Teacher Resigns Amid Outcry Over Story About Gay Princes

Parents in NC didn't like story for third-graders
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 16, 2015 4:00 PM CDT
Teacher Resigns Amid Outcry Over Story About Gay Princes
   (Shutterstock)

A teacher in a small North Carolina town has resigned after reading his third-graders a story about a gay couple, which sparked an outcry from some parents. Omar Currie resigned this week after reading his students in Elfland "King & King," a children's story about a prince who falls in love with another prince. Currie said he decided to share the book after one student tearfully recounted how another boy had called him "gay" during gym class. A school committee upheld using the book. But three people filed complaints, including a parent who appealed the ruling to the superintendent of the Orange County Schools.

A public meeting is scheduled for Thursday as part of the appeal. The assistant principal who loaned Currie her copy of "King & King" has also resigned. One grandparent is quoted in the Raleigh News & Observer thusly: "I've been called a racist. I’ve been called a bigot, and I am none of those things. This is nothing more than bringing homosexuality into a school where it does not belong." (More homophobia stories.)

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