January 2007 E-Newsletter

4. GSA Network News
Save the date - Queer Youth Advocacy Day, March 26,2007
Mark your calendars for QYAD 2007 on March 26 in Sacramento!

Queer Youth Advocacy Day is a youth-led lobby day at the Capitol
where hundreds of youth activists come together and educate
lawmakers about the need for statewide policy that will make schools
safer and more supportive for LGBTQ youth.

QYAD 2006 was huge success that brought 500 people to the Capitol,
showed California legislators the power of youth activism, and
opened a lot of people's eyes to the kind of harassment and
discrimination still faced by many students. Now, it's time to go back
to the Capitol and show them that we're still fighting for safer schools!

WHO: LGBTQ youth & their allies
WHERE: Crest Theater & the Capitol (Sacramento)
WHEN: Monday, March 26, 2007
WHY: To network with other youth activists, learn important advocacy
skills, and help make change for schools all over California

Informational packets with additional details will be mailed out later
this fall to all GSAs registered with GSA Network. Keep an eye on your
mailboxes!

For more info, email advocacy@gsanetwork.org or call 415-552-4229.

3. Announcements

Ally Action (East Bay) launches new website
Ally Action celebrates over 20 years of creating safe schools for all
with the launch of our new website! We hope that you find our new
website to be a reflection of our continued commitment to supporting
local communities in creating safer schools for all, and for all LGBTQ
school community members.

Over the years, we have found that some of our best efforts in
creating safer schools for all have actually come from the sharing of
great stories. These stories have often evolved into great
conversations, which lead to new ideas, suggestions, and action
together.

We created www.allyaction.org so that we can have this same kind of
conversation with you online. Together, we're making schools safer,
One Classroom at a Time!

NEA offers resources on anti-LGBT bias and behavior
The National Education Association (NEA) has added a valuable new
resource to its website. "Safe Schools for Everyone" helps
educators, students and concerned community members understand
the climate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students face in
schools while offering resources to address anti-LGBT bias and
behavior.

The website states: "NEA believes that a great public school is a
fundamental right of every child—free from intimidation and
harassment, and safe for all students, including those who identify as
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender."

Elementary principals association releases anti-bullying plan
From Vincent Ferrandino
Executive Director
National Association of Elementary School Principals

Dear colleagues:

No Name-Calling Week is an annual week of educational activities
aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with
the tools and inspiration to launch an ongoing dialogue about ways
to eliminate bullying in their communities. The National Association of
Elementary School Principals (NAESP) is a proud founding member of
the coalition of national organizations that lead this program.

Regrettably, far too many children experience some form of bullying or
name-calling. According to the National Association of School
Psychologists, between 15 percent and 30 percent of all students are
either bullies or victims of bullying. It begins in the elementary school
years and peaks during the middle school years. That's why it is
imperative to begin to address the problem of bullying and name-
calling while children are still in elementary school.

Originally designed for fifth- through eighth-grade classrooms, No
Name-Calling Week also resonated strongly with elementary school
teachers and students. In response to the growing number of
elementary schools participating in No Name-Calling Week, NAESP
and GLSEN partnered to produce these five lesson plans specifically
designed for elementary school classes.

There are simple steps we can all take to help eliminate name-calling
and bullying and these lesson plans are intended to help with those
steps. These lessons are designed to give younger students an
opportunity to engage in activities that teach them about tolerance,
respect, and understanding and to help them reflect on what they've
learned.

We hope that you find these lessons useful as we all work to provide
a safe and caring environment in our schools and we thank you for
your support of this very important week.

PFLAG Meetings
The Sacramento chapter of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians
and Gays (PFLAG) support group meets the third Tuesday of each
month from 7:30 - 9:30 P.M. at St Marks United Methodist Church,
2391 St. Marks Way in Sacramento, on the second floor of the
education building. It is located at the corner of St. Marks Way and
Lusk Drive, behind Country Club Plaza, near the Southeast
intersection of Watt Avenue & El Camino Avenue.

1. From the Editor

SRGSA Yvonne & Lance Scholarship
Sacramento Regional Gay-Straight Alliance (SRGSA) was founded by a
group of students who wanted to see a change in the public school
system. They were tired of seeing the inaction by administration in
dealing with harassments that were directed at actual and/or
perceived lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)
students.

This year the SRGSA, along with its “parent” organization Respect
Sacramento, has decided to grant two $500 scholarships to
graduating seniors in the greater-Sacramento area. This scholarship
is named after two students, Lance and Yvonne, in honor and respect
for the hard work in ensuring that LGBTQ students (actual or
perceived) are protected on their campus and full compliance with
California state law.

Download complete information and application directions here.
Download the Application Form here. Download the References
Form here. The deadline for submitting the application is May 1.

Upcoming GSA Training
We are still working on a possible GSA Youth Leadership Training
date for this spring, and students and advisors who are interested in
participating in the development of the day's training modules are
encouraged to come by our next meeting on January 10. Last year's
training was very successful and well-received--in part, we think, due
to the input and direction from youth and adult advisors.

Is your school blocking LGBT advocacy websites?
Here's a good project for your GSA, based on the article below.

Check at your school to see if legitimate LGBT advocacy sites are
blocked by filtering software or district decision. Check sites like
ours (http://www.respectsacramento.org), GSA Network
(http://www.gsanetwork.org), Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD - http://www.glaad.org), Parents and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG - http://www.pflag.org), the National
Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR - http://www.nclrights.org), and Out
& Equal Workplace Advocates (http://www.outandequal.org), or
other sites that are real advocacy sites. Make sure that sites don't
have chat rooms, adult content, or other features that districts may
reasonably restrict (like Gay.com).

Also check to see if anti-gay advocacy sites like American Family
Association, Focus on the Family, the Traditional Values Coalition and
the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality
are blocked as well (doubt it!).

Here's the article:

School District Begins Unblocking Some LGBT Web Sites
Dec. 16, PALM BEACH FL (365gay.com) Palm Beach County's school
board has begun allowing students to view some LGBT advocacy
sites, but others remain blocked despite months of negotiations to
end the practice.

The board first came under fire in May for blocking access to the Web
sites of LGBT rights groups while allowing sites advocating the so-
called ex-gay movement to go unfiltered. More...

Michigan fans protest Penn
St. coach's anti-lesbian
policies
Jan. 8 ANN ARBOR MI (Michigan
Daily) The Lavender Menace was
out in force at yesterday's
women's basketball game. About
250 fans wore purple shirts with
"Lavender Menace" printed on
them in black letters.

The people in purple weren't
making a fashion statement. They
were protesting the head coach of
the visiting Penn State team,
Rene Portland, who has a history
of discriminating against players
because of their sexual orientation.

According to several former
players, Portland used to have a
"no drinking, no drugs, no
lesbians" policy. Until Penn State
revised its nondiscrimination policy
in 1991 to protect against
discrimination based on sexual
orientation, Portland openly and
explicitly expressed her opposition
to homosexuality on the team.

For years, no one took a public
stand against Portland. Her policy
hit headlines when former player
Jen Harris filed suit against
Portland in October of 2005.

According to Harris, Portland
booted her from the team
because the coach thought she
was a lesbian. Penn State
investigated the allegations and
determined after an internal
review that Portland's stance on
homosexuality created a "hostile,
intimidating, and offensive
environment," according to the
official report by the university's
Office of Affirmative Action.

Although Portland's actions were
found in violation of Penn State's
anti-discrimination clause, the
university administration did not
fire her. More...

Town boycotts store for
supporting high school GSA
Jan. 4 LANSING MI (Bay Area
Reporter) Teri Yale's formative
years in the Bay Area left an
indelible mark. Many of her best
friends growing up were gay men,
and several family members have
come out of the closet.

She has always tried to instill in
her own children a sense of
acceptance for people unlike
themselves. She carried that with
her when she moved to Michigan
in 1991.

In 2001, her youngest daughter
entered high school as a freshman
and befriended a senior male
student who was out as gay. The
two founded a gay-straight
alliance at their school. Apart from
school administrators' wish they
change the name of the group to
be a "diversity club," Yale said the
GSA generated little controversy.

Over a year ago Yale opened
Davey's Basement in downtown
Mason. The small store carried
everything from music and T-shirts
to novelty items and a small
section of LGBT items. From the
day it opened, her store was a hit
with the local kids who would not
only come to shop but hang out.

"We were doing pretty good," said
Yale.

But overnight last fall business
dropped. The kids who normally
flocked to her shop no longer
came by. One day a girl from the
middle school came in, and Yale
mentioned to her how she hadn't
seen her or her friends in a while.

"She said, 'So and so's mom said
she couldn't come in here again.'
We assumed she was grounded,"
recalled Yale. But the girl's friend
told Yale that "her mom said you
guys have the gay store and she
can't come in here."

Yale's sin, at least to her
neighbors, was sponsoring the
homecoming parade float built by
the GSA. Her tacit acceptance had
provoked a backlash. The
community was reportedly
shunning her business. More...

Gay teens don't tell doctors
about orientation
Dec. 28 SANTA MONICA (UPI) Only
a minority of gay, lesbian or
bisexual teenagers tell doctors
about their sexual orientation,
RAND Corporation researchers said
Thursday.

Even though 70 percent of the
individuals were aware of their
orientation as teens, just 35
percent told their doctors.

Mark Schuster, director of health
promotion and disease prevention
at RAND Health in Santa Monica,
Calif., and professor of pediatrics
and public health at the University
of California at Los Angeles,
suggested, "This is a reminder to
physicians who take care of teens
to try to create a comfortable, safe
environment for young people to
be open about their orientation,
as well as other aspects of their
sexuality." More...

Courts deliver victories to
America's students
Dec. 26 NEW YORK (GLSEN.org)
Strengthening established judicial
precedent, several recent court
decisions and settlements last
week reaffirm the rights of every
student and teacher to feel safe in
school, regardless of sexual
orientation or gender
identity/expression.

In Georgia, the White County
School District has reportedly
agreed to pay $168,000 in legal
fees to the ACLU and $10,000 to
students who filed the lawsuit and
to implement anti-bullying
programs after White County High
School refused to allow a Gay-
Straight Alliance to meet on
campus in defiance of the Federal
Equal Access Act.

An 8th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals affirmed a lower court’s
ruling that Maple Grove High
School near Minneapolis must
allow a Gay-Straight Alliance the
same access as other non-
curricular clubs based on the Equal
Access Act.

In Ohio, a lesbian teacher who
came out to her class during a
presentation on GLSEN’s Day of
Silence in April 2003 won a
settlement from London City
School District. The school district
agreed to add sexual orientation
to its equal employment policy
and pay the teacher $37,500 in
financial compensation. More...