No gay-straight alliances, says NC school board

The wingers of the Rowan-Salisbury School System (Salisbury, btw, is the birthplace of The Empty Wig) have decided that it will ban a Gay Straight Alliance club at South Rowan High School and prohibit the formation of one at any schools in the system.

The reasoning? The club would promote sex and the system has an abstinence-only policy on sex ed. Good grief. As if these are orgy clubs, as opposed to safe spaces for LGBT and het students to meet and socialize. (Salisbury Post):

Without comment, the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to approve an amendment to the school's extracurricular activities policy banning sex-based student clubs.

Board member Jim Shuping read aloud the complete text of the amendment. The policy uses the system's existing abstinence-only sex education policy as the basis for the ban.

...Board Chairman Bryce Beard said later that the new policy has been thoroughly reviewed by attorneys. He expressed confidence it can withstand a legal challenge.

..."We have concerns that the policy ... is illegal," said Jennifer Rudinger, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Raleigh office. "When a school allows extracurricular clubs, it's all or nothing. They can't discriminate ... They can't pick and choose." Rudinger cited the 1984 federal Equal Access law.

Rudinger said she is not aware of any county or city school district that has a policy similar to the one adopted by the Rowan-Salisbury school board.

...Mike Clawson, president of the Salisbury-Rowan Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gays, also cited the Equal Access Act in an e-mail to the Post. "Simply put, the school cannot ban a Gay/Straight Alliance based on issues of morality if the Gay/Straight Alliance does not interfere with the orderly conduct of educational activities."

As usual, the fundie board's minds are focused on the sex act, not the orientation.