Ugliness — it’s about the only way to describe the events that happened in games between the New Ulm and St. Peter high school basketball teams this year. According to a report in the Star Tribune Saturday, reprinted on Monday’s front page, a St. Peter player was subjected to anti-gay slurs and was physically attacked, in the form of pinching from a New Ulm player that left bruises. Alex Bosacker, a senior center on the St. Peter team, had come out as gay to his teammates this winter. He also came out on social media.

According to the reports, Bosacker heard taunts from the New Ulm student cheering section in a game here in January. He also heard a player say, “I got the gay kid guarding me!”

In a February game, the New Ulm player’s taunts continued, and the player pinched Bosacker throughout the game, leaving bruises. Last Tuesday, in New Ulm, the pinching continued, and after the game the St. Peter team bus, on its way back to St. Peter, was approached by two cars, one of which swerved in front of the bus while someone the other car shot at the bus with a water gel ball gun. Four New Ulm students have been charged in the incident, which may have been connected to the fact that St. Peter fans were wearing rainbow shirts in support of Bosacker.

District 88 (New Ulm) officials said the player involved has been punished, but there is still an underlying layer of ugliness that needs to be dealt with.

Is this attitude of hostility toward a gay person prevalent in the New Ulm school?

In the New Ulm community?

If so, it needs to be exposed and rooted out.

The District 88 School Board has been criticized for several months for its work to survey whether the district is inclusive and promotes equality. Critics claim that is just buzz-words for Critical Race Theory. But this incident shows the district is right on track and doing necessary work.