A high school teacher in Missouri is
under investigation after he allegedly posted on Facebook that more
gay kids need to kill themselves, Pittsburg, Kansas CBS affiliate
KOAM-TV reported.
Jim Whitney, a math teacher at Joplin
High School, is accused of making anti-gay remarks on Facebook.
In response to a link to a news article
about Jamie Hubley, a
15-year-old gay teen from Canada who was bullied to death, posted
by a former student, Josh Gonzalez, Whitney wrote, “Moral of the
story: Don't be gay.”
“How many more kids have to kill
themselves before everyone realizes that this is an actual issue?”
Gonzalez asked.
“11-13 ought to do it,” Whitney
replied. “Somewhere in that vicinity.” (The video is embedded
in the right panel of this page.)
In a written statement to the Joplin
Globe, Whitney said his comments do not reflect his personal
views.
“I do not condone bullying or
harassment of any kind and I am very aware and saddened by the
negative impact this type of behavior creates,” he wrote. “I
regret that the posts appeared on Facebook. They do not reflect my
personal views and I apologize for any and all offenses caused by the
comment.”
The incident comes less than a week
after a
teacher in New Jersey came under fire for posting anti-gay posts on
Facebook.