Date: Wed, 12 Mar 1997 14:40:29 -0800 From: richter@eecs.berkeley.edu (Jean Richter) Subject: GLSTN job opening || Report on "Liberty for All" conference || PA: Another perspective on Elizabethtown meeting From: GLSTNAlert@aol.com Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 10:04:42 -0500 (EST) Subject: GLSTN Job Announcement: Dir. of Development Job Announcement Director of Development for GLSTN The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network GLSTN seeks an individual who can design and implement a development plan focusing on major donors, direct mail, fundraising events, and foundation/corporate grants. About the organization GLSTN is a national organization working to combat anti-gay bias in K-12 schools. GLSTN welcomes as members all people who support our work, regardless of occupation or sexual orientation. Founded as a volunteer group in Boston in 1990, GLSTN led the drive which made Massachusetts the first state to ban anti-gay discrimination in public schools. GLSTN became a national organization in 1994, moved to New York, and hired its first staff. Since that time, budgetary and program growth has been explosive. Over 50 chapters now exist, membership tops 5,000, and GLSTN's budget has grown from just over $100,000 in FY 95 to a projected $1 million in FY 98. The Director of Development will be the organization's fourth full-time staff person. About the job The Director of Development will work with the Executive Director to design and implement a development strategy that will both meet GLSTN's short-term budgetary needs and provide the resouces for long-term growth. The following major sources of funding will be pursued aggressively: 1) major individual donors; 2) direct mail ; 3) fundraising events,and; 4) foundation and corporate grants. GLSTN would prefer an individual with background in direct mail and fundraising events in order to complement existing strengths of the staff. Qualifications Prior experience with small not-for-profits, LGB-oriented groups, or grassroots organizations will be helpful. Given the demands of a small office like GLSTN's, the ideal Director would be able to multi-task and handle a number of different challenges simultaneously. GLSTN is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, and non-LGB individuals. Salary/Benefits: The salary will be in the $40,00-$45,000 range. Three weeks paid vacation are provided as are full medical benefits. To apply: Please submit a letter of interest, a resume, and at least two letters of reference by no later than March 15, 1997 to: Kevin Jennings, Executive Director GLSTN 122 W. 26 St. Suite 1100 New York, NY 10001 212-727-0254 (fax) ======================================================== GLSTNAlert is a GLSTN news bulletin service of the The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN). ======================================================== To Unsubscribe from GLSTNAlert simply send an email to GLSTNAlert@aol.com with the words "Unsubscribe GLSTNAlert" in the subject line (no quotes and note the lack of space in GLSTNAlert). ======================================================== To Subscribe to GLSTNAlert simply send an email to GLSTNAlert@aol.com with the words "Subscribe GLSTNAlert" in the subject line (no quotes and note the lack of space in GLSTNAlert). Also: please write your name in the message portion of your email. ======================================================== ==================================================================== From: WildcatPrs@aol.com Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 11:39:57 -0500 (EST) Subject: "Liberty for All" in Tennessee ****************************************************************************** NEWS YOU DIDN'T SEE ON TV **************************** **************** ************ Commentary by Patricia Nell Warren **************************** 2/20/97 ******************* ********* *************** ************* ****************************************************************************** "AND LIBERTY FOR ALL" IN THE SOUTH By Patricia Nell Warren Despite controversy -- indeed, because of it -- the 6th Annual Southeastern Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual college conference just stamped its fiery lambda on Bible-belt sensibility. Site this year: Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Big lesson of the weekend: anti-gay hate can spark a powerful reaction among fair-minded straight youth and adults. Over 300 students came from every state in the region, for the biggest turnout yet. Co-chairs Allie Sultan and Michael Grantham titled the gathering "And Liberty For All." February 14-16 were packed with workshops, networking, resource fair, coffeehouse, on-line chats, booksignings, fund-raising reception, banquet and dance, plus an open meeting to discuss what campus will host the '98 edition. A hardworking volunteer corps from MTSU's Lambda Association supported the co-chairs throughout. A pre-conference blast of hate email, death threats, sulphurous sermons and edged editorials had fizzled by opening day. The student organizers simply publicized threats to the media. Thanks to their cool, and last-minute efforts by moderate church groups in town, who called for a show of Christian love over a show of rage, the conference went off without incident. The Baptist Student Union, stepping over elders' protests that their action was condoning homosexuality, served a big Southern breakfast to the conference-goers, complete with grits. They still believe that traditional marriage is the only permissible place for sex, the Baptist kids explained, but they were uneasy about the frenzy of hate, and wanted to make a Jesus-like gesture. Focus of the frenzy was a screening of "It's Elementary." This popular documentary, with its message that grade-school kids need positive info about gay issues, had been protested elsewhere in the U.S. Sultan and Grantham told me that initially the MTSU administration shrugged off their requests for tightened security. But after a look at the death threats, and a phone call from civil-rights attorney Abby Rubenfeld (who got Tennessee's sodomy law dismissed), MTSU grew concerned about possible violence. Filmgoers walked into Tucker Theater past a metal detector and campus security. Outside, several squad cars patrolled. But only a few shivering picketers showed up. The film finished to loud applause from the packed auditorium. Keynote speeches came from Torie Osborne, Lynn Shepodd, Paul Yandurra, and myself. David Mixner, also scheduled to speak, got caught in airline-strike snarls, and was unable to reach Murfreesboro. Mainstream media -- local press, CBS and NBC affiliates -- gave this historic conference the notice it deserved. The campus TV station provided positive coverage. Unfortunately, major gay news media were absent. But regional community publications, including Xenogeny, did support "Liberty" with enthusiasm. Allie Sultan told me: "I have received dozens of e-mail messages since Sunday! People have already started to become more active in the South...on Saturday I'm going to Asheville, NC, to be at a joint meeting with three college LGB groups from the area. [I've been] talking with some heterosexual people in my classes...it gives me a new, different sense of happiness to be accessible for heterosexual people as well as the gay community here at MTSU!" Michael Grantham's comment was: "The responses from across the country are great! They really make us feel like we've done what we've aimed to do. Allie and I hope that everyone feels empowered enough to initiate a much needed social change throughout the Southeast and US." Personally, I left Murfreesboro feeling more hopeful. There are growing signs that hate religion will be rejected by the fair-minded among Christian students and adults across the U.S. Indeed, the South is not the monolith of redneck religion that some believe it to be. The South birthed Thomas Jefferson and religious freedom. The South was where a black openly gay Quaker activist named Bayard Rustin helped Rev. Martin Luther King develop the civil-rights movement of the '60s. Next year's Southeast conference may well be greeted with more howls of protest. But no doubt about it -- these empowering youth events are denting the Bible belt. Patricia Nell Warren is author of "The Front Runner" and other bestselling books, as well as a widely published commentator. Her publisher is Wildcat Press. Copyright (c) 1996 by Patricia Nell Warren. All Rights Reserved. **************************************************************************** Note: This column may be crossposted on the Internet, without change and in its entirety for noncommercial purposes, without prior permission from the author -- just email us to let us know where it reappears. To reprint in print or other media, express permission must be asked. Please call 213/966-2466, or fax 213/966-2467, or email wildcatprs@aol.com. The last three lines of the column, containing author and copyright information, must appear with the reprint. Wildcat Press, 8306 Wilshire Blvd. Box 8306, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. ****************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************** ============================================================================== Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 22:37:59 -0500 (EST) From: "Ray L. Moyer" To: schools@critpath.org Subject: Re: Etown PA, and the Religious Right At 05:33 PM 2/20/97 -0500, Penny Culliton fowarded to schools from Laura Montgomery Rutt, dir. of The Alliance for Tolerance and Freedom, Lancaster Co., PA, the following message prepared by Tom Wilson, Chairman of COMMON SENSE, Elizabethtown, PA citizens group: >>Tuesday night the Etown school board passed the "instructional policy >>regarding sexual orientation." [snip] >> >>There were many motions and amendments that went back and forth between >>board members. So many in fact that the press and most of us in >>attendance were confused at what they were actually voting on. I think those missed actions were very significant. I also was in attendence at Tuesday night's board meeting and the meeting a week ago. And I would like to give my perspective as an outside observer. (I live about 65 miles from E-town.) I left about midnight after the board adopted, I think unamimously, an amended "instructional policy regarding sexual orientation." The Administration has to establish working guidelines for the faculty and staff. Three of the nine board members worked at softening the language and intent of the policy. The pro-family resolution (adopted by the board Sept 96, and called by it's opponents *the anti-family diversity resolution*) was replaced by the resolution which the policy committee recommended and the board adopted 1/28/97 to clarify the original resolution. The clarifying resolution is negative in definition of family, but contains the statement: "the board affirms that all students regardless of their family circumstances shall be provided an equal educational opportunity and that all students are to be protected from sexual harassment, including same-sex sexual harassment through appropriate disciplinary action." The *resolutions* adopted 9/96 & 1/97 basically signify intent of the board; however, the *policy* adopted Tues. 2/18 is binding on the administration and faculty. Guideline (a) of the adopted policy is: "The curriculum will not promote or encourage same-sex sexual relationships or orientation." "And sexual orientation" was added to guideline (b) to read: "This policy is limited to program content and shall not affect the obligations of the District to provide all pupils an equal educational opportunity and to protect all pupils from sexual and sexual orientation harassment by taking appropriate disciplinary action." The board members agreed before voting that inserting those three words were a minor change that did not require another reading of the policy before voting. But those three words had a major impact on lesbigay students! During the discussion among the board before adopting the policy, there was unanimous verbal agreement among the 9 members of the board that these guidelines: (1) would *not* prevent teachers or counselors from talking with students or answering their questions about orientation, (2) would, for example, allow Newsweek magazine in the library when last November it had an article on same-sex marriage as the cover story, and (3) *not* prohibit a teacher from mentioning that Walt Whitman was a gay poet in an English literature class discussing his poetry. It is my understanding that that agreement of intent (I don't recall if that's the proper technical term!) is a matter of record though not a part of the official policy. The administration in establishing guidelines *does* consider the *intent* of the board in implementing the policy. Overall, I thought it was a major step forward in reconcilliation of a major division in the Elizabethtown community and providing some recognition for same-sex orientation and protection from harassment. But, I thought the previous message did not adequately note what I perceived as positive actions of the board. I was very pleased at the input from teachers and students during the 3 hours of public comments. Teachers distributed blue ribbons with notes that read in part: Educators, parents, and citizens - working together for public education; wear this blue ribbon as a visual symbol of our commitment to academic excellence and educational equity for all children. More than half a dozen students from 8th to 12th grades addressed the board. I think board, administration, staff and faculty could use some education on orientation issues. It's a job for GLSTN type input, though I'm not sure the district is ready for that just yet! How many heard the word *homosexual* spoken publically for the first time this academic year! This year has been strenuous and divisive for E-town, but there are forces in the community and school district working for healing without sacrificing lesbigays. Ray ---------------------------------------------- LOVE SHALL OVERCOME Ray L. Moyer ignorance exclusion (Pottsville, PA, USA) isolation hatred February 1997 fear ---------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/