A teacher in South Lyon, Mich., temporarily was suspended last week because she allowed a student to play a song by hip-hop sensation Macklemore in her eighth-grade music class.
The song, “Same Love,” depicts the emotional struggle of a homosexual male as he goes through life. The South Lyon Community School District stood by its decision to suspend Susan Johnson for three days because of “pro gay-marriage content.”
Now, I would understand if this song was being played in front of elementary school kids who might not understand the concept. But eighth grade? This, I do not understand.
It seems a bit unfair to the students, seeing as the concept of gay marriage and homosexuality is everywhere in the media — it has been for quite some time, and shows no signs of letting up. Middle school is a pivotal time in life, where you begin to define who you are as a person. Keeping students sheltered in such a way will only create more opportunities for close-mindedness in the near future.