Bat Boy update

Glendale News Press on last night's meeting:

Parents, students and teachers packed La Cañada Unified School District's board meeting Tuesday night, some to express support, others disapproval of La Cañada High School's spring musical.

[...]

Most students...spoke passionately about the musical and how its moral message of tolerance shouldn't be overshadowed by acts in the original play.

"I think the only way you're going to get someone to think about something is if it's controversial," senior Jeff King said, adding that he played the lead role in last year's Columbine-based "Bang, Bang You're Dead," in which his character shot five classmates in a shooting spree.

Other students also compared the musical to "Romeo and Juliet," which also ends in tragedy and includes sex.

A.J. Rawls, 15, said Tuesday marked his first school board meeting, which he attended to support Caswell.

"The story is not something we need to be sheltered from," A.J. said.

A.J.'s mother, Kathy, supported her son.

"I'm just against creative censorship," Kathy Rawls said. "I think they could compromise through this process. I think if anything, they will come out with a process or guidelines on what's appropriate."

I think the writer had to file this story before the Focus on the Family rep spoke, so that aspect is not mentioned.

But there's this:

Do you think La Cañada High School students should be allowed to perform the musical "Bat Boy?" E-mail gnp@latimes.com or write to News-Press and Leader Community Forum, 111 W. Wilson Ave. Suite 200, Glendale, CA 91203. Please include your name and tell us your hometown and phone number for verification purposes only.

I've heard from a couple sources that a married couple (perhaps Otis and Robin Page, who seem to be behind NOTbatboy.com) is threatening to file a sexual-harassment lawsuit against drama teacher Gale Caswell. Grounds? Caswell allowed their child to read Bat Boy. If the suit is actually filed, this situation will have gone from Christian-right nasty to Scientology nasty.

UPDATE: Jeebus. The L.A. Times reporter, Pat Biederman, just told me somebody extreeeemely oversensitive thought the statement below on my blog, which previously ended this entry, was directed at a specific person. It wasn't:

Keythe Farley (co-author of Bat Boy) and I have talked, and if the other side presses on, we think we have a good way to turn the tables on them and make their worst fears come true.

The plan we have is something to counter any attempt by a national group to keep Bat Boy out of high schools, not a plan involving an individual.

Jeebus.