Welcome to Loudoun County, Gateway to the 19th Century

Ah, LoCo VA, my home... Here's what's happening, according to today's WashPost:

The Loudoun County students who staged a play over the weekend about a high school football star's homosexuality heard some gasps, along with expressions of support, during their play's two-day, modestly attended run at Ashburn's Stone Bridge High School.

Now, thanks to a high-decibel dust-up over freedom of expression and values, student writer-director Sabrina Audrey Jess's one-act play, "Offsides," has a dramatically expanded audience.

Del. Richard H. Black (R-Loudoun) e-mailed his supporters claiming that, in the play, "two male students engaged in a homosexual kiss onstage" and that public schools were "being used to promote a homosexual lifestyle." His son-in-law, Loudoun County Supervisor Mick Staton Jr. (R-Sugarland Run), followed up with a missive of his own, warning of the play's disturbing "indoctrination." On Sunday, activists blanketed Loudoun churches with fliers decrying the production.

Here's how the local delegates talk to the widely-read WashPost (same link as above):

"Within our public schools, there is a tendency to encourage homosexual activity, to portray it in a cute or favorable light," Black said in an interview yesterday. "This is a considerable health hazard right now. If we encourage just one child to experiment and contract the HIV virus, then we have done an enormous disservice to our children."

For contrast, here's the hissy fit Black threw to the little local paper, LeesburgToday:

“When you have two young fellows kissing one another, that’s a pretty bizarre kind of conduct in a school play,” said Black. “We’ve got these boys trying to be a little naughty on stage. It’s sort of their way of sticking a lighted cigarette butt in people’s eyes and I don’t think that’s what our taxpayers are looking for when they fund our schools.”

... and bizarrely:

“The taxpayers pay for our schools and the taxpayers do not want homoerotic sex acts to take place on the stages of our school plays. [emphasis mine]”

Unfortunately, Del. Black isn't alone in his nuttery; he is joined by fellow hysteric School Board member Robert Ohneiser, who says:

But when you’re dealing with minors the introduction of sexually-explicit materials [by adults] is in the criminal section. All the sudden we’re in a whole different realm here. It raises the question of motivation. If it’s motivated by a staff person. If we find out that the drama director is part of the National Organization for the Increased Awareness of Gay Rights, I’m going to ask for criminal charges.

An implied kiss is now "sexually-explicit materials"? Are these guys sick, or what?