Student rally at West Des Moines Dowling. (Photo courtesy of Iowa Public Radio)

The proverbial uprising in Indiana and Arkansas against legalizing discrimination based on a class of citizens last week was somewhat heartwarming. It has been amazing what Americans have let pass from our representatives both at a state and national level since Ronald Reagan moved into the White House and put up the For Sale sign.

After 34 years, though the American people stood up and howled en masse against laws that made a specific class of people second class citizens. These were a new version of the Jim Crow laws that were used to oppress blacks in the aftermath of the Civil War. Getting rid of the original Jim Crow laws was a monumental effort. Thousands died from the laws or in fighting them. Martin Luther King stated that “The arc of a moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Once it arrives at justice, most Americans do not want it to rebound in any way.

So as Indiana and Arkansas tried to reimpose a form of legalized discrimination, many Americans to their credit stood up and said no.This battle is not done. Many more states are planning to try to implement legalized discrimination against their gay citizenry, but hopefully they are forewarned that there will be consequences. Most of these laws are meant to pacify a crazy religious right wing that continues to ignore Jesus teachings of loving your fellow man and substitute a belief that it is OK to hate those who are not like them.

Which brings us to a little demonstration in West Des Moines last Wednesday. Some 100+ students walked out of class and staged a protest in a show of support for a substitute teacher who was denied full time employment because he was openly gay. While the leader of the demonstration, sophomore Grace Mumm admitted that the protest would not get the teacher a job, she did say it would “Let the community know the decisions of our school leaders and our diocesan leaders do not directly reflect what the students believe,”

Standing up to the powers that be, especially by high school students in a private school is a gutsy move. No doubt it will also be an experience where those participating will learn a lot of lessons that they won’t learn in a classroom. First they will learn that, yes indeed you can speak your mind in America. Quickly following that will come the corollary to speaking your mind. That when you do all sorts of nay-sayers and self appointed guardians of societal norms (how they interpret them) will be crawling out of the woodwork. Many may be family and friends. Speech may be free but it is not without consequences.

But the big lesson is that there are things in life worth standing up for. One of them is the treatment of any citizen as a second class citizen.

Another much deeper lesson will be that the group they have been told is the arbiter of morality they should turn to in actuality condones even endorses discrimination. So they get a major lesson in hypocrisy. While claiming to be a church founded by Jesus following Jesus teachings is often inconvenient. May I humbly suggest that Dowling take some time to fully understand their stated morality positions and then cull all teachers who violate any of those who violate any of their precepts. Fire those who have used birth control in any form, those who marry outside the church, those who support the death penalty and so on.

My hat’s off to you Ms. Mumm and those who joined you. You give me hope.