STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS -- In Stephenville, Texas, which is about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth, the performance of a play that portrays Jesus as gay has been canceled at Tarleton State University amid what school officials say are, "safety and security concerns."
Critics say the play "Corpus Christi," which premiered in 1998 in New York, is blasphemous, but the Tarleton student who was directing the production said he chose it to help gay youths who may be struggling with their faith.
The school said the production will not be rescheduled. Now Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst is commenting on the situation.
He released a statement supporting the cancellation.
He said, while he is a strong defender of free speech, "we must also protect the rights and reasonable expectations of texas taxpayers and how their money is used. a play that is completely contrary to the standards of decency and moral beliefs of the vast majority of texans should not be performed using any state resources."
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