Apr 19
Out '30 Rock' Actor Maulik Pancholy Responds to Axed Appearance at Anti-Bullying Rally, Stands up for Queer Youth
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
A Pennsylvania school board feared that if gay "30 Rock" actor Maulik Pancholy had the chance to address middle schoolers, he might mention his book about a gay kid – so they yanked his invitation to participate in an anti-bullying rally.
Ironically, that move – which has generated national headlines – gave Pancholy the chance to talk about his book anyway, and stand up for queer youth while he's at it.
"When I talk about the characters in my books feeling 'different,' I'm always surprised by how many young people raise their hands – regardless of their identities and backgrounds – wanting to share about the ways in which they, too, feel different," the actor and author told the Daily Beast.
"That's the power of books," Pancholy added in his statement. "They build empathy. I wonder why a school board is so afraid of that?"
He shared the same statement with the public in a video posted to Instagram, the Daily Beast noted.
"On Monday evening, I learned via social media that the school board of the Cumberland Valley School District in Pennsylvania voted 8-0 to cancel my scheduled author visit with the students of Mountain View Middle School due to concerns about my 'activism' and what they called my 'lifestyle,'" Pancholy narrated, emphasizing the words with air quotes.
The writer and public speaker went on to say, "My heart goes out to the entire Mountain View Middle School community, and particularly to the students."
As previously reported, news items about the school board's disinvitation of the speaker focused on the fact that he is gay, with one board member, Bud Schaffner, calling Pancholy's identity a "lifestyle" that, he said, should not "be imposed upon our students at any age."
Another board member, Kelly Potteiger, also referred to Pancholy being gay as a "lifestyle" and suggested that being gay was his "choice." Potteiger also claimed that the decision to rescind the invitation was not a matter of the board "discriminating."
When it came to details about what the board was concerned students might hear, Today relayed that Potteiger "raised concerns that Pancholy, 50, would discuss his children's book 'The Best at It,' which is about a gay Indian American boy."
Pancholy demonstrated that he doesn't need an invitation from a school board to talk about his books.
"Both of my books – The Best At It (Stonewall Honor Winner) and Nikhil Out Loud (Lambda Literary Award Winner) – are stories that reflect the full, complicated, and wonderful lives of middle school students," Pancholy posted on Instagram.
The actor went on to say, "When I visit schools, my 'activism' is to let all young people know that they're seen. To let them know that they matter."
He linked that to his own experience growing up gay.
"As a middle schooler, I never saw myself represented in the stories around me. I couldn't find books that featured South Asian-American or LGBTQ+ characters. They didn't exist," Pancholy noted.
"And when I set out to write my own novels so many years later, I was still hard-pressed to find those stories. It's why I wrote my books in the first place. Because representation matters."
To some, however, representation is something to be fought and suppressed. The school board's unanimous vote to disinvite Pancholy comes amidst national efforts to purge libraries and school curricula of any mention of LGBTQ+ individuals, their families, and their contributions, as well as to censor American history with respect to racial matters – efforts that critics say have hobbled educators and harmed LGBTQ+ youth.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
