The following is an email from Joe Quigley
(Posted 3-29-02)

It happened today.

First let me plead with you to call Dr. Weitzel, superintendent of the OKC public schools (297-6540) to voice your support of the action taken by Mr. Davis, principal of NW Classen in which, by accepting the Bulletin Board presented in the name of Gay and Lesbian alumni of Oklahoma Public Schools, he took a step that made the school inclusive of Gay and Lesbian Students in a tangible way.

I am sure that if you are familiar with the whole story you know how far this man has come.

And now we need to support him.

Three people arrived at school today to view and pass judgment on the Bulletin Board.

One was a man from Moore whose name has slipped Mr. Davis's mind, Bill Graves, the only legislator to vote againgst the teacher raise two years ago, and our favorite conservative, and Ms. Tinney, the executive director of the Professional Educators of Oklahoma which is basically the born again christian anti-union organization for those teachers who find unions too liberal and unchristian, yet have no problem with accepting the wages and benefits negotiated by the satanic unions.

The long and short of their visit is this:

They were concerned as to whether or not the Gay and Lesbian Alumni of Oklahoma Public Schools is a formal organization, as if this has a bearing on whether or not donations are to be accepted by the district or individual schools. Davis pointed out a number of examples where equipment etc. has been donated by groups and individuals as a way to show that this is an irrelevant consideration.

Mr. Graves (in one of those usual childish attempts at Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nah-nah I got you ploys) asked how he would react to a donation of a bulletin board by a group like the The Straight Christians of Oklahoma, and Davis pointed out that he would love another bulletin board as he has envisioned having one upon which could be posted employment opportunities for students.

The reason Mr. Davis needs our phone calls to Weitzel is because these three are going to the school board to try to force them to have the bulletin board removed.

If the board goes for that it will certainly make a discriminatory statement.

Davis has suggested that if the Gay community made a similar gift presentation to another school, or something in another form (books, needed equipment etc.), it would force the district to have to take a district wide approach and make a district wide statement one way or another about their support (or lack) of GLBT students.

It has now all been thrown back in the laps of the board who managed to avoid making a decision three years ago and threw Davis to the wolves (actually me and my "agenda") so they would have a scapegoat to hide behind. Well, Mr Davis stumbled, perhaps, on the right thing to do, and now that the unholy trinity is about to go after the board to request they take a discriminatory action, it will be up to the district to state emphatically one way or the other if there is any truth to their claim that they educate ALL students and promote the worth and dignity of all human beings. The district merely delayed the decision they could have made 4 years ago, but did not have the courage to do.

I do not know when the three will approach the Board. But this is not over.

Should we have a meeting somewhere, sometime to plan and discuss what to do?

Mr. Davis feels there is going to be a lot of excitement, and perhaps Graves et al. will see that they are not really supported in their attempt to exclude or deny GLBT students.

When I hear more, I will inform.

Joe Quigley

 

Previous postings from Joe Quigley:

• Bulletin board, gift of GLBT Community, installed at NW Classen (Posted 3-7-02)
• GLBT Community presents bulletin board to NW Classen High School (Posted 3-5-02)
• Progress at NW Classen High School (Posted 2-13-02)
• Joe Quigley writes a letter to the Daily Oklahoman (Posted 2-12-02)
• Principal Davis does the right thing (Posted 1-29-02)
• Teacher alleges anti-GLBT vandalism done by NW Classen employee (Posted 1-25-02)
• Lambda Legal gets it wrong (Posted 1-13-02)
• January is Gay and Lesbian Recruitment Month (Posted 1-08-02)
• OKC schools censor GLBT websites (Posted 12-22-01)
• Joe Quigley & the Nativity banner (Posted 12-19-01)
• Our votes are important but we're not? (Posted 11-13-01)
• NW Classen High School censors GLBT Heroes of Sept 11 (Posted 10-23-01)
• Northwest Classen update - Fri, Oct 5 (Posted 10-7-01)
• NW Classen Update: being the latest installment in the ongoing (unfortunately) chronicle of deliberate harassment by Principal Weldon Davis in his campaign to get openly-Gay teacher Joe Quigley fired (Posted 10-4-01)
• Davis to Quigley: "No Gay and Lesbian History Month at NW Classen" (Posted 9-27-01)
• Latest developements at NW Classen (Posted 9-18-01)
• NW Classen principal intensifies harassment of Quigley (Posted 9-13-01)
• NW Classen Update - Tues, Aug 21 (Posted 8-22-01)
• NW Classen Update - Mon, Aug 20 (Posted 8-21-01)
• Joe Quigley's news from NW Classen: April 26, 2001(Posted 4-26-01)
• Northwest Classen High School administration shows anti-Gay animus (Posted 2-1-01)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part Five (Posted 12-8-00)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part Four (Posted 12-7-00)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part Three (Posted 12-6-00)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part Two (Posted 12-5-00)
• Joe Quigley, teacher - Part One (Posted 12-4-00)