Georgia High School Teacher Arrested for Putting 'Hit' on Student After Asking Teen if He Was Gay

Police have arrested Randolph Forde, a teacher at Mundy's Mill High School in Jonesboro, Georgia for allegedly putting a "hit" on a student after an incident in which he asked the student if he was gay, WSBTV reports:

"Forde was charged after, officers said, he held up a piece of paper with the alleged victim’s name on it saying he had a hit on him. The student’s mother said her son came home frightened when he found out.' He says, ‘Ma, you’re not going to believe this but Mr. Forde offered another student money to kill me,’' said mother Marcia Killebrew. Killebrew told Channel 2 Action News reporter Tom Jones that she was shocked when her 16-year-old son told her his substitute math teacher at Mundy’s Mill High School was trying to hire a hit man to kill him. 'I was extremely upset. I called the school at that moment,' said Killebrew. Killebrew’s attorney said the incident began when Forde called the student out of the classroom one day. '(Forde) asked him if he was gay,' said attorney Terrance Madden. Madden said the student became angry at the suggestion and the next day the two had a verbal altercation. Weeks later, police said, Forde got a Mundy’s Mill student off a school bus and told him he had a hit on someone and needed him to take care of it. Officers said the student asked who it was and Forde said he would let him know. 'The teacher held a piece of paper up with the victim’s name on it,' said Otis Willis III of the Clayton County Police Department."

According to the teen's attorney, after questioning the student's sexuality, Forde "threatened to hit him in his ‘f-ing mouth." Forde reportedly also planned on paying another student to take out the "hit".

The AJC: "Forde told police he 'had no interaction with the witness or the victim, and he never made a statement regarding the victim,' according to the report. Forde's attorney, Borquaye Thomas, said the 16-year-old only complained after he got in trouble for another incident. 'The allegation is he made a hit on him, but that was not what was said nor what was intended,' Thomas said. 'The student only complained after he was getting suspended.' Forde asked the student about being gay after he saw the boy dancing inappropriately with another male student in class, Thomas said. 'All of the students knew Mr. Forde was joking,' Thomas said. 'The other students said Mr. Forde always plays around with them like that.'"

Forde was reportedly arrested last month, charged with making terrorist threats, and released on $10,000 bond. He is on administrative leave without pay.

Alabama High School Forbids Lesbian Couple from Attending Prom

The ACLU has intervened in the case of a lesbian high school student in Alabama whose principal has forbid her from attending prom with her girlfriend:

"Cynthia Stewart, a 17-year-old junior at Tharptown High School in northern Alabama, is a member of her school’s prom planning committee, had personally raised over $200 for the prom, and created the theme her classmates had chosen for the dance.  She is also an out lesbian. When Cynthia approached her principal to ask if she could bring her girlfriend with her to the prom, he said no.  He also made Cynthia remove a sticker she was wearing that said, 'I am a lesbian,' telling her, “'You don't have that much freedom of speech at school.' Cynthia’s aunt and guardian, Kathy Baker, then appealed the principal’s decision to the school board.  But the board let the decision to bar Cynthia from bringing her girlfriend to the prom stand."

The school has apparently threatened to cancel the prom for everyone should Stewart bring her girlfriend.

UPDATE: School reconsidering request!

'Beard Clubs' Now Forming at High Schools

The facial hair trend is getting extracurricular recognition at Olentangy Liberty High School in Ohio:

"A dozen students have joined, they said, with two male teachers -- both bearded, of course -- serving as advisers. Under a mission statement that emphasizes spreading 'beard awareness and hygiene throughout the school community,' future topics include the history and care of beards, and grooming products. 'Lumberjacks are our icons,' Cole said. Though far from the norm, according to observers, the guys at Liberty rank among a growing number of adolescents experimenting with facial hair. 'Without a doubt, teens and 'millennials' are starting to use it as a form of expression,' said Aaron Perlut, chairman of the American Mustache Institute in St. Louis -- a nonprofit, humor-based 'advocacy' group. 'It's like the new tattoo but less invasive,' said Perlut, 38."

Alabama Lawmaker Wants to Cut Off Domestic Partner Benefits

Saying the University of Alabama Birmingham's policy of offering health benefits to same-sx partners runs counter to the state's ban on same-sex marriage, state lawmaker DuWayne Bridges has been gathering support for a proposal to block the benefits, the Birmingham News reports:

"Rep. DuWayne Bridges, R-Valley, said support is building among Republi­cans for a bill that would prohibit the use of tax dol­lars for domestic partner benefits. 'I don't think the univer­sity should waste money by making a liberal or politi­cally correct statement,' he said Thursday. The bill would be aimed at the University of Ala­bama at Birmingham, which last month began al­lowing employees to enroll domestic partners of either sex in its health insurance plan, with benefits begin­ning Jan. 1. UAB officials have said they need to offer domestic partner benefits so their medical school can compete with other top schools, which routinely do so."

Openly gay state rep. Patricia Todd spoke out against the Bridges plan: "We don't know how many gay, lesbian and transgender people there are in the country or even in Alabama, but we know that we're present and we make a contribution and we're not asking for any more or less than any other group of folks. We just want equality. Like it or not, Rep. Bridges, the world is chang­ing and people are accept­ing more diversity."

Illinois Teacher Suspended for Assigning Classes Article About Homosexuality in the Animal Kingdom Returns to Class

UPDATED

After a school board meeting that went late into the night, members decided to give teacher Dan Delong a warning and allow him to return to class:

"Last night, a crowd of students showed up at DeLong's disciplinary hearing to show their support for the teacher. Following the meeting, Delong issued a joint statement with the Board of Education of Southwestern CUSD 9. 'I agree with the Board that the material in my class was not age appropriate for my sophomores and for that, I apologize. I understand the Board has decided that I shall receive a Notice of Remedial Warning,' he said in the statement. DeLong also said that the administration's concerns centered not on 'sexual preference or homophobic condemnation,' but rather 'the age appropriateness of the material.' DeLong's students say the reading material was optional. His supporters, which included former and current students, call DeLong and inspiration.' He gave you controversial issues and you got to choose your opinions on them were,' Katie Trombetta, a former student, said. 'He didn't put his beliefs on you. You got to figure out your own beliefs.'"

Watch a news report, AFTER THE JUMP...

Yesterday:

Dan Delong (pictured below, with one of his students), a teacher at Southwestern High School in Piasa, Illinois, has been suspended for assigning his classes an article that appeared in Seed magazine (you can read it here) about homosexuality in the animal kingdom.

The Telegraph reports: "Southwestern School District Superintendent Larry Elsea was not available for comment Wednesday or Thursday, nor was Marcus Albrecht, the union representative for the Illinois Education Association that represents the district's Southwestern Education Association members. According to an e-mail sent to The Telegraph from a former student, Delong has the support of more than 400 parents, students and friends, seeking to have him reinstated. The article that Delong had his students read was written by Jonah Lehrer and quotes Joan Roughgarden, a biology professor at Stanford University who challenges Darwinian sexual selection by documenting more than 450 animal species that engage in homosexual behaviors."

Said Delong: "I have been suspended, but not without pay. But I would rather not comment further until I speak with my union representative."

A special meeting of the school board is taking place tonight to discuss Piasa's fate.

Via Wicked Gay Blog, which reports: "My source tells me that DeLong is a straight married man with two kids who is an ally of the GLBT community and was simply trying to educate through this assignment."

There has been a Facebook page set up in support of Delong.

Watch a news report from local station KTVI, AFTER THE JUMP...

Georgetown University Sees Third Anti-Gay Hate Crime in a Week

Two students at Georgetown University were targeted in anti-gay assaults this week, The Hoya reports:

"According to a DPS Public Safety Alert, a male suspect repeatedly asked the victim, 'Are you a homo?' before physically assaulting the victim. The victim was taken to the emergency room of Georgetown University Hospital by GERMS to be treated for injuries sustained in the assault. The PSA e-mailed to campus Sunday afternoon said the incident was reported at about 1:32 a.m. Sunday morning, but did not specify when the incident took place. The suspect was described as a white male wearing red and white face paint and a black leather jacket. DPS notified the Metropolitan Police Department and an investigation is in progress, the PSA said. A female student was allegedly physically assaulted on Canal Road last Tuesday by two unknown males after being taunted on the basis of her perceived sexual orientation. She said she was wearing a T-shirt expressing support for gay rights at the time."

Georgetown students rallied against the incidents in Red Square on Sunday night. (image the hoya)

Additionally, an anti-gay slur was written across the door of the school's LGBTQ Resource Center.

The University sent out an email: "As a Catholic and Jesuit university, we are committed to fostering a community that is welcoming to all and values understanding, tolerance, inclusion and respect. Over the past week, we have seen several incidents take place on or near campus that are especially troubling because they have targeted members of our community with homophobic language and disrespect. Two incidents were off campus assaults and today a written slur was posted on the door of the LGBTQ Resource Center. These acts are unacceptable. We take these incidents and the safety of our campus community very seriously and are taking steps to address the needs of our students at this time."

Watch a report on the attacks from MyFoxDC, AFTER THE JUMP...