High School Newspaper article - hate speech or parody?

JD here.

I just read an article from a high school student named Colin Johnson that was published in The Messenger, the school newspaper for Wichita High School East in Wichita, KS and wanted to share my thoughts on it.

Here is the link so that you can read and share your thoughts: http://ehsmessenger.com/2011/02/11/homosexual-teens-alienated-by-current-societal-trends/

The basic point of the article is, seemingly, a call-to-arms for straight students and faculty to discourage any homosexual behavior on school grounds, as it is a "social disruption" and "should be frowned upon." The article even goes so far to name check the famous Leviticus verse that is the end-all argument for christian-related bigotry.

Now, it might be my own personal bias, but I tend to give the youth of today the benefit of the doubt when it comes to social issues. It just seems as though the overwhelming majority of today's youth are tolerant if not completely accepting of gays and lesbians in society.

Therefore, after I read this article I first played devil's advocate: Maybe this young reporter has constructed this article to parody the entire viewpoint it is discussing. I mean, is it that far-fetched to believe that a young person in today's age wouldn't be capable of writing a convincing mockery that points out the sheer stupidity of the topic at hand?

I actually don't think he is, as much as I wish he were. This article just goes to show that no matter how free-thinking I consider today's young adults to be, no age group is immune to hate. I sincerely hope that this one person's tone doesn't reflect the mindset of this high school, or the community at large, but the fact that the article has been met with virtually no protest from the school or parents is disheartening.

On another note, does anybody else think that this almost, if not definitely, qualifies as hate-speech? I mean, the kid quotes a verse from the bible that talks about execution, for shit's sake! I shutter to think that articles like these are acceptable in any high school, or any newspaper for that matter.

What do you guys think? Was this young man just stating a viewpoint, or did he cross the line? 

Until next time...