Video of Queer Couple at Prom Ridiculed in High School Science Class
HANOVER, Penn — The Associated Press is reporting that a teacher who was serving as a chaperone at the Hanover Area High School senior prom filmed 18-year-old Jared Swank and his prom date because she identifies as trans. The teacher then showed the video to her science class for the purpose of ridicule.
Initially, the report states, the teach asked Mr. Swank if she could film him and his date to give her daughter a lesson in diversity.
“I was not happy that this was shown in class,” Swank told The Citizen’s Voice. “She told me she wanted to show her daughter. Not the entire school.”
Though Swank will graduate in less than a month, he said he hoped his case would make a difference for Hanover’s incoming lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students.
Jared’s mother, Dawn Mendygra, told WNEP that the incident was just another example of how her openly gay son has been bullied in the school system since eighth grade. “He was embarrassed, he was chastised,” she said. “As a matter of fact, we just came from the gas station to get a drink before we got here and some of Hanover Area students yelled [an expletive out] the window. So that’s what it’s done. It’s antagonized more bullying.”
Superintendent Anthony Podczasy, who has invited Mendygral for a meeting, said he learned of Swank’s claim only recently. “We can’t determine yet what’s true and what’s not true,” he told the Voice.
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Wild Gender is an online magazine and creative hub born out of gratitude for the gift of full expression. We are dedicated to creative practices that celebrate gender fluidity, identity and expression. Wild Gender prioritizes visual art, creative writing, and journalistic work by trans/gender-variant individuals who have never before been published in a public venue. Run entirely by volunteers,we are always in search of writers, thinkers, and creators hoping to participate in our growing community.
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