Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 18:21:19 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 4/7/98 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news, pt. 2 1. Working with conservative Christians in schools 2. National Day of Silence ======================================================= Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1998 23:15:24 -0400 From: Maggie Heineman To: schools@youth-guard.org (The Youth-Guard Schools List) Subject: B-A workshop at GLSEN Midwest Conference On Sunday, March 29, at the GLSEN Midwest Conference, the Bridges-Across Project presented a workshop: "Working With Conservative Christians in Schools" Our Policy page http://www.bridges-across.org/policy.htm has links to the handouts which were distributed. Three of the panelists are ex-gay ministry directors. The fourth panelist is a lesbian woman. You'll like this excerpt from her b-a intro: Sandi Wiggins: >A little over ten years ago I was involved with two different >Ex-Gay ministries. I was involved to the point where I was a >small group leader and a hotline phone counselor. My thinking >was completely change imperative. I engaged Ex-Gay ministries >because of my own deep cognitive and spiritual distress about >being a Christian and a lesbian. I met my partner at an Exodus >conference. About five years ago, I turned to yet a third Ex-Gay >ministry. > >Within the past two years, I have been praying and brooding >more intensely for resolution in my soul. I had deeply internalized >homophobia because of the way the I understood that the Bible >and hence God thought about me. I totally believed that I could >not live a fulfilling life or be a Christian or be self-actualized >unless my same gender attractions disappeared. Now I have >seen that all these things are possible in my life and that I can >truly continue to follow Jesus. Becoming involved in Bridges >Across is piece of the puzzle in my on-going journey. Tom Cole, the director of Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan will give his report to the Policy list tomorrow. His report will also be uploaded to the Policy page of our site. Tom will say what he said at the workshop, that he has read the Detroit GLSEN "Bruised Bodies, Bruised Spirits" report and that conservative Christians should support the policy recommendations of that report, and he would like to work with GLSEN to make this happen. clip from http://www.bridges-across.org/policy.htm ---------------------------------------------------------- Part Two: Reports from presenters Watch this space. As the presenters' reports are posted to the policy list, they will be uploaded. To subscribe to the policy list, send a message to majordomo@bridges-across.org. "subscribe policy" or "subscribe policy-digest" ---------------------------------------------------------- Part Three: feedback You need not subscribe to the Policy List at Bridges-Across to interact with it. The most germaine messages will be uploaded, and you may submit comments and questions to the list by sending a message to policy@bridges-across.org Messages will bounce to the listowner and be posted if they are relevant to the discussion on the list. ___________________ posted to schools@Youth-Guard.org on April 6, 1996 by Maggie ===================================================== Margaret Andrus Heineman http://www.critpath.org/~maggie/thought_criminal/ Home Page http://www.critpath.org/~maggie/ Bridges-Across http://www.bridges-across.org/ ===================================================== ================================================================== Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 08:35:17 -0400 From: Jason Hungerford - Youth Guardian Services Subject: National Day of Silence Wednesday Hey guys... don't forget that the National Day of Silence is tomorrow!! Youth Guardian Services, the parent organization of the SCHOOLS and YOUTH Lists is a sponsor of the event. Check out the National Day of Silence homepage: http://www.youth-guard.org/ndos ============================================================================ === STUDENTS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA WORK TO MAKE THE NATIONAL DAY OF SILENCE THEIR OWN CONTACTS: Phone: David Mariner, Advocates for Youth 202-347-5700 Email: Jessie Gilliam, Co-chair, National Day of Silence jmg8r@virginia.edu Maria Pulzetti, Co-chair, National Day of Silence mkp6n@virginia.edu Web: http://www.youth-guard.org/ndos CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Schools across North America are working to make this year's National Day of Silence unique, powerful, and tailored to fit their environment and programs. Students are adding speakouts, panel forums, lecturers, demonstrations and celebrations to emphasize the point of the event. This year the National Day of Silence is also welcoming strong Canadian participation. Lisa Nevens, coordinating the National Day of Silence at McGill University, finds that the event is particularly useful to help educate a diverse campus. "A fair number of students come from environments where sexuality is simply not discussed. Thus, the 'standard' forms of campus activism such as information tables and guest speakers do not attract, and often repel alot of people. The National Day of Silence gives us a way to get cards and information to people who would otherwise be out of reach. We are adding examples of silencing to our cards as well as information about LBGTM, and the number for our queer support and referral line." Maria Pulzetti of the University of Virginia comments, "This is the third year we have done the Day of Silence at the University of Virginia. Because it is not a brand-new event here, we have to try to make each year a little different in order to maintain interest. This year, we invited Urvashi Vaid, director of the Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, to come and speak after the silence hours. She will be giving a talk on homophobia and silencing. We feel that this is an important new aspect of the National Day of Silence at Uva because in the past, we were lacking in follow-up events to continue to educate students who were made aware of homophobia through the NDOS. We are honored to have such a leading and inspirational activist joining us on the National Day of silence." At the University of Hartford in Connecticut, Joshua Jensen of the Spectrum organization is planning a gathering following the National Day of Silence. "We are hoping that a discussion group atmosphere held in a residence hall will encourage students to come down, have some coffee, and discuss how they were affected, either as participants or observers of the National Day of Silence." Other schools are incorporating the National Day of Silence into a series of events that call attention to the issues of homophobia and silencing. Elizabeth Miller, a senior at Indiana Academy speaks about incorporating the National Day of Silence into her school's overall program to combat homophobia. "We are distributing [a pamphlet] to the teachers about what the National Day of Silence is all about, asking them to please respect the students' choice to participate. We have about 20% of our school participating... we have a number of visibly out people at our school, but we still have some amount of homophobia. Earlier this year, we painted the cheeks of 10% of the students to visibly demonstrate the number of queer people in society. This raised a lot of discussion, and hopefully the National Day of Silence will complement this." Still, while many work to enhance the message of the National Day of Silence at their school, Sarah Jognston of Mary Baldwin College feels strongly about the core message of the day. "To me NDOS means an opportunity to illuminate the silence of Mary Baldwin's lesbians and bisexuals in their effort to get sexual orientation added to the non-discrimination policy. NDOS affords MBC women the chance to show the rest of the campus how it feels to be truly silenced." The National Day of Silence, the largest international lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (lgbt) awareness event run by and for youth, will take place on April 8, 1998. Instead of speaking, people pass out cards to explain their reasons for not talking. Almost 150 colleges, universities, and high schools have signed on to this event. The event is endorsed by Advocates for Youth, And Justice for All, Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, the Human Rights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the National Coming Out Project and Candace Gingrich, Oasis Magazine, OutMedia, OutProud!, Queer Youth Network, Student Environmental Action Coalition and Youth Guardian Services. ------END----------------- ========================================================================== 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/