Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997 16:50:23 -0800
richter@eecs.berkeley.edu (Jean Richter)
P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news for 3/20/97
[I'm trying a different format; if this causes problems for you,
please let me know - JMR]
1. NY: More on Niskayuna GSA controversy
2. NY: GLB Safety Zone stickers
3. HBO drama on teen with lesbian parents
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March 3, 1997
Letters to the Editor
The Daily Gazette
Dear editor:
Your recent editorial ("Sound Policy on Gay Students," Feb. 27) calling for
"neutrality" in response to Niskayuna students' Visibility Gay/Straight
Alliance, is based on two flawed assumptions.=20
=46irst, the United States Supreme Court disagrees with you about when a sch=
ool
endorses an activity. The Court held in Mergens that schools endorse only
what is curricular -- extracurricular activities do not reflect a school'=
s
endorsement.
More importantly, you are wrong to suggest that clubs like the Visibility
Gay/Straight Alliance are about the promotion of sexual activity. Like all
teens, lesbian and gay adolescents struggle with the difficulties of their
age and with recognizing themselves as individuals. The social scene in hig=
h
school centers often on dating, dances, and a host of other activities that
assume sexuality, but not necessarily sexual activity. Lesbian and gay yout=
h
must navigate these difficult years in an atmosphere that assumes they are
heterosexual. Particularly during adolescence, it is easy to be overwhelmed
by the message that being gay or lesbian is so undesirable that life as a ga=
y
person isn't worth living.
The Visibility Gay/Straight Alliance would promote self-respect and
understanding, and it would help reduce risks of anti-gay student violence.
It is tragically misguided to fret that such a group would prompt young
people to "declare their sexuality." The goal should be to send teens the
clear message that they are valuable regardless of their sexuality, and they
should respect themselves and others.=20
As most parents know, self-respect is a prerequisite for responsible
adolescent behavior, sexual or otherwise. To encourage young people to avoi=
d
premature sexual activity, promoting self respect is vital. It is
destructive to promote the myth that the level of approval or disapproval
expressed to young people determines whether or not they will be gay.
Given the support gay teens need and deserve, the neutrality you recommend
easily could seem like hostility. For example, in events that led to
Lambda's recent lawsuit on behalf of a gay Wisconsin high school student,
school officials apparently believed that "neutrality" meant not interfering
with the years of brutal anti-gay abuse from other students. In that case,
a federal jury found the officials liable for violating the rights of that
youth, Jamie Nabozny, leading to a landmark $900,000 settlement from the
officials.
Niskayuna students, in seeking to encourage respect and understanding among
their peers, should be commended as fine examples of caring citizens, not
degraded with destructive stereotypes. =20
David Buckel, Staff Attorney, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund
120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005
=46rom: SARATOGANY@aol.com
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 09:16:59 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Niskayuna (NY), School District Lawyer Says GSA Has Same Privileges
The Daily Gazatte
2345 Maxon Rd. Extension
Schenectady, NY 12308
Email to: gazette@dailygazette.com
Website: http://www.dailygazette.com
1-800-262-2211
March 4, 1997
Gay group has same privileges, McAndrews says=20
"I think we can all say we're satisfied with it. Just to be able to
function as a group is the most important part, not whether the school
board recognizes us."
Kerri Tolokonsky
Visibility club president
By SHIRIN PARSAVAND
Gazette Reporter
NISKAYUNA - A support group for gay students at Niskayuna High School
will have the same privileges as other clubs, including school district
insurance for field trips or dances, Superintendent J. Briggs McAndrews
said Monday.
Those privileges had been in question after the Board of Education
decided last week not to sanction the group, called Visibility
Gay/Straight Alliance.
Board members said they were concerned that by making Visibility a
school-sanctioned club, they could wind up having to recognize other
school groups espousing political views.
At the board meeting last week, McAndrews said that without the board's
sanction, Visibility would need its own insurance for certain events, a
costly proposition.
But after consulting with school district attorney Bob Coan, he said,
he found that wasn't true.
Under federal law, schools that allow clubs that don't relate to the
curriculum must give all the clubs the same privileges, he said.
Members of the club reacted with relief Monday night. About 20 students
who came to the meeting applauded after McAndrews spoke.
"I think we can all say we're satisfied with it. Just to be able to
function as a group is the most important part, not whether the school
board recognizes us," said high school senior Kerri Tolokonsky, the
club's president.
Members and the club's co-adviser, Marilyn Sargent, said the school
needs Visibility to give gay students a place where they can feel safe.
The group's mission statement also says Visibility educates teachers,
students and the public about discrimination against gays.
After the board's decision, Sargent was told Visibility's name had to
come off posters advertising a dance it and three other student groups
are sponsoring Friday night.
But after administrators met with Coan that decision was reversed, she
said.
A few distinctions still remain between school-sanctioned activities
and so-called "limited open forum activities" such as Visibility.
The school district can sponsor, promote and help recruit students to
school-sanctioned activities, McAndrews said. Advisers for some
school-sanctioned activities also receive stipends, although Visibility
isn't seeking stipends for its advisers.
Visibility members still want to meet with board members to tell them
more about the club, McAndrews said.
"Maybe down the road, we would love to be sanctioned, but right now
we're just happy," Tolokonsky said.
Emailto:gazette@dailygazette.com" Gazette Newspapers
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Date: Tue, 04 Mar 1997 21:48:27 -0500
=46rom: Gail Z
Organization: YES!
To: Saratogany@aol.com
Subject: GLB Safety Zone Stickers
Hi John:
Last week I had a meeting with Columbia and Greene County Guidance
Counselors and gave out a flier to hang up in their respective schools
publicizing GLB? peer support groups meetings, GLB Safety Zone stickers,
and the following information sheet:=20
> YES!
> P.O. Box 691
> Hillsdale, NY 12529 =20
> (518) 325-5812=20
> email: yes@taconic.net
> WHAT IS YES?
>=20
> YES! (Youth Empowerment Support Services) is an organization serving=
lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning youth in Columbia and Greene=
counties. YES!=12s mission is to promote a safe environment in which to=
meet and foster the self esteem of self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual=
and questioning youth in Columbia and Greene counties through support,=
empowerment, outreach and education. Regularly scheduled peer support=
group meetings will be held in Hudson and Catskill, NY. =20
>=20
> WHERE ARE THESE YOUTH AND WHAT ARE THEIR RISKS?=20
>=20
> Nearly all lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning youth are invisible,=
hiding within what feels like a hostile, unresponsive environment. But=
they certainly do exist, and are at extremely high risk for:
>=20
> 7 Suicide
> 7 Isolation and loneliness
> 7 Alcohol and substance abuse
> 7 Violence and hate crimes
> 7 HIV and other STD=12s=20
> 7 Running away
> 7 Dropping out and poor school performance=20
> 7 Rejection by family, friends, social institutions
>=20
> WHAT CAN I DO TO SHOW MY SUPPORT?
> Do not assume everyone is heterosexual. Display a Safety Zone sticker on=
your door to let lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning youth know that you=
will be accepting, non-judgmental and trustworthy. Displaying these=
stickers does not mean that you are gay or bisexual. If a youth does=
approach you to talk or ask for advice, you don=12t need to have all the=
answers! Do listen with an open, unbiased mind, recognizing the courage=
behind such disclosure. Post a YES! ANNOUNCEMENT in a spot where it can=12=
t be torn down, or take responsibility for replacing it when it is. Inform=
others about YES! And please do contact us for more information.=20
> Gail Zinberg, CSW, Director
=46or your information, John, and for anyone who is interested, the
wonderful stickers I got are from Donnelly/Colt, Box 188, Hampton, CT
06247, phone 860-455-9621, fax 800-553-0006. They've got lots of great
diversity stuff, and these stickers were cheap (100 were 40cents each)
and lend themselves to school use (they're plastered all over schools in
Massachusetts). I impressed all guidance counselors with the idea that
it's not enough to be gay-positive, you've got to make it show!
Anyway, that's it for now. Talk to you soon,
Gail
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SATELLITE DIRECT, March 1997
Today's Best Bets - Tuesday, March 4, 1997
OTHER MOTHERS (HBO, 6pm E.T.)
This HBO Family Playhouse presentation is a drama that should be required
viewing in the homes of all who are intolerant of sexual choice. It follows
a teenage boy who enters a new high school and grows apprehensive about
revealing his unusual family situation: his parents are a lesbian couple.
Talk about your dilemmas. During adolescence, when fitting in is
everything, having a pair of gay female parents doesn't rank too high on the
coolness scale. But should it matter?
Starring Johanna Cassidy and Meredith Baxter. 60 minutes.
This program is playing on the following dates in March on HBO:
March 4th - 6PM; March 8th - 4PM; March 12th - 3:30PM; March 17th - 11AM =
-
March 23rd - 12:30PM; March 26th - 7:30AM=20
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Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu
The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nati=
onally)
CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT:
http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/