Scools Board member calls students Faggots

Dancing David

Penultimate Amazing
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http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17472440&BRD=2305&PAG=461&dept_id=478569&rfi=6

Board member says
'F-word' about gays
By: Larissa Theodore, Times Staff
11/16/2006

AMBRIDGE - An Ambridge Area School Board member's derogatory remark, made during a public meeting last week and in reference to a new gay and lesbian extracurricular club, had several residents calling for his resignation Wednesday night.



Mary Jo Kehoe of Economy told the board Wednesday she couldn't believe her ears so she jotted down what Ambridge School Board Vice President William Scherfel said when he referred to the high school's new Gay-Straight Alliance group as a "sex club" during a Nov. 8 work session. She said when two board members tried to correct Scherfel's politically-incorrect blunder by telling him the club's formal name, Scherfel replied, "OK, the faggots."

"I personally found it very offensive," Kehoe said.

Adam Smith of Ambridge, the senior who founded the club, also found Scherfel's words distasteful. He said the club's mission is to promote diversity and confront discrimination and homophobia. He invited Scherfel to a club meeting. He also asked for a written apology and Scherfel's resignation.

"It's uncalled for, and it's wrong," Smith said.

Scherfel didn't deny he used "the F-word," but blamed the controversy on politics.
...
 
Scherfel didn't deny he used "the F-word," but blamed the controversy on politics.

Yes, politics have made me the raging asshat I am today. What kind of asshat you may ask? The kind of bigoted asshat that can't pull my head out of my ass long enough to realize that I'm name calling a group of children that already face intolerance on a daily basis from their peers in a public forum so everyone can know how sick and depraved these little "faggots" are while they're unable to defend themselves.

I wish I had the self control to realize that I'm one of the biggest dicks on the planet. Damn you politics, you've made me the shallow asshat of a man that I am today.
 
Mary Jo Kehoe couldn't believe her ears when William Scherfel said "the faggots." Must be slow news day at the Times. ;)
 
The locals are definitely not known for being all that tolerant up here in "Penntucky". No small irony that this was published in the "Beaver" County newspaper...

-Dr. Imago
 
Wow. I can't imagine this induhividual being able to retain his position in any private sector environment.

Politics may have made him a total asshat, but politics will probably save his bacon. At least until the next election, one can hope.

Speaking of asshats - isn't it time for someone creative to come up with an asshat smilie?
 
"Adam Smith of Ambridge, the senior who founded the club, also found Scherfel's words distasteful. He said the club's mission is to promote diversity and confront discrimination and homophobia. He invited Scherfel to a club meeting. He also asked for a written apology and Scherfel's resignation."

Adam Smith fullfilled the mission of his club, to promote diversity. As Scherfel openly found the club repugnant, his opinion was truly diverse. Deal with it, people.
 
By your logic Steverino, Adam's mission to 'confront discrimination and homophobia' was also successful in showing Scherfel's overtly discriminatory and homophobic attitude to all and sundry?
 
By your logic Steverino, Adam's mission to 'confront discrimination and homophobia' was also successful in showing Scherfel's overtly discriminatory and homophobic attitude to all and sundry?

Interesting point. And for the record I was called a faggot by my JH gym teacher which scarred and stygmatized me amoung my peers at that difficult age at a time my big brother died, and I had few worthy male role models around. I am no fan of Scherfel.

Maybe the answer is that you cannot have it both ways, wishing for diversity AND pointing out discrimination.

I mean I wasn't born yesterday. I get it. The newspaper said "A diverse crowd attended Rosa Park's funeral, including Maya Angelou and Elton John and Hillary Clinton." I get it. One is white, another is gay, and another is a senior poet (and gay maybe.) Diverse. But then I heard Condi Rice was not invited. So how diverse is it. This is not a perfect metaphor as Condi was not "anti-Rosa Parks" like that screwball Scherfel on the schoolboard was anti-gay, but you catch my meaning I hope.
 
Adam Smith fullfilled the mission of his club, to promote diversity. As Scherfel openly found the club repugnant, his opinion was truly diverse. Deal with it, people.

Wishing for diversity doesn't mean anything and everything is acceptable. We also believe in freedom of religion, but that doesn't mean we'd accept a religion that required human sacrifice. Freedom of speech doesn't include libel or threats. Right to bear arms doesn't include ICBMs.
 
I never understood that 'faggot' applied to lesbians as a perjorative. I think it is solely a male directed insult. Whatever offense given, this gent is guilty of rotten usage in his lumping all under that 50 % universal descriptive epithet "faggot."

Fer flock's sake, mister, you are in the education business! Expand your vocabulary! :p Oh, and since you are dealing with teenagers (not "children"), you need to use more care in your word selection. Most of these adults-on-the-cusp are sharp enough to catch you at being an asshat, and you will be called on it.

Lack of gray matter for fifty, Alex. :p

DR
 
Maybe the answer is that you cannot have it both ways, wishing for diversity AND pointing out discrimination.

That is some real twisted logic. If, for example, the Holocaust musume invites people from various backgrounds to discuss genocide, and does not invite a representative group of Holocaust deniers, it would not be a diverse group?

Sorry, I'm not gay, I do wish for diversity, and I feel that people who make bigoted moronic comments like those in the opening post should be condemned.

Daredelvis
 
I never understood that 'faggot' applied to lesbians as a perjorative. I think it is solely a male directed insult. Whatever offense given, this gent is guilty of rotten usage in his lumping all under that 50 % universal descriptive epithet "faggot."

Fer flock's sake, mister, you are in the education business! Expand your vocabulary! :p Oh, and since you are dealing with teenagers (not "children"), you need to use more care in your word selection. Most of these adults-on-the-cusp are sharp enough to catch you at being an asshat, and you will be called on it.

Lack of gray matter for fifty, Alex. :p

DR


This is very true, people are useing so many epithets incorectly, like in the recent senate race when that guy used an epithet specific to africans against a south asian.

People use your language correctly, spend time learning the correct epithets and their use.

To be sufficiently inclusive he should have said "Faggots and Dykes"
 

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