incident occurs.

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Reader Comments

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Name: Palto
Date posted: 10/15/2009 6:53:31 AM
Hometown: NYC

Comment:
He was obviously just trying to get a 'woo hoo' moment with his students. Gay people - everybody's common enemy.
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Name: Don
Date posted: 10/14/2009 8:21:02 PM
Hometown: Evansville

Comment:
Does anybody at The Advocate know what "allegedly" means or how it is to be used? If the teacher admitted saying the sentence, there is nothing alleged about it.
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Name: mike
Date posted: 10/14/2009 7:37:34 PM
Hometown: cincinnati

Comment:
What a sad state of affairs for gays! This teacher was called on his hateful rhetoric. Most get by with gay slurs on a daily basis. We live in a country that delights in maligning the gay community. Militant gays will be the only ones who affect changes to better the status of gays in this country.
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Name: Ben
Date posted: 10/14/2009 5:32:49 PM
Hometown: NY

Comment:
Nothing conveys "unacceptable" like a slap on the wrist.
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Name: melissa
Date posted: 10/14/2009 3:23:04 PM
Hometown: shabbona

Comment:
I totally agree that he should be fired. No tolerance for the kids there should be no tolerance for the teachers
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Name: Dustin
Date posted: 10/14/2009 3:07:01 PM
Hometown: San Diego

Comment:
Why was he not fired? This is ridiculous!!
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Name: espihir
Date posted: 10/14/2009 1:19:51 PM
Hometown: NJ

Comment:
I bet he would have been fired if he said, "Ni**er Fag" instead of "black fag."
Back to top Post a Comment Report Abuse
Name: Steven Leong
Date posted: 10/14/2009 1:06:22 PM
Hometown: Hawaii

Comment:
People need to know the importance of their "words". These same comments have been echoed in many respected Churches, by many "caring" ministers. As a Christian Gay man, I believe that these people know not that their words causes, hurt, despair, depression, self-hate, and sometimes suicide to many younger Gays. Especially Gay children near to them. They may hear it from their church, from their parents, or from their friends ... people who they trusted and loved. They never chose to be Gay...God created them that way. Perhaps to curb the world's overpopulation or bring needed loving parents to children abandoned by straights... gotta trust in God's plan. Hopefully these people will see the light, and stop their "speeches of hate and death"! Steve Leong Hawaii

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