Macklemore Gets Appreciative Letter From Mich. Student

The student's performing arts teacher was suspended for playing the pro-LGBT song, but the youth does not understand how anyone could object to its message.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

December 03 2012 3:39 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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Hip-hop artist Macklemore has received a letter of appreciation from a Michigan student whose teacher was reprimanded for allowing an LGBT-supportive song by the performer to be played in her class.

Susan Johnson, a performing arts teacher at Centennial Middle School in South Lyon, Mich., played the Macklemore track "Same Love" in class last month at the suggestion of a student. Another student complained, and Johnson was suspended for three days, two of them without pay.

Macklemore spoke out in support of the teacher, and now another student writes to the artist, "Your song has a great message, and no one should have complained about it. It's a song about rights, and equality, and if someone felt uncomfortable about that then I am honestly surprised."

Macklemore (real name Ben Haggerty) posted the letter on his Facebook page, calling it "amazing."