The Laramie Project has been performed in many theaters over the past decade, but this school’s principal won’t allow it.
The Laramie Project is a play about the reaction to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student.
The play was written by members of the Tectonic Theater Project, who conducted hundreds of interviews with inhabitants of the town about the murder. It has often been performed in schools to raise awareness about gay rights and hate crimes.
Source: youtube.com
The drama club at Ottumwa High School in Iowa was scheduled to perform this play in the upcoming school year.
Source: youtube.com
The drama club proposed it because it presents an important message about bullying.
This student said, "I think this would be a great opportunity to have some discussions that are sometimes kept quiet in schools or in our community, and I think that by having this play be performed it would be great discussions of topic in the classroom."
Source: youtube.com
FATHER ROGER SCHMIT: Don't – don't – don't, um, (Pause) don't make matters worse… you think violence is what they did to Matthew – they did do violence to Matthew – but, you know, every time that you are called a fag, or you are called a, you know, a lez or whatever…
LEIGH FONDAKOWSKI: Or a dyke.
FATHER ROGER SCHMIT: Dyke, yeah dyke. Do you realize that is violence? That is the seed of violence. And I would resent it immensely if you use anything I said, uh, you know, to – to somehow cultivate that kind of violence, even in its smallest form – I would resent it immensely. You need to know that.
