Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Pages past - Feb. 10

On this date ...

1994: About 75 people had gathered at the Memorial Building in Portales to express concerns about required reading content in classes at Eastern New Mexico University.

ENMU senior Shane Neergaard told those gathered that he and others in an English 102 class had been required to read and discuss an article titled "What Indians Think About."

The article addressed American Indian culture and said some tribes were "as homophobic as Baptists," while some tolerated or even exalted homosexuality.

Neergaard and others at the meeting said they did not "believe sexuality of any kind is a fit topic for public discussion, especially in a class required of all students," the Clovis News-Journal reported.

The newspaper reporter and photographer were asked to leave the meeting, but initially declined to leave. "After about an hour, they were given a stronger request to leave and were escorted to the door," the article stated.

Organizers said the meeting was open to the public, but they would end the meeting if media did not leave.

Pages Past is compiled by David Stevens. Contact him at:

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