Public outrage ensued following the River Valley graduation ceremony after alumni speaker Jim McGuire condemned homosexual relationships Friday in his commencement speech.
McGuire, a River Valley graduate who now is the owner of a manufacturing company, J.L. McGuire and Associates, encouraged the graduates of the Marion County public school to pursue the "Biblical principles" of only romantic relationships between a man and a woman.
After opening his speech by encouraging the graduates to spend time "learning God's word," McGuire made the following comment about relationships:
"Choose a spouse, I suggest. I also strongly suggest to make sure to choose Biblical principles, you know, a male with a female and female with a male," he said.
Although River Valley has made the video of the graduation ceremony private, the district made public a full transcript of the speech along with an official statement the administration originally sent as and email to graduating seniors and their parents Saturday.
River Valley Local Schools: Jim McGuire's views not district's views
In the statement, the district clarifies that McGuire was speaking on his own accord and not on behalf of the district. It also notes that the speech was not pre-approved by the administration."As with all alumni speeches in past ceremonies, the speech was not reviewed by anyone on the RV Administrative team or Board of Education. Any views expressed by the speaker during his commencement speech reflected his personal beliefs. He was not speaking as an official representative of River Valley Local Schools," the statement said.
"In cooperation with the River Valley Board of Education, the River Valley Administrative team will be reviewing our processes for future ceremonies. Above all else, we want to ensure our students, families, and guests receive a high-quality program focusing on the accomplishments of our graduating class."
How Marion community responded to speech
Across social media and conversation, the Marion community has been responding to the speech with public outcry.Alexis Osipow is a 2018 River Valley graduate who was at the ceremony to support her younger sister who was graduating.
"When he made the comment that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, my jaw dropped to the floor, and I honestly thought I was hearing it wrong," Osipow said.
"I had to look around and see if other people were having the same reaction that I was, and they were. I felt like crying when I heard some people in the crowd clapping. But I was absolutely outraged and so were my parents and brother. I heard people behind me whispering about how inappropriate the comment was as well."
Osipow has been speaking out about the disrespect she saw in McGuire's speech and made a Facebook post Saturday addressing the River Valley graduates, expressing her sadness for the way the special moment was overshadowed their achievements.
In her post which has garnered much online engagement, she asked the district to respond to the incident.
Marion community members plan to speak at board meeting
The district's next board meeting is to be held Monday at Tri-Rivers Career Center, and outraged members of the community have posted about their intentions to attend and speak out over social media.The Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities issued a statement Sunday on Facebook in response to the speech because McGuire is a board member of the organization.
"MCBDD wanted to take a moment to address a board members comments at at local commencement ceremony. While we did not attend the ceremony, our mission is that of inclusion of all people. We are learning the facts of this incident and will be meeting with the county commissioners to discuss his appointed position as a board member," the post said.
MCBDD Superintendent Cheryl Plaster said she reached out to the Marion County Commissioners Tuesday and spoke with Ken Stiverson and Kerr Murray as McGuire is a commissioner-appointed board member. According to Plaster, the commissioners said they would meet to discuss his position with the county board.
“Jim is a new board member. He has attended two board meetings and has been supportive of the DD community for all,” Plaster said.
“Still, we are an agency that believes in inclusion for all, so obviously we took this very seriously."
Plaster said she spoke with McGuire who said he hopes his views don't reflect poorly on the organization.
"I had a chance to talk to him briefly, and it was his beliefs and his views, and he hopes to not make things difficult for us here at the DD board," Plaster said.
McGuire did not respond to comment despite multiple attempts to contact him.
https://www.marionstar.com/story/ne...ommencement-speech-sparks-outrage/7453381001/ (A)
