Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 16:01:19 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 7/27/98 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. VT: Gay student testimony entered into Congressional Record 2. IN: More on anti-gay harassment of teachers in Lafayette 3. OK: Gay teen changes school districts to avoid harassment 4. TX: El Paso youth group =============================================================== Congressional Record, July 21, 1998 http://thomas.loc.gov ISSUES FACING YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY -- HON. BERNARD SANDERS (Extension of Remarks - July 21, 1998) *Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have printed in the Record these statements by high school students from my home state of Vermont, who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young people today. I am inserting their statements in the Congressional Record as I believe that the views of these young persons will benefit my colleagues. Isaac Evans-Frantz: Growing up gay , lesbian or bisexual can be very difficult in the society that we live in. Many gay teenagers are subjected to homophobia every day of their lives. 93 percent of Vermont educators reported that homophobic name-calling takes place with great frequency and intensity in their schools. We can assure you that these educators are absolutely correct. Gays are frequently harassed at school, and many drop out as a result. Those kids who hide their sexual orientations because of fear sometimes suffer just as much. It is not surprising that suicide is the leading cause of death among gay youth. An overwhelming percent of gay and lesbian youth experience severe social isolation. It is often difficult for these students to find the resources and support that they need within their schools. The silence about homosexuality not only affects gays, but affects our entire society. We are caught in a cycle of fear and hatred, which comes from ignorance. It is obvious that the bigoted remarks about gays that are so prevalent in our hallways are the result of an education we have not had. Aliana Lyon: Prism, Brattleboro's Gay -Straight Alliance, was started two years ago as the answer to an urgent need of support for gay, lesbian and bisexual youth. The Gay -Straight Alliance is open to all who wish to attend, and sexual orientation is not discussed unless initiated by the students. The Alliance plays two major roles--it acts as a support group and an activist group. Our group is composed of about twenty students and is supported by trusted faculties and community members. Prism is a comfortable atmosphere of caring people where issues of harassment, sexuality, homophobia and personal fears are freely discussed. When we are not sharing stories or concerns, we are planning our next project to make people aware of homophobia in our school or society. We started working within our school first. We led discussions on homophobia in the freshman health classes, trying to create an awareness of our group's existence and the social issue. To involve the community, we showed an educational video called 'It's Elementary.' It discusses homosexuality with elementary school children, asking them what they think the definition of gay , lesbian or bisexuality means. It is followed by a sharing of experiences, ideas and information. We have visited other gay straight alliances in Vermont and Massachusetts to inform each other of events happening, along with difficulties and successes of having an alliance in public schools. Statewide, Prism has visited the Vermont State House twice for Teen Day at the legislature. The second visit, we facilitated a workshop in how to start an alliance, and how to find the support needed to sustain an alliance. We are not funded by the school for any of these activities, and we have paid for our own expenses by grants and donations. Isaac Evans-Frantz. There are still many schools that provide little assistance for gay, lesbian and bisexual students. We feel that this support is important to their social and academic well-being. We would like to see our governments--local, state, and national--provide financial backing for schools to initiate gay -straight alliances. Massachusetts has done just that. In 1992, the Governor and Lt. Governor established a commission to research problems affecting gay and lesbian youth. As a result, the Massachusetts government offered monetary incentives for schools to start groups for gay and lesbian and straight students. Hopefully, the work of Massachusetts will serve as a model for Vermont and the country. Our state has made progress towards making schools safer for gay students. In March, our Governor and Commissioner of Education wrote a letter to Vermont school principals urging them to stop the harassment of gay and lesbian students. He reminded schools that Vermont law requires every school to maintain a policy prohibiting the harassment, including harassment of homosexuals. We hope that one day, gay and straight alliances will no longer be necessary. Until then, we ask that our schools, our state, and our nation take an active role in making our schools places where all students are safe, valued, and respected. Congressman Sanders: A very good job. ================================================================================= Indianapolis Star News, July 26, 1998 307 N. Pennsylvania St.,Indianapolis,IN,46204 (Fax 317-633-1038 ) (E-MAIL: newseditor@starnews.com ) Educator harassment perplexes Lafayette Response to anti-gay threats hampered by lack of identification of perpetrators, targets.   By John R. O'Neill, Indianapolis Star/News LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- There is a simple explanation for why so many people here are upset about what's happening in the Lafayette School Corporation. [Deleted part. filemanager@qrd.org] Mike Smith, a member of the Lafayette City Council, voted in 1996 to keep the sexual-orientation language in the ordinance. He thinks recent events prove such laws are necessary. But the public reaction, he said, proves something else. "You would think it would be divisive," said Smith, who's also a middle- school teacher. "But it really has sort of galvanized the community in support of diversity. It's just been wonderful to see." ================================================================================ TULSA WORLD, July 24, 1998 Box 1770,Tulsa,OK,74102 (Fax 918-581-8353 ) (E-MAIL: tulsaworld@webtek.com ) ( http://www.tulsaworld.com/ ) Gay Sapulpa teen to leave harassment behind By Scott Cooper World Staff Writer SAPULPA -- Will Allen is looking for a fresh start at a Tulsa high school. Allen, a junior at Sapulpa High School, is transferring out of the district to get away from the death threats and harassment he has endured for the last two years, his parents said, because he is gay. [Deleted part. filemanager@qrd.org] Sam Allen had no complaints about the Sapulpa district and said his two other children will continue to attend Sapulpa schools. He has no plans of stepping down from the school board. "The community support has been wonderful," he said. Scott Cooper can be reached at 581-8469. ================================================================================ Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 16:31:06 -0500 From: JLSE Organization: Mexican Border Web Projects Subject: Re: Youth OUTreach FORWARDED BY LAREDO QUEER SPACE LAMBDA GLBT Community Services wrote: > Youth OUTreach, El Paso's 21-and-under GLBTQ youth group meets weekly on > Saturdays at 3pm. For more information, visit http://www.lambda.org or > call 915-562-GAYS. > > Youth OUTreach is a division of LAMBDA GLBT Community Services, a > non-profit queer organization serving the BorderPlex since 1991. -- SIGNATURE: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." - HAMLET ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CITY OF LAREDO: http://www.cityoflaredo.com/ LIBRARY: http://www.laredolibrary.org/index.html GLSEN LAREDO BOARD OF DIRECTORS % Laredo Queer Space (956)791-1869 QUEER LAREDO ON LINE: Laredo Queer Space Jaime Lopez < jaimel@netscorp.net > http://www.netscorp.net/~jaimel (956)791-1869 Hadrian House, Publishers ANTINOUS E-PRESS "Th Ganymede Equation A Retrospective, 1971-98" http://www.netscorp.net/~hadrian ============================================================================== 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/