Protesters Attack School Board’s
Actions on Gay Biographies
Protesters both supporting and denouncing the removal of 10 biographies of gays and lesbians demonstrated at a March 15 meeting of the Anaheim (Calif.) Union High School board.
Demonstrators picketed and shouted slogans outside the meeting, and inside they asked the board to either return the books to the shelves or formally ban them, the Los Angeles Times reported March 16. Although members discussed the issue in closed session, they failed to address the issue publicly.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the school district on behalf of two students who claim there is an antigay bias on the campus. The Times reported that board member Alexandria Coronado has filed a formal complaint charging that the board secretly voted 3–1 last month to settle the lawsuit by reinstating the books, but refused to tell the public. Coronado, who says she cast the dissenting vote, has threatened to sue the board for violating the state’s open meeting laws.
A March 16 press release from the ACLU of Southern California said that the board had approved a settlement at the meeting that will restore the books to the shelves and amend the district’s plicy to prohibit the removal of books for subject matter involving sexual orientation.
Posted March 19, 2001.
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