Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 16:44:06 -0800 From: Jean Richter Subject: 1/25/2000 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. Hong Kong: Teens publish newsletter in schools to end anti-gay prejudice 2. CA: El Modena GSA seeks injunction against school; Labor board rules Hemet teacher was discriminated against 3. NY: Youth Speak Out to be held in Troy in February ============================================================================== South China Morning Post, January 21, 2000 Hong Kong (E-MAIL: jfenby@scmp.com ) ( http://www.scmp.com/news/ ) Teenagers target schools to tackle gay prejudice MICHAEL WONG and CYNTHIA WAN Two teenage students are launching a campaign to fight discrimination against homosexuals by handing out a newly published gay newsletter at secondary schools. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ================================================================================ From: dreznik@lambdalegal.org Reply-To: lambdalegal@lambdalegal.org Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 15:35:02 -0500 Subject: Gay-Straight Student Club Seeks Injunction Against School Officials =========================================== LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND www.lambdalegal.org PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FOUNDATION www.pfaw.org News Advisory ============================================ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, January 21, 2000 Contact: Lambda: Peg Byron 212-809-8585 x230, 888-987-1984 (pager) or Myron Dean Quon at 323-937-2728, ext. 229 PFAWF - Margot Friedman at 202-467-4999, or Kendra Huard at 310-478-6657 or 310-617-6718 (cell) ============================================ Gay-Straight Student Club Seeks Injunction Against School Officials Argument: Monday, January 24, 8:30 a.m. (Orange, CA, January 21, 2000) -- To win equal treatment and recognition of their Gay-Straight Alliance club, students from El Modena High School will ask a federal judge for a preliminary injunction ordering Orange County school officials to allow the student group to meet and have equal access to school facilities as its lawsuit continues. On Monday, January 24, attorneys for the students will argue the motion before United States District Judge David O. Carter. The students' parents and attorneys will speak with reporters following the hearing. Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, People For the American Way Foundation, and Irell & Manella LLP represent the students. "These school officials need a lesson in Constitution 101, that trampling the students' first amendment rights is wrong. We urge the federal court to act now to prevent the school board's actions from causing even more damage," said Ralph G. Neas, president of the People for the American Way Foundation. Said Lambda Supervising Attorney Jon W. Davidson, "It's outrageous that rather than work to discourage anti-gay abuse in schools, the school board prefers to thwart those students who are trying to promote tolerance and respect. By refusing to recognize the GSA, the school board has not only broken its own written policies, but also has violated federal law." In addition to the first amendment violation, the students' motion argues that the school board is violating their rights under the federal Equal Access Act, which prohibits schools from discriminating against a student-initiated club because of the political, philosophical, religious or other viewpoints expressed at club meetings. After preventing the Gay-Straight Alliance from meeting all fall, the school board on December 7 unanimously rejected the students' application to have the group recognized. El Modena High School has at least 38 student groups that meet on campus, including the Asian Club, Black Student Union, Christian Club, Earth Club, Eighties Club, Equestrian Club, Gentlemen's Club, Girls' League, and Juggling Club. The school affords those clubs certain rights and opportunities, including the right to meet on school premises, participate in "Club Rush" to attract new members, announce and advertise meetings on school bulletin boards, and appear in the school yearbook. If the students' motion is granted, they will be able to exercise the same rights and opportunities that other student groups have while waiting for the final outcome of the lawsuit. Anthony Colin, et al. v. Orange Unified School District, et. al, case no. SA CV 99_1461, is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division. WHAT: El Modena High School Gay-Straight Alliance members seek preliminary injunction ordering Orange County Unified School District officials to allow their club to meet WHO: Irell & Manella attorney, David Codell, Lambda Supervising Attorney Jon Davidson, parents, and PFAWF's Kendra Huard speak with reporters following hearing WHERE:U.S. District Court for Calif.'s Central District 411 W 4th Street, Room 9D, Santa Ana WHEN: Monday, January 24, 8:30 a.m. Anthony Colin, et al. v. Orange Unified School District, et. al is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division. --30-- Click here to view Lambda's news release online. http://www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/pages/documents/record?record=557 =================================== Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund www.lambdalegal.org Western Regional Office 6030 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 200 Los Angeles, CA 90036-3617 323-937-2728 phone 323-937-0601 fax lambdalegal@lambdalegal.org ============================================================================== Riverside Press-Enterprise, January 19, 2000 3512 14th St., Riverside, CA, 92501 (Fax 909-782-7630 ) (E-MAIL: letters@pe.net ) ( http://www.pe.net/ ) State labor ruling supports gay Inland teacher Hemet's school district is told it practiced discrimination based on sexual orientation Karin Marriott, The Press-Enterprise The Hemet school district discriminated against a gay teacher when it removed a girl from the teacher's class at the parents' request, a state labor commissioner has ruled. The commissioner ordered Hemet Unified School District to post notices at schools and headquarters saying it violated state laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ================================================================================ From: SARATOGANY@aol.com Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 22:08:28 EST Subject: NY Capital Region: YOUTH SPEAK OUT (Troy City Hall, 2/9/00, 4 to 6pm) 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: Regarding participation and addtional info please contact event sponsor GLSEN NY Capital Region Chapter at glsencr@nycap.rr.com (Mitch Hahn, Chair). Please spread the word on this event. This event is open to all. See target audience list within message below and free free to invite any and all. Recommend those outside the NY Capital Region consider a similar event in your area. Support the NY "Dignity for All Students Act" Senate S5775 and Assembly A9244 (call/write your legislators) Text at: New York State Senate Home Page or http://www.senate.state.ny.us/ John Myers Director of Operations and Programs ============================================================ GLSEN NY CR Sponsored Event Subj: YOUTH SPEAK OUT Date: 01/21/2000 2:47:55 PM Eastern Standard Time From: glsencr@nycap.rr.com (glsencr) To: glsencr@nycap.rr.com (glsencr list) GLSEN's Youth SpeakOut on Wed. Feb. 9 at Troy City Hall, part of the Stop the Violence Campaign (Healthy Capital District Initiative) WHAT? A speak-out is a combination of rally and panel discussion. Speakers will be young people telling about their experiences with anti-gay violence and the threat of violence and what they believe needs to be done to make their schools safer for all students. (Speakers will be 21 and under but speaking about K-12 experience) The audience is adults and student leaders whose actions can make schools safer places for everyone. We provide a space, a microphone, a supportive atmosphere where anyone can speak, a live feed to WRPI (95.1 FM), an opportunity for some follow-up such as a news release to school district newsletters listing the suggestions generated by the speakers. WHEN? 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 9, 2000. WHERE? Troy City Hall, City Council Chamber. WHO TO INVITE TO SPEAK ? We hope 1 or 2 young people will MC the event. Five or six young people will begin the SpeakOut by describing their experiences. We need to assure that these first speakers include a youth of color, a young woman, a bisexual youth and a straight youth and ideally a middle school youth. We hope to include someone who can speak about the health consequences of the threat of anti-gay violence and someone who can make links among racial violence, gender violence and anti-gay violence. We hope to have a student from each county. HOW EVENT FURTHERS GLSEN-CR GOALS: Gives chapter visibility with other anti-violence activists, gives youth a supportive leadership opportunity by gathering supporters in their schools, getting them to the event, speaking in public, articulating problems and solutions; lets us network with other youth-serving organizations who may not see anti-gay violence as related to their work. WHO TO INVITE TO LISTEN? a.. School board members (selected supporters?) b.. school administrators c.. State Ed. school safety officials d.. School Health and Wellness group at Capital Region BOCES e.. school safety task force members in local schools f.. education committee members of the NYS legislature g.. Lt. Gov. Mary Donohue h.. representative from anti-violence advocacy groups i.. Dr. Feinberg from No. Colonie (nat'l anti-school violence efforts) j.. NYS and Rensselaer, Schenectady and Albany County human rights commission members k.. college education department faculty members ============================================================================= 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/