Spanish Fort High School received some unwanted attention after its big football matchup against Daphne High School this month. The game was nationally televised on ESPN, and so was a controversial sign held by a group of students in the stands.
The sign read: Purple? Man, that’s GAY. Purple is one of Daphne’s team colors. A screen shot of the banner made headlines Wednesday on Yahoo, NBC Sports and espn.com, among other websites.
“It was a gimmick to get national attention, and they were successful at that,” said Baldwin County Schools Spokesman Terry Wilhite. “What they won’t be successful at is doing it again.”
Wilhite says the school district isn’t taking the sign lightly, and wants to send a clear message that intolerant behavior is unacceptable.
“After the game, the students were spoken to. And then back when school resumed the students were again spoken to by the principal and he, believe me, will carry out a disciplinary action,” Wilhite said.
The problem with the sign, according to Cyd Zeigler, founder of Outsports.com, is that the use of the word “gay” as an insult does immeasurable harm to LGBT youth still struggling with their sexuality.
“They’re not trying to pay the other team a compliment, they’re trying to insult them,” Zeigler says. “And to use the word ‘gay’ as an insult, it’s demeaning and incredibly offensive.”
Wilhite did not give specifics on how the students who held the banner will be disciplined. The decision will be up to the Spanish Fort principal.
