Stephen Colbert treated us all to another "People Who Are Destroying America" segment last night, and this time the subject is Johnny Cummings, the gay man who got elected mayor in the tiny, 340-person town of Vicco, Kentucky. What's great about this town and Cummings is that they're "ruining all of our classic stereotypes" about Appalachia, hillbillies, and gay tolerance in the South, as Colbert puts it.

Basically, Cummings has the support of his community, and he grew up there, and he's caused people who most of us would automatically write-off as close-minded and uneducated to be, actually, quite open-minded and tolerant. He even passed what he called his "Fairness Ordinance," which is basically a first-of-its-kind non-discrimination law for a small town.

Anyway, watch the segment. It's both hilarious and completely touching.

[HuffPo]
[Colbert Report]

Parents of students in the Alameda School District are split down the middle regarding the district's decision to proceed with a new set of classes aimed at curbing anti-gay bullying. Starting next year, students in kindergarten through fifth grade will take one 45 minute class per year based on the GroundSpark curriculum. Fifth graders will read And Tango Makes Three, the true story of a pair of male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who successfully hatched an egg and raised a chick.

Teachers at the schools say there is a strong need for these classes, as they have heard students as young as five years old calling each other "fags." High school student Brian Harris said he went through torture because of his sexual orientation.

Many religious parents are angry that they won't be able to opt their kids out of the class, saying the gay lifestyle is against their religion. The district's legal counsel recommended against opting-out because the curriculum does not deal with health or sex education, which are topics that do require opt-out provisions. Opponents also question why the school system is signaling out one intolerance, and others argue that race and religion are already addressed in the school's regular classes. The school system will also reassess the tolerance curriculum after one year.