The works of William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker could be taken off the shelves, banned from classrooms and even destroyed if an Alabama state senator has his way.
Republican Sen. Gerald Allen, is attempting to pass legislation that calls for all public schools in his state to stop buying and to destroy all textbook and library materials that recognize or promote homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle.
To raise awareness of and protest the legislation, UNC students and faculty are conducting a 24-hour reading of texts with homosexual themes or characters. The reading began at noon Monday and will continue until noon today in front of the Student Union.
“You don’t have to be violent, but you also don’t have to be silent,” said Julie Fishell, a dramatic art professor. “We just want to raise awareness of this bill. Bills pass in legislation all the time without people being aware that they are there.”
The protest, titled “Read Free for Alabama,” includes the reading of excerpts from Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America,” Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”
Students and faculty members will read the Alabama representative’s legislation at the top of every hour.
“This legislation affects me personally,” said Olivia Henderson, a senior dramatic art major who read excerpts Monday. “I was just in a production of ‘Angels in America’ here on campus. Even though it’s in the state of Alabama, it affects our campus as well.”
Many involved with the protest said such legislation might create an environment of fear and repression for homosexual teens.
“This anti-thought kind of move could prove devastating for young people,” said English professor Mar
