Date: Mon, 02 Feb 1998 16:52:39 -0800 From: Jean Richter Subject: 2/2/98 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news, pt. 2 1. CA: How you can help in San Leandro, and other news ========================================================== [from GLSEN/SFBA newsletter Star BANGLE Spanner Feb. 1998 Number 46e] HOW YOU CAN HELP IN SAN LEANDRO All bay area lesbians, gays, and pro-gay straight allies: your help is needed. Gay and pro-gay teachers and the principal at San Leandro High School are receiving heavy criticism from the Christian Right, for trying to make San Leandro High School safer for students who are lesbian, gay, or perceived as gay. So far, the superintendent's silence has been deafening. Already, two openly gay students have left the school due to harassment. And, four staff members have received written complaints for supporting a safe school environment for lesbian and gay students and staff. If possible, please attend the next three school board meetings, Feb. 3, when we will be proposing an action item to educate the school board and superintendent about the need for pro-gay programs, and curriculum. Help us show the school district "the right is wrong": Things you can do: 1) Attend one or more of the following school board meetings. If you wish to speak during public testimony, fill out a yellow information card when you arrive. Meetings are Tuesdays, at 7pm at San Leandro City Hall, Council Chambers Room, 835 E. 14th St., San Leandro, CA. 2) Send letters, faxes, or make phone calls to the district office and school board, specifically supporting the principal and teachers of San Leandro High School: Tom Himmelberg Superintendent of SLUSD 14735 Juniper St. San Leandro, CA 94579 phone: 510-667-3522 fax: 510-667-3569 San Leandro Board of Education 14735 Juniper St. San Leandro, CA 94579 3) To receive more info. mail a request to: Parents for Safe Schools Coalition P.O.Box 128, San Leandro CA 94577 or email: bkonecny@aol.com 4) or send a letter to the editor: San Leandro Times 2060 Washington Ave. San Leandro, CA 94577 NATIONWIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR GLBT STUDENTS by Nicholas Boggs (From The Washington Blade, Washington D.C.'s gay newspaper) Graduating Gay high school seniors across the country can now apply for $1,000 grants for college study, thanks to a new program administered by Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgendered United Employees at AT&T (LEAGUE), the nation's oldest and largest Gay workplace organization. The national scholarship program, the first of its kind, is an extension of a grant system that was instituted by LEAGUE in Los Angeles County schools in 1996. Public and private school students are eligible for application. "With all of the attention about young people in the Gay community, we thought we had to contribute in some way," said John Klenert, director of The LEAGUE Foundation. "There was no national scholarship program to help youth in our community, so we wanted to send a message to young people that there is support for them as they go out into the world." Applicants must identify as Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, or transgendered; maintain at least a 3.0 out of 4.0 grade point average; and, must be active participants in community service. In order to receive the grant, applicants must also be accepted to an accredited two- or four-year college. Applications are due Feb. 28. For more information, call (703)713-7820 or visit LEAGUE's Web site at www.league-att.org. CHILDREN NEEDED FOR VIDEO: "MY FAMILY IS SPECIAL" Women's Educational Media, the award-winning makers of "IT'S ELEMENTARY: Talking About Gay Issues In School" and "Deadly Deception" are embarking on a new video entitled "My Family Is Special." Help is needed in finding the families who will be featured! "My Family Is Special" will introduce children in kindergarten through third grade to a variety of family structures and provide positive images and vocabulary to help them better understand and appreciate our diverse communities. The twenty minute video, one of a three part series entitled "Respect For All," profiles children whose families are virtually invisible in most books and audio-visual productions, and gives names to some situations which peers, and often teachers, frequently feel confused or uncomfortable discussing in a neutral manner. The children in the videos will tell their own stories using the vocabulary of divorce, adoption, single parenting, gay dads and lesbian moms etc. We need engaging, articulate, outgoing kids between the ages of 6-10 years old, of every race. Please contact Ariella Ben-Dov at Women's Educational Media (415) 641-4616 or email wemajbd@aol.com with any suggestions or questions. They will be happy to send flyers and call or write specific families directly. GLSEN/SFBA ESSAY CONTEST The prize money has been increased for this year's essay contest. The contest is open to any high school student residing in the nine county San Francisco Bay Area. A flyer is on the next page. It would be great if YOU could see that the contest is brought to the attention of high school English and History teachers in schools near you. The contest would make a great required or optional extra credit assignment. Just seeing the poster on bulletin boards can be a help to sexual minority students. Please make copies of the next page and distribute it widely at schools, libraries, etc. If you would also like to help with mailings to schools, or to judge the contest, please contact Bob Latham at (510) 234-3429 or BobLatham@aol.com This flyer is slightly different than the one included in December. The wording has been improved, and the CASTRO Lions Club, which recently pledged financial support, is acknowledged. ESSAY CONTEST _______________________________________________ COMPARE AND CONTRAST GLBT DISCRIMINATION _______________________________________________ The discrimination and persecution that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) people face is sometimes compared to that based on race or religion at various points in history. Pick some specific area of persecution and discrimination in history and compare and contrast that to the persecution and discrimination faced by GLBT people today. First prize: $300 Second prize: $200 Third prize: $100 Sponsored by: The CASTRO Lion's Club of San Francisco and GLSEN/SFBA, Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network/San Francisco Bay Area (formerly BANGLE, Bay Area Network of Gay and Lesbian Educators) * Essays must be 300-400 words long, typed, double-spaced, and will be judged on how well they communicate information on the subject. * The contest is open to any high school student, regardless of sexual orientation, in the nine county San Francisco Bay Area, in both public and private high schools. * Be sure to include your name, grade, high school, and mailing address along with your essay. Please include a teacher's name if you use your school as your mailing address. Include a phone number if you would like to be notified by phone. * Winners will be notified by May 1, 1998. The judging will be done by a panel of teachers and writers. Awards will be paid by check. * No more than two entries may be submitted by a single student. Students retain copyright ownership of their entry, but by entering the contest grant GLSEN/SFBA the right to publish the entry in the GLSTN/SFBA newsletter. * Entries must be postmarked by Monday, March 30, 1998. Mail to: GLSEN/SFBA Essay Contest P.O. Box 70554 Point Richmond, CA 94807-0554 ============================================================================= 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/