A gay actor's speech, which was canceled due to “lifestyle” reasons, has been resumed at a school in Pennsylvania after residents spoke out.
The Cumberland Valley School District Board of Trustees voted 5-4 Wednesday night to allow gay children's book author Maulik Pancholy to speak out against bullying during a May 22 meeting at Mountain View Middle School. It passed with a majority vote. The board made its vote after hearing input from residents, including more than a dozen students.
The board of directors meeting on April 15th unanimously Pancholi's lecture was canceled. after board members cited concerns about the actor's activism and what he described as his “lifestyle.” Some board members also said the district had instituted a policy of not holding overtly political events after coming under fire for hosting a rally for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. pointed out.
Some area residents said the cancellation was reckless and sent a harmful message, especially to the LGBTQ+ community and Superintendent Mark Blanchard and other district leaders. sent a letter He argued to the board and faculty that Pancholy's speech should have been allowed.
Education officials said they were not given a “real opportunity” by the school board to answer questions or provide guidance on the event, and emphasized the importance of treating everyone equally. He said that was the purpose.
Pancholy, 48, is an award-winning actor for roles in TV shows “30 Rock'' and “Weeds,'' as well as the voice of Baljeet in the Disney animated series “Phineas and Ferb.'' He also writes children's books and was appointed by then-President Barack Obama to the President's Advisory Council on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in 2014, where he co-founded the Campaign to Combat AAPI Bullying. did.
Pancholy's appearance was scheduled by the school's instructional team, which annually selects authors who present “unique educational experiences to students,” according to the district.
At the April 15 meeting, school board members said they didn't know what Mr. Pancholy would say, but one member said Mr. Pancholy “didn't want to take the risk” it might entail. said.
“If you investigate this person, he could label himself an activist,” Bud Schaffner said. According to PennLive. “He takes pride in his lifestyle, and I don't think that should be forced on students at any age.”
Pancholy said she is looking forward to meeting the community members who have supported her next month and, speaking at the board meeting, was moved by “each and every student who has shown immense courage.” said in a statement Thursday.
“Thank you for sharing such a powerful message of love, inclusion, respect and belonging,” Pancholy wrote.
in a statement Pancholy posted on social media after the board's first vote that as a middle schooler, she had never seen herself represented in a story that featured South Asian American or LGBTQ+ characters. The book “didn't exist,” he said. Years later, when he started writing his own novels, he still had trouble finding them, he said.
“That's why I wrote the book in the first place,” Pancholy wrote. “Because representation is important.”
Pancholy said her school visits were “to let all young people know that they are seen.” To let them know they are important. ”