Student's Reality too Much for Granby High Principal

I previously posted about play banned from being performed at Norfolk's Granby High School. To make matters worse, the play was written and is produced by students at the school pictured in the photo above. As is all too typical of this area, there is a double standard of what can be forced on students who do not conform to Christianist religious views. Christian themed religious plays are fine, real world based plays are banned. Here's the report from one of the local TV stations:

The performances of a student-produced play at Granby High School in Norfolk have been banned because of the show's content. Cleo Atolin knows too well the fear and anxiety his character Cleo faces when he decides to tell his parents he's gay.

“I don't feel like I'm a mistake or think that I am a mistake. I'm gay,” said Atolin. “My parents are worried that I will regret it. I told them, I'm not going to regret, it because it’s something I need to do.” The 18-year-old wrote a monologue for the musical Pet Sounds, or the Life and Times of Nigel Zingraff and Petula Clark.

“We had a religious play, Godspell, but we can't have something that goes on really at school and how to handle those kinds of situations.” The musical also deals with the touchy issues of racism and self esteem.

Today's Virginian Pilot had this to say as well:

Bruce Hanson, Granby’s theater teacher, said he understands the administrators’ decision but feels hurt. “We can do a play where a man sleeps with his mother – 'Oedipus Rex.’ Mass murder – 'King Lear.’ Jews in a concentration camp – 'The Diary of Anne Frank,’ ” said Hanson, who is gay. “But we can’t have one about a boy coming out of the closet.” Students said they were disappointed but not surprised.

It is really difficult living in this area at times. I am going to make every effort to see the play and support our local students.