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Old Man Shadow's avatar

I think we all know why the school punished her harshly.

She was gay. Worse, she wasn't ashamed of being gay. Even worse, she called out people like them on their bigotry. And even worse, she didn't "respect mah author-itay" of the male administrators like a good submissive wife candidate is supposed to.

All of which to say, she rocks.

As for her former friends, well, I get it. Indoctrination is a hard thing to shake and I'm sure there was much gossip in the form of "praying for her to get out of 'sin'" happening. I hope at least half of those kids shake off the programming and become better.

Joe King's avatar

๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘ค๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘  โ€œ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘’โ€ ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘€๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘”๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ , ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘™ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘‘ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›. ๐ด๐‘‘๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘ฆ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘€๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘”๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘™๐‘’๐‘”๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘‘๐‘œ ๐‘ ๐‘œ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘ข๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘’.

Morgan: "I know some bigots."

School: "She's talking about us! She can't do that!"

Morgan: "I wasn't talking about you, and I definitely never mentioned the school."

School: "Agree to disagree! But we will give you money and promise to not follow through with our threats."

Why am I not surprised that the tacit admission of bigotry by the school is followed up by them doubling down? I am not sure how much I would trust their promise, only time will tell. And any college that would deny Morgan entry because she called out some bigots is beneath her anyway.

Maltnothops's avatar

Something Iโ€™ve noticed at CP is that commenters almost never acknowledge it when they are shown to be wrong.

Joe King's avatar

To admit to being wrong would be to question their faith, something their indoctrination calls anathema.

NOGODZ20's avatar

The same believers who swore up and down that dinosaurs never existed now claim that dinosaurs were on the Ark.

Troublesh00ter's avatar

They're just like Trump: can't keep their stories straight to save their lives!

Sean's avatar

It's not about consistency or saving their life. It's about the story in the moment to relieve cognitive dissonance. Thinking take work, faith doesn't.

Len Koz's avatar

DG is proof of that.

Sean's avatar

If I was on a university admissions board, and I received some shit like that from a school, I would block any applicant that came from there that wasn't accompanied by hateful correspondence.

RegularJoe's avatar

Of course. But then, what are the odds that you'd knowingly and voluntarily serve on an admissions board for the likes of Liberty "University", Hogwarts, etc.?

Lisa Joy ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ's avatar

I googled โ€œLGBTQ affirming church in my location,โ€ and expected search engine optimization meant the highest listed one was most likely to be affirming. They had a dedicated single womenโ€™s program, encouraged involvement in various community service programsโ€ฆ. They didnโ€™t, surprisingly, get too detailed online about some of their belief positions, but I figured it couldnโ€™t hurt to try.

And I noticed no rainbows. No social justice discussions (I was assured they were trying to not be too political on that question).

Finally, I made an appointment with their pastor to broach the subject.

Now, to an Evangelical, on the outside, Iโ€™m โ€œgood.โ€ I am a widow whose husband died six years ago. The thing is, I knew in my early 20s that I didnโ€™t even notice men, only women, but being raised fundamentalist Baptist, my options were โ€œobedienceโ€: marry a man and be an obedient wife, or โ€œchoosing sin.โ€ When even churches began admitting that orientation is innate and not chosen, I asked if the position would change. I was assured that it was just like being an alcoholic: โ€œjust donโ€™t drink.โ€

Wellโ€ฆ I am old and I donโ€™t care as much now. So I asked the pastor what their position was on LGBTQ people, since I hadnโ€™t seen anything suggesting they were affirming. He praised my obedient wifehood and assured me that, as long as I stayed celibate they would have no problem with me.

I have never been back. I know if I came out to the congregation I would be one of two โ€œtypesโ€ of person to them: a sinner to hold accountable and encourage, or a threat to their children and young adults who must be avoided. No matter how much they profess to โ€œlove the sinner,โ€ when so much rhetoric portrays you as an abominable risk to the vulnerable you are never truly welcome.

What has made me angry is that I have made websites and understand search engine optimization. They had to include LGBTQ affirming and similar descriptions in their optimization to place where they did, which means they did this with the disingenuous belief that they can lure LGBTQ Christians to their church to โ€œbring them to repentance and salvation in Jesus Christ.โ€ ๐Ÿ˜ก

Joe King's avatar

So, their "LGBTQ affirming" stance was of the "our gay bashing will be limited to the 'love the sinner hate the sin' type of verbal bigotry."

Lisa Joy ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ's avatar

Right. I think they just put it in their search engine list to โ€œreach sinners for repentance.โ€

It frustrates the heck out of me trying to deal with those kinds of true believers. They believe (and are encouraged in that belief from the pulpit) that their actions are โ€œloving.โ€ I am sure who ever does their website wholeheartedly believes that misleading people into their church is neither misleading nor unethical. To them โ€œaffirmingโ€ LGBTQ+ into โ€œrepentanceโ€ (either celibacy or into the closet) is kindness. ๐Ÿ™„

wreck's avatar

Check out the UUs. Our local UU church flies the rainbow flag.

Lisa Joy ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ's avatar

Rural red state. There arenโ€™t any within commuting distance.

NOGODZ20's avatar
3hEdited

STILL waiting for Christians to point to scripture in the gospels that has Jesus condemning (or even mentioning) homosexuals, male or female.

Could be a very long wait. Maybe I should take up knitting.

Troublesh00ter's avatar

While you're at it, I hear that Waiting for Godot is a popular pastime!

phelpsmediation's avatar

If they find anything it will be fiction like most of the Jesus story.

NOGODZ20's avatar

"Most" of the Jesus story? ;)

Matthew and Luke couldn't even agree whether or not Joseph took his family and fled to Egypt until Herod died or simply went to the temple with Mary to present Jesus before returning home with no flight to Egypt even hinted at.

Troublesh00ter's avatar

Considering the ridiculous amount of plagiarism found in the synoptic gospels, plus the wide divergence where the gospels disagree, their credibility should have been shredded ages ago.

Aaron Gullison's avatar

Some point to the OT passages and lean heavily on the "Jesus is God" argument.

NOGODZ20's avatar
1hEdited

Oh, but then they proclaim that "Because of Jesus, Christians are no longer under the Old Law. They want it both ways.

(And that bit about Christians no longer being under the Old is directly contradicted by Jesus in Matthew 5:17-18)

oraxx's avatar
3hEdited

Few people disgust me more than those who claim their religiosity entitles them to a say in other peopleโ€™s personal choices. The intolerant mindset of these administrators represent a far greater danger to society than a teen age girls same-sex relationship. These Christian schools try to program their students to be blindly obedient Christians. I know from first hand experience, they also produce some massively screwed up kids they never accept any responsibility for.

Stephen Brady's avatar

Generational personality disorder is the gift of authoritarians to the future.

LEE FOSTER's avatar

There is no hate as strong as โ€œchristianโ€ love.

Boreal's avatar

"The problem was acknowledging the open cruelty of Trump supporters", aka school administrators.

Troublesh00ter's avatar

Heaven forfend someone should call a spade a spade!

NOGODZ20's avatar
3hEdited

Their awesome god defeated by a mere slip of a girl. :)

Joe King's avatar

She had an iron chariot.

Troublesh00ter's avatar

And a backbone to match!

Len Koz's avatar

Fae are supposed to be weak to iron. Does that mean YHVH is secretly fae...?

Maltnothops's avatar

A good news story! We need those every now and then. Good for her and her parents!

Joe King's avatar

๐‘‡โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘ฆ, ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘‘, ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ฆ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘š โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘˜๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘› ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘”๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ฆ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ . ๐ผ๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘Ž๐‘“๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ก ๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘ฆ ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘–๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘’๐‘ .

Her ex-friends are motivated by fear. They are afraid of what would happen to them if it were publicly known that they are still her friends. Hopefully, they will grow up and reach out to her to rekindle the lost friendship.

Troublesh00ter's avatar

Fair-weather friends ... ๐Ÿ˜

Stephen Brady's avatar

Hitch said it best - "Religion poisons everything". Without any proof, they claim that they are god's favored people and they are willing to trash a young woman's education and future in the name of that god. The strange thing is how the Jesus in the bible is not the Jeebus they are now worshiping. Christianity is an amorphous concoction of a religion that changes with every generation. and each new sect promises the one true interpretation of the bible... They need to get their god to come down and do something godlike and end all dispute. Tell everyone just exactly how to worship him.

Linda LaScola's avatar

Ii saw the "Christians" waiting to get in to the rally in DC a few weeks ago. They were awful people. When I told them about the recent pew poll (published here, but not in Wapo or NYT) saying that most people, including Christians, thought that Trump was not very religious https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/16/americans-have-become-more-likely-to-say-trump-is-not-too-or-not-at-all-religious/ one woman shouted out "I DON"T GIVE A SH__!" Others didn't flinch -- except for me.

Len Koz's avatar

The people who stick by Trump despite all his evil are awful people. The horrible part for the rest of us was learning that people we knew and loved were far more despicable than we had realized to that point.

Troublesh00ter's avatar

They're awful, ignorant, incurious, and disinterested in learning. What can be done about them, I have no idea.

Len Koz's avatar

Some of them are enough older than me that I am just waiting to see which one of us drops dead first.

Sean's avatar

Being unfriended can be hurtful, but reframed, she knows exactly which toxic people removed themselves from her life. Better to find out early who is worthless and who has your back.

Troublesh00ter's avatar

You'd think that, after all this time, Christian schools would learn that the stove is HOT and it's not wise to touch it. Or, in other words, that gay people have their rights and that messing with them has consequences attached. Tennessee Christian Preparatory School has had their fingers burnt on the matter of Morgan Armstrong and rightfully so. Accusations of slander and other complaints by the school don't hold water, and indeed, Morgan's conduct has been far better than the school's.

It makes me wonder if Tennessee Christian Preparatory School will remember this little lesson ... or whether they'll go right back to their bigoted ways with the next gay student that decides to assert themselves.

Len Koz's avatar

They'll go right back to their bigoted ways. The bigots are loud and proud for now in the US.

Troublesh00ter's avatar

And get their fingers burnt AGAIN. Some people never learn. ๐Ÿ˜–