School District "Regrets" Decision to Black Out Provocative Yearbook Photo

Newark, NJ Superintendant Marion Bolden has issued a formal apology to Andre Jackson for ordering staffers to black out a sexually provocative photo of Jackson in all copies of the East Side High School 2007 yearbook.

Previously, Bolden had described the picture, which showed Jackson, 18, kissing boyfriend David Escobales, as "illicit."

"If it was either heterosexual or gay, it should have been blacked out. It's how they posed for the picture," Bolden told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Saturday's editions.

After coming under fire from homosexual advocacy groups, however, Bolden issued a statement Monday that he "personally apologizes to Mr. Jackson and regrets and embarrassment and unwanted attention the matter has brought to him."

The issue IMHO isn't the homosexual nature of the picture but its sexual explicitness. If Jackson was merely holding hands or hugging Escobales, I would support his right to have it included as a freedom of expression thing. On the other hand, if Jackson were kissing a female, I would consider it to be an inappropriate photo for a yearbook. It's what Jackson is doing that is the problem with the photo, not whom he chooses to do it with.

Shame on the Newark school district for backing down under pressure from special interest groups! Yearbooks should be G-rated not R-rated.