I learned at a very young age to value my opinion and that every voice has a right to be heard. Whether it's by vocal expression or the written word. When I wrote opinion columns in my high school newspaper, I was encouraged to express myself on all topics. Ever hear of freedom of the press? Apparently, the principal at Woolan Junior-Senior High School in Indiana hasn't.

Edwin Yoder was a bit peeved after an editorial in the Woodlan Tomahawk, written by sophomore Megan Chase, ruffled his feathers. It was so controversial to Yoder that he mandated that all writings be submitted to him before publication for approval.

I bet you are wondering what kind of appalling material Chase chose to voice her opinion on?

It was a despicable, I-can't-believe-she-wrote-that, op-ed piece advocating support for gay and lesbian rights. Yep, you read that right, supporting gay and lesbian rights.

The nerve!

The editorial was a personal tale about one of Chase's friends, who had come out to her.

"I can only imagine how hard it would be to come out as homosexual in today's society," Chase wrote. "I think it is so wrong to look down on those people, or to make fun of them, just because they have a different sexuality than you."

Can someone please tell me why this would be something you wouldn't want a young person in today's society to discuss with her peers? Aren't we working on a daily basis to expand the minds of the next generation to be more open and accepting of people of every race, creed, disability AND sexual preference?

The piece appeared in the school newspaper back in January. In February, Yoder gave the journalism teacher in charge of the paper a written warning for insubordination and for exposing students to inappropriate material. How is advocating for equality among all kinds of people "inappropriate?"

Sorrell had, in the past, submitted articles to Yoder that she felt were controversial. After Yoder had reviewed a story on teen pregnancy that was approved to run, Sorrell didn't think that the op-ed piece would be an issue. After all, it's approaching an equal rights topic from a positive point of view. Why would that cause such a stir?

Ten brave students in support of the teacher, Amy Sorrell, and Chase asked the school board to raise the issue at the next meeting of the district. Their request was denied, not surprisingly so. They were directed to speak with the assistant superintendent, who then claimed that the opinion piece was biased. It was later discovered, according to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, that the superintendent hadn't even read the editorial. He has said that the school officials didn't have an issue with the choice of topic but rather the lack of balance of sides concerning the opinion piece.

So, if the piece had run discussing both negative and positive sides of homosexuality, there wouldn't have been a problem then? I doubt that.

I personally think that Yoder and the school district heads are practicing a form of censorship that probably stems from their own personal beliefs. A student expressing him or her self by encouraging tolerance is something that should be supported in our schools, not something they should be reprimanded for. If tolerance isn't taught or encouraged in the classroom, then how can we expect young people to be educated on the value of equal rights?

The fact is that homosexuality shouldn't be considered inappropriate material, it should be considered period. Gay and lesbian issues are prevalent in ever aspect of today's society. Pretending that our kids aren't aware of these issues or that they don't have opinions on these issues is just plain condescending and naïve.

That's my honest opinion. Thankfully it doesn't have to be approved by anyone but me. —- Lyndsey D'Archangelo or visit her website at dreamaloftydream.com