A group of eight teen boys at a high school outside Pittsburgh reportedly organized an anti-gay event at their school last week, one day after the school held a “Day of Silence” event.The students at McGuffey High School in Claysville, Pa. have been alleged to have worn all flannel, written Bible verses on other students’ lockers, written “anti-gay” on their hands, hung a noose on a teacher’s doorknob, and used gay slurs at some students, Buzzfeed reported.Images of the teens participating while smiling were posted on social media.The McGuffey School District is investigating allegations that the anti-gay event occurred but did not confirm it happened.In a statement sent to Buzzfeed the School District said it had no evidence of physical harassment during the “anti-gay” day or that a rumored “lynch list,” written by the anti-gay students, actually existed.The “anti-gay” event reportedly took place on Thursday, April 16, one day after the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance held a Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network-sponsored (GLSEN) “Day of Silence.”On Friday, the students reportedly continued their “anti-gay” event by wearing orange shirts.Twenty kids participated, according to local TV station WPXI.On Monday pro-gay students held picket signs outside the school to protest the school’s “inaction” regarding the incident, WPXI reported.But a local pastor and anti-bullying activist defended the “anti-gay” kids, saying they are also facing bullying and that they are misunderstood.“They understand that their message got lost with the cross and the word anti-gay. We talked about better ways to share their faith in a loving and kind way,” pastor Mike Matthews told WPXI. “I told them no more counter-protests and no more orange shirts -- be who you are and show your faith … They have promised me they’re going to do that.”Pa. state rep. Brian Sims responded to the story Monday on his Facebook page with the joke: “In unrelated news: ‘Local High Schoolers Organize Closeted, Self-Hating, Gay Bears Meet-Up!’” and said “Stupid, ignorant people do stupid, ignorant things.”“In truth, this kind of hatred is aimed at doing only one thing: intimidating others,” Sims’ statement continued. This is the definition of domestic terrorism, certainly bullying, and even more reason I work with other advocates every day to pass anti-bullying and non-discrimination laws in the Commonwealth! Tell your legislator to co-Sponsor HB 300 and HB 156.”
