LGBT posters permitted but not Bible Verses
An Ohio teenager received an “in-school suspension” for having posted Bible verses around her school early this month.
Gabby Helsinger of Lebanon High School was inspired by the LGBT Pride flag posters posted up around her school to write out some Bible verses to do some messaging of her own. She stuck them on lockers and walls, only to find teachers taking them down.
In a video published by her mother Tina on Facebook, Gabby explained what happened next.
“The next day, I got called to the office and there is a letter that says that I have an ISS, which is an in-school suspension, and the reason why I have it is because ‘abuse of others, disrespect, rudeness’ because I put Bible verses up ‘targeting the GSA organization.’”
Gabby told viewers that she didn’t know what the “GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) was or meant.”
She had noticed, however, people in her school who she thought were in need of help that such an organization could not provide.
“They don’t need to be living in the confusion of wondering if they should be gay, bi, lesbian, trans — anything like that,” she said. “And I know that God is the only way that they can be healed [of] that.”
Gabby said this is why she posted the Bible verses.
“I was not targeting any kind of organization or anything like that,” she asserted.
When she was called to the office, she explained to a school authority that she had wanted to spread the Word of God. Gabby told the school office that she didn’t believe she needed permission to post the verses, as students often stick post-it notes on lockers. She also pointed out a double standard in school: one for Christians, one for LGBT activists.
“I asked him why whenever anything to do with God or Jesus ... gets brought up, it gets taken down right away, but we can put up gay and Pride stuff all over the school and not have to take it down,” she recalled.
Gabby also intimated that students at her school could talk about LGBT philosophy with more freedom than they could talk about God.
“When you talk about God or Jesus, you just get put down, and you’re not allowed to talk about it,” she reported.
Gabby said that although there are faith-based clubs at Lebanon High School who pray by the school flag every Wednesday morning, they don’t have the same institutional backing as “the gay club”: unlike the Christian clubs, it appears in the school’s monthly news video. In a message posted below Gabby’s video testimony, Tina Helsinger stated that she had challenged the punishment, saying “Posting a Bible verse is not an abuse of others, disrespect/insolence/rudeness and in no way was it targeting GSA.”
But according to Tina, Principal Scott Butler said that Gabby was targeting the GSA and therefore had to report for her in-school suspension.
Faithwire has reported that Lebanon City School Superintendent Todd Yohey told them that “the school’s Student Code of Conduct does not prohibit the sharing or posting of religious text or imagery on school grounds.”
The Helsingers have asked the public to support them in protesting Gabby’s suspension, adding to the Facebook testimony that “Lebanon schools [celebrate] evil and punishes righteousness.”
“If you feel she is being unjustly punished please flood emails and calls to the Principal and Assistant Principal if Lebanon High School,” Tina added. “Their email addresses and phone numbers are below!”
Butler.Scott@lebanonschools.org
513.934.5100
Ferrero.Butch@lebanonschools.org
513.934.5104
LifeSiteNews has reached out to Vice Principal Butch Ferrero by email and telephone, but he had not responded by the time we published. Gabby’s suspension was scheduled for yesterday.
