One can only hope the material benefit our ostensibly-Democratic state superintendent of public instruction gains from this transaction will offset the eternity she'll burn in hell for removing protections from the most picked-upon students in the state.

The kids from Soulforce were arrested at OBU for politely standing on the campus and asking not to be hated.

But while the riders were making inroads with students at the university, in Oklahoma City the state school board was overturning a policy protecting gay students from discrimination from teachers.

The previous policy stated that teachers could not "deny benefits to any student" or "grant any advantage to any student" based on sexual orientation. The new policy reads, "the teacher shall comply with all federal and state anti-discrimination laws." Federal and state laws do not protect students on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Just before the vote state Rep.Kevin Calvey (R-Del City) issued a statement saying the recent Equality Ride action at Oral Roberts University in which nine Riders and community members were arrested for trespassing was proof the regulation needed to be changed.

Calvey suggested the policy reversal would "protect" students from LGBT activist groups meeting on public elementary and secondary school grounds.

Oh no! We must not allow dissenting thought in the public school, says Calvey, or all our kids will catch Teh Gay! (One has to wonder how consumed with man-on-man thoughts Calvey must be to want them banished from every aspect of the public sphere lest his manliness be tempted.)

Other people see this for exactly what it is, of course.

"This change in policy by the Oklahoma school board has nothing to do with our actions in Oklahoma," said Jacob Reitan, co-director of the Soulforce Equality Ride.

"This is a cowardly act of election-year pandering from Representative Calvey and Superintendent Garrett."

Reitan said Calvey's view "is a prime example of why we are here."

"For state officials to use the First Amendment expressions of dissent by Equality Riders at a private religious university to withdraw protections from public schoolchildren shows the level of fear that exists about discussing the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students."

Wouldn't it be fun to see the state school board remove any protections students have for expressions of religion, instead falling back on federal and state law instead, just to see Calvey's head explode? Nah - it's only fun to watch an empty balloon pop once.