Diary of a Gay School Teacher

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Joe Quigley is an openly-Gay teacher in the Oklahoma City public school system. He is one of the founding members of the Oklahoma City chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network. The following is taken from e-mails posted on the OKC GLSEN listserv and is used by permission.

This is a preview of an upcoming series in which Joe will tell the story of his 3 1/2 year battle against homophobia in the OKC public school system - exclusively on GayOKC.com.

(Posted 10-22-00)

Diary of a Gay School Teacher, part one
by Joe Quigley

Monday, October 2, 2000

Here's the latest.

In accordance with the settlement of my grievance about the removal of the poster of Gay History month last year settled contractually in my favor, I received a memo about the posting of bulletin boards saying I was to agree with following the Faculty Handbook. The only thing the Faculty Handbook deals with is posting announcements in the hall. The principal, however, added that no poster may hang in any classroom without his permission, and he will only consider posters that are directly related to curriculum. I am the only one who has received this memo. HMMMMMMM!

I, being the best boy in the world, made a proper request and was turned down. Posters are only two dimensional according to the principal, and therefore not what he would prefer. (Of course all else has been turned down.)

On Monday, 10/2/00, I was informed that a parent had complained that my display was "promoting the Homosexual Lifestyle", and that the complaint was made last week. A very interesting situation as there was no display last week.

On Monday, 10/2/00, before the principal spoke to me I put some books on a table in my room (Out In All Directions, Free Your Mind, a book on Native American Two Spirited People, a couple of books that contained stories for G/L Teens, acouple of books about G/L teens etc.) - but the complaint came on the Friday before I put my "display" up. HMMMMMMMM (again).

The major thing was that I was promoting the Gay Lifestyle. The only indication was that I wore pride rings. I have these books sitting on a book shelf in my room, and that fact alone is the basis of the charge that I was "promoting the Gay Lifestyle".

Meet You At The Pole, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Homecoming King and Queen Contests etc. are in no way a promotion of any lifestyle, but having books in my room that I do not even mention is, however, promotion on a grand scale.

A few parents making a cliched complaint is enough to get the Principal to "request" that I remove these books from my room.

It is time for a little outrage. Can it not work the other way, that people calling the school to insist that information be available to students might result in the proper action?

Maybe we need a few GLBT people calling making the same mistakes. I have been working on this alone for 3 1/2 years. It might be time for a little pressure from OUR side, as the school and the district respond to phone calls. And it has only taken ONE in all instances to have any positive information squelched.

The school is North West Classen High School. Phone number, 405-942-5551.

Perhaps it is our turn to make a few calls. They need to know that there are people who support GLBT students because God, the Principal and I know that there are people who hold to the Fundy (fundamentalist Christian - Rob) view.

Saturday, October 14, 2000

Was called to the principal's office. Seemed a parent had complained about my Gay History Month display the last week of September. The principal went through his schpiel about the grievance and the spirit of his phoney memo blah, blah, blah. When it was my turn to speak I pointed out what amazed me about the complaint and his listening to it was that there was NO display. Boy was his face red. I used the opportunity to point out the lengths people will go to deny these kids information - even going so far as to lie in the name of Christ.

When October came I put out a book display. Hey, I got yelled at when I didn't have one, so I may as well get yelled at for having one. There is no difference.

They are history books, pamphlets about famous people of different races and backgrounds, collections of short stories about Gay teens and stories written by them. The vice-principal had a talk with me basically saying that the display made one of my students uncomfortable and that I chose to be at the school, but kids have no choice and it is not good to have even one of them feel uncomfortable in a classroom. I told him that has been my point with the District for 3 1/2 years. Gay kids have to come to schools where not only is there nothing for them, but they are made to feel unwelcome and uncomfortable because any information that would help them is routinely denied. Such as my poster last year.

He saw my point and accepted the display as legitimate. He even went and inspected it and agreed the books are informative and not indecent and that the display, being in the back of the classroom could only be viewed if approached, and therefore was not intrusive.

I get to keep my display.

So progress has been made. I also pointed out that if the powers that be had talked last year and not panicked they could have avoided a year of stupidity which, as I pointed out to him, did not affect me at all negatively, but rather enhanced my standing in the community. I told him I was even nationally known because of it (a slight but not totally false exaggeration - I did speak to people at the AFT convention and have spoken with national organizations).

I also referred to a 1984 court ruling in this matter against OKC public schools, and he reluctantly agreed that I was not doing anything illegal, but rather was protected in doing it.

To be continued . . .

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