By Elizabeth Farnsworth
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
MARIETTA - A student-written column that calls homosexuality a "reproductive error" is causing a furor at Kell High School.
The column, titled "Homosexuality: Beyond the Bible" and written by Kell senior Thomas Benjamin, appeared in the Kell publication "The inKwell," under the opinion-editorial section.
The first volume of the school year was distributed to students during lunch Friday.
Before it was handed out, the student paper went through a series of student editors, advisors, and finally the principal for final approval. While some students were upset that the column appeared in the school paper, principal Trudie Donovan said that everyone has the right to express their opinions.
"It's not my job to censor, my job is to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment here at Kell," she said.
Kell senior Kimberly Drago said many at the school were "disgusted" by the column.
"Science implies that homosexual relationships are not meant to be and there is something biologically inconsistent about homosexual unions," Benjamin wrote in the column. He also compared homosexuality to "extreme moral or medical inconsistencies" such as Down syndrome.
"I feel that most people were appalled it would get approved to be printed," Miss Drago said. "We don't want to be represented in that manner, or Kell to be seen in that light." Miss Drago said she has a gay friend who was close to tears after seeing the column.
Benjamin said teachers and advisors encouraged him to publish the piece.
"At first I didn't want to release it because I thought it would offend too many people," he said.
But advisors encouraged him to pen the column, saying that most op-ed columns are controversial, he said.
The 16-year-old said he didn't want to anger anyone.
"I was pretty much saying the subject (homosexuality) was wrong, but at the same time we should still respect those people (homosexuals)," he said.
Some students feel the column violates Cobb district policy. While rules prohibit censoring, school papers can't publish anything that might subject an individual or group to hatred, ridicule, or contempt.
"It is violating religious viewpoints, the article specifically denounces atheists and agnostics in the last paragraph," a Kell student who asked not to be named said. "It may be overly impressionistic on those less mature. More importantly, we don't know what kind of reaction it could generate in the students. I'm afraid it could cause something outrageous to happen."
Some students also said the paper in which the column appeared was more similar to a literary magazine than a school newspaper.
Ms. Donovan said the column was written as an opinion, not fact. The right of students to express their views has been protected all the way to the United States Supreme Court, she said.
"My part is to read the newspaper and make sure it adheres to Cobb County policy," Ms. Donovan said.
Cobb schools spokesman Jay Dillon said he didn't see any issue with the column.
"It's pretty darn clear that the district's policy protects the rights of students to express their opinions," he said. "This is not uncommon; the rights of students to express their thoughts and opinions is protected by courts."
Cobb school board attorney Glenn Brock said the school board's policy covered the column.
Kell student Max Stein said Benjamin has a right to his own opinion.
"I do think that writing a paper on this subject matter in a school publication is a complete waste," he said.
Ms. Donovan invited those who disagree to write an opposing viewpoint for publication.
"If there is a differing point of view, we would be happy to print that in the newspaper also," Ms. Donovan said. "We're not going to just produce one side or opinion."
Kell has an enrollment of 1,945, and students say that the student body is an ethnically and sexually diverse group.
efarnsworth@mdjonline.com
Comment on this Story
Posted Comments
Way to go Mr. Benjamin--you hit the nail right on the head!
Homosexuality is a perversion. It's a shame that apparently so many of our young people have been brainwashed by the militant left into believing something that should be shunned and discouraged is now to be celebrated. It seems that those who disagree with young Mr. Benjamin want to take away his right to speak his mind. What is the left so afraid of? Might it be that their positions when brought into to the light can't stand up to honest scrutiny and are exposed as the lies that we all knoww they are?
You are the same idiots who think creationism is a scientific fact. Homosexuals are God's children too. Let's see some "Compassionate Conservatism" in action. Or is is pro-birth, anti-life with you?
I would like to give kudos to Benjamin for being brave enough to publish an editorial that he obviously knew would cause such a stir. He has every right to his opinion. So do the other students. If they disagree, they have been given the option to write a rebuttal. So, stop gripping and start typing!! It is sad to me that the youth today get castigated by their peers for attempting to be morally upstanding. Every nasty TV show, newspaper and radio program has the right to air the trash that offends decent people, (in the name of free speech) but if the decent try to stand up, they get knocked right back down. (Where are our rights??!?) Way to go Benjamin! Keep fighting for your beliefs! I, and others like me, are behind you all the way!
Way to go Mr. Benjamin: Adults should take the lead that this young man has set.
Alas, Homosexuality is merely a matter of Genetics...however, the student that wrote that article is a self-made Bigot.
It is compassionate conservatism to discourage homosexuality. The gay community seems hell-bent on corrupting our youth and guiding them into a lifestyle that is not only immoral but unhealthy and dangerous. Check out the rates of addiction and suicide among gays as well as the incidence of HIV (a modern plague that gay men are responsible for). I can attest personally that gays are aggressive and predatory towards young men as I was harrassed many times as a young man in high school and college. This lifestyle is nothing admire.
To EM: Yes, homosexuals are God's children, too, but they are disobedient children. Like any good parent would do, disobedient children need correction (notice I didn't say "punishment" but "correction"). This young student apparently has the intelligence to know enough about biology that homosexuality is unnatural since they can't possibly reproduce and the simple anatomical structure of the body doesn't support a same-sex union like it was designed for heterosexual union. As far as being compassionate, since when is agreeing with those who are wrong compassionate? It only perpetuates the harm they do to themselves. Standing up and telling the truth about how someone is harming themselves, whether it be by drugs, illicit sex, or drinking, is very compassionate. We want to see change for the sake of someone getting healthy and bettering themselves.
Good for you Kell student Benjamin. It is not often that you see a young person with the conviction to stand up for what they believe especially if it goes against that which is construed as PC. Recognizing homo-sexuality as deviant behavior does not mean you hate the persons engaged in the behavior. Some of us are offended that the deviant behavior is passed off as normal.
Homosexuality is a sin. We are to love the sinner but hate the sin. Homosexuality is a either a cancer that eats away at the foundations of a society or is a symptom of a society which is deeply diseased and corrupted, one can see it throughout history. Every society which has normalized this sort of deviant behavior has not been long of this Earth. It is easily seen in our own society. A family can scarcely visit a state park without encountering hordes of unrepentant homosexuals congeregating to commit unnatural acts; witness the sting operations that law enforcement must put in place in state parks, rest stops, and, of all places, public restrooms. It's disgusting.
A student writing in a newspaper on it's opinion page -- GASP!!! -- expressed an opinion?!?!? OMG, what is this world coming to? We must beat him down immediately!!! I don't agree with Benjamin's views, but why the uproar? IT'S AN OPINION PIECE!!! Are the students and teachers at Kell that are objecting to this being printed THAT STUPID? If so, kick the students back a grade and reintroduce them to the First Amendment. And the teachers? Fire them. Now. For the good of all.
...and Jesus wept.....
Good grief, Gordon Wysong and Bill Byrne are teaching in Cobb schools, anyone remember the Family Values issue? Now I do have to say the young man has a right to express his opinion just like anyone else, but I do not think a school newspaper is the correct place for such an expression, the opinion page of this newspaper would be better suited.
I encourage everyone to re-read the article and others like it. Mr. Benjamin did not want to initially publish the piece, and I do not see his bravery in that. It were the editors and advisors that put Mr. Benjamin in a risky situation of security, as most people are very passionate about this issue. Bias aside, Mr. Benjamin's article may very well be violating 4 Cobb County Administrative ICFA rules. While the First Amendment is very well in effect, school rules take precedence when published on school campus. There are 14 limitations to student expression, even though they are encouraged to published despite controversy. I pray for Mr. Benjamin's security and hope that it was not jeopardized by this article. The principal should have exercised greater discretion in determining what is contextually appropriate for a high school paper. Judging by the current output, this obviously is not.
Mr. Benjamin has every right to his opinion and his ability to express it, no matter how wrong it may be. One may attribute his naivete to his upbringing and his youth. Hopefully as he matures and experiences more of the world his views on this issue will change or moderate. Protesting against homosexuality is a bit like protesting rain or lightning: what is the point? It is part of the human condition and is evident in every species on earth. When mankind finally realizes through reason and intellect that there is no "sky daddy" reigning down judgement for imagined sins and error this sort of silliness will be moot.
This is neither anti-gay, nor pro-homosexual. The opinions expressed by Benjamin are quite ignorant and contradicting. Much of the information he presented is erroneous. He says that homosexuality is a disease or habit, and compares it to Down-syndrome or smoking. He also states that homosexual's friends should help them overcome their "problem". He concludes his piece by expressing that Homosexuals go against the Bible; therefore they have to be Agnostics or Atheists. This is wrong; for from this, one can infer that Benjamin is of the Christian dominion. The Christian stresses that God makes no mistakes; so why is this Christian saying that God makes "Reproductive errors"?
Hopefully, people will realize that opinions are just that--opinions. When does an individual not have the right to express his or her opinion? It's not as though the administration didn't offer to print opposing views and even encouraged them. It is a school--let's hope that this teachable moment does not get all blown out of proportion.
Why did they put pictures of black people on the article. THIS IS ULTIMATE RACSISM
Homosexuality is not a birth defect it is a decision amongst others.
As both a former Kell student and a decent human being, I find it apalling that a student was allowed to publish such an article in a school newspaper. I certainly agree that Mr. Benjamin is entitled to stating his opinion, but in a school newspaper at an extremely sexually and religiously diverse high school is not the correct place. As if Kell wasnt already in a bad enough light, now they can add ignorant and homophobic to their resume. This incident only proves to students that although we are not allowed to torment and critisize specific students in the classroom, we are allowed to bash a large portion of the school's sexual orientation and religious beliefs through the school's newspaper.
Oh lord... this whole situation is ridiculous. That article should not have been published. Period. End of discussion. Any decent human being can see that, but then again, whoever said that ignorant, right-wing christians were decent people? And as to the person who said, "What is the left so afraid of? Might it be that their positions when brought into to the light can't stand up to honest scrutiny and are exposed as the lies that we all know they are," get a grip. Not only are right-wing arguements often weak and based entirely on faith, but those who spout these arguements often spend too much time shouting to hear another person's opinion. The Founding Fathers are practically leaping from their graves to strangle you. Who knows what happened to freedom? Anyone? Anyone?
Bashing gays is so 2000... get with the program. We may live in the moronic bible belt, but that doesnt mean we all have to spout our ignorance. I dont understand how anyone can be so caught up in other people's lives and beliefs. Who really cares if your neighbor is homosexual, or athiest? Focus on improving yourself, not forcing your corruption on others.
It's amazing how suddenly people are quoting the bible to defend this bigot. Please.... This was not a school newspaper but a publication, a magazine. Exchange black for gay and publish this in Jena and see how it would fly! He has a right to express his opionion, yes, he also has a right to follow the Cobb district policy which rules say school papers can't publish anything that might subject an individual or group to hatred, ridicule, or contempt. He needs to learn that free speech actions have consequences.
Keep the Bible out of our schools!
Benjamin is a bigot, plain and simple.
I certainly hope the MDJ is monitoring these posts. Some are very vicious toward this young student, and I hope his safety has not been compromised. There are enough dangerous people in the world that we don't need to encourage more of it! Leave him alone and let the objectors have their say in the next issue of the school paper. That should be the end of it. MDJ Response: All comments are read and any inappropriate or offensive comments are not allowed.
I found it very offensive. I myself am not homosexual, but i am friends with several gay men and i feel this article was nothing more than to offend and disgrace those people. What happened to love your neighbor as yourself. No matter how different your neighbor is! I am a Catholic and am not for gay marriage, but to insult someone by saying they are the way they are by a "bad upbringing" is stupid. People choose to be gay, they prefer one thing over another. Being gay is nothing like having Down syndrome.
It's disheartening to see how unkind so many of these comments are - it reminds me of a Leonard Pitts column that was reprinted in this morning's AJC on how the Miami Herald dealt with a rapid devolition in the dialogue once they opened comments on their site: "Not everyone has something to say. This will not stop them from saying it. For some people, freedom and anonymity are always an invitation to sink like an anchor to the lowest common denominator. Which is distressing until you consider the alternative."
how in the world can that be a disease?! uhhmmm - no.
I remain nuetral on this subject. I believe that homosexuality is wrong, however it isn't my job to decide how others should be. The bible specifically states that homosexuality is a sin and is also unnatural (read Ro 1:26-27), but I happen to know that many homosexuals aren't christians.
Heterosexuals are perverts. Heterosexuals are God's children. Heterosexuals are bigots. The Heterosexual community seems hell-bent on corrupting our youth and guiding them into a lifestyle that is not only immoral but unhealthy and dangerous. Yes, heterosexuals are God's children, too, but they are disobedient children. Like any good parent would do, disobedient children need correction (notice I didn't say "punishment" but "correction"). Heterosexuality is a sin. We are to love the sinner but hate the sin. Heterosexuality is a either a cancer that eats away at the foundations of a society or is a symptom of a society which is deeply diseased and corrupted, one can see it throughout history. Heterosexuality is not a birth defect it is a decision amongst others. Heterosexuals are obsessed with sex.
This is an editorial, why does it matter what his opinion is? Anyone can believe what they want and say what they want. He has his right to the first amendment and no one can change that so why has this article been blown entirely out of proportion? Whether you agree or not it is not going to affect anyone. The only problem with the article is if it should been printed in a high school setting because if the religious content and half of the students did not even understand the article because of the word choice. I'm not saying that students cannot understand, but this is a high school and some students are thirteen and fourteen years old and most just hear what is being said and do not bother to read the article so everyone gets the wrong idea. But Thomas should not be blamed for the article because he has the right to say what he wants.
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the Lord. Lev 19:18 LETS TRY THIS PEOPLE
I'm a student of Lassiter High School and I came across this article through a teacher of mine who knows I am gay. I wasn't offended by this because this student does have the right to speak his mind which is why it is in the Opinion section of the newspaper. It offened others, but in today's society, you cannot trully evade discrimination, whether that be social status, religious affiliation, ethnicity, or in this case, sexual prefference.
where can I get a copy?
Where are the Pastors and other Christian groups on this? Why aren't they standing up for what the Bible says and embrace this youngster for trying to stand on biblical values to the best of his knowledge. We want to encourage students to articulate their view in the classroom. You should see some of the behavior and hear the opinions and view of the students that go on in the 30, 45, 50, or 90 minute class periods daily. Much of the sexual behavior and conversation that teachers and other adults have to see and hear, is offensive and disrespectful--but doesn't make the local or national news! What a shame that adults are attacking a "child." We should be encouraging our youths, embracing them, and guiding them. Pastors, fellow Christians cover this youngster with prayer. Even adults have trouble dealing with this type of situation. I read further and do believe that the student did not intend to be offensive. He was merely participating in the educational process. Let us encourage one another.
Having done all to stand...stand. Pastors and fellow christians embrace this youngster.
I'm not agreeing with this article or disagreeing, but this much media uproar about it is ridiculous. It's and OPINION! If you don't like it write an article in the paper on your views. All this media coverage is stupid and unecessary. I go to Kell and most people I talk to also agree with me on the fact that this whole situation is being blown way out of proportion.
To Lyndsey - Lasstier Student: You seem to be decent and fair-minded by acknowledging Benjamin's right to express his ideas whether one agrees with him or not. I would just say, I don't know why you chose to be "gay" or what your background is, but if you find you are not happy with it, you can change. I was once like you, but when I gave my life to Jesus Christ, everything changed including my sexual orientation. I'm now married with kids and enjoying the love of God in my life. We cannot change ourselves, but with His help, we can be changed. I will be praying for you to find His love!
...people like to say homosexuality is "bad upbringing." I was raised strictly Christian, abnoxiously so. Went to church every Sunday, participated in church activities all week long, read the Bible four times by the time I was 12. All of that bs and yet, I still ended up being a roaring lesbian. Wonder why? Bad upbringing, I guess. God made me do it.
I think Christianity is a perversion and a shame. I think religion is an abomination that has brainwashed the masses into believing in imaginary myths. It feels people with fear of spending all eternity in hell. As the Baptist Church sign says here in my hometown: "turn or burn" -what a disgrace. I am a homosexual. Homosexuality has been around sense the beginning of the human race. Look at the animals, thousands of animal species practice homosexuality. The fact is: Human Sexuality isn't BLACK and WHITE, it a full spectrum of different preferences. Sexuality isn't just about producing. It has evolved into something more than that. Of course, for those who live their life through a book that is several thousand years old- then of course they are still in the dark ages. Heck if you listen to the book, then women are slaves to their husbands and eating pork is an abomination. Just to answer a few of you: AIDS is a HUMAN plague- it is a fact that there are MORE straight people living with AIDS/HIV then gay. IT IS NOT A HOMOSEXUAL DISEASE.