July 24, 2025

Pic of the Day

By Joe

About Joe

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I began my life in the South and for five years lived as a closeted teacher, but am now making a new life for myself as an oral historian in New England. I think my life will work out the way it was always meant to be. That doesn't mean there won't be ups and downs; that's all part of life. It means I just have to be patient. I feel like October 7, 2015 is my new birthday. It's a beginning filled with great hope. It's a second chance to live my life…not anyone else's. My profile picture is "David and Me," 2001 painting by artist Steve Walker. It happens to be one of my favorite modern gay art pieces. View all posts by Joe
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2025 at 6:00 pm and posted in Pic of the Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

2 responses to “Pic of the Day”

  • Michael O'Beirne's avatar Michael O'Beirne
    July 25th, 2025 at 5:38 am

    Joe, just a reminder to all that the 22nd July marked a hundred years of the conclusion of the imfamous Monkey Trial at Dayton, Tennesee, of John Scopes, the schoolmaster accused of violating the Butler Act which prohibited the teaching of evolution in public schools in that state.

    The discoveries and books by Darwin et al in the previous century had clearly not penetrated the backwoods of Tennessee.

    He was defended by Clarance Darrow but despite his formidable advocacy, Scopes was found guilty and fined $100. Given the terms of the Act, a conviction was pretty much guaranteed.

    What I found more worrying was that the Butler Act remained in force until 1967. That seems to me, a foreigner thousands of miles away, to be a serious indictment of American culture. As Darrow famously asserted at the trial, “We have the purpose of preventing bigots and ignoranuses from controlling the education of the United States.”

    Reply
    • Joe's avatar Joe
      July 25th, 2025 at 6:45 am

      Thank you for the thoughtful reminder. The centenary of the Scopes “Monkey Trial” is indeed a sobering milestone in the history of American education and cultural conflict. It’s remarkable—and troubling—to consider how, in 1925, teaching evolutionary theory could be a criminal act in parts of the United States.

      As you noted, John Scopes’s conviction under the Butler Act was almost inevitable given the law’s wording, but Clarence Darrow’s defense helped shift the national conversation. Though he lost the case, Darrow exposed the dangers of legislating ignorance and fear in place of open inquiry. That the Butler Act remained in force until 1967 is a telling indictment of how deeply anti-intellectualism can become entrenched.

      What’s perhaps most disheartening is how echoes of this continue today. In several Southern states, new “Don’t Say Gay” laws are restricting discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in public schools, effectively silencing the identities and lived experiences of countless students and educators. Like the Butler Act, these laws are less about protecting children than about controlling narratives—often at the expense of truth, compassion, and critical thinking.

      Darrow’s warning remains painfully relevant: we must be vigilant against efforts by bigots and “ignoranuses” (as he so memorably put it) to dictate what knowledge is allowed in our classrooms. Marking this anniversary is more than a historical reflection—it’s a call to remain engaged in the ongoing fight for educational freedom and integrity.

      Reply

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