A 17-year-old Texas student, that just happened to express openly that he was a gay teen months earlier, was recently given a rather demanding ultimatum from Houston’s Lutheran High North. The gay teen in question is Austin Wallis, and in a YouTube video that was posted to his own channel, Austin explains the meeting with the school principal like this:
?My mom came in with me, and he basically told me?I’m not gonna explain everything but the jest of it was is I had to go back into the closet. Which means I had to delete all my social media, including YouTube. I had to erase my digital impact on the world, and he said I would have to do that to stay at the school.?
Austin goes on to explain that after two days he decided to leave the school. While he describes how difficult it was to leave his friends and teachers, he also explains his feelings about his situation by saying that, ?technically I had a choice, but at the same time I didn’t.?
According to the Texas Observer, the Head of School at Lutheran High School, Dallas Lusk, sent them a statement that included this explanation:
?Lutheran High North reserves the right, within its sole discretion, to refuse admission of an applicant and/or to discontinue enrollment of a current student participating in, promoting, supporting or condoning: pornography, sexual immorality, homosexual activity or bisexual activity; or displaying an inability or resistance to support the qualities and characteristics required of a Biblically based and Christ-like lifestyle.?
While every school, whether public or private, has their own guidelines and rules of conduct, it seems that Lutheran High North has every right to put a gay teen in such an ultimatum. But does it make it right? Because of this, Austin will not be able to ?encounter the love of Jesus Christ? as described in Lutheran High North’s mission statement.
As Austin’s mother Cheryl explains to KHOU.com, ?They had a right to offer this ultimatum and I would stress to all parents read your handbooks.?
