A Pennsylvania high school was thrust into the national spotlight after a group of students organized an "Anti-Gay" protest to oppose a national day organized to support LGBT youth.
Several parents and students at McGuffey High School in Claysville complained that on Thursday April 16, some students wore flannel shirts and wrote "anti-gay" on their hands to indicate they were against those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, Philadelphia Magazine reported.
"Stickers and flyers are also being placed around the school and on queer kids' lockers that read 'ANTI-GAY,' " one student named Ashley told the magazine.
The event was reportedly organized in retaliation of Friday's Day of Silence, a nationally recognized day calling for an end to bullying of LGBT students in schools.
"Yesterday, there was pushing, posters hung on homosexual students' lockers,", Zoe Johnson, a senior, told WPXI on Friday. "Teachers were having to run out and take them down."
McGuffey School District Superintendent Erica Kolat said they are aware of the incident and are working with school police to conduct an investigation.
"We will follow our Student Code of Conduct, and file legal citations, as warranted. We resolve to ensure that all children can grow and learn in a safe, supportive environment free from discrimination," Kolat told WPXI.
But several students told the station they are afraid of going back to school, especially since more "anti-gay" events are rumored to be in the works for the rest of the week. Few students were seen wearing orange on Friday, an apparent continuation of the protest.
"This is why so many students hate going to school," Johnson wrote on Facebook.
"These kids need help," Ashley told Philadelphia Magazine. "We are all people and we deserve to be treated as such."
