Some Parents Outraged Over Texas High School's LGBT Inclusive Yearbook
Some parents are taking issue with a Texas high school's yearbook because it features an LGBT inclusive section, the Houston Chronicle reports.
The first of its kind, a rainbow colored page appeared in the new Atascocita High School yearbook. But the inclusive section is earning both support and criticism.
Students were given the eagerly anticipated yearbook on May 19 but parents quickly drew their ire at Editor-in-Chief Kyle Armour for his decision to include an LGBT spread.
The Chronicle reports the drama went down on the forum Atascocita.com, where parents sat behind a keyboard to express their outrage at the LGBT inclusion and reportedly aimed their anger at the teenage editor.
"That's jamming their crap down our throats!" a user with the handle SteelerNation wrote of the LGBT spread, according to the newspaper.
"We can't pray in school but now we have a section strictly dedicated to the gay community explaining how, when and why they came 'out'. I'm honestly disgusted and embarrassed," another user with the handle lynnsgirl, reportedly wrote.
Armour's mother defended her son's decision to have an LGBT section in the yearbook.
"His goal was to be as inclusive as possible for the entire student and to make everyone feel important in the book," Kimberly Hicks Armour told the Chronicle. "People were saying he was dumb, not smart, that I should not be proud of who he is. I'm very proud of who he is. He did take a stand and make something diverse for the community and to our school."
Natalie Mendoza, a senior at Atascocita High School who was featured in the spread, identifies as gay and Catholic. She said her yearbook quote "I can turn your girl" was labeled offensive by some, telling the Chronicle her quote was a joke but it received negative response and parents focused on her sexuality.
"My friends know my sexual orientation and love and respect me regardless," Mendoza told the newspaper. "There was many immature and ridiculous jokes, but mine, in specific, stood out due to my sexual orientation."
She also said another student used "Viva Mexico" as their quote and was also targeted by parents.
The Chronicle reports user SteelerNation responded to that quote by reportedly writing, they "hope they self-deport, that crap does not belong in a USA yearbook."
Atascocita High School students, including Kyle Armour, took to Twitter to express their outrage of the parents's behavior and their posts.
A Humble Independent School District spokeswoman told the Chronicle the school will take the necessary steps in the future to make sure yearbook quotes are appropriate. The spokeswoman added the latest yearbook should have been more "thoroughly vetted prior to publication."