Gay High School Teen Outed and Expelled
This is James Barnett. He was recently expelled from Trinity Christian Academy, a high school in Dallas, Texas, for being gay.
If that weren't enough, his principal outed him to his parents after discovering that James ran a website devoted to helping young gay teens like himself who are questioning their sexuality deal with issues that might arise. Says James, "The site to me meant a great deal, as it had probably saved my life; it gave me people who were going through the same thing and we could talk. I could finally come out of my shell. So I created a free service that would give teens an outlet; stray away from drugs, suicide, alcoholism, etc."
James is enrolled at a public high school for the remainder of the year.
The full horror story is at DailyKos. (thanks Tait!)
Posted Dec. 14,2004 at 9:32 PM EST by Andy Towle in Current Affairs | Permalink
man i consider myself a christian but what that principal did is just messed up to the core. disgusting.
Posted by: h | Dec 14, 2004 11:01:08 PM
That is despicable! And god damn that boy is hot! Ahem.
Posted by: sam | Dec 14, 2004 11:22:14 PM
Seems like a great kid. He is better off in public school anyway.
Posted by: Patrick | Dec 15, 2004 1:05:58 AM
He goes to a private school. Where and what is the argument?
Posted by: Toby | Dec 15, 2004 1:50:57 AM
The fact that he goes to a private school is immaterial. The principal had no right to out James to his parents, especially after he was specifically asked not to involve them. Whether or not the school has any sort of policy regarding homosexuality, James should have been allowed to come out on his own terms.
Posted by: Tait | Dec 15, 2004 2:18:12 AM
i smell a big-ass lawsuit.
Posted by: cafegogo | Dec 15, 2004 2:53:10 AM
Y'know, when I first read this, my immediate reaction (after thinking how cute this kid is, of course), was to despise the principal for outing him. And I still think that's the right reaction, because of the principal's motivation -- i.e., to expose this boy's "sin" of being gay and to bring shame and punishment down on his head.
But as I thought about my reaction to the outing itself, it made me wonder whether we don't have a pretty fundamental conflict in our community about this issue. That is, on on the one hand we proudly state that being gay is nothing to be ashamed of and we demand that our relationships be afforded equal status (and rightfully so), but on the other hand, such as in this case, we try to insist that our sexual orientation is private information that we have the sole right to control. I'm not sure this is tenable. I don't have a good answer on how to resolve it. And believe me, having lived a long time in Texas, I understand the risks this kid faces. Like I say, I don't have an answer, just some philosophical musings over my morning coffee.
Posted by: Glenn | Dec 15, 2004 9:41:14 AM
I don't know why anyone is surprised at this. He was in a "CHRISTIAN" school in Texas. Most of Christianity is at war with homosexuality in this country. This is nothing to what is coming, believe me.
Sadly, I don't think James can even win a lawsuit, as it was a private religious school and his right to privacy on this issue ended when he publicly outed himself on a website.
Posted by: Patrick | Dec 15, 2004 9:42:18 AM
Uhm, can we stop with the comments about the kid being cute? He's UNDERAGE, people, and unless you are as well, stop contributing to the gay pedophile stereotype and keep your pre-pubescent lustings to yourself and your online porn collection.
Posted by: Matt | Dec 15, 2004 11:15:08 AM
He won't win a lawsuit, but the school should be ashamed of itself. He is better of at public school, kids who graduate from Christian schools can barely read.
Posted by: Dan | Dec 15, 2004 11:32:47 AM
Thanks for relaying the story Andy.
Good insight Glenn.. made me think deep thoughts.
Posted by: jase | Dec 15, 2004 11:46:39 AM
Matt, I agree in that comments about how he looks are irrelevant to his story. If he was ugly would we be less sympathetic to his cause? I do cringe a bit when I read comments about someone's looks when the story is about something as serious as this, but in all fairness, he is 18 and not underage, so the "Pedophile stereotype" doesn't apply here at all.
Posted by: Patrick | Dec 15, 2004 11:55:07 AM
Matt, Patrick has already fielded the unfair "pedophile" charge sufficiently, so I won't add to that. And, OK, perhaps -- only perhaps -- it's fair to criticize the "cute" comments as reinforcing a gay stereotype of only being interested in one thing. I'll give that some reflection.
But, let's face it: Andy's site here isn't purely one for serious political discussion, he also has been known to appeal to our erotic interests as well. And praise Jesus for that, too. And I'm guessing -- maybe I'm wrong, if so Andy I apologize -- that this guy's cute pic had a little something to do with Andy posting it so prominently.
Anyway, I think our libidos and our consciences can be engaged simultaneously.
Posted by: Glenn | Dec 15, 2004 12:10:22 PM
The kid is a good-looking kid. Does that have anything to do with the circumstances he now finds himself in? No. Frankly, I posted the picture because it was available on the DailyKos site. However, in life things are not so cut and dried. Of course gay men are going to look at the photo and say the kid's cute. There's no avoiding it. That shouldn't take away from his story.
There is however, another purpose his (good-looking) picture may serve and this is something nobody has mentioned yet. When I was in high school I was fat, wore glasses, (no comments from the peanut gallery please) and felt really, really, alone. There no gay role models for me to look to except what most people at that time and in my area referred to as freaks. If I had at least one role model who was near my age and looked, by all accounts, like the boy next door, I might have felt better about myself at the time and the coming out process might have been easier. Fulfilling that role, as I see it, was just what James Barnett was trying to do, through his actions with his website, and his presence.
I know there are young, closeted kids who read this site, because they have emailed me. Now if seeing somebody like that gives them just a bit more strength, then it was worth posting the picture.
It's funny because if you scroll down the page you'll see a picture of an 83-year-old retired military officer (proving I don't always just post the hotties!) who was shot and killed on his doorstep by someone (people are assuming was) from a past, secret, gay life. Now if he had felt comfortable enough in coming out of the closet at some point perhaps his life wouldn't have ended in such a way.
Posted by: andy | Dec 15, 2004 12:40:35 PM
What the hell's wrong with people saying he's a cute-looking kid? Sheesh. That makes one a pedophile?? What a huge stretch! Comments like that make me think that the thought-police are alive and well in the gay community.
As to the supposed "hypocrisy" of remaining closeted and the "good" that comes of being outed, let's remember that this is a kid - as the thought-police pedophile watchers warn us. Regardless of what anyone thinks about being in the closet, it should be the person's choice, be they a kid or an adult, about how and when they choose to out themselves. Unless, of course, it's Tom Cruise, in which case he should be involuntarily outed immediately.
Posted by: cafegogo | Dec 15, 2004 1:22:24 PM
Andy, you're THE MAN in my book! No need to defend yourself.
Your site is awesome & to read: "I know there are young, closeted kids who read this site, because they have emailed me. Now if seeing somebody like that gives them just a bit more strength, then it was worth posting the picture."
I had some positive role models starting in middle school, but w/out them...YIKES! I might have been WAY fucked up today.
So to any closeted person of ANY age that's even THINKING abt coming out & is reading this: You are not alone. We are here for you and not just cause you're cute.
Amen.
Posted by: JOHN | Dec 15, 2004 1:41:25 PM
I don't know why anyone is surprised at this. He was in a "CHRISTIAN" school in Texas. Most of Christianity is at war with homosexuality in this country. This is nothing to what is coming, believe me.
I agree with what this poster said up above. And the part about not lusting after someone who is not 18 is pure idiocy... lust all you want... just don't touch...
I often wonder who these gay men "worry" about so much? It's as if they are trying to impress a people that despises them. Regadless of what you do, say or are, if you are gay... I prefer the word clear... than you'll not be getting any acolades from the peanut gallery one way or another.
Posted by: visibleh20 | Dec 15, 2004 3:04:45 PM
I'm glad my "pedophile" comment provoked a bit of discussion. I very much agree with Andy's sentiment that he would have felt much better in the coming out process had there been ANY sort of role model out there. I'm still quite young myself, 22, and even five or so years ago, when I came out, there was practically no gay presence in the media. Now there are complaints about saturation, prevalance of negative stereotypes, etc: the jury is still out on that. I suppose the point of my pedophile comment was, in the end, a condemnation of what I detest most about gay "culture": materialism, shallowness, and obsession with the "bling-bling" mentality in general. Maybe I'm going a bit overboard here, but to denigrate a serious matter like this with a flippant "he's cute!" frankly disgusts me. I know it's an entirely different matter, but when discussing the whole Peterson scandal, should we talk about the fact that hey, wait a minute, Scott's actually pretty hot!? Thought not. Alright, I'll step off the pedastal now...
Posted by: Matt | Dec 15, 2004 3:54:53 PM
You know, this EXACT same thing happened to me. I was a senior at my Christian College, and my roommate (who was NOT a friend of mine, just happened to be assigned to each other) began snooping through my stuff, and found some hidden XY Magazines. I was called into the dean's office, told that I was in possession of pornography, and was forced to write a letter to all of my teachers, plus the dean of the education department (I was an education major), providing in detail my sexuality. They were about to force me to bring my parents in, but I told them they had no right (I was 22 years old). The sad thing is, I've heard SO many stories concerning stuff like this that goes on throughout Christian campuses...
I also agree with Andy about the picture of the kid. I began coming out a few years ago, during the time Real World New Orleans came out. This sounds dumb, but I had never seen a good-looking, straight-acting gay guy before. Seeing Danny there on the show gave me the confidence to begin realizing my sexuality myself. Kids need to see gay teens of ALL types to understand that there are so many different types of people in our community.
Posted by: Mike | Dec 15, 2004 4:53:45 PM
Just a note about Glenn's comment above: Anyone who has been a regular Towleroad reader knows that Andy has consistently argued for and supported young gay men in these difficult positions. Remember Michael Shackelford's story a few months back? Anyhow, not to belabor the point, but Andy really deserves kudos for bringing these stories to our attention. How can we feel comfortable in our adult lives if the same bloody thing that happened to many of us as we grew up is still happening today?
And Andy...... Sorry we didn't go to the same high school together...
Posted by: Paul | Dec 16, 2004 12:35:31 AM
Well I am 19. Does that make me a paedophile if I think a 17 year old guy is cute?
I'm just saying.
Posted by: David Michael | Dec 16, 2004 1:26:32 AM
Dear David Michael, we ALL think he's cute...it's the situation he's in that we find deplorable.
Relax. We can appreciate eye candy no matter wt our age.
I'm 26 and hardly a pedophile.
Posted by: JOHN | Dec 16, 2004 2:07:39 PM
I'm really shocked about reading this.
I live in Germany and this case is even known in the german gay scene!
I think the director should be also "hurt" in his privacy, as he did with him!
WHO gives him the right to act this way?
I think James would have been threatned better, if he would have been ran with a gun and kill someone.
THIS would be ok, or what? But beeing gay, this is soooo bad, or what?
To the hell with the director and his so called shitty morality.
WHERE do human rights go, if christian "morality" does count more?
In Germany every director would have been fired for such a behaviour!
In Hamburg the senator was fired, because he wanted to outing the major.
What he got, was ZERO Tolerance, what the (gay) major got, was more respect for his privacy.
Glad, that we now have the new "anti-discrimination-law"!
Posted by: Dave | Dec 16, 2004 3:57:22 PM
I recently made a blog post on this topic. The direction being the impact as demonstrated in a movie titled Chasing Holden. While the direction is on impact, I do site a reference to FERPA or The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Now while we had a very nice post from someone quoting the first amendment of the constitution, interestingly. The establishment and free exercise clauses are no more to be protected then free expression and the right to assemble. (Which could be extended to the boy's right to assemble on a website!)
So, while I'm not one who would like to see private clubs "forced" to be gay-tolerant. Because a child largely doesn't select where he or she goes to school, I would like to see a child's Constitutional freedoms protected with prejudice and thus the school treated, for his purposes, like a public accommodation.
Posted by: Paulie Sabol | Dec 20, 2004 12:35:24 AM
Frankly all of you are disgusting - carrying on converstaions about age and whether you can think this guy is hot... if any of you read the Bible you will know that Christianity condemns homosexuality - this is nothing new short of 3000 years or so and should not suprise those of you who are more literate and well read. Denying this and concentrating on why the school should show more "forgiveness" and "love" only shows your lack of knowledge in the Christian faith and your want to gloss over the reality of the gospel. Your hedonistic and perverted lifestyles are deplorable in the sight of God, and unless you turn your little selves around, you will find that you are being kicked out of more than schools and churches; try a life of bliss with God the Father in heaven for one.... this statement (believe it or not) was issued in LOVE.....
Posted by: wouldntyouliketoknow | Dec 21, 2004 2:03:50 PM