There is a controversy brewing in South Carolina. Here is how the New York Times put it yesterday — Girl Power is Squelched. The most controversial music group in the country this month was not a gangster rap or shock rock band, but the Indigo Girls, the politically and ecologically minded Grammy winning female guitar duo. A spokeswoman for the band’s label, Epic, said no one was more surprised than the Indigo Girls themselves when three of five performances on a tour of high schools this spring were canceled by school administrators.

Officials at the high school in Irmo, South Carolina, were so serious about the cancellation that when students protested their decision, five of them were suspended for eight days…The reason, school administrators say, is the band’s offensive lyrics and complaints from parents. Though Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls called the principals of these schools and promised not to play any songs with profanity, the administrators refused to back down. Students as well as the Epic label say the concerts were canceled because the band members are openly gay.

Tape

• “It’s Alright” from the Indigo Girls CD, “Shaming of the Sun”

Guests:

• Tommy Collier, has taught U.S. History at Irmo High School for 22 years.
• Megan Collier, is an 11th grade student at Irmo High School in Irmo, South Carolina.

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