I’m sure that wasn’t how they anticipated things would go, I thought, as I read about a small firestorm that began innocuously enough at a schoolwide assembly honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Rev. Ken Hutcherson, a conservative Christian minister and parent, was invited to speak Friday at Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, Wash., about the challenges he faced growing up black in the rural South. However, his story was cut short when he was confronted by a teacher who asked about his anti-gay stance.
“I think the students needed to know the truth. That he is not about equality for everyone. He’s about equality for some people,” teacher Kit McCormick told a local television station.
Indeed, Hutcherson is fairly outspoken on his views about homosexuality. Earlier this month, he launched a campaign, urging faithful followers to buy Microsoft stock in an effort to get the software giant to “stop financing ungodly ventures.” Microsoft has publicly supported gay rights legislation and was one of the first companies to offer employee benefits to same sex domestic partners.
“God will judge us one day, and I want to do everything it takes for him not to judge us on my watch,” Hutcherson told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, when asked about his beef with Microsoft and other corporations.
Given Hutcherson’s reputation, he probably wasn’t the wisest choice to speak about the virtues of equality in a school setting. In fact, tapping him to speak was a pretty dumb decision. But was the teacher who pointed out Hutcherson’s hypocrisy equally foolish?
“I felt like I couldn’t sit and not say anything, I felt like this was a moment that I had to stand up for and say something,” McCormick told the media.
One thing is for sure: Someone will be reprimanded -- if not suspended or terminated -- for what should have been a moment of reflection and hope at the school. But maybe the assembly revealed an even more important lesson. We still have a long way to go before everyone agrees on what true equality is.
Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor