Church members protest outside West High School about homosexuality

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By David Heitz | Friday, April 25, 2008 |

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VIDEO: Gay protest held outside West High School
Several students at Davenport West High School walked out of class today to…
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A Day of Silence at Davenport West High School turned into a noisy, public spectacle Friday as some gay and lesbian students and their supporters walked out of class to counter a small protest outside by members of a local church who are opposed to homosexuality.

The Day of Silence is an annual event sponsored by the New York-based Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a nonprofit organization. The observance is intended to raise awareness about bullying.

Members of West High’s Students Organized to United People, or SOUP, organized the school’s Day of Silence. Friday marked the fifth year the school recognized the event to oppose bullying of any group.

A small group of students had planned to observe the day by being mum in class to symbolize the silence they experience by not speaking about who they really are out of fear of retaliation. However, when they arrived at school Friday morning, they saw a few members of North Pine Church of God standing on the sidewalk in front of the school holding placards such as “Teach Math, Not Homosexuality” and “Homosexuality Leads to Hell, Not Happiness.”

Some of the students became angry and walked out of class to “protest the protesters,” said Mello Peterson, a sophomore who painted her face in rainbow colors, a symbol of gay pride. “We weren’t expecting this.”

Over the course of three hours, more students joined the few who walked out, many of them making signs of their own with messages such as “God Loves Everyone.” By the time the final lunch bell rang, about 60 young people rallied outside in support of the Day of Silence. And eight of the church members maintained their protest several yards away. Both sides remained peaceful amid the horn-honking and cheering.

Davenport schools spokeswoman Laura Lortz said students who cut class are considered truant and will face discipline. The discipline could vary, depending on the students’ past records. She said she did not know exactly how many students walked out, adding, “In no way did it impact the learning environment for the students who stayed inside the school.”

Kassi Braun, a sophomore, said she did not care about being disciplined for walking out of class. “We’re learning more out here. This is history. We’re making history,” she said.

Davenport Police Capt. David Struckman said some of the young people who gathered outside the school were not West High students. No one was arrested.

“This is the school’s day to celebrate homosexuality,” said Anthony Cooley, pastor of the small, year-old congregation that opposed the event. “This is not the church’s Day of Silence, this is our day for speaking out.”

Cooley said he learned of the Day of Silence from his son, Cody, a sophomore at West High. “They have been discussing in class that they should support homosexuality,” Anthony Cooley said. “We believe that homosexuality is a personal choice. They’ve been telling our son that it’s not a homosexual’s fault that they’re that way, that it’s an electrical imbalance in the brain.”

Lortz called Cooley’s statement inaccurate.

“We all need to keep in mind that these are teenage interpretations of conversations,” she said, adding that the school does teach tolerance and takes bullying very seriously. “This whole thing kind of emphasizes what this day is all about — freedom of speech, tolerance and respect.”

Dee Ann Cooley, the pastor’s wife, said sexual orientation should not be discussed at school at all. “Let’s just stick to the basics.”

Krystyn Deregules, a sophomore at Bettendorf High School, protested alongside the churchgoers. “We don’t have a Christian day,” she argued.

But Ellen Reilly, a Davenport School District employee who oversees learning support services and safe and drug-free schools, said the Day of Silence is “no different from when they meet at the pole to pray. It’s student-centered, not mandatory, and nobody has to participate.”

David Heitz can be contacted at (563) 383-2202 or dheitz@qctimes.com.