A North Carolina schoolteacher was reportedly punished last week after showing a Macklemore and Ryan Lewis music video to students.
Alexander County Schools Associate Superintendent Dr. Jeff Peal told local outlet The Taylorsville Times that school officials deemed the “Same Love” video “inappropriate” and “outside the bounds of the curriculum.” He said the teacher was disciplined but is back in school this week.
Administrators at the school district failed to respond to The Huffington Post’s requests for comments.
“Same Love,” which features Mary Lambert, advocates for equal treatment of gays and lesbians. In August, it won the 2013 MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video.
In November, a Michigan teacher also found herself in hot water for playing "Same Love" in class. Susan Johnson was suspended for several days without pay after one of her students claimed to have been offended by the song. Her suspension was later reversed amid complaints from the American Civil Liberties Union and community members.
Macklemore responded to Johnson’s case at the time, saying, "This incident ... exposed a latent homophobia, preventing safe space for all young people to feel confident in being themselves. It’s clear that Ms. Johnson felt bullying and 'gay bashing' were issues that needed to be addressed, and by doing so, was punished."
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