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eNewsletter 3 | | |
|  | 1. From the Editor:
A Disturbing Trend
In the past several months, school districts and legislatures in a few states (see the news items accompanying this newsletter) have begun devising mechanisms to prevent sexual minority students and their straight allies from meeting on school grounds as clubs, usually known as Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs). These student clubs are typically born out of necessity--strength in numbers to combat harassment or the need for friendship and solidarity, among other reasons. But conservative fearmongers on the far right are not pleased that schools might be protecting gay youth; they want to make sure that the marginalization of some of the most vulnerable individuals on school campuses continues unabated. They have come up with a plan to get around federal law and force many students into an untenable decision: give up their work to protect LGBT students or make sure that any student wishing to do so is required to come out to their parents about it.
From Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, and Utah, districts and states are attempting to get around the federal Equal Access Act, the law that requires non-curricular student clubs--like a Bible club or a GSA--equal access to school facilities, by requiring some form of parental permission for all club membership or attendance. Never before have students been required to inform parents about participation in typical school activities like Chess Club or Multicultural clubs. But with the growth of GSAs throughout the country, panicky members of the "Religious" Reich are determined to scare young people away from supporting equality and safety for LGBT students.
Let's hope that the courts do not allow the fundamentalists to get away with this blatant maneuver to flout federal law. But if they are allowed to continue with this type of slimy scheme, we need to redouble our efforts to support gay youth throughout the nation, and provide them with the resources and backing that will embolden them to continue the work of ensuring safe schools for all students. We believe that the toothpaste is already out of the tube, that equality and freedom are inevitable, and that students of courage and maturity will not be cowed into silence and submission. They have had too many proud and accomplished examples to allow that to happen--young people whose work will not be forgotten.
Dance the night away...
Time to start planning for the 3rd Annual GSA Dance, the area's only truly welcoming prom for students of all orientations--straight, gay, bi, queer, questioning, or those who don't wish to be categorized. We've got a date set for Saturday, May 6 from 7 to 11 pm at Hiram Johnson High School, 65th Street and 14th Avenue. Want to be a part of the planning? Contact Lance or Yvonne at sacregionalgsa@hotmail.com.
Nominate an Outstanding Teacher--Nominations due March 15
Prudential California Realty Seeks Nominations for Outstanding Teachers
Here's a chance to celebrate those GSA advisors and teachers who consistently support LGBT youth. Prudential California Realty is seeking nominations for grant consideration for the Education Foundation which honors outstanding teachers each spring for their contributions. In the spring of 2005, 105 teachers were given grants totaling $62,895. Grants are awarded to K-12 teachers, including special education teachers. To nominate a teacher, fill out a short online form, including nominee contact information and answer a few questions as to why the nominee deserves the grant. For more details and to nominate a teacher, go to http://www.prurealty.com/NominateTeacher.aspx.
Models of Excellence Scholarships
Friends of Project 10 Inc. announces its annual Models of Excellence scholarship competition. The scholarship is open to any senior high school student who is graduating from a California school (public, private, and parochial), and who is going onto higher education. The student needs to demonstrate a commitment to LGBT civil rights. Scholarships are awarded in $500 and $1,000 amounts.
Applications are due no later than Friday, April 28, 2006.
Contact Friends of Project 10 Inc. at 626.577.4553 or project10@hotmail.com .2. Our next meeting: Wed. March 8
Our next meeting will be Wednesday, March 8 at 6:30 pm. Our regular meeting time and place is the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm at the Lambda Community Center, 1927 L Street in midtown Sacramento.
On our agenda: Our next GSA Youth Leaderhship Workshop on March 18, Day of Silence information, and plans for the GSA Dance in the Spring. Are you a student at a local secondary school who would like to help plan events?A teacher or parent with a concern? Come on by or drop us a line. Our events are developed by and with local GSA members for their peers in the community. We hope to see you there! 3. Our Annual GSA Youth Leaders Workshop: March 18
We have a date, and now we have a place: the new high school in the Natomas Unified School District: Inderkum High School. So mark your calendars and spread the word to GSAs throughout the Sacramento area: Saturday, March 18. Inderkum High is located at 2500 New Market Drive, Sacramento 95835 (north of Arco Arena). Check our website for more details. All GSA member, allies, and advisors are welcome. This is NOT an open forum, however. You need to register by sending us an email to info@respectsacramento.org with the names and school affiliation of those who are planning to attend, or call us at (916) 733-2135 and leave us a message. 4. GSA Network News
Queer Youth Advocacy Day is Here!
Join GSA Network, EQCA, & hundreds of LGBTQ & straight ally youth for Queer Youth Advocacy Day on Monday, March 6.
Who: You & your friends, your GSA members & hundreds of youth activists
Where: Sacramento, CA
When: Monday, March 6, 2006
Why: To unite with GSAS & youth from all over CA!
To learn how to lobby lawmakers & influence people
To help create safer schools & make sure everyone has a chance at an education.
What: On March 6, youth will sit down & talk with each & every CA Legislature member about a proposed law that will make it clearer how schools can end discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Following a mass training & a huge rally on the capitol steps, we're going to visit every legislator's office to share our stories. This is your chance to make a difference that will affect schools in every corner of CA.
You'll tell lawmakers what it's really like to be in school. Tell them what you need to feel safe, supported, and ignored no more. They need to hear from you!
It's not too late to participate, but you will still need to register and bring a permission form along with you. Go to GSA Network's website www.gsanetwork.org for more information. Or contact Lai-San Seto at advocacy@gsanetwork.org or call 415-552-4229.
Respect Sacramento will be co-sponsoring a dinner for workshop leaders the night before at Uptown Studios. Hope to see some of you there! 5. 2006 Lambda Community Awards March 20
The Lambda Community Center is very excited to bring you the 2006 Lambda Awards on Monday, March 20, 2006, at the Doubletree Hotel, 2001 Point West Way in Sacramento. We will be honoring the "Best of Our Community", those wonderful people, both inside and outside the LGBT community, who have distinguished themselves in either their service to our society or their efforts to end discrimination towards us. The winners of the Lambda Awards are people that have recognized and are actively helping to "Build Our Community" in 2006 and the future.
Kinna Patel of EQCA and Dan Roth of Stonewall Democrats will be our emcees for the Evening.
There will be fabulous food and unique entertainment, a intriguing silent auction with items for bid that reflect Sacramento's Diversity.
For more information about the awards program and to reserve your table or
tickets please contact Lambda Awards Chairperson Jason R. Kirkland.
awards@lambdasac.org
(916) 442-0185
www.lambdasac.org/awards 6. Announcements
The LGBT Legal Community Clinic
The LGBT Legal Community Clinic is a collaborative project of the Lambda Community Center and Legal Services of Northern California and Protection and Advocacy Inc. Included in this effort are law students from the Lambda Law Students Organizations from UC Davis' King Hall School of Law and the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law.
The clinic will provide information, referral, and legal assistance to the LGBT community. Get information and referrals on the first and third Mondays of the month from 6 to 8 pm. The second and fourth Mondays from 5 to 7 pm are dedicated to housing and disability rights. Call the center about special workshops.
The Lambda Community Center will celebrate the opening of the The LGBT Legal Community Clinic this month with an open house and reception at the Lambda Community Center. It's an invitation only affair, so if you're interested in attending call the Lambda Center at 916-442-0185.
Options for LGBT Parents-to-Be
Considering parenthood? Our Family Coalition (www.ourfamily.org) is co-sponsoring a free event with speaker Cheryl Deaner MFT on April 20 from 7 to 8:30 pm. To RSVP and find out the event location, contact Anna McGrath at anna@mcgrathcc.com or by phone at 415-255-9286 or Lisa Castro-Smyth at Lisa.Castro-Smyth@ucsf.edu or by phone 415-502-5209. 7. Middle school GSAs
From GSA Network
Awareness in reaching the needs of LGBTQ youth in middle schools is growing, largely as a result of three general trends: The acknowledgment by educators that all identifiable groups of students need support unique to their situation, the increasing number of students coming out at younger ages, and the ongoing harassment of LGBTQ youth. In California, we have about a dozen of registered GSA clubs in middle schools and here are some of their stories:
Joya Cazel, a student form Shoreline Middle School in Scotts Valley, CA writes: "I am glad to see that middle schools are being addressed in the GSA community. I decided to start my GSA because of the harassment I and other students have experienced, and the sheer insensitivity that I witness in the halls and classrooms everyday. We are still in the process of starting up a GSA. While doing this, we have noticed that the culture of our school with regard to homophobia is reactive rather than proactive, whereas we want to stop the harassment before it happens. I'm not surprised by studies that have shown how middle school students experienced more homophobia and harassment then they would in high school, what shocks me most is that not many people have done anything to stop it until recently. After all, if a student does not feel safe at school, then no student can ever be safe."
Jan Elise Sells, an advisor from King Middle School in Berkeley, CA recalls: "About eight years ago, a sixth grader (with whom I am still in touch--I'll call him Ron) came to me requesting a conflict resolution with a classmate who had called him "gay." As the school's counselor I see students and their families around personal issues, crises, and conflicts.
"Because both students were African-American, I was able to compare homophobia to racism, an analogy they both understood well. After the conflict was resolved, Ron lingered behind and whispered, "Ms. Sells, what if I AM gay?" I told him this would not be problematic to ME. I told him I had a lot of gay and lesbian friends, there were gay and lesbian staff members at our school, and in fact, I considered myself bisexual. I also pointed out that not everyone in our society is open-minded and coming out is not always easy.
"Ron started meeting with me weekly to talk about his sexual orientation and the homophobia around him, most notably in his family. I arranged for him to talk to other staff members who were "out." I asked one of them if she would be willing to join me in starting a Gay-Straight Alliance at our school.
"At our first meetings, we had only four or five students attending--mostly Ron and his friends. Ron was very eager to come out, but he struggled with the disrespect it brought down on him by some of the bullies at school.
"Little by little, as we publicized GSA through our school's Daily Bulletin and asked teachers to encourage students to participate, we filled a classroom once a week at lunchtime with students eager to be involved. Most of the kids who showed up (and this is still the case) considered themselves "straight allies." We know that at least 10 percent of our 900+ students are LGBTQI, but most of them are unwilling to risk bringing attention to themselves, though they may self-refer and come out in counseling sessions with me.
"Each year I have written grant proposals to a local foundation, Berkeley Schools Excellence Program, to obtain funds for speakers, field trips and parties. I have been able to bring anti-homophobia plays to our campus to raise consciousness among all the students. And each spring our GSA members go into sixth grade classes to do peer education playing a game developed by one of King's former teachers, which we call "LGBT Myth-Busters Bingo."
"A couple of years ago, one of the other Berkeley Middle Schools, Willard, started a GSA, as well. This year I obtained a grant to bring the GSAs from the two schools together. Pacific Center's Youth Program leaders joined us. Students saw films, played games, did an activity called Gender Gumby, and ate pizza. A great time was had by all! We plan to get together again before the school year ends.
"Meanwhile, the staff notices that with such a pro-active program in place, weekly GSA bulletins read aloud by homeroom teachers, a GSA bulletin board in the main hall, and peer education with sixth graders, homophobia has decreased immensely at King Middle School over the past eight years. It has been an exciting and satisfying project!"
Despite many arguments from opponents to the GSA movement in middle schools, GSAs renew LGBTQ students' lives by providing a safe place for students to meet, support each other, talk about issues related to sexual orientation, and work to end homophobia and transphobia. | | | | | | | | | | Utah House adjorns without vote on GSA bill
Mar. 2 SALT LAKE CITY (365gay.com) The Utah legislature has ended its session leaving unsettled a bill that could be used to ban gay-straight alliances in schools.
The measure passed the Senate last week and had been sent to the House.
The clubs bill would allow school boards to approve or deny clubs without fear of lawsuits. Although it does not specifically mention Gay-Straight clubs LGBT activists say it could be used to prevent the the groups from organizing on school campuses.
The legislature adjourned without passing a bill to drop in the state income tax rate and ensuring Gov. Jon Huntsman will recall lawmakers for a special session.
Supporters of the cubs bill say they will use that session to try to pass the measure.
But even if they succeed Huntsman may veto it.
Huntsman has said that he has reservations about the legislation. Huntsman said that he prefers to avoid "message bills" and thinks the legislature should stay focused on more important issues.
In committee hearings and on the Senate floor the bill's sponsor, Sen. Chris Buttars (R-West Jordan), said that GSAs are a recruiting tool for gays and are "tearing down the moral pillars of society."
| | | | | 'Ex-gay' movement targeting gay youth
Mar. 2 MIAMI (365gay.com) A report released Thursday says that the so-called ex-gay movement is turning from attempting to convert gay adults to heterosexuality and is now focusing on gay teens.
Called 'Youth in the Crosshairs' the report was prepared by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. It says that groups such as Exodus International and Focus on the Family now recommend "prevention" and conversion therapy "treatments".
Such efforts have been discredited by medical experts including the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association.
In targeting teens the report says "ex-gay" groups are targeting parents.
"Whether through ex-gay teen programs or traveling ex-gay conferences like Focus on the Family's Love Won Out ex-gay programs are recommending that parents commit their children to treatment of 'prehomosexuality' even if it is against their children's wishes. Heterosexual youth are also being recruited in schools and churches to spread the message that homosexuality is a treatable mental illness," the report says.
"One of the most disturbing accounts in this report is a case involving a 5-year-old boy who was subjected to conversion therapy to address 'prehomosexuality.' The case involves a psychologist who claims that his theories and treatments are scientific," said study co-author Jason Cianciotto, the Policy Institute's research director. "To the contrary, conversion therapy is opposed by nearly every medical and mental health professional association, including the American Academy of Pediatrics."
A study of 202 former conversion therapy clients published in 2002 reported that 176 participants experienced significant harm, including depression, social isolation, low self-esteem, internalized homophobia and even attempted suicide. The study also found ethical concerns and violations, including the use of false and prejudicial information disguised as science to convince clients that they needed treatment.
"It is morally repugnant and downright dangerous the way these extremists demonize young people and prey on the fears of parents through their so-called ex-gay programs," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "This report exposes the extent to which these zealots will go, including reformulating their ex-gay snake oil at the expense of vulnerable children and young adults."
The report was released in Miami in conjunction with the Winter Party Festival which the NGLT sponsors.
GA Senate revives tougher anti-GSA bill
Feb. 28, ATLANTA (AP) A bill linked to controversy over a gay student club at a north Georgia school was revived in the state Senate on Tuesday, in a tougher form than a similar measure already passed by the House.
The move came one day after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against White County's school district, saying it is unfairly preventing a group for gay students and their friends from meeting at a high school.
Sen. Nancy Schaefer, R-Turnersville, introduced legislation that would require parents to sign off on any school club their child joins.
Schaefer, who represents White County, successfully attached the legislation as an amendment to another bill that requires parental permission for a student to drop out of school. She said her amendment was not directly aimed at the gay-club controversy.
"We have strong support from parents all over the state," she said. "They just want to be notified; they want to know what's going on with their children." Schaefer's amendment was approved by an unrecorded show of hands. The bill it was attached to passed 42-9.
Chuck Bowen, director of Georgia Equality, the state's largest gay-rights organization, dismissed claims that the amendment had nothing to do with the White County controversy.
"This clearly is directed toward gay-straight alliances and anyone who says otherwise is being completely misleading and just downright lying," Bowen said.
In January 2005, a group of students wanted to start a gay support group called PRIDE at White County High School in Cleveland GA. The school board agreed to allow the club, but school administrators later recommended eliminating all "noncurricular clubs" at the high school. The club has continued to meet off campus. The ACLU lawsuit claims other clubs -- including a shooting club and dance team -- have been allowed to meet at school.
On Feb. 15, the state House passed a bill similar to Schaefer's measure. But the House version would have required parents to specify the club or clubs they do not wish their child to join.
Schaefer's bill requires parents to approve every club their child joins, not merely decline the ones with which they don't agree. Bowen said his group "could live with" the House version. "We considered that far more acceptable," he said. "Sen. Schaefer's language is just mean-spirited, bigoted and full of hate."
Schaefer said she merely intended to get parents more involved in their children's school activities.
"Nowadays, it looks like people can do just about anything and parents don't have to be notified," she said. "What this does is it puts parents back in control."FLA board tightens rules in GSA dispute
Feb. 28, TAMPA (365gay.com) A task force on school clubs in Hillsborough County is recommending new rules to allow parents to know what clubs their children are joining and let parents decide if they do not want their kids in a particular group.
The task force, however, rejected a proposal that would have required parental approval before students could join a club.
The group was formed by the County school district following a parental backlash when a Gay-Straight Alliance began at several area high schools.
The 30-member panel of parents, students and educators will present the guidelines next month to the superintendent and school board for approval.
Alice Wilkinson, a parent on task force who opposes GSAs said the responsibility must lie with parents.
"It's in their ball court," Wilkinson said. "They need to say, 'We don't want our kids to take part in these clubs,' and that's all you need to say. The burden is on the school to honor your wishes and if they don't, the appeal process is there and the parents take it up the chain."
Last year Hillsborough County made national headlines when Commissioners passed an ordinance barring the county government from any acknowledgement of Gay Pride, and a second ordinance making it virtually impossible to repeal the first one.
While LGBT pride observances are not banned in the county, the ordinances block the government from any involvement, support, or promotion.
The dual ordinances were orchestrated by Commissioner Ronda Storms who became outraged over a Gay Pride display at a local library.
Last weekend Hillsborough held its Winter Pride festival. The only county commissioner to oppose the anti-pride measure, Kathy Castor was hailed as a hero and vowed to work to have the ordinance overturned.
"I will stand by you and lead the fight for equal rights for all," she told the crowd of several hundred gays and lesbians. | | | That's enough for now. Did I leave anything out? Please drop me a line. Do you have an announcement or item that you'd like to include in our newsletter? Would you like to write an opinion piece about something in the LGBT education area? Tell us about what's going on in your GSA! Send complaints, comments, or submissions to admin@respectsacramento.org and I will be happy to place it in our newletter, which is composed and sent out in the first week of the month. Make this your newsletter by contributing to it!
See you on Wednesday, March 8 at 6:30 at the Lambda Center.
Jerry O'Connor
Respect Sacramento Board Member
Respect Sacramento
PO Box 191678
Sacramento CA 95819
(916) 733-2135
info@respectsacramento.org
www.respectsacramento.org
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| | Quote Unquote
They should not be allowed to have that on school property. It's just wrong.
- Republican Utah state senator Chris Buttars, who proposed legislation to ban gay-straight alliances in Utah schools.
It's a kick in the butt for government officials to say "good job serving five years in U.S. Army, here's your Purple Heart for being wounded in a war--oh, by the way, you have to go to another country to be married." It's disgusting.
- U.S. Army sergeant Robert Stout, who came out in 2004 and left the military in 2005, in The Advocate, February 14, 2006 | | You are subscribed as xxx@xxx.com. To unsubscribe please click here.
 
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