Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 15:32:54 -0700 From: richter@eecs.berkeley.edu (Jean Richter) Subject: 10/20/97 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. Administrivia 2. GLSEN receives $100,000 grant from Gill Foundation 3. NY: "It's Elementary" showings at libraries 4. CA: Fremont anti-harassment workshop causes controversy =============================================================== Well, after all that, they didn't assimilate me into the Gates Collective - the computer changeover's been put off until sometime in the nebulous but not-too-distant future. Apple still rules on my desktop, at least for the moment :-) =============================================================== Subject: GLSEN Receives $100,000 Gill Foundation Grant Date: Fri, 17 Oct 97 13:39:43 -0500 x-sender: glsenalert@trudy.digitopia.com From: glsenalert ***************************************************************** PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE THE GAY, LESBIAN AND STRAIGHT EDUCATION NETWORK Teaching Respect For All In Our Schools ***************************************************************** To contact the THE GAY, LESBIAN AND STRAIGHT EDUCATION NETWORK, please call us at (212)727-0135, fax us at (212) 727-0254 or write to us at 121 West 27th St., Suite 804, New York, NY 10001. ***************************************************************** Joint News Release from the Gill Foundation, Colorado Springs and GLSEN, New York City FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 17, 1997 GLSEN RECEIVES $100,000 GILL FOUNDATION GRANT Kelvin McNeill, Director of Communications -- 719) 473-4455 Kate Frankfurt, Director of Advocacy and Community Outreach -- (212) 727-0135 x108 The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) recently received a grant for $100,000 from the Gill Foundation, a private foundation based in Colorado Springs. The two-year grant will be used by GLSEN to aid in their mission of ending anti-gay bias in our nation's K-12 schools. This is the third time GLSEN has received a grant from the Gill Foundation. According to GLSEN Executive Director, Kevin Jennings, "The grant allows us to continue our grassroots organizing efforts We'll be expanding our annual Leadership Training Institute to a larger audience, and developing a pilot program of mini-Institutes in targeted regions. Our new Advocacy project was created in response to a 1997 National School Boards Association study which found that 54% of all school board members are religious conservatives, a group actively opposing efforts to end the mistreatment of LGBT youth in schools. This "School Boards Project", will equip chapters with the skills they need to organize around board elections and build coalitions to elect progressive candidates to office. Our In-School Programming will continue to center around the Student Pride Network, which helps students organize Gay-Straight Student Alliances (GSA's) nationally linked by websites and electronic list serves, giving students the opportunity to learn from each other, and know that they are not alone." "GLSEN offers the type of programs the Gill Foundation is committed to supporting throughout the United States." said Katherine Pease, Executive Director of the Gill Foundation. "We believe in building and expanding the capacity of organizations to do their important and much-needed work more effectively." -30- GLSEN became a national organization in 1994 and has since built a network of over 60 local chapters around the country. In July 1997, Kevin Jennings was invited to the White House to discuss with President Clinton the destructive effects of anti-gay bias on youth. GLSEN is unique in that it is the only organization which unites gay and straight people in an effort to make our nation's schools places where respect for all is taught, regardless of sexual orientation. The Gill Foundation was established in 1994 by Tim Gill, the founder and chairman of Quark, Inc., a Denver-based computer software company. The mission of the foundation is to support the needs of under-served and under-funded communities in their struggle for equality. It focuses its grants on programs for gay men and lesbians, issues related to HIV/AIDS and other social justice causes. In addition to grant making, the foundation operates special programs providing technical assistance and other resources to support the communities it serves. Since its inception, the Gill Foundation, which has offices in Colorado and Washington, DC, has provided nearly $4 million in grants. _______________________________________________________ The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) 121 West 27th Street, Suite 804 New York, NY 10001 212-727-0135 http://www.glsen.org _______________________________________________________ Do not hit reply to send an email to GLSEN. GLSEN's email address is glsen@glsen.org Staff Addresses: Deidre Cuffee-Gray: dcuffee-gray@glsen.org Jenesha de Rivera: jderivera@glsen.org Kate Frankfurt: kfrankfurt@glsen.org Janice Goldfarb: jgoldfarb@glsten.org Kevin Jennings: kjennings@glsen.org John Spear: jspear@glsen.org Student Pride: studentpride@glsen.org GLSEN Interns: interns@glsen.org _______________________________________________________ GLSEN-Alert is a GLSEN news bulletin service of the The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). _______________________________________________________ To Unsubscribe from GLSEN-Alert simply send an email to glsenalert@glsen.org with the words "unsubscribe" in the subject line (no quotes). _______________________________________________________ To Subscribe to GLSEN-Alert simply send an email to glsenalert@glsen.org with the words "subscribe" in the subject line (no quotes). Also: please write your name in the message portion of your email. _______________________________________________________ ================================================================ From: SARATOGANY@aol.com Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 12:31:05 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Good News / "It's Elementary" scheduled showings Message from: the Coaliton for safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020 Webpage under construction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------- for educational content only Note: I have had many meetings with the principal of my school since March 97, regarding harassment based upon gay, lesbian, bisexual sexual orientation and those perceived to be GLB. He arranged for me to workup an in-service teacher training program with the two school's social workers. The program was held over a two day period (2 hours each day) in June. Our school now has a harassment specialist that deals with all harassment issues and includes harassment based on sexual orientation. By the end of the school year, all students will have been through this harassment program. During this past week, I overheard a student conversing with another student and used the word "faggot". The other student responded with "You can't say that (faggot) in this school anymore". I have noticed a improvement in terms of respect for others and a much less hostile learning environment. Although not specific to GLB, some classrooms have posters on their doors with phrases about respecting all. It surely makes me feel good about my school's response to these issues. Now if we can get the other 470 public and non-public schools in our 8 county area to take a proactive approach. John Myers PS: CSS-NYS and Troy's Unity House - Safety Zone are co-sponsoring the showing of "It's Elementary: Talking about gay issues in school". These showing are free open to the public. The intended viewing audience: teachers / school administrators, parents, school counselors, religious congregations, health care providers, education policy makers, PTA's, high school /college and graduate students and anyone who enjoys a good film. "It's Elementary" makes clear: how all children are affected by anti-gay prejudice, how students feel about anti-gay name-calling at their school, what children who have gay or lesbian family members want their teachers and classmates to know, what school is like for gay and lesbian students and what questions kids have and where their ideas come from. The schedule is: Schenectady County Public Library 99 Clinton Street, October 27, 1997, Monday, 7pm Albany Public Library 161 Washington Avenue October 30, 1997, Thursday, 7pm Troy Public Library 100 Second Street, November 3, 1997, Monday, 7pm We welcome ANY organization's (NY Capital Region) invitation to show this video or others we have available. ==================================================================== SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, October 19, 1997 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose,CA,95190 (Fax 408-471-3792, print run 275,600) (E-MAIL: letters@sjmercury.com)(http://www.sjmercury.com) Gay workshop divides Fremont Teachers' planned training on harassment spurs opposition By Sandy Kleffman Mercury News Staff Writer [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ======================================================================= 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/ Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 16:22:44 -0700 From: richter@eecs.berkeley.edu (Jean Richter) Subject: 10/20/97 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news, pt. 2 1. UT: News article on Jacob Orosco's suicide and its aftermath ================================================================= From: DBLLDEF@aol.com Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 10:10:10 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Gay/Straight Student Alliances The Safe Schools Coalition of Washington State has documented the difference made by gay/straight alliances and other gay-related student groups. In its 1996 Annual Report entitled "Safe Schools Anti-Violence Documentation Project," the Coalition released the findings of a statewide student survey. In response to questions about the effect of gay/straight alliances and other gay-related groups, students overwhelmingly responded in the affirmative that: * "having a group at school makes school a safer place for Gay/Lesbian youth"; * "having a support group helps me stay in school"; and * "youth involved in the support groups are less likely to attempt or commit suicide." One youth said, "Yes, by giving me a place at my high school to feel truly safe and included." Another youth said, "Yes! It's easer to go through a day if you know other Gay/Lesbian students are around . . . " Sadly, more tragic proof arises in the detailed story of Jacob Orosco below. If you know of students in trouble with their club, please call our receptionist at (212) 809-8585 (or e-mail at lldef@aol.com) for information on obtaining our legal guide entitled "RESOURCES FOR DEFENDING GAY/STRAIGHT STUDENT ALLIANCES AND OTHER GAY-RELATED GROUPS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS." In our advocacy for gay/straight student alliances around the country, we have found that the single most important thing we can do to protect the club is to get the legal guide into the hands of the school's attorney as soon as possible. David Buckel, Staff Attorney, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, October 18, 1997 Front Page PO Box 8263,Philadelphia,PA,19101 (Fax 215-854-4483, print run 515,523) (E-MAIL: inquirer.editorial@phillynews.com)( http://www.phillynews.com) For teen gay activist, a sudden, baffling end He killed himself after leading a battle against bias at his Utah high school. By Gwen Florio INQUIRER STAFF WRITER [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ====================================================================== 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/