Placer County high school apologizes for sharing video of gay teen fearful of church rejection
Granite Bay High School staff issued a public apology earlier this month after distributing a video that some interpreted as critical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The school’s wellness center in a newsletter last month highlighted LGBT issues and promoted a documentary on a Mormon teenager who came out to his family prior to the 2008 California election when voters passed Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage.
The family in the 2013 film “Families
Are Forever” expressed concerns that the Mormon church would not accept their child, Jordan. They were one of many families who fought against Proposition 8.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints supported Proposition 8 with campaign contributions, and many of its members gave individual contributions to the ban on same-sex marriages, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
“Reading and hearing stories of parents throwing their kids out in my church, and thinking that’s what our church is telling them to do,” Tom, father of Jordan, said in the video. “That’s not the church I was raised in, and it is not the God and the Christ I believe in. This is not the end of world, this is the beginning of your world.”
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 struck down the voter-approved initiative, allowing same-sex marriage in California.
Granite Bay High School apologized to families in an email on April 5 for sharing the film clip, saying that the school “did not fully understand the impact of the video.”
“After discussion with members of our community, we understand the misrepresentation demonstrated in this video and will take the necessary steps to ensure this does not happen again.”
In a separate email, Roseville Joint Union High School District officials announced that Granite Bay High School Principal Amber Clark was on leave, and that high school Assistant Principal Greg Sloan will step in for the next few weeks.
Officials would not confirm if Clark’s leave was related to the video or concerns about misrepresenting the Mormon church.
“As is often the case with personnel related matters, the nature of Principal Clark’s leave is confidential and we are unable to share any additional information at this time,” read the letter sent to The Sacramento Bee on Wednesday.
The changes in administration come just weeks before the high school is set to celebrate the end of the year with award ceremonies and graduation. Granite Bay High School students are scheduled to graduate on June 3.