FREEDOM OF THE PRESS SERVES ITS PURPOSE AT A SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

Column

By KIM FRANKE

The Good Christians were there. So were the Gay Dad and the Lesbian Minister.

Several Liberal Thinkers, Concerned Parents and Indignant Taxpayers also turned up, but not so many Self-Righteous Students.

They had gathered to talk about freedom of speech and of the press.

More specifically, they wanted to decide how much freedom high school journalists in Colorado Springs' District 11 should be allowed, or, according to the Good Christians and Concerned Parents, how little.

Their anger stemmed from a series of articles about gay teens that had appeared in the Palmer High School paper back in October. Articles that, according to the Self-Righteous Students, were meant only to reflect a lifestyle chosen by some of their peers, just like athletics or the debate team are chosen by others.

The Good Christians, however, felt the stories promoted homosexuality, promiscuity and non-traditional marriage. And as they listened to the head Good Christian, Will Perkins, chairman of Colorado for Family Values, speak, the Indignant Taxpayers grunted their amens.

How much freedom is too much? they asked. Because, these kids today, they'll push you as far as they can. The next thing you know, they'll be dying their hair, piercing their nipples ... having sex, for God's sake.

And that, of course, will lead to other stuff we shouldn't even be talking about. Things like teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases - even AIDS.

But they did talk about it.

And a funny thing happened on the way through this forum: All the interested parties not only got a chance to have their say, but they also listened to the others. Quietly, politely and respectfully.

The Gay Dad and the Lesbian Minister both managed to speak their piece without any jeers, sneers or walkouts. They were joined by the Liberal Thinkers, who received less applause but as much attention as the Good Christians and Concerned Parents had.

The Self-Righteous Students also were allowed to stand and eloquently defend their school paper, as did the final speaker, the Much-Maligned Faculty Adviser, the man who had allowed the stories to run.

And his statement was the most enlightening of all: More of a revelation than the words the Good Christians had invoked, more politically correct than the Liberal Thinkers.

After all was said and done, the teacher pointed out, the student journalists' work had been rewarded by the very outrage they had created.

Their stories had brought together folks with all sorts of different opinions for a healthy and educational dialogue. The Gay Dad and the Lesbian Minister heard about traditional values. The Good Christians heard about tolerance. And the Self-Righteous Students learned a little about dealing with controversy.

It may only have changed a few minds one way or the other. After all, Liberal Thinkers and Indignant Taxpayers have been known to be rather bullheaded - not to mention your Concerned Parents. But the student paper had served its purpose.

It had informed, and it had made everybody think.

And that is what freedom of speech is all about. No matter how old you are.

(Kim Franke is a columnist at the Rocky Mountain News in Denver.)