Another strange plot twist in the Rose City school district

An interesting anecdote reported by the DetroitNews about the Janczewski family, Neal Erickson and the Rose City school administrators who voiced support for the convicted sex offender piqued my curiosity this week (emphasis mine):

Some residents in the town of 650 about 70 miles north of Saginaw wonder whether the outsized reaction by the conservative community is fueled by the fact the student Erickson had sex with is male.

That is, if it had been a heterosexual encounter, would the response have been as severe?

Brandon Larkin, who graduated from Ogemaw Heights High School in 2001, said past relationships between teachers and students never drew this type of response.

“But this was a homosexual relationship, so that’s worse, right?” he said. “If that’s not slanted justice bordering on bigotry, I’m not sure what is.”

"Past relationships"?  Is this some sort of sick trend in Rose City?  The DetroitNews doesn't appear to have bothered with a follow-up question for Larkin, so I did.  I reached out to him Tuesday via email to see if he could elaborate a bit on his statement to the DetroitNews.  He declined to make any further comment.

If Larkin's account is accurate and the teacher-student "relationship" between Neal Erickson and an eighth-grade boy isn't an isolated incident but just one among many, it really makes you wonder: What the heck is going on Rose City?!