NSPA defends speech by Dan Savage, says cursing teens and Bible is ‘thoughtfulness and deliberation’

Do teens really need to know how hot Dan Savage's partner looks in a Speedo?

The National Scholastic Press Association defended Dan Savage’s keynote  address in which he called teens “pansy-a**ed” and called certain Bible passages “bullsh**.”

As a gay rights activist, Savage expects others to treat LGBT teens with love, tolerance, and respect.  But Bible-whumper Savage chose to act hateful, intolerant, and disrespectful to high school students in his audience. Ironically, the topic of Savage's speech was bullying.

The NSPA did not apologize to the insulted teens and chose instead to defend Savage’s provoking speech.

Fox News reports:

The executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association provided Fox News with joint statement from the Journalism Education Association that was sent to members – after a number of people complained about Savage’s remarks. 

 “We appreciate the level of thoughtfulness and deliberation regarding Dan Savage’s keynote address,” the NSPA wrote. “some audience members who felt hurt by his words and tone decided to leave in the middle of his speech, and to this, we want to make our point very clear: While as a journalist it’s important to be able to listen to speech that offends you, these students and advisers had simply reached their tolerance level for what they were willing to hear.” 

 The NSPA said they did not have a prior transcript of Savage’s speech and that wish “he had stayed more on target for the audience of teen journalists.” They also said it provided a “teachable moment” for students. 

As for Savage’s attack on people of faith? 

 “While some of his earlier comments were so strongly worded that they shook some of our audience members, it is never the intent of JEA or NSPA to let students get hurt during their time at our conventions,” they wrote. 

 However, not once did the NSPA or the JEA offer any apologies to the students or faculty advisors or anyone else in attendance.

Can you imagine the outrage gay rights activists would display if an adult speaker had called a group of LGBT teens “pansy a**ed”?  Would the NSPA describe that as “thoughtfulness”?

What Savage taught future journalists is that bullying the LGBT community is bad, but to bully Jews and Christians is righteous.