College that Disinvited Dustin Lance Black as Commencement Speaker Apologizes & Re-Invites Him to Speak

I'm sure you've heard all about the Spring 2014 Commencement Ceremony at Pasadena City College. PCC implemented an overly confusing commencement speaker selection process that seemingly invited eight different speakers simultaneously. Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, an alumnus of PCC, was one of those who received an invitation to speak at the commencement ceremony. Black accepted his invitation weeks ago and began the process of purchasing plane tickets and canceling paid gigs elsewhere so that he could attend the commencement ceremony before being disinvited by the PCC Board of Trustees two weeks ago yesterday. Black publicly complained about this process and about the fact that he was apparently disinvited over sexually explicit pictures between him and an ex-boyfriend that were sold to the tabloids without his knowledge or permission back in 2009. Black has been in touch with his legal team to seek reimbursement for financial losses related to this situation.

Eric Walsh, Pasadena's Director of Public Health, was officially invited to be the spring commencement. This apparently was the source of local controversy due to Walsh's anti-gay, anti-trans, anti-evolution, and arguably anti-Catholic religious views. So early this week, it was announced that Walsh was no longer available to speak at the spring commencement ceremony. (Read here, here, and here for more information.)

So less than two weeks before the PCC Spring 2014 Commencement Ceremony, the Board of Trustees gathered yesterday to figure out how to move forward. Here is their plan: Re-Invite Dustin Lance Black:

The Board of Trustees voted to apologize and re-invite Oscar-winning PCC alumnus Dustin Lance Black to be the Spring 2014 commencement speaker following a weeks-long controversy over the school’s decision not to choose him because they believed sexually explicit photos of him on the internet could tarnish the school’s reputation...

“He has distinguished himself as a film producer and a champion of equal rights and protections for all regardless of sexual orientation,” it states. “The Board of Trustees and college administration deeply respect Mr. Black, his work and his causes. The Board also sincerely apologizes to Mr. Black for any actions that may have caused hurt.”

It is unknown as of this writing if Dustin Lance Black will accept this apology or if he will agree once again to speak at PCC.

The Board of Trustees has also decided that they will go without a commencement speaker should Black turn down this latest invitation.