Parents ask court to block two plays at Nevada high school

A group of parents in a Las Vegas suburb are asking a county court to block “Rent” and “The Laramie Project” from opening November 16. They claim the plays portray gay characters and are not suitable for high school students. -DB

October 26, 2009
By Nick Divito

LAS VEGAS (CN) – A group of parents seek to stop a high school in the Las Vegas suburb or Henderson from mounting two plays, “Rent” and “The Laramie Project,” because the productions about gay characters are “not suitable for students.”

The Concerned Parents of Green Valley High School Students filed a five-page lawsuit in Clark County Court late Friday seeking to stop the shows from opening Nov. 16, 2009.

Parents Dalene Hicks, Jenny Calderon, James Perkins and Tiffany Turpin complain that Green Valley High School’s plans to stage the shows violates the Clark County School District’s policies that forbid “R” rated material from being presented to students.

“The Laramie Project” is a play by Moses Kaufman about the reaction to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shephard. “Rent” is a Best Musical Tony-winner by Jonathan Larson that follows young artists grappling with AIDS, sexuality and drugs in New York City.

The parents in the lawsuit are represented by Cory Hilton with Hilton Williams.

Copyright 2009 Courthouse News Service