Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 17:18:14 -0800 From: Jean Richter Subject: 1/19/2000 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. NJ: Teen's beating being investigated as possible hate crime 2. UK: More on Scotland's controversy over Clause 28 posted to web site 3. CA: Letter supports Davis schools' ban on Boy Scout recruiting; More on churches' support of anti-gay initiative =============================================================================== From: SARATOGANY@aol.com Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 18:36:30 EST Subject: Commentary on NJ Gay Student Beating To: SARATOGANY@aol.com, bdm3g@gateway.net Msg fwd by: The Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020 Email to: saratogany@aol.com "The Actual or Perceived GLBT Student Protection Project" CSS-NYS Note: A crime is a crime and schools should not be a safe atmosphere for criminal perpetrators. ========================================================= This message has been distributed as a free informational service for the expressed interest of non-profit research and educational purposes only. I am leading with the following story, because I think this is one of the areas, where the focus of our efforts needs to be. Safety in the schools. The story seems to be simply about a student who was beaten up for being gay. This probably goes on in virtually every school in the country. And, as in virtually all of these instances, the school looks the other way. However, in this case, the student is handling the case the way it ought to be handled in any instance where physical injury occurs. By bringing in the police. One thing that jumps right out is the fact that the principal did not report the crime. No great surprise there. If a student were beaten because of their skin color or religion would the reaction be the same? Of course not. We need to force some consciousness-raising upon school officials who allow gay students (or students perceived to be gay) to attend classes in a climate of fear and threats of violence. We need to educate gay youth that when they are physically attacked it may very well be worth going to the police. We need to let them know that when they are attacked they need to seek out glbt advocacy groups for help and support. And we need to educate them to the fact that when the school refuses to act, to help insure that they are safe to attend classes, it is time to bring in a lawyer. I hope an area lawyer, specializing in glbt advocacy, responds to the following case. My guess is that when schools are faced with both bad publicity and the real threat of litigation, principals, superintendents and school boards will stop looking the other way. And it will probably happen so quickly their necks will snap. >From the Bergen Record, who deserve praise for not only reporting on the story, but giving gay students advice on how to get help. Ironically, the story was later picked up and distributed by the regional AP. If they did that every time a gay student was beaten up at school, they wouldn't have room to print anything else. -- Scott (LelioRisen@aol.com) ============================================================== The Record, January 15, 2000 150 River Street, Hackensack, NJ, 07602 (Fax 201-646-4135 ) (E-MAIL: LettersToTheEditor@bergen.com ) ( http://www.bergen.com/ ) Beating of gay student probed as bias attack By PAULO LIMA, Staff Writer After days of taunts and threats, a 16-year-old homosexual student at Memorial High School in Elmwood Park was beaten by a schoolmate, and police are investigating the incident as a bias crime, authorities said Friday. No charges had been filed, but police know the identity of the alleged assailant and were investigating. Detectives will consult with school officials and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office before deciding on charges, Police Chief Byron Morgan said. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ================================================================================ I've posted several news articles on the controversy over Clause 28 in Scotland to our web site at URL: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Alerts/International/clause3.html At over 30K, they're too big to post here, but if you can't access the web and would like to see them, please email me. ================================================================================ Sacramento Bee, January 15, 2000 P. O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA, 95813 (Fax 916-321-1109 ) (E-MAIL: opinion@sacbee.com ) ( http://www.sacbee.com ) Letter: Old Testament religion Re ''Homosexuality and Scouting,'' letter, Jan. 8: Paul Arden apparently doesn't like the Davis school district's strong moral stand against the religious and homophobic discrimination practice of the Boy Scouts. He then attacks the gay community by referring to Leviticus in the Old Testament. While the so-called Old Testament has much in it that is wise and good, much of it is indeed barbaric and encourages extreme violence. One of the passages he refers to encourages the extermination of the gay community, which numbers around 25 million people. Other passages require the extermination of adulterers, blasphemers, children who curse their parents and many others. If we followed the so-called Old Testament, we would have to exterminate at least 100 million people alone in this country to start. The Scouting movement in the European community does not discriminate or teach hate against anyone, and Europe has only a tiny fraction of violence that we have. This is true because they know out of bitter experience that the Bible, in the wrong hands, leads to intolerance, which leads to hate and, in turn, finally leads to extreme violence. The Davis school district is to be commended. ­ Joseph S. Bruno, Carmichael ================================================================================ Orange County Register, January 17, 2000 625 N. Grand Avenue, Santa Ana, CA, 92711 (Fax 714-543-3904 ) (E-MAIL: ocregister@link.freedom.com ) ( http://www.ocregister.com/ ) A TUG-OF-WAR ON CIVIL RIGHTS POLITICS: Some Orange County Korean churches are collecting signatures for an anti-gay ballot initiative. By VIK JOLLY, The Orange County Register Some Korean churches in Orange County are rallying against homosexuality ­ a mobilization, some say, not seen before in the immigrant churches that have remained on the fringes of mainstream politics. Civil-rights advocates fear the activism is spreading homophobia, and they are uneasy about a new relationship the churches are forging with the Christian Coalition. [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) These messages are archived by state on our information-loaded free web site: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/