College history instructor calls for ‘rally by the you-know-what’ to halt Cullman, AL pride event She Blames on the "Devil"

[CoffeeTiger 5,133]

https://www.cbs42.com/digital-exclusive/college-history-instructor-calls-for-rally-by-the-you-know-what-to-halt-cullman-pride-event/

 

For disclosure, I went to Wallce State College and actually had the instructor in this article as a US History teacher. I can personally confirm she was the most hyper partisan (of either political leaning) instructor that I ever had in any college anywhere. She openly advocated for Republican politicians and policies in class numerous times and did buy in the whole "lost cause" theory about the South in the Civil War. 

 

I was a Conservative Republican at that time in my life and even I remember thinking she was a bit over the top in her political advocacy in what was supposed to be an instructional environment. 

 

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CULLMAN, Ala. (WIAT) – Gilly Shine casts spells of positivity. 

But even he, the “sunshine wizard,” was hurt Tuesday after finding out that a local history instructor called for a rally by the “you know what” to “put an end” to a local LGBTQ+ pride event Gilly had helped organize. 

On Monday, in a private Facebook post, Wallace State Community College history instructor Leigh Ann Courington suggested Satan had a hand in the event, called Cullman Comes Out, which is set to take place Oct. 8. 

“The devil is attacking our beautiful town of Cullman now apparently…and the police chief is in on it? I heard he was a crazy-ass liberal but this??? We need a rally by the you-know-what to put an end to this foolishness. Of course, it may be as well-attended as the Juneteenth event the white liberal weirdos tried to do a few years ago in Hanceville.”

The post was quickly screenshotted and shared across social media.

Courington declined an interview about her statements.

“People need to get a life,” Courington told CBS 42. “Good grief.”

The post was private, Courington argued, and not meant for public view. 

“That was on my private page, and if someone doesn’t like it, they need to unfriend/block me,” she wrote. 

Jennifer Lee, a former student of Courington’s, said that excuse doesn’t hold up. 

 

“When you hold a position like that where you influence young minds, you should be very careful what you put on your social media account,” Lee said. 

Lee attended Wallace State from 2004 until 2006. She said she’d looked up to Courington as a mentor at the time. 

When she saw her former instructor’s post about the pride event, Lee was appalled.

“I cannot believe she actually wants the KKK to rally at what is probably going to be the most peaceful event ever,” Lee said. “Why? Just Why?”

Lee said that in her time studying under Courington, there were times when she questioned the instructor’s teachings on some content areas, particularly the Civil War, which Courington referred to as the “War Between the States.”

“She emphasized that at its core, the Civil War wasn’t about slavery,” Lee said. “I know better.”

Courington, Lee said, should be reprimanded by the college for the post, and potentially even forced to retire. 
 

 “The KKK was famously terroristic,” Lee said. “My husband’s in the military, and I am very anti-terrorism. She should face repercussions for the terroristic things she said.” 

 

Whitney Turner was also a student of Courington’s at Wallace State, taking history courses with her last fall and spring. 

She said she was angered by Courington’s post, which she said reinforces Cullman’s reputation as a city that excludes. 

“I can’t even put it into words,” she said. “That people still think this way and have those opinions – it’s just frustrating.”

Bethany Bishop, a retired educator who grew up in Cullman, said because of the role that teachers play in children’s lives, it’s important that they set a good example for others. 

“This woman is a teacher,” Bishop said of Courington. “She is trusted to educate our youth and teach them about our past and do it in a responsible way. The post made me sick, honestly. Physically sick.”

She said comments like Courington’s set the city back by decades. 

“For every 10 of us that are out here trying to clean up the reputation of Cullman and move it forward, you’ve probably got ten in the dark who are still harboring these feelings and sharing them with each other,” Bishop said. 

For his part, Gilly the “Sunshine Wizard” said he’d rather focus on the positive – looking forward to Cullman Comes Out – than on the negative.

“I’d always been a very gay child and that was definitely never acceptable here,” said Gilly, an advocate for queer and autistic youth. “And today, some people still feel that way, and we want to give folks a place to hang out and have fun and just give people something to do other than go to the Wal-Mart parking lot.”

Matthew Sanford co-organized the event with Gilly. Sanford, who plays guitar in a local band, said growing up biracial and bisexual in Cullman was a challenge. Cullman Comes Out, he said, can provide a space where everyone is accepted: a space he wished he would’ve been able to experience as a child. 

“I had the double whammy going on,” Sanford explained. “And I think bringing something like this to Cullman gives the kids an incentive to be themselves, because I was afraid to be myself growing up.”

The concert and community event, which will be held Oct. 8 from 6 to 10 p.m. in Cullman’s Depot Park, is open to everyone, Gilly and Sanford said. 

That includes Leigh Ann Courington, Gilley and Sanford confirmed. Asked if she’d be welcomed at Cullman Comes Out, the organizers didn’t skip a beat.

“Absolutely,” they agreed. 

CBS 42 reached out to Wallace State Community College for comment on this story but has not heard back as of publication.

Edited September 28, 2022 by CoffeeTiger

[AU9377 4,967]

She has no business teaching in higher education.  She doesn't have to support a cause, but she should support the right of people to assemble as guaranteed in the constitution.

[homersapien 11,388]

“The devil is attacking our beautiful town of Cullman now apparently…and the police chief is in on it? I heard he was a crazy-ass liberal but this??? We need a rally by the you-know-what to put an end to this foolishness. Of course, it may be as well-attended as the Juneteenth event the white liberal weirdos tried to do a few years ago in Hanceville.”

The post was quickly screenshotted and shared across social media.

Courington declined an interview about her statements.

“People need to get a life,” Courington told CBS 42. “Good grief.”

The post was private, Courington argued, and not meant for public view. 

 

Yeah, "people need to get a life".   What irony.

What a stupidly ignorant, shameful person.  (I'll bet she's a "Christian" too.)

 

Edited September 28, 2022 by homersapien

[AURex 2,011]

When I was a student at Auburn, an evangelical wingnut quasi-Christian guy used to stand outside Haley Center spouting his religious propaganda. My buddy would get out there and just as vocally shout segments from the Satanic Bible contradicting all the idiotic stuff that "Christian" was spouting. It was live time hilarity. The religious fanatic eventually stopped showing up.

I encountered him not long after when I was in grad school at U of Illinois. He met the same fate there.

The current fascist march to eradicate teaching of true history, supplanting it with bogus BS, their fake-religious conquest to eradicate books from libraries that, when encompassed within the total realm of our society, truthfully represents a portion of our society and have zero anchor in the Bible, their revivalist crusades against women's body rights that are actually anti-biblical unsupported by historical record ----- somebody has to STAND UP to these effing purveyors of steaming s****t.

 

[The Freak 2,528]

9 hours ago, AURex said:

When I was a student at Auburn, an evangelical wingnut quasi-Christian guy used to stand outside Haley Center spouting his religious propaganda. My buddy would get out there and just as vocally shout segments from the Satanic Bible contradicting all the idiotic stuff that "Christian" was spouting. It was live time hilarity. The religious fanatic eventually stopped showing up.

I encountered him not long after when I was in grad school at U of Illinois. He met the same fate there.

The current fascist march to eradicate teaching of true history, supplanting it with bogus BS, their fake-religious conquest to eradicate books from libraries that, when encompassed within the total realm of our society, truthfully represents a portion of our society and have zero anchor in the Bible, their revivalist crusades against women's body rights that are actually anti-biblical unsupported by historical record ----- somebody has to STAND UP to these effing purveyors of steaming s****t.

 

I remember that guy, or one just like him.  He did more damage to Christianity than anything I had seen to that point.  Ridiculous.

[autigeremt 6,643]

19 hours ago, AU9377 said:

She has no business teaching in higher education.  She doesn't have to support a cause, but she should support the right of people to assemble as guaranteed in the constitution.

I agree but I've had the liberal side of her in college and no one seems to want them out of college settings. I had one professor try to fail me because I was a veteran here at Auburn. 

[autigeremt 6,643]

21 minutes ago, The Freak said:

I remember that guy, or one just like him.  He did more damage to Christianity than anything I had seen to that point.  Ridiculous.

Agreed! 

[TitanTiger 20,499]

I'm going to take a slightly different angle on this.  I don't think she should suffer any repercussions for what she said on her Facebook page.  She has rights as a private citizen to express her thoughts and ideas, even if some find them offensive or disagreeable or out of step with where they feel society is or want society to be and the college should stand up for that principle even if they find her views and tone offensive.

I'm far more concerned about her overt political ranting in the history class than her opinions on a gay pride parade or wanting to show up to protest it in some way.  If the college needs to reprimand her for anything, reprimand her for that.  Teachers should, to whatever extent possible, teach their subjects in an evenhanded way without introducing personal opinions and biases into it.  No one will do it perfectly because we're human, but it should be the goal.  The classroom is not your bully pulpit to ramrod your beliefs down a captive audience's throat.

[CoffeeTiger 5,133]

Here os some screenshots of more of her comments. It's worse than originally thought. 

Wallace has placed her on Administrative leave while the investigate. 

[TitanTiger 20,499]

Holy yikes.

[icanthearyou 4,463]

4 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

I'm going to take a slightly different angle on this.  I don't think she should suffer any repercussions for what she said on her Facebook page.  She has rights as a private citizen to express her thoughts and ideas, even if some find them offensive or disagreeable or out of step with where they feel society is or want society to be and the college should stand up for that principle even if they find her views and tone offensive.

I'm far more concerned about her overt political ranting in the history class than her opinions on a gay pride parade or wanting to show up to protest it in some way.  If the college needs to reprimand her for anything, reprimand her for that.  Teachers should, to whatever extent possible, teach their subjects in an evenhanded way without introducing personal opinions and biases into it.  No one will do it perfectly because we're human, but it should be the goal.  The classroom is not your bully pulpit to ramrod your beliefs down a captive audience's throat.

Disagree.  She is openly, proudly racist.  Racism should never be allowed within the government or, public institution.  IMO, racism disqualifies someone from working in the public sector.

 

[TitanTiger 20,499]

3 hours ago, icanthearyou said:

Disagree.  She is openly, proudly racist.  Racism should never be allowed within the government or, public institution.  IMO, racism disqualifies someone from working in the public sector.

Well, when I posted that we didn't have the additional texts.  I would agree she's beyond the pale.

[AUDub 11,153]

9 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Here os some screenshots of more of her comments. It's worse than originally thought. 

Wallace has placed her on Administrative leave while the investigate. 

That's, um, oof, holy hell. 

That's a thing. 

"Say what you will about the tenets of national socialism, but at least it's an ethos" wasn't meant to be a serious statement, lady. 

Edited September 30, 2022 by AUDub

[AUDub 11,153]

“Say what you will about the nazis, but..."

For the love of God there's really no good way to finish that sentence. 

[DKW 86 7,426]

10 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Here os some screenshots of more of her comments. It's worse than originally thought. 

Wallace has placed her on Administrative leave while the investigate. 

Seriously, I LMAO at this woman. I truly didnt think anyone could think like this. 

Anyone know what church she goes to? I am guessing an Independent Holiness Church, COG or COC maybe?

[autigeremt 6,643]

Hope she’s out by the weekend. Yuck 

[AUDub 11,153]

5 minutes ago, DKW 86 said:

Seriously, I LMAO at this woman. I truly didnt think anyone could think like this. 

Anyone know what church she goes to? I am guessing an Independent Holiness Church, COG or COC maybe?

You ever been to Cullman? 

Edited September 30, 2022 by AUDub

[AUDub 11,153]

6 minutes ago, AUDub said:

You ever been to Cullman? 

Not just Cullman, to be honest. After Jefferson County and up to the Decatur-Huntsville area, there are some serious pockets of humanity up that way.  One guy from Falkville got caught with guns and molotov cocktails on January 6th, IIRC. 

[AUDub 11,153]

22 minutes ago, DKW 86 said:

Anyone know what church she goes to? I am guessing an Independent Holiness Church, COG or COC maybe?

Did some digging. She's Baptist. 

[AU9377 4,967]

15 hours ago, autigeremt said:

I agree but I've had the liberal side of her in college and no one seems to want them out of college settings. I had one professor try to fail me because I was a veteran here at Auburn. 

There is a difference between having views and imposing those views on the students someone teaches.  If someone attempted to fail you due to you being a vet, they also don't need to be teaching.  I simply have never known a professor that would do that.

[AU9377 4,967]

27 minutes ago, AUDub said:

Did some digging. She's Baptist. 

All that requires is putting in on  a sign in front of the church, but I am not surprised.

[DKW 86 7,426]

7 hours ago, AUDub said:

You ever been to Cullman? 

Unfortunately yes. It is still 1965 in Cullman.

[DKW 86 7,426]

6 hours ago, AUDub said:

Did some digging. She's Baptist. 

Of course. Probably been listening to old Brother SoandSo spew his racist venom for a couple of decades. She probably doesnt really know any bible, but she knows his opinion.

[The Freak 2,528]

7 hours ago, AU9377 said:

There is a difference between having views and imposing those views on the students someone teaches.  If someone attempted to fail you due to you being a vet, they also don't need to be teaching.  I simply have never known a professor that would do that.

I felt like the english teachers at Auburn had a chip on their shoulders about engineers, but in hind site it was prolly just cause I sucked at it - lol. 

[icanthearyou 4,463]

2 hours ago, The Freak said:

I felt like the english teachers at Auburn had a chip on their shoulders about engineers, but in hind site it was prolly just cause I sucked at it - lol. 

I hated freshman composition.  All three times.