Bob Grisham, a teacher and head football coach at Lauderdale County High School in Alabama, is under investigation after a student audiotaped him making anti-gay, racist remarks in class:

Grisham: Like those lunches — you get 600-calorie lunches — you know who’s behind that? (Different voice: Michelle Obama) Grisham: Fat butt Michelle Obama… and look… look at her. She looks like she weighs 185 or 190. She’s overweight… Big fat gorilla… I’m serious. Y’all, our country is, is, is going in the wrong direction… You better be aware of it. And people running around like, oh, it’ll get better, it’ll get better. No, it ain’t gon’ get no better… … Y’all can get pissed off at me or not. You can go tell the principal, you can call the superintendent and tell her. I don’t believe in queers, I don’t like queers. I don’t… I don’t hate them as a person but what they do is wrong. It’s an abomination against God. I don’t like being around queers.

I can’t tell what offends me more: The idea that Michelle Obama is overweight, the racist slur used against her, the anti-gay remarks, or the grammar.

Oh, by the way, Grisham teaches Psychology. So that should make everyone feel better.

Grisham told the TimesDaily on Wednesday afternoon he misspoke. “I misspoke in a debate-type situation,” he said. “I have no hatred toward anyone or any group. People that know my heart, they know that.”

Oh, we know what’s in your heart. It’s “Christian Love.”

When a debate goes on in your classroom, a teacher can (and often should) play Devil’s Advocate… but the things Grisham said went so far beyond that. The school board is currently deciding what action to take. It could fire him. It could also do nothing. We’ll see what they do.

In the meantime, Grisham may want to consider offering a sincere apology for what he said. No doubt he really believes what he said regarding homosexuality, but you better believe someone referencing the “It Gets Better” campaign knows damn well about the bullying gay teens face in high school. Instead of making things better for his students, he only made the situation worse. If he holds those bigoted views, he has no business being around students.

(Thanks to Andy for the link)



