Student
journalists at a California high school will publish
the year-end issue of their school newspaper without a
series of articles about homosexuality, after a Kern
County judge declined to prevent the principal from
censoring the publication. The journalists, from East
Bakersfield High School, sued the Kern High School District
on May 19, after Principal John Gibson decided they
couldn't run five articles discussing subjects such as
gay students' relationships with their parents,
whether homosexuality is biologically determined, and how it
felt to come out. The judge on Wednesday declined to immediately
overrule a high school principal's decision to censor
student newspaper articles on homosexuality, saying
the issue deserved a full review. "This is an
important issue that would require an opportunity to have a
full and complete hearing," Kern County superior court
judge Arthur E. Wallace said after denying the
plaintiffs' request for an emergency order that would
have allowed the articles to be published in The
Kernal's May 27 issue. Gathered in the wilting heat of California's
Central Valley after school, the students involved
talked about their disappointment in the judge's
decision. "It's our story, it's our voice," said Janet
Rangel, a senior who was interviewed for the pieces.
"We won't be able to read it as a class." Earlier this week Gibson agreed to allow
publication of the series if the names and photos of
students involved were withheld. The newspaper staff
rejected the offer and decided to move forward with the case
and seek another hearing, according to the American
Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which
filed the suit. "It's the students' names, their
photographs, that make our readers connect with them," said
Maria Krauter, editor of the paper's feature section, which
would have run the articles. School officials said they simply could not be
responsible for helping to incite violence or
harassment by allowing the articles to be published.
Gibson didn't respond to repeated calls for comment. "If one
of these people is heckled or harassed, that's an
unlawful act," said John Szewczyk, an attorney for the
school district. "Statements have been made that these
students are out, but we have no proof of that." Bakersfield is a conservative community, but
students at East Bakersfield High said they are
unaware of any threats against students who are
already open about their sexual orientation and whose names
and photos are appearing in news articles around the
country. "These people have been out to their school,
to the community here in Bakersfield, and to the state
and country now," said Joel Paramo, the student paper's
editor in chief. "Do they want to see them hold hands in
public and make out? We could get a lot of people
together for a demonstration of homosexuality, if
that's what it takes." Student reporters also obtained written
permission from those they interviewed and from the
parents of those who were minors. "The students don't
have to choose between free expression and their safety.
They have a right to both," said ACLU attorney Christine
Sun. She added that school officials have not taken
any other measures to protect these students from
perceived threats, such as contacting their parents or
speaking to campus law enforcement. (AP)