Gay actor’s speech back on at Pennsylvania school after cancellation over his ‘lifestyle’
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — A gay actor’s speech canceled because of his “lifestyle” is back on display at a Pennsylvania school after residents spoke out.
The Cumberland Valley School District board voted 5-4 Wednesday night to allow children’s book author Maulik Pancholy, who is gay, to speak out against bullying during a May 22 meeting at Mountain View Middle School. The board voted after hearing from residents, including more than a dozen students.
The board unanimously canceled Pancholy’s speech on April 15 after a board member raised concerns about what he described as the actor’s activism and “lifestyle.” Some board members also noted that the district adopted a policy of not hosting overtly political events after it was criticized for hosting a Donald Trump rally during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Some community members said the cancellation was ill-advised and sent a hurtful message, especially to the LGBTQ+ community, and Superintendent Mark Blanchard and other district leaders sent a letter to the board, faculty and staff claiming that Pancholy’s speech had should be allowed.
Education officials said the board had not given them a “real opportunity” to answer questions or provide advice about the event, which they said was aimed at reinforcing the importance of equal treatment for all people.
Pancholy, 48, is an award-winning actor, including for his roles in the television shows “30 Rock” and “Weeds,” and as the voice of Baljeet in the Disney animated series “Phineas & Ferb.” He has also written children’s books and was appointed by then-President Barack Obama in 2014 to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, where he co-founded a campaign to combat AAPI bullying.
Pancholy’s appearance was planned by the school’s leadership team, which selects an author each year to present a “unique educational experience for students,” the district said.
At the April 15 meeting, school board members said they didn’t know what Pancholy would be talking about, but one member said he didn’t want to “take the risk” of what it could entail.
“If you research this person, he labels himself an activist,” said Bud Shaffner, according to Pennlive. “He takes pride in his lifestyle, and I don’t think this should be imposed on our students at any age.”
The Associated Press sent an email to Pancholy’s publicists on Thursday seeking comment on the board’s decision to reverse itself.
In a statement posted to social media after the board’s first vote, Pancholy had said that as a high school student he never saw himself represented in stories, and that books with South Asian American or LGBTQ+ characters “didn’t exist.” When he started writing his own novels years later, he still had trouble finding those stories, he said.
“That’s why I wrote my books in the first place,” Pancholy wrote. “Because representation matters.”
Pancholy said his school visits are intended “to let all young people know that they are seen. To let them know that they matter.”