Orange Board Sets Date for Vote on Gay Club

The Orange Unified School District board will vote Nov. 18 on whether to allow the district’s first gay/straight club at El Modena High School, a controversial proposal that drew hundreds to a meeting Tuesday.

About 300 parents and students packed the McPherson Middle School auditorium during the four-hour forum that lasted until about 11 p.m.

Proponents of the club said the proposed Gay-Straight Alliance would educate students about tolerance and offer a haven for gay students who they say face constant harassment.

Opponents of the proposed organization quoted from the Bible and said the club would only hurt students struggling with their sexual identity.

Several speakers threatened to sue if the school board did not support the club, including a representative from the People for the American Way Foundation, a nonprofit civil rights organization.

Foundation officials contend that the school board would be violating federal law if it stopped efforts to organize the club.

School Board President Terri Sargeant said after the meeting that she felt the forum was productive for the board and the audience.

“The forum was very useful for me because the speakers respected the ground rules, and the board and audience were able to listen to all sides of the issue,” she said.

Sargeant said the vote will take place at the beginning of the Nov. 18 meeting to accommodate an expected large crowd.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the district’s board room at 1401 N. Handy Street, Orange.