Gay Kiss Blacked Out of NJ Yearbook

A photograph of a gay student kissing his boyfriend was blacked out of every copy of the East Side High School's yearbook by Newark school officials who decided it was inappropriate.

Like many of his fellow students at East Side High, Andre Jackson showed some love on the page he had bought in the school's yearbook, the only difference being that Jackson's photo didn't show him kissing a girl. It showed him kissing his boyfriend.

This was to much for Newark school officials, who decided the photo was inappropriate and so offensive that they ordered it blacked out of the $85 yearbook before it was distributed to students Thursday.

"It looked provocative," Newark Superintendent of Schools Marion Bolden told the New Jersey Star Ledger. "If it was either heterosexual or gay, it should have been blacked out. It's how they posed for the picture."

There are several photos of heterosexual couples kissing in the yearbook, but the superintendent said she didn't review the entire yearbook and was presented only with Jackson's page.

Jackson paid an additional $150 for the special tribute page filled with shots of boyfriend David Escobales, 19, of Allentown, Pa., and others. Jackson learned what happened to his page moments before the books were distributed at a banquet for graduating seniors Thursday

While the students waited, staff members in another room blacked out the picture from approximately 230 books.

"I don't understand," said Jackson, 18. "There is no rule about no gay pictures, no guys kissing. Guys and girls kissing made it in."

Calling the directive homophobic and unlawful, Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, is demanding an apology from Newark School Superintendent Marion Bolden. He also says the school should redistribute a new batch of uncensored yearbooks at the district's expense.

"This action by the school district will have an unspeakably vile chilling effect on other gay and lesbian students coming out. Her (Bolden) trying to erase a student and his boyfriend is a metaphor for her trying to erase the gay and lesbian community out of Newark and its school system. It's wrong and it's ridiculous. The second it hit the Web I started getting calls. This is not only homophobic, not only an egregious lack of judgment, but this is a violation of the law and we're looking at one of biggest firestorms of year if the superintendent doesn't change her mind," Goldstein said.

In a comment yesterday, Bolden said the photo was not targeted because it was two men kissing, but because it was "suggestive" in nature and that she should have also censored other suggestive photos in the yearbook.

She said she promotes an atmosphere of tolerance for gay students at Newark schools and intends to apologize to Jackson if he believes the district did something to hurt him because of his orientation.

"I will call the student to let him know nothing was intended to hurt him or slight him," she said.