High School Hand Holding as Punishment... with a Dash of Internalized Homophobia »

The Advocate has a brief story up on a Colorado high school football coach who made two players hold hands and run together as punishment during a recent practice:

Officials from the Aurora Public Schools say they are investigating the claims that Coach Grant Pippert told freshmen Rafael Merced and another student to hold hands and run together after a brief altercation. The two were taunted by their teammates, who called them derogatory names. Merced told KMGH-TV News that he felt the experience was humiliating.

The other students jeered and called them gay, and the teasing continued throughout the week. The school system is investigating. This act is bad enough- using the perceived “eww-factor” of same-sex affection and solidifying anti-gay attitudes in kids.

What caught me more off guard, however, were some of the comments from Advocate readers…

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