Sign In  |  Register  |  About Burlingame  |  Contact Us

Burlingame, CA
September 01, 2020 10:18am
7-Day Forecast | Traffic
  • Search Hotels in Burlingame

  • CHECK-IN:
  • CHECK-OUT:
  • ROOMS:

High schools cancel plays amid community backlash: 'The culture war's latest casualty'

Some high schools are cancelling their plays in response to backlash from parents and community members contending they are too vulgar and have too much LGBT messaging.

Debate has raged in America in recent years over the role that LGBTQ issues, gender, sexually explicit content and politics play in K-12 education. Now, some schools are canceling plays in response.

High school musicals are the "culture war’s latest casualty," according to The Washington Post.

'Following a record-setting surge in efforts to change curriculums and ban books at schools nationwide, the education culture war has now reached the stage," The Post reported. "[S]chool administrators have intervened to nix or alter school theatrical productions deemed objectionable — often because they feature LGBTQ characters or deal with issues of race and racism."

In Middlefield, Ohio, a county school district canceled its high school spring play because it contained vulgarity in its song lyrics that the district argued were inappropriate for teenagers in an educational setting. The play, titled "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee", had songs that included references to erections, Jesus and gay parents. 

FIRED TEACHER SUES SCHOOL DISTRICT AFTER REFUSING TO HIDE STUDENTS' GENDER TRANSITION FROM PARENTS

The school board has since imposed a policy that every play must be approved by the principal, superintendent, and full board going forward.

Vanessa Allen, the music director for the canceled production, complained about the decision.

"It makes me worry about the future and the scrutiny I am going to face," she told The Post. "It makes me paranoid about every decision."

Similar instances of cancelation The Post highlighted included plays across the country involving "a love affair between two women," "depiction of a same-sex couple and a nonbinary character," "suicide, addiction and racism," and "killing, scenes of children smoking and references to torture and self-harm."

JEAN-PIERRE SHREDDED FOR CLAIMING REOPENING SCHOOLS WAS ‘A PRIORITY’ FOR BIDEN: ‘SPIN DOESN’T CHANGE FACTS'

In Indiana, "Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood," a play that altered the gender roles in Robin Hood, was canceled after parent backlash about LGBTQ characters.

A district spokesperson contended that they replaced the show out of fear that people "could show up and say rude comments."

The Post connected the cancelations to "State legislatures … proposing and passing a historic wave of laws and policies restricting LGBTQ student rights and representation at school; in Florida last month, for example, the Board of Education banned education about gender identity and sexuality at all grade levels. Some legislation may directly affect school theater productions: Bills advanced in at least 15 states forbidding drag shows could be interpreted as outlawing cross-dressing in school plays, said Jennifer Katona, executive director of the Educational Theatre Association."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

While some states have passed laws restricting explicit LGBTQ content in public schools, the cancelations The Post highlighted were the result of decisions by local community officials and parents.

Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Stock quotes supplied by Barchart
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
 
 
Copyright © 2010-2020 Burlingame.com & California Media Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.