Teachers Suspended Over Simpson, Rodman & RuPaul

Three teachers at a South Los Angeles elementary school have been suspended for allegedly encouraging students to celebrate O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul for Black History Month, officials said Wednesday.

Children at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School were carrying pictures of the men at a parade Friday on the school playground, said Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Gayle Pollard-Terry. She said Supt. Ramon C. Cortines learned about the incident Tuesday and had the teachers, who are white, pulled from their classrooms pending an investigation.

The suspension is without pay for the first three days.

“The superintendent believes there are better choices,” she said.

Other students were carrying pictures of President Obama and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The teachers have not been identified and could not be reached for comment.

District officials did not provide details about what the teachers did, saying the investigation was still ongoing. .Some community leaders aren’t satisfied with the suspensions and are calling for the dismissal of the instructors, who teach 1st, 2nd and 4th grade.

“I just can’t fathom what these teachers were thinking of except to make a mockery of African American history,” said Leon Jenkins, president of the Los Angeles branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People.

L. C. “Chris” Strudwick-Turner of the Los Angeles Urban League likened the episode to a series of racially provocative incidents at UC San Diego, where a Feb. 15 off-campus party mocked Black History Month. “These kinds of things build on each other,” she said. “When something like that happens in [San Diego] and there is no immediate consequence, that emboldens others. That’s why I was glad that LAUSD took them out of the classroom right away.”

Pollard-Terry said Simpson, Rodman and RuPaul were included on a list of prominent African Americans approved by the school for study during Black History Month. She said the three teacher were believed to have suggested at least some of those names for the list. Strudwick-Turner said the Urban League has been told by people who attended the parade that the teachers had been asked to instruct their classes on a notable African American and that they had Simpson, Rodman and RuPaul.

More at: LA Times Blog!

RuPaul on Mortality: It’s All An Illusion

From Ramon Johnson’s About.com – Gay Life:

From the first moment he saw the poise of The Supremes on stage to winning “Best Afro” and “Best Dancer” prizes in junior high school, RuPaul Andre Charles knew his was going to be a star.

RuPaul grew up in San Diego, where his parent’s tumultuous divorce and a blemished school record forced him to move in with sister Renetta and brother-in-law Laurence. There, he happened across the public access program, “The American Music Show.” Eager to compete, RuPaul’s formed his first group, “The U-hauls,” and performed on the show.

RuPaul has since conquered the most reputable (and not-so-pristine) performance spaces in both New York City and Los Angeles, eventually becoming the most recognizable female illusionist in the country. He is now the host of LOGO’s wildly popular reality series, “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

I spoke with RuPaul about his mortality, the gay love affair with illusion, and his first $25 drag prize.

Read Ramon’s EXCELLENT interview with RuPaul by CLICKING HERE!

Win Tix to Hang with Cast of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

Season 2 of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ kicks off on Logo on Feb. 1 @ 9/8 central.

Logo has been kind enough to offer us up two VIP tickets (good for you plus a guest) for the season 2 premiere party at Club Eleven in West Hollywood – Tuesday, January 26 – 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Not only can you watch the full premiere episode – you can mingle with the ladiez at the red carpet event. (And drink some free Absolut!)

Enter to Win at: MUZOPHILE!

RuPaul “Going Vogue” on Sarah Palin

“Tis the season for another hot-topic-worthy ready shot of RuPaul, and this time she’s “Going Vogue!” Watch out, Grandma Palin. Ru’s got on her red anorak and she’s ready to govern! And I’m guessing Ru knows her way around a lumberjack. Plus, I’m sure Ru also knows all about laying some serious Alaskan pipeline.

But to continue the “Going Rogue” knock-off theme, shouldn’t this image have said “Going Vogue: An American Legend?” No matter.

More at: 365gay!

What a Drag it is Being a Queen

My friend and colleague, Clay Cane, recently interviewed RuPaul for BET where he..or do I say she, talked about the Obamas, her new show “Drag Race”, Being a drag queen and what a drag LL Cool J is.  Here is an excerpt from the interview.

You did an episode of LL Cool J’s “In the House” back in the nineties. How was that working with him?
It was hideous and horrible. He made it so difficult because he was so afraid. He was afraid that he made everyone else on the set not enjoy it themselves either. In fact, when I was ready to leave the show because he was ignorant, they all said, “Look, please stay, we have been dealing with his fear for so long that it’s become unbearable.” Just last week he had gotten into an altercation with someone about the OJ verdict because he believed that OJ was innocent and something happened on the set. So, I stayed, I did my episode, but to do this work, to excel on this planet, you have to be almost part therapist. Part psychology major to understand what’s behind people’s motives. He had said some really nasty stuff, he was all surly at the table reading — just fearful and ignorant. I understand, but they’re not paying me that much money, I don’t want to be around it. But, they begged me to stay and I did it. I’m glad I did. He’s a great teacher in that respect and this is important, I got to see myself in him. I got to see what I look like when I do that. It’s not pretty so in essence he is a great teacher for me.

You can read the rest by clicking here.

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