Protesters forced a school to close after they invited a gay councilperson to speak. Immaculata Catholic School in Durham, North Carolina, told parents that due to several groups planning demonstrations at the school, they could not let students come to classes. They invited Vernetta Alston, an openly gay councilperson, to speak on Friday (8 February) for Black History Month. Alston graduated from Immaculata Catholic School. The pastor, Christopher VanHaight, told parents on Thursday: “As a pastor, I cannot place our Imaculata students into this contentious environment”.