-
Courtesy of Elena Seibert
-
Alison Bechdel
In punitively slashing the budgets of their own state colleges, legislators in the South Carolina House of Representatives have unwittingly given late-night comedians a great wealth of new material about narrow-mindedness, blind ideological loyalty and homophobia.
As reported in various media outlets including
National Public Radio the College of Charleston had the audacity to assign to first-year students a book that acknowledges the existence and humanity of people who are not heterosexual. That book, the acclaimed
Fun Home by Vermont cartoonist
Alison Bechdel has also been adapted into an award-winning, Pulitzer-nominated off-Broadway musical.
The University of South Carolina Upstate, another school that state legislators deemed worthy of a good, hard spanking, did not assign
Fun Home to first-year students, but did assign other works that dare to challenge the state’s centuries-long tradition of upholding heteronormativity.
-
Courtesy of Cathy Resmer
-
Fun Home the Musical at the Public Theater in New York City
Because of these colleges’ decisions to assign readings that challenged conservative viewpoints, South Carolina legislators decided that a fair and just punishment was to slash the schools’ funding by $70,000.
Students at both schools have been demonstrating to remind state lawmakers that South Carolina is not, in fact, exempt from the protection of the First Amendment.
In a move that many writers and pundits see as directly connected to the
Fun Home flap, conservative Republican Glenn McConnell, the state’s lieutenant governor, has, after intense pressure by those same legislators, just been selected as the new president of the College of Charleston.
At last report, despite the best efforts of South Carolina lawmakers, gay and lesbian Americans continue to exist, even in South Carolina.
Comments
Showing 1-1 of 1
Comments are closed.
Since 2014, Seven Days has allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we’ve appreciated the suggestions and insights, the time has come to shut them down — at least temporarily.
While we champion free speech, facts are a matter of life and death during the coronavirus pandemic, and right now Seven Days is prioritizing the production of responsible journalism over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor. Or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.