One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Dustin Lance Black re-accepts PCC commencement invitation after previously being uninvited
Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black attends 'An Evening Under The Stars' benefiting The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center at a private residency on October 19, 2013 in Los Angeles.
(
Angela Weiss/Getty Images for The LA Gay & Le
)
Dr. Eric Walsh, City of Pasadena Public Health Department, addresses attendees at the 2014 First Food Forum in San Antonio.
(
W.K Kellogg Foundation via Flickr Creative Commons
)
Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.
(
Courtesy of Dustin Lance Black
)
Screenwriter, director and gay rights activist Dustin Lance Black wrote the play, "8," looking at the federal trial over Proposition 8.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Dustin Lance Black, playwright of the play on the federal trial of Proposition 8, "8."
(
Dustin Lance Black
)
"Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black has accepted Pasadena City College's invitation to deliver this year's commencement address, after previously being uninvited and replaced.
In a press release, PCC says that school president Mark Rocha spoke with Black over the phone Saturday morning to personally extend the invitation and apologize for how the college had handled its dealings with Black.
RELATED: With Mark Walsh out, PCC re-invites Dustin Lance Black as commencement speaker
Black had previously been dismissed as a candidate after nude photos of him having unprotected sex with a man surfaced online. The college had announced Pasadena's public health director Dr. Eric Walsh as Black’s replacement, but he pulled out of the ceremony after statements surfaced online with him expressing controversial views on homosexuality and evolution.
Walsh has been placed on paid leave, according to the Associated Press. In the statements, Walsh calls evolution "a religion created by Satan," describes the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a Satanist, and criticizes homosexuality.
"All of us at PCC are so proud of Mr. Black and are delighted he is returning to his alma mater," Rocha said in the release.
"It’s time to move forward and put the focus where it should be — on the students,” Black said in the release.
Sponsored message
Black graduated from PCC in 1994, according to the release. He won an Academy Award for the screenplay to "Milk," about San Francisco gay rights activist Harvey Milk. He's worked on "Big Love," "J. Edgar" and other film and TV projects. He wrote the play "8," about the federal trial over California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. He's also currently adapting "Under The Banner O fHeave
PCC's commencement is Friday, May 9.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
