Shoulda Been A Cowboy

An insistence on studying a controversial book has cost an elite, private, Austin school $3,000,000.00. Trustees of St. Andrew's Episcopal School officially released Cary McNair, one of the school's biggest donors, and his family from their pledge after McNair objected to the use of "Brokeback Mountain" as reading material in a 12th-grade English class. The book tells the story of two male ranch hands who fall in love and have a homosexual relationship over many years. The story contains details of gay sex acts.

McNair said he is simply asking that St. Andrew's abide by its own rules, and that reading and discussing stories involving homosexual sex runs counter to the school's mission statement, in which it promises to provide "a Christian environment" and "to develop moral behavior." In an Aug. 17 letter to St. Andrew's trustee Paul Bury. a portion of which was quoted in the Austin American-Statesman, McNair asked, "Why would SAS (St. Andrew's School) promote classroom discussion on pornographic material concerning deviant behavior?" "An apparent agenda at the Upper School is developing that is detrimental to SAS's future." McNair, who has three children at the school told The Statesman that he also was troubled by improper content in school plays and bias against Christian extracurricular groups at the school.

In early May, the McNairs and other parents met with St. Andrew's Head of School Lucy Nazro to protest the school's choice to not recognize the National Day of Prayer but to participate in the National Day of Silence -- a national effort to highlight the actual silencing of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people because of harassment, bias and abuse. On Aug. 1, Kate McNair informed the school that the family no longer wanted its name on the school building and that the school should pursue donations from alternate sources.