The persecution of Gays by DISD in the 1970s and 80s

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Hillcrest High School and Gay and Lesbian Teaching in the Dallas Independent School District in the 70s and 80s In the late 1970s it was a horrible time to be a Gay teacher in DISD. On Oct. 6, 1977 DISD Superintendent Nolan Estes announced, “Unless we get any different instructions from the school board, a person identified as a homosexual will not be allowed to teach in our district,” and stated, “We’re not going to have our young people exposed to that.”

Estes further stated, “I maintain that it interferes with the teaching and learning process… I don’t know of any parent who wants his child taught by a homosexual.”

Estes response was a pile on to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that homosexuals can be fired as immoral people. Estes asked for guidelines on Gay teachers.

Estes also stated that the previous year two Gay teachers they found out about were asked to resign. (Who they were, we will be writing DISD to find out.)

(This is the same Nolan Estes that DISD honors with the name of Nolan Estes Plaza).

Estes was backed up in his bigotry by Dallas School Board President Bill Hunter who stated, “I don’t buy the bit that anything goes as far as a teacher’s lifestyle. The schools have a responsibility to deal with certain things with the students and that is not one of them. It’s my personal opinion homosexuality does have a bearing upon whether he or she was in the proper position of being a model to teach young people.” [ Miller, Eric, “DIDS ban on gays told,” Dallas Morning News, (DMN), Oct. 7, 1977, page 1.]

An Associated Press article, also quoted Estes stating, “Anybody that is a known homosexual and is so identified would be asked to resign by me. It is an unwritten part of our district policy.” [Associated Press, “Most officials oppose Texas gay teachers,” DMN, Oct. 9, 1977, page 22.]

Nolan Estes realized that he might have gone too far, so he put forth later a policy which, as we will see with subsequent events, was just a cover for their policy of asking for all Gay to resign. He made a statement that only Gays with “proven misconduct in the school or classroom,” would be dismissed. When asked about why he was stating this new different policy, Estes stated, “I was not misquoted and the district’s stand hasn’t changed,” which doesn’t make sense. It tends to support the idea that these new statements were to provide a cover for his policy of dismissing all Gays. What also has to be recognized is that perhaps Estes is reframing the issue as the danger to students from Gay teachers. [Booty, Julie Ann, “Estes softens gay stance,” DMN, Oct. 11, 1977, page 1.]

Not every DISD board member was bigoted. Dr. Harryette Ehrhardt attended a fundraiser Oct. 9, 1977 to raise money to replace costumes for drag queens which were damaged when a Gay disco, Dimension Three, was damaged by what was believed to be arson. It was seen as giving Gay teachers a lot of moral support. She stated she went as

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an individual. Ehrhardt stated that she had been advised not to go to the benefit, however, further stated, “I’m not going to make decisions based on possible political consequences. I did what I thought was best for our staff.” [Booty, Julie Anne, “Trustee attends gay club benefit,” DMN, Nov. 11, 1977, page 1.] (Yes, this was front page news then.)

Some other school board members were not happy, but also make self-contradictory statements. DISD Board President Bill Hunter and board member Sarah Haskins stated that board members had a right to go where they wanted, but need to use “good judgement.” School board members Jill Foster and Gerald Stanglin wanted people to know that they she was misguide and they didn’t support Gays stating, “I know she meant well, but it was bad judgement on her part.” School board member Brad Lapsley stated that, “I was appalled. I thought it was very irresponsible and naïve. Obviously, the gays now have an ‘Anita Bryant’ of their own,” referring to Ehrhardt, trying to position her as being like Anita Bryant.

Lapsley also stated, “Before the word ‘gay’ came into use, we had an old-fashioned word we used to use – pervert.” [Booty, Julie Anne, “School trustees divided over member’s appearance,” DMN, Nov. 12, 1977, Page 1.]

Some theologians and Gays had a conference to discuss homosexuality and Christianity.

Six churches and the Dallas Gay Political Caucus organized this meeting which had 200 theologians attending at the Northaven United Methodist Church. Dallas School board member Dr. Harryette Ehrhardt, gave an address to the group on “myths and stereotypes of homosexuals.” [Kenyon, Bill, “Theologians meet with gays,” DMN, April 2, 1978, page 14.]

The anti-Gay bigots on the DISD school board weren’t happy. One trustee said her activities were “sick.” [No author, “Weather Vane,” DMN, April 9, 1978, page 148.]

In 1979 two women, Ann Odle and Maxine Kemplin, who taught at the Mesquite High School were fired because they were suspected to be Lesbians, though they denied it and they were fired on other pretexts. They lived together in a house with their children. The effort to fire the two teachers was reportedly led by Mesquite ISD Superintendent Ralph Poteet and MISD school board Vice-President Richard Russell, because they were believed to be Lesbians, though they officially denied it. The MISD board voted unanimously not to grant the two teachers continuing contracts. [Christopher, Elna, “2 teachers’ firing tired to talk of morals.” DMN, July 26, 1978, page 47.] (Hopefully no schools are named after the board members.)

How later these two women fed their children, picked up their lives, and survived I do not know.

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Estes didn’t forget Ehrhardt support of Gays. After he had announced he was resigning while at a luncheon for school board members, he handed out what were represented as gifts. To Ehrhardt he gave a woman slip to Ehrhardt, with a note that it hadn’t sold at the Gay fundraiser she had attended. [Kenyon, Bill, “Estes returns ‘favors,’” DMN, Dec. 1, 1978, page 13.]

It would not be long before what the real policy of DISD towards Gay teachers would be revealed.

Lynn Edward Trout was in court for the trial of the murder of Michael Lewis Glover who Trout claimed he had killed in self-defense. Trout’s lover George Blair Jr. was called to testify in Trout’s trial. Blair’s testimony revealed that Blair was Gay. In the court room about half the audience were Hillcrest High School students and also a group of mothers hostile to Gays in the schools. Blair news that his testimony might cost him his job.

[Harlan, Christi, “Students hear vice principal at homosexual murder trial,” DMN, April 23, 1980, pages 45, 48.]

Blair did receive support from the students and the Hillcrest Principal to keep his job according to an article in the Dallas Time Herald. (The other major paper of Dallas at the time.) Junior Wendy Burns stated that “Mr. Blair’s personal life is his own.” The article reported that Greg Gabbert, a former student who was visiting the school to talk to friends there, “believes Blair has done a good job at Hillcrest and that a person’s private life isn’t anyone else’s business.” Hillcrest Principal John C. Marshall stated that Blair had the support of the student leadership at the school and stated, “What I’ve heard from students in the halls has been positive,” and “George Blair is a man of character.” [Kennedy, Maggie, “Hillcrest buzzes over gay admission,” Dallas Time Herald, April 25, 1980, page E-1, E-14.]

George Blair Jr. about a week later, resigns, supposedly “for the kid’s sake.” However, the Dallas Morning News reported that DISD board member Jerry Bartos, “said DISD Supt. Linus Wright would have had little choice but to fire Blair,” and that “other trustees agreed.” (School board members were called trustees.) The article reports that there was a petition by Hillcrest faculty and students in support of Blair. However, Hillcrest Principal reported that he had gotten many calls from parents and that “almost all were negative.” Linus Wright both claimed that Blair’s resignation was “beneficial,” but also claimed that he supports the DISD policy, “against discriminating on the basis of sexual practice,” which obviously was a sham. [Harlan, Christi, “Homosexual educator resigns for the kids’ sake,” DMN, May 2, 1980, pages 1A, 5A.] At the trial there was a group of mothers watching it opposed to Blair remaining assistant school principal and students dubbed them the “Anita Bryant Brigade.”

[Harlan, Christi, “Fight described at murder trial,” DMN, April 24, 1980, page 9; Harlan, for “Anita Bryant Brigade,” see Harlan, Christi, “Homosexual educator resigns for the

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kids’ sake,” DMN, May 2, 1980, pages 1,5; Kennedy, Maggie, “Hillcrest buzzes over gay admission,” Dallas Time Herald, April 25, 1980, pages E1, E14.]

What must have been an act of courage then, Mrs. C. Ralph Blackburn II of Dallas, a parent of two children at Hillcrest High School had a letter published in the Dallas Morning News against Blair having been forced to resign. [Blackburn II, C. Ralph, letter to editor, “Disappointed At Resignation,” DMN, May 11, 1980, page 176.]

Blair was present to testify at Trout’s retrial in July 1980, but what happened to him, how he might have picked up the pieces of his life, the author of this history doesn’t know. [Harlan, Christi, “Calm Blair offers retrial testimony,” DMN, July 23, 1980, page 24.]

The following should be done: 1. Nolan Este’s led a campaign of bigotry against Gays and Lesbians. He shouldn’t be honored in anyway by DISD. Instead, the Nolan Estes Plaza should be renamed after Harryette Ehrhardt and the new proposed Dallas downtown Nolan Estes Plaza shouldn’t be named after Nolan Estes.

2. Further there should be a resolution of apology for what was done to Blair and any other teacher for being fired because they were Gay or Lesbian and a memorial plaque for them.

3. A memorial plaque should be placed at Hillcrest Highschool in memory of Blair doing his civic duty of testifying in court at the cost of his job.

DISD needs to own its history and make a clean break from its homophobic past.