A Wisconsin community is rallying around a high school band after school officials barred students from performing a song tied to LGBTQ+ history.
The Watertown School Board in Watertown, Wisconsin voted 7-1 to remove ‘A Mother of A Revolution!’ from a recent spring performance, alleging that the piece violated the school district’s anti-”controversial issues” policy.
The song, which has no lyrics, was composed by Omar Thomas in 2019 and is a celebration of Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender woman who helped lead the Stonewall riots in 1969 in protest of police harassment of the LGBTQ+ community. The riots are widely viewed as the catalyst for the modern gay rights movement.
Now, the controversy has exploded far beyond the concert hall - and as residents rally around the students, the school board is doubling down.
The Cancellation Controversy
Back in October, Watertown Band Director Reid LaDew - in accordance with district policy - informed parents their kids would be performing ‘A Mother of a Revolution!’, which caused little pushback at the time. Only one family objected, and the school board okayed the performance.
“The purpose behind studying ‘Mother of a Revolution’ is not to provoke controversy, but to deepen students’ understanding of how music reflects the diverse experiences of humanity,” read the note from LaDew. “Engaging with this piece helps foster empathy, cultural awareness, and respect for the stories and struggles that shape our shared history.”
Practice for the performance proceeded as planned, but just one week before the spring concert, when the Watertown School Board suddenly reversed course and voted 7-1 to remove the song, alleging it is too controversial.
Community Fights Back
That decision prompted mass backlash in the community, as hundreds took to the streets in support of the students who’ve suddenly found themselves at the center of a nationwide debate. "Frankly, the kids are scared," said Wendy Pliska, whose son is in the band. "They wanted to come and play the piece that they practiced so hard, and now, not only has that been taken from them, but they're thrust into the spotlight."
Nearly 800 community members sent a letter to the school board urging them to reverse their decision, and the school saw organized walkouts of students and staff in protest.
But even as outrage in the town reached a fever pitch, the school board refused to back down. "The lesson was intended to persuade students toward emotional alignment with the events of the Stonewall riot,” said Board President Laurie Hoffman, who proceeded to call the song a “celebration of violence” in a public statement.
Few in the community are buying what they’re selling. As one local pastor put it, “the existence of a certain kind of people should not be controversial.”
The Show Must Go On
The spring concert proceeded as planned without the song on May 18, with many community members showing up regardless to show their support of the students.
And yet, the controversy in Watertown reflects a growing trend playing out in school districts across the country, where debates over LGBTQ+ topics, education, and “controversial issues” policies are increasingly spilling out of board meetings and into the broader community. In this case, a disagreement over a single instrumental performance became a national debate over inclusion, censorship, and whether certain histories are now considered too political for the classroom.
What is your response? Was the school board acting with cowardice or conviction?
81 comments
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Ajib Malik Thomas El
Excellent choice
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Tim Parks
The kids didn't think it was a problem. Why are they being told it is? Once upon a time, Jazz, Blues, and Rock & Roll were considered "controversial."
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Patricia Ann Gross
If you read the close-by comments, some still think they are.
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Rodolfo Perez Jr
This country was created to allow freedom in all its vivid colors. Why do these self-appointed arbiters of acceptance now decry this most basic of basic rights : the right to practice your religion as you see fit? Live your life as you please and let others live their lives as they please. Stay in your lane!
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ServantOfJudgement
What if it pleases some to harm others? Should someone say no to that?
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Michael Hunt
That would go against the "let others live their lives as they please" part of Rodolfo's comment.
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ServantOfJudgement
Ahhh, very good Michael. That means if you do something that I don't like you must stop?
Teaching my kids in a public school that lgbtq2ia++ lifestyle is perfectly fine...I don't like that. Please stop now.
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Brien
What school is teaching that and please include a reference to the lesson plan. I am so sick of that garbage argument and to be honest, I cannot find one school that teaches that lesson. I can find plenty of private schools that teach the great god lie, is it maybe a private school you're referring to?
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ServantOfJudgement
Brien,
Public Schools work it in like this:
My daughter's school put on a play. In that play there was 3 gay characters. Two dudes and a chick. My daughter put in for the play and landed the gay chick role but not by choice. She told me she was excited for the play but uncomfortable for the part. I'm hard boiled but I run a free home. She'd just turned 18 so I let her handle things in the way she felt was right. My daughter is not a Christian, not that I know of.
She chose to tell the music director she was going to play the character straight. This angered the director but she allowed it. The rehearsal shocked some of the parents for the foul language, homosexuality and blasphemy against Jesus.
The play went on otherwise as planned minus the blasphemy. An auditorium filled with parents, students and children watched in surprise with the language and sexual content. The average polite and quiet Christian that populates the little town didn't want to cause a scene so nothing really came of it other than very little clapping.
This will be the second play with homosexuality I've seen since my daughter has been in band playing for the theater, maybe 4 years.
This is how schools work lgbtq2ia++ into the education program and teach the stuff.
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Brien
SOJ, I will take you at your word. I applaud your daughter for making her objections known. I encourage both of you to file a formal complaint with the school district board of conduct and force them to justify this choice. Having said that, I grew up with a technical theater background. It was usually the students that chose the show(s) to do for the season, usually from a list of shows. I encourage you to find out first if the students had any input as to the choices. Students participate in theater arts because they want to, not have to. ✌️
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Michael Hunt
That's some impressive mental gymnastics you're doing there. If someone is pleased by harming others, stopping them doesn't mean they must stop because they're doing something someone doesn't like, you're stopping them because they are actively harming someone and preventing them from living the life they wish to live. If someone is queer, no one is being harmed. Their gender or sexuality has zero impact on how you live your life, even if you believe they are committing a terrible sin.
If you don't want your children taught to be tollerant towards LGBTQ people, go ahead and send your kids to a different school that harbors hate towards the community and suppresses the reality of their existence. Teaching children that it's okay that queer people exist harms no one. If you want to falsely believe that acceptance is harmful, don't send your child to public school and keep them away from polite society, as is your right.
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Patricia Ann Gross
SOJ,
You do have a choice. Send them to a parochial school that would eliminate such topics, and then let you explain to them why a classmate or member of their soccer team has two mothers or fathers. Are you going to pull your kids off the team? I hate to tell you this, but hearing about, or being around people of the LGBTQIA++ community does not cause one to join that community. It is not something that is contageous.
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ServantOfJudgement
Patricia, unfortunately most can't afford private. Aside from that I want my children to be accustomed to the moral depravity society offers when the enter the world. I don't want them to be naive and caught off guard. God forbid a college professor mentality woos them and impresses his own putrid morality upon them.
Human behavior is so contagious, we can even instill our morality into animals.
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Patricia Ann Gross
SOJ,
You said, "Human behavior is so contagious, we can even instill our morality into animals."
How?
I grew up on a ranch and trust me the bulls and stallions we had knew enough without us "teaching" them anything. They even knew how to gain "release" on each other when a female of the species was not around. This is normal behavior in the animal kingdom and not anything that the human race has bestowed upon them, unless you're talking about the trained monkeys and dogs that do tricks for entertainment. That is hardly morality.
The morality that exists within the animal kingdom is quite brutal if you've ever seen a wolf take down a baby deer or a cat take down a mouse for that matter. I don't think the humans taught them that one either. Mother Nature at work, no humans involved.
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Rev. B.D. Rees
ServantofJudgement.... Or... Whoever you happen to be since you refuse to reveal your true self!!
Just What Kind of Diatribe is this supposed to be?? Christian?... I don't think so... At least not the Christ I was taught exists. This kind of Moronic thinking is from the "Dark Ages" and taught by the most Idiotic Far Right thinking such as Franklin Graham and Jerry Falwell... You know the one with the son who had kinky sex with the pool boy? You call the Gay community Moral Depravity? Thats a laugh!! You are the one who is Depraved by believing the way you do!! I feel sorry for you, and your family for listening to your poor judgement!
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Rev Frankie PG
So, I think I missed a memo. I'm a loud and proud gay man and I've never heard that music before. Not only had I never heard it but I was also trying to relate it to bjs and rectum pleasing, which I didn't find a correlation. It's sad that in today's times a music, not a song, would be banned from a competition. I know when I go to the Symphony Center I don't listen to the song for it's background but rather the glory of God enabling the artists to provide such beautiful music and for the ears that God has allowed me to be able to hear with. I thought I once heard that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. Should it not apply to music as well?
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Harding Gay Harrison
Bless your heart !
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Rev. B.D. Rees
Being a Gay man who has been with the same Partner for over 45 years, and been married to him "LEGALLY" for 12 years I can certainly sympatize with the community at large who said "ENOUGH" to this Hate-filled, Bigoted, Discriminitory Board of Education. They were all for it until.... What?.... Someone told them that they would lose votes?, They learned from their pastors that election money would be withheld from their churches and congregations?... Certainly something made them afraid to allow this Beautiful Musical Composition to be played in "OH MY GOD" Public!! It's sad really how some people are taught by their Pastors and Religious orders to "HATE" and then profess to be a loving church in public!! "HATE THE SIN AND NOT THE SINNER" BULL-TWADDLE!! Let me profess to you now, MY BEING GAY WAS NOT A MISTAKE FROM GOD!! Because, My God don't make mistakes!! Your God must have in order for you to spew such HATE to others in the name of your god..... Such a shame that your mind has been twisted into something fowl by someone who is supposed to be teaching you "THE LOVE OF CHRIST"!!
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Joseph Grieco
However, School Boards apparently have no problem with their bands playing the instrumental "Rock and Roll (Part 2)", by Gary Glitter - who was convicted of child sexual abuse.
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ServantOfJudgement
It's not about a depraved person, it's about a depraved philosophy.
Christians engage in depravity while Christianity is in opposition to depravity.
See the difference?
Most famous musicians are depraved. Sex drugs and rock and roll isn't just a fun thing to say. It's a reality.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Therefore all "art" is evil? Are you suggesting that all art and music be eliminated from school programs, because if you are you are depriving children of some of the most beautiful things in God's creation.
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Timothy Drake
We are created in God's image....Man And Women. To come together as one. It is not right to harm a person because of sexual coices, however it is not hatred by not allowing songs that promote sinful sexual misconduct, no matter what sexual orientation some one chooses.
God bless you in Jesus' Holy Name!
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Leslie A. Hulberg Née Tomasura
In my humble opinion. I feel that hate has no place on this earth. Differences should be celebrated. Considering according to the Christian bible, we are ALL created in God’s image. If that’s the case, are some people saying God is wrong? Provided one believes in a deity, I wouldn’t want to be the one saying or believing such things.
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Rev Ned
Why are Christofascists terrified of LGPTQ+ individuals, or for non-gender specific toilets for that matter?!? Their absolute terror of these things baffles me. Do they all have gender specific bathrooms in their homes?!?
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Michael G Doyle
Christians are not fearful of gays. We are also not hateful. Although we don’t condone their way of life, we pray for them and love them. People have different opinions. To choose not to do a song about a transgender doesn’t mean you have hate in your heart. It’s just a difference of opinion.
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Harding Gay Harrison
Never heard "Christofascists" ! Great neologism. Way to coin a word. Hope it gets into common usage.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Stick around, you'll see it a lot here.
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Lisbeth Kieran Bushey
Where are the moderators and why can we not report comments? There’s hate speech here.
That said.
It’s instrumental music. There’s no lyrics. The band director followed district policy and ONE family opted out. That’s how it works. There was no need to punish CHILDREN because of what UNRELATED ADULTS thought.
Jesus would be disappointed. Kudos to Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church for giving the students the opportunity to perform their piece after all their hard work. I’m especially impressed by composer Omar Thomas for going and conducting the performance!
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ServantOfJudgement
Lisbeth, im sorry to say you'll never get the left to stop spewing hate towards bible believing Christians. In general, the world will turn their heads and look away when Christians are insulted and even killed in mass. Naturally, anything in opposition to the hive mind is hate speech.
Did you know Jesus hates pride? Yes, he loathes it. That church you listed? You'll find what Jesus thinks of it in The Book of Revelation.
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Patricia Ann Gross
SOJ,
So, if one or two "Christian" parents complain about a Hip-Hop song that includes a rap seuqence be included in a concert be granted their way? Even if the song did not promote violence or anything evil? This song did not do either. It just happened to be written by someone trying to honor those whose lives were lost in the Stonewall Riots. The bigger issue is: What is a "anti-controversial topics" policy supposed to do? This would include eliminating the entire decades of the 1960s and 1970s, because the Vietnam war was completely divisive and controversial.
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Harding Gay Harrison
And on further reflection:
Freddie Mercury (Queen) — Bisexual Bohemian Rhapsody Somebody to Love Don’t Stop Me Now
Elton John — Gay Rocket Man Tiny Dancer Your Song
George Michael — Gay Freedom! ’90 Careless Whisper Faith
Cole Porter — Gay Night and Day I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Billy Strayhorn — Gay Take the “A” Train Lush Life
Wendy Carlos — Transgender Tron soundtrack
Switched-On Bach
While we are on the subject:
Leonard Bernstein — Bisexual Composer of West Side Story.
Stephen Sondheim — Gay Composer/lyricist of Sweeney Todd, Company, Into the Woods. Lived openly later in life.
Jerry Herman — Gay Composer of Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles (Broadway’s first big gay‑themed hit).
Arthur Laurents — Gay Writer of West Side Story, Gypsy, La Cage aux Folles. Had long-term male partners.
Tommy Tune — Gay Broadway dancer, choreographer, director. Won 10 Tony Awards.
Rock Hudson — Gay One of Hollywood’s biggest leading men.
Montgomery Clift — Bisexual A Place in the Sun and From Here to Eternity.
Cary Grant — Possibly bisexual Lived with actor Randolph Scott for years.
James Dean — Possibly bisexual
Marlon Brando — Bisexual Openly said he had relationships with men and women.
Greta Garbo — Bisexual
Neil Patrick Harris — Gay Star of Gone Girl, Harold & Kumar, A Series of Unfortunate Events. Married to David Burtka.
Luke Evans — Gay Known for Beauty and the Beast, The Hobbit, Dracula Untold.
Matt Bomer — Gay Magic Mike, The Normal Heart, Maestro.
Jonathan Bailey — Gay Wicked, Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers.
Kristen Stewart — Queer Spencer, Twilight, Happiest Season. One of the most influential queer actresses today.
Tessa Thompson — Bisexual Thor, Creed, Men in Black: International.
Cara Delevingne — Pansexual Suicide Squad, Paper Towns, Carnival Row.
Aubrey Plaza — Bisexual White Lotus, Emily the Criminal, Parks and Rec.
Ezra Miller — Queer The Flash, Fantastic Beasts.
Laverne Cox — Trans Promising Young Woman, Orange Is the New Black.
Hunter Schafer — Trans Euphoria, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Elliot Page — Trans Juno, Inception, The Umbrella Academy
Wanda Sykes — Lesbian Monster‑in‑Law, Bad Moms.
Bowen Yang — Gay Fire Island, Dicks: The Musical.
Kind of like Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and Joan Crawford. As long as we stay entertained, the stars behavior is excusable. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED ! ?
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ServantOfJudgement
You've just listed a bunch of reasons why the nations in the pigsty.
Depraved role models produce depravity.
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Harding Gay Harrison
What an ignorant, ill-informed, poorly educated comment. I suppose you think that all the beautiful, fantastic music and dance created by these artists is not valid to the human experience due to the artists being homosexual. If you notice, the song played (and actually cancelled) by the high school band had NO WORDS. The reception of the musicians and audience members was completely open to their personal interpretations and beliefs. If you are ordained in our church, please re-assess your approach to human needs and their God-given right and abilities to express themselves. Minister Harding Harrison, Ordained 2016
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ServantOfJudgement
Harding,
Not sure how my comment is I'll informed. It's from a biblical perspective. You'll find my statement is in agreement with the bible.
If I like the song Rocketman by Elton John because it's a good song, no worries. If I like it because he's gay and has a dude raising a kid with two dads, yep, we've gone and put our big toe in the pigsty, biblically.
If I have children play music that's in celebration of an ideology that's contestable, we're asking for trouble.
Modern rap is dripping with violence. The consumers of modern rap are dripping with violence. See?
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Ari Joseph Bertine
"And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air" could be construed as a celebration of violence too, if someone wanted to be petty and small-minded about it. Civil rights history is US history. Banning that is way out of line and is also very likely a breach of separation of church and state. Just gross bigots being gross and bigoty, as usual.
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Patricia Ann Gross
I totally agree Ari,
Next they will be banning "Lift Every Voice and Sing" aka the Black National Anthem celebrating the emancipation of the slaves and written in celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday in the late 1800s.
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Harding Gay Harrison
Does anybody even KNOW about the great composers that were gay, lesbian or bisexual? Tchaikovsky, gay. Schubert, bisexual. Britton, gay. Barber, gay. Leonard Bernstein, bisexual. Aaron Copland, gay. Liszt, gay/bisexual. Menotti, gay/bisexual, John Cage — gay, and very influential choreographer. Handel, gay. Next Easter Sunday at the start the "Hallelujah Chorus", stand and shout, "STOP IT! That's from a gay composer! It's going to ruin our children!" Then pray for forgiveness.
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Brien
Both sides of this issue are truly sick. Weaponizing children to further your views is sick and cowardly. If none of you can see that, then your all part of the ugly problem. Just what do you think the children are learning from this? They just wanted to play music, you ADULTS turned it into an ugly political display. Congratulations.
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Steven Ferrell
Stop pushing that alphabet stuff on children. The school was right to have it removed.
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Mrknowitall
Gays are the worst kind of human beings on the planet, possessed by demonic spirits, evil at their core
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Rev Ned
Pedophiles aren’t?!?
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Michael Hunt
More disgusting bigotry from a "Christian."
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Michael G Doyle
Please, Quit generalizing the Christians. This is one person’s opinion. Pray for him.
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Michael Hunt
I was trying to suggest with the quotation marks that Mrknowitall, while claiming to be a Christian, does not actually follow Christian values. I'm sorry if that didn't come across as clearly as I'd expected.
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JPrime
Ew. No hate like Christian love.
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ServantOfJudgement
Mrknowitall,
Christian friend, there are three classifications of biblical sin. Sin against God, sin against man and sin against self. Teaching sin is especially treacherous. Homosexuality on its own is a sin against self as drunkenness is.
That puts quite a few sinful actions ahead of homosexuality according to the bible. Thieves, adulterers, rapists, murderers and so on all have a leg up against drunkenness and homosexuality for example.
Sins against man are the worst sins for believers and non believers alike. That's where worldly evil propagates.
For what it's worth, I've met and worked with more decent homosexuals than I have nasty ones. That's true for heterosexual people too. One's sexual preference isn't necessarily an indicatior of quality of character.
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Ronaldo
Slavery was common in Europe from the 1600s to the 1800s, so it was likely that patrons of most of the great composers owned slaves. We know that some of Handel's patrons were directly involved in the slave trade. Should we ban all of their music because of this connection?
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Rev. Miche'al Yosef Dixon
"The lesson was intended to persuade students toward emotional alignment with the events of the Stonewall riot,” said Board President Laurie Hoffman; which is interesting 🤔 as they created the very thing that she said it represents. The walkouts and protest. 1985 at a the final the final football game of the school year we played Alice Cooper's "Schools Out For The Summer" did cause all the students to blow up the school. No one complained. People seriously need to take a chill pill.
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Rev Charlie Hicks
I think it was a combination of being a coward and wouldn't stand up to people that was against the concert that is wrong what they did to the children I think some of the school board members and probably a few of the people in the community was just a bunch of homophobic racist people it is a shame how this country is getting in United States I love my country and it's got to change during election time we got to vote Trump's people out of there and put a stop to this that's why this is going on and people are getting by with it with all of the homophobic racist people out there my message to everyone in this country please pray and vote when it comes time Reverend Hicks
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Matthew Evan Baker
Just play it, they'll what? Drop the curtain? Assault the bandleader bodily? Individually start wrenching instruments from kids' hands?
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Patricia Ann Gross
Better yet, do it as an encore to the recital, after the applause of the last piece.
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ServantOfJudgement
I agree. Play it then fire the teacher.
One and done.
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Scot M Cantalupo
How can an instrumental be so controversial? People who know it should enjoy it and those who don't should only recognize it as a piece of music. I do not agree that hiding something protects you from it
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ServantOfJudgement
Try to play the instrumental version of Dixie in school and wait for the fireworks.
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Cheryl Pettijohn
I completely agree. Weaponizing Christ with no true understanding of Him.
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Francis Popp
School Board way over stepped, reacted and read way too much into the piece. Parents were notified months before if they wanted their child to opt out. Thankfully the church allowed them to preform it there. Directed by the composer himself. Let’s teach inclusion for ALL and stop the hypocrisy of decisions like these.
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Roy S. Thorpe
Most people would not know it if they heard it! There are no lyrics so what's controversial? A few examples of the type of Neanderthals that exist in our schools in charge today! They aren't true Christians! Their thinking shows it! Remove them from office in any organization and the world and society are better for it!
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James Mulcahy
I agree 100%, it sounds like a dramatic movie score. It's an example of student talent, there should no controversy at all.
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Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox
I’m also very PROUD of Kirk Bangstad, owner of the Minocqua Brewing Company for raising over $82,000 for the band Booster Club could buy instruments for the students because the BOE wouldn’t let them use the school owned instruments off school grounds.
Folks, this is OUR AMERICA!
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ServantOfJudgement
A bunch of drunkards support depravity. Who'd have ever seen that one coming?
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James Richard Munro
This LGBTQ+ perversion as no pace in schools. Public or otherwise. Congratulations to the school board for standing up for what is right and making the correct decision. Pastor Jim
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Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox
LGBTQ+ is NOT a “perversion.” You can repeat it a gazillion times, but that won’t make it true. What IS TRUE is that the vast majority of groomers and pedophiles are white cis male men of the cloth, more specifically they are men of the christian nationalist cloth.
And there are no actual spoken words in the musical selection. It is MUSIC, nothing more.
The BOE APPROVED IT. The students practiced it for MONTHS. for whatever reason a couple parents found out it had a connection with Marcia P. Johnson so they decided NO ONE COULD HEAR IT. What about the parental rights of the parents? Oh you’re all about parental rights as long as you agree with them.
I am so incredibly PROUD of the students, community, and the THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD who stood up for the students. This is just the beginning.
You do understand that your god is omniscient so she know the outcome of everything past, present, and future, yes? So she already knows some of her children will be cis, others will be transgender, and others will be intersex. Makes you wonder why she doesn’t intervene or step in, doesn’t it?
You might want to start your own “religious” school of exclusion. You would be much happier. And your god would be happier.
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David Buck
School Boards can't win. If they allow LGBTQ+ issues into classrooms, and yes into music rooms, they face backlash. YouTube is full of angry parents compaining about school boards allowing LGBTQ+ issues into the classroom or transgender kids into the bathrooms, on the courts or playing fields, or into the change rooms. If they had allowed that song to be played, sure as hell SOMEBODY would have complained. You can't really blame them for having a 'no controversial subjects' policy. I'd be wondering why that teacher thought this was a good choice in the first place, or if the school board actually knew what the song was about when they approved it initially. I wouldn't have known. I never heard of it.
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Robert James Ruhnke
Look at you being wrong. Being LGBTQ+ is by far more natural than being Christian. The people who obsess over the community turn out to be the real perverts in the end. So I ask. What skeletons do you have hiding in your closet? 🧐 🤔
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ServantOfJudgement
Robert, that just might be the most accurate thing you've ever said about Christianity and you'll even find it as an established fact in Bible.
Man by nature is compelled to sink into moral depravity with no limit. We need not exert any effort for it, not an ounce. It was Crowley who made famous the phrase "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law". This is Man's natural law, without Jesus Christ.
Everything and every religion is more natural than being a Christian and following ALL of the teachings of Jesus Christ which no Christian can.
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Stephanie A Willey
Is this what Jesus would say, Pastor Jim ?
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James Richard Munro
YES
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Cheryl Pettijohn
You are completely wrong. Your hatred shows how little you know Christ
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James Richard Munro
Why is it that anytime someone disagrees with the LGBTQ+ people, you jump to the conclusion that we all hate you? You sound like the little kid stage that everybody hates you. Most of us don't hate you. We disagree with your fantasy world. I personally feel bad for you for making such bad lifelong decisions. No hate involved. Pastor Jim
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Rosemary West
I just checked my Bible. Here is what Jesus said about homosexuality:
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James Richard Munro
He said, if women sleeps with women as man sleeps with women, it is considered an act of perversion.
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James Richard Munro
He said, if women sleeps with women as man sleeps with women, it is considered an act of perversion.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Where? What version?
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Dr Dennis Chevalier, MDiv, PhD, DDvin, ULC honorary DD
every version in Leviticus 18
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Patricia Ann Gross
Leviticus was written before Jesus was born. Nice try, but wrong.
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Scott Anthony Schelp
Amen 🙏🏻
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Dr. Zerpersande, NSC
“We don’t care what momma don’t allow, we’re gonna’ play put music anyhow.”
Can’t read books, can’t listen to music. Sounds a lot like the Christian Taliban.
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ServantOfJudgement
Do you think kids should look at Hustler? Should it be legal?
What about kids listening to 2LiveCrew having sex with a corpse or dmx with blood on the penis? Good for kids?
See how Jesus was right when he said you would judge Christians in hypocrisy?
That's a smart fella, Jesus.
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Rev. Alyssa Cutler, Spiritual Healer
The school board’s decision was rooted in fear and cowardice, and as both a parent and an ally, I am deeply disappointed. My daughter and husband are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and I stand firmly beside these students for speaking out and boycotting something that never should have been considered controversial in the first place.
Telling students they cannot perform this piece because it may “offend” others is no different than telling someone of another faith or culture that they can attend school, but must hide who they are to avoid making others uncomfortable. Human rights and representation should never depend on whether they “ruffle feathers.”
People do not choose to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, or transgender any more than any of us chose our race or ethnicity at birth. They simply are who they are. We are all human beings. We all bleed the same blood, and what someone does in their personal life is nobody else’s business.
What makes this even more upsetting is that the song itself is an instrumental piece promoting awareness of the Stonewall Riots — a pivotal moment in history tied to equality and human rights. There are no lyrics to “offend” anyone. Regardless of who composed it or what inspired it, it is a beautiful and meaningful work that deserves to be performed and appreciated.
What happened to equality? What message is the Watertown School Board sending not only to these students, but to the entire community? After initially approving this piece and allowing students to dedicate months of hard work and preparation to it, pulling it at the last minute because some people felt uncomfortable is unfair and disheartening.
I strongly urge the board to reconsider and restore this piece to the concert program. It is not something that should be hidden away out of fear — it is something that should be acknowledged, respected, and celebrated.
~ Rev. Alyssa Cutler, Spiritual Healer
When will Christians stop spreading hate and intolerence?
when will you?