Texas Schools Block GSA By Banning All Clubs

What Could Be More High School-Gay Rugby? (by ukhomeoffice)

Flour Bluff Intermediate School District, in Corpus Crispi, Texas, has shut down all extracurricular clubs in order to avoid allowing a Gay-Straight Alliance on one of the their campuses. The move comes in the aftermath of a veto by the school principal of a request by senior Bianca "Nikki" Peet's to start a GSA. In support of Peet, Texas A&M’s own GSA called for a protest on Monday, 2/28. Another protest is planned for tomorrow at 9 am.

The federal Equal Access Act requires all schools receiving federal funds to offer fair opportunities for students to form extracurricular groups, regardless of religious, political and philosophical leanings. The Flour Bluff district has argued that it does not have to follow this law. Flour Bluff High principal James Crenshaw asserts that the school has the discretion to approve (or ban) any club. Flour Bluff had approved a Christian Athletic organization, but not the GSA. In a valiant display of democratic values, it is now banning gay and Christian clubs equally.

The ACLU entered the fray the week, giving Flour Bluff until Wednesday to approve the GSA or face a lawsuit.