Mr. Walk is right that the formation of such organization is not in good standing with what public schools should strive for, and for Irmo High School to sanction such a group is harmful to the well-being of the student body.
To add insult to injury, Mr. Walker was immediately attacked. A group called South Carolina Equality has called for Mr. Walker to resign immediately or face termination:
In this day and age, when people lack convictions and honor, Mr. Walker deserves our respect. At no time did he personal attack the gay community or their lifestyle, but they in turn have shown very little tolerance for Mr. Walker’s beliefs.
The school board that has power over Irmo High School made the wrong decision, and for that they will be losing a person of character and principle.
Good-luck Mr. Eddie Walker
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5 comments:
Some people will believe anything about gays and lesbians to justify their intolerance. Then they add a nice coating of religion to give their shameful rhetoric a badge of honor. If Eddie Walker can't be a little open-minded, he was right to resign.
Fortunately, tolerance is winning. There's no going back to the days when people of alternative lifestyles stayed in the closet, and non-Christians just kept quiet.
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for your letter.
Mr. Walker made no remarks in condemnation of the lifestyle other than to say that it was against his personal beliefs. At no time did Mr. Walker condemn any one individual. In fact, Mr. Walker has made NO insensitive or disrespectful remarks.
Mr. Walker did show tolerance by never publicly condemning the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender lifestyle. Mr. Walker’s concern, which is now the concern of many with connections to Irmo High School, was that this type of organization had no place on campus, which he is right. Could this group not have formed and met off campus? The nature of this group’s existence is contrary to the beliefs that many students in attendance at Irmo High School, and by forcing their lifestyle on others is intolerant and disrespectful.
How tolerant is it for a group to call for the termination of a person, or form out of indifference to other peoples beliefs, and do so in such a public manner. I am sure that Mr. Walker would have said nothing had this group formed and met off campus. But there is a political motivation to force these types of group onto the public, especially in our schools.
To a person who leads an alternative lifestyle, if you do not condone their behavior you are intolerant, which in itself is intolerant. There are people who feel that a gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender lifestyle is wrong and harmful to society, yet these same people do nothing to interfere with a consenting adult’s choice. This is their right. Yet when such groups choose to use public faculties and public funds, then they are asking for a right that does not exist.
Tolerance is a two-way street, and those who lead an alternative lifestyle often show contempt for other people whose beliefs differ. I can ensure you that as many negative things have been said or done within the gay community that shows a complete lack of respect, contempt, and haltered for others (as the tone of you letter took at times). But yet these actions are “acceptable” because of a false sense of honor that the ends justify the means.
I would like to agree with Jeff. You said it beautifully. I think Mr. Walker was very professional about the whole issue. He did not use negative comments against any person. He basically said the lifestyle was against his beliefs. Some people are able to "hate the sin but not hate the person". My daughter attends Irmo and petitions are going around the school right now. NOT to keep the club but to keep MR. WALKER!!! If these students are sticking by him (and by the way there are a few homosexual people who signed it too) then I think it is clear he did the right thing!
If Eddie Walker is such a Christian, why did he never ban the ROTC from being on campus?
Dear ROTC Anonymous,
Who is being intolerant now? What preconceived biases do you have towards those that elect to participle in a practical organization such as the ROTC? Regardless of the answer that I give, you will response with some sort of anti-military blather, attempting to suggest that the ROTC is a negative influence on those who choose to join it.
The ROTC is an organization whose primary goal is to develop leadership skills and teamwork, but not all of its members go on to serve in the military. Gay and Lesbian Clubs promote neither of these attributes.
Be careful of how you try and characterize those that have participated in the ROTC, as well as those who elected to join the military, you might reveal yourself to be narrow-minded.
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