FORUM HELD ON LARAMIE
by Christian Schiavone,
The Acton Beacon, Acton Massachusetts
FRI OCT 05, 2007

ACTON, MASS. - A forum that was billed as a concerned parents' discussion of the high school drama department's production of the controversial play "The Laramie Project" focused mainly on what panelists said were the dangers of homosexuality.

Scott Wilson, father of a freshman at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, organized the forum to protest the drama department's production of the play. The production focuses on the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old openly gay student at the University of Wyoming. Wilson and some parents have said that the play paints an unfair portrait of religious conservatives and undermines parents' teachings.

The effort to stop the play has also been joined by MassResistance, a statewide conservative advocacy group that was also vocal in opposing gay marriage.

Advocates of the production, including the School Committee and Superintendent Bill Ryan, have said that the play teaches students about tolerance, but Wilson disagrees.

"The core message of the play is that we need to quiet people who have traditional moral values," he said during the opening remarks of the forum.

But the three panelists spent most of the two-hour event talking decrying what they said was a growing local and national homosexual agenda focused on furthering gay rights at the expense of traditional religious values and saying that homosexual relationships are "unnatural."

The panelists were Dr. John Diggs, an internist who lectures internationally on sexually transmitted diseases; James Lafferty, who once worked for former Republican Sen. Tom Delay and was at the trial of Shepard's murderers; and John Russo, a former Reading School Committee member.

Stephen Bennett, who lived for years as a homosexual before marrying a woman and becoming a Christian pastor, was supposed to speak at the forum, but was involved in a car accident on the way.

Most of the approximately 70 people who attended the forum clapped enthusiastically as panelists railed against gay marriage and the decline of what they repeatedly referred to as "traditional moral values," but about 20 attendees sat stony faced, arms crossed in the back.

Brian Camenker, a Newton resident who moderated the event, said that many parents who oppose the play were afraid to come to the play because of threats that have received.

"A lot of them were afraid to come here tonight because they were literally afraid their cars would be vandalized," he said.

Camenker also noted the presence of three police officers at the forum.

"It seems like you never need police at a public event except when it has to do with homosexuality," he said.

Diggs compared the intimidation religious conservatives face to that faced by African-Americans in the civil rights movement and Jews in Nazi Germany.

"Fascism is alive and well, and it's growing in America," he said.

There were no disruptions during the event.

At least 450 supporters of the play signed a statement provided to The Beacon by Debra Simes, whose son Noah is a cast member, saying that they were boycotting the meeting.

"We want to be clear that local people are staying away from this 'forum' in droves because we choose not to contribute to the attention sought by sponsors of the forum," the statement read. "[W]e support our school and our students' production."

Simes, who remained just outside the auditorium doors throughout the event, declined further comment.

There were some skeptics in the crowd, however.

During a question and answer period where attendees were able to submit written questions to the panel, Rob and Nancy Hodgman of Boxborough asked for people who had read the play to raise their hands. Fewer than 10 audience members did so.

"Clearly they're using this as a touchstone for this platform to come in and give this presentation and go off in all these directions," said Nancy Hodgman as she left the auditorium.

Brigid Vorce, who went to Acton-Boxborough Regional High School for her sophomore year before going to he University of Vermont, said the discussion lacked any significant debate.

"It was organized to be a preach session," she said.
Vorce said that during her year at Acton-Boxborough, students freely used slurs referencing homosexuals. While she admitted the play might be offensive to some, she said it is still a good way to get students talking about intolerance.

"If it upsets people, that's awesome because at least they're talking about it," he said. "If the play makes kids think twice about using slurs that's great."

Bruce Sabot, chairman of the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee, was one of the few school officials who attended the forum. He said he had hoped for a range of opinions regarding the performance but was disappointed.

"I wasn't very impressed with the evening," he said. "It became more preaching about why being gay is wrong."

Sabot said he is looking forward to the opening of the play on Nov. 2.

Christian Schiavone can be reached at 978-371-5743 or at cschiavo@cnc.com.
Link to article on newspaper website