An Oklahoma public school teacher was forced to resign for teaching The Laramie Project, a play about Matthew Shepard, a man who was murdered because he was gay.

Grandfield, Okla., public school teacher Debra Taylor was including The Laramie Project, a play about Matthew Shepard, a man murdered because he was gay, in a unit on the ways in which communities can justify hatred and intolerance. Once Superintendent Ed Turlington learned that she was teaching material that addresses homosexuality, he demanded that she stop teaching the play.

After holding a mock funeral for the play for her students, Taylor was asked to resign. She did so, worried that if she didn’t, she would be fired, and would be unable to work again in the state’s public school system.

Last night, the Superintendent accepted her resignation. Advocates at SIECUS working with Taylor say she has received consistent support from her students and their parents.

"The level of support that Debra is receiving should give more than

enough cause to look at this case again and to question the Superintendent’s movements

here," says William Smith, Vice-President of SIECUS. "But we need to be clear – it doesn’t

matter if there are a huge amount of parents in support of her or against her. It’s the most American of things to speak out

and fight against injustice wherever we find it breeding, and it’s breeding in

this school."

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Smith adds, "What happens when the next teacher tries to talk about

intolerance and hatred and murdering people for that, and they get harassed

and forced to resign? This is bigger than just

what’s happening to Debra Taylor. It’s about the perpetuation

of hatred and injustice in our society. The same

sort of hatred and discrimination that led to Shepard’s death leads to this teacher’s

firing. We can’t allow that to stand."

The SIECUS action alert follows:

Tell Superintendent Turlington: Teach Respect! Reinstate Teacher Debra Taylor!

Advocates in Oklahoma, Texas, and surrounding states are strongly

encouraged to call or email in support.



TAKE ACTION NOW…call Superintendent Turlington at 580-479-5237 or send an email to [email protected] and tell him:

"Debra

Taylor did not deserve this kind of treatment. Young people need

dedicated teachers willing to confront issues of respect and acceptance

for people of all sexual orientations. She should be commended for

creating a safe space for all her students and should be reinstated

immediately."