SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (CITC) — An image of a crucifix submerged in urine has been removed from a California high school course following outrage from both parents and a law firm.
**WARNING: The following story may have terms and themes that may be upsetting and unsuitable for some. Reader discretion is advised.**
It was the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) that drew criticism last month for the use of "Immersion (Piss Christ)" in one of its high school classes. The image was used in a "Theory of Knowledge" course in SBUSD's Dos Pueblos High School.
While it is not immediately clear how the image was used in the class, some community members have suggested that students were asked to analyze it.
A Chicago-based Catholic law firm named the Thomas More Society sent SBUSD a letter on May 9 calling the use of the image "illegal" and a "promotion of anti-Catholic bigotry."
The law firm demanded that SBUSD cease using the image in its classrooms, alleging that at least one student dropped out of "Theory of Knowledge" due to it.
The 'Piss Christ' image is hate-speech which is intended to, and which actually does, cause devout Catholics to feel directly harassed and targeted," the letter read. "The image is meant to provoke a reaction, it is meant to be harassing. In that sense, it may be “art,” but teaching it is no different than asking students to personally step on a crucifix so that the class can then have a discussion about how engaging in blasphemy made them feel."
The 1987 photograph is part of a series by artist Andres Serrano and has been the subject of controversy since its publication. Serrano, a self-described lifelong Catholic, has previously stated that he did not intend to prompt division with his photograph.
Several parents and students echoed the Thomas More Society's concerns at a SBUSD school board meeting two weeks after the law firm's letter was sent.
Such a display violates school policy not to harass students for their religious beliefs," one mother told the SBUSD school board on May 23. "Would anyone at school ever consider displaying a swastika or a portrait of the Prophet Muhammad?"
Some accused SBUSD of facilitating "religious discrimination" by allowing the "Piss Christ" image to be included in a course curriculum.
What are we teaching our kids?" one father asked. "Integrity is what they're supposed to be taught."
Attorneys from the Thomas More Society announced Tuesday that SBUSD told the firm "Piss Christ" will no longer be used in "Theory of Knowledge."
John Hayward, a student at Dos Pueblos High School, calls SBUSD's decision a "small" but "significant" victory.
Until we had the weight of a legal letter, our concerns would have been, and indeed were, brushed off by administrators who proudly defended their blasphemous curriculum as some sort of ‘human right,'" Hayward said Tuesday.
Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) reached out to SBUSD for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication. This story will be updated if a response is received.
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'Anti-Catholic' image of crucifix in urine removed from California school curriculum following outrage - KRCR
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