fight Teh Gay with a Sharpie!

Well, that's what the superindendent of East Side High is doing. Student Andre Jackson paid for a full page for himself in the yearbook and included a picture of himself and his boyfriend smooching. The concern troll of a superintendent decided to bring out the Sharpie brigade (emphasis mine):

A photograph of an East Side High School student kissing his boyfriend was blacked out of every copy of the school's yearbook by Newark school officials who decided it was inappropriate.

[...]

But Newark Superintendent of Schools Marion Bolden called the photograph "illicit" and ordered it blacked out of the $85 yearbook before it was distributed to students at a banquet for graduating seniors Thursday.

"It looked provocative," she said. "If it was either heterosexual or gay, it should have been blacked out. It's how they posed for the picture."

Well, let's take a look-see at the picture, shall we?



"Illicit"? "Provocative"? Hmmm. Uh, that would be a NO.

So anyway, all these kids paid $85 (at least--more if they wanted their own space/page like Andre) and this is what they got:

Ripping the page out entirely was considered but, Bolden said, it was decided blacking it out with a marker would lessen the damage to the yearbooks.

[...]

While the students waited, staff members in another room blacked out the 4½-by-5-inch picture from approximately 230 books.

In case you're wondering, yes, pictures of hetero couples kissing are in the yearbook. Of course.

Also, one reason given for this crapfest was "the picture would be controversial and upsetting to parents". You know what? Those parents should have been told to kiss your ass. Well, perhaps a bit more politely in telling them about REALITY:

"Our students paid for their books and their personal pages. Also, our students DO live many different lives. I'm sorry you're upset and if the picture truly offends you, censor it from your OWN copy yourself."

But, no, you see. That would make sense and not require defacing all of the students' yearbooks that they paid $85 for. That also included pictures of hetero couples kissing.

The school should refund Andre his $150 for his page and the $85 for all the books they vandalized because they're utter jackasses and completely in the wrong.