Subject: ACTION ALERT: Arkansas
From: ACTION ALERT Moderator
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 09:23:28 -0600 (CST)

[ submitted by [email-masked] ]

*** SUMMARY ***

Here is some information regarding two teenagers living in northwest AR who
have been the victims of hate crimes.  Please, read and respond with letters
to  the addresses provided at the end.

In the December 6th issue of the Northweat Arkansas Times, there were
reports of gay related hare crimes, in Fayetteville, AR.

The first was a report of a 16-year-old, young man who had been repeatedly
harrassed at high school for being gay.  William Wagner has endured
harrassment for several years since he came out in Junior High in
Fayetteville.  In this recent incidenthe was beaten in the street  in the
middle of the school day with fellow students screaming, "This is what you
deserve.", "You faggot."

We all know that school officials are sticking their heads in the sand when
saying, "We were not aware of any such incidents."  Even though it was
reported in the article that  these incidents of name calling were occurring
in class during school hours.  Teachers have heard these taunts and slurs
against Mr. Wagner in class and have refused to take any action in the
matter, either against the students that are the harrassers or reporting
said students to principal.

The other gay related incident is a homophobic bashing of a 12-year-old
junior high student.  Her mother stated that her daughter has been
physically harrassed over two years at different Fayetteville schools
because her mother is a lesbian.  The 12-year-old girl, now a seventh grader
at Woodland Junior High School, fears for her own safety.  The 12-year-old
student has told her mother that there's not been one  day that she has not
been called terrible names, tripped, kicked, hot or spit upon.  This is a
daily occurrence and never lets up.  The student has reported these
incidents to to the teachers and prinicpals.  They tell her to go back to
class.  When the principal was contacted, she stated that she was unaware of 
alleged assaults.  The student sits alone at lunch, and has to take lower
grades on group projects because other students refuse to work with her.  In
the most recent assault, five students wrapped the 12-year-old in a
parachute during gym class and kicked her in the head.  The mother of the
student said she could no longer stay silent, "The abuse worsens if I come
to school, but I had to say something this time."  In elementary school,
last year, the mother has compiled a list of 21 violent acts committed
against her daughter, and nothing was done.  The student received an F on
one of her assignments  recently because she refused to do it over after
another student ripped pages out of her 14 page report in class.  But the
student who vandalized her report was not punished.  Ms. Marbury, principal
of the 12-year-old stated that, "Harrassment is rarely a one-sided 
occurrance."  What is this principal saying, that this kind of behavior os
acceptable in her school?

*** ACTION ***

   What we are asking everyone to do is write three letters.  One to  each
principal of  the two school involved, and one letter to the superintendent
of schools in Fayetteville.  Please, express your outrage that these kinds
of things are occurring in 1996.  We have to put a stop to this behavior.

Superindentent of schools - Dr. Bobby New
                            P.O. Box #849
                            Fayetteville, AR 72702

Principal - John Delap
            Fayetteville High School
            East Campus
            1001  W. Stone
            Fayetteville, AR 72701   (16 year-old, William Wagner)

Principal - Evelyn Marbury
            Woodland Junior High School
            15 E. Poplar
            Fayetteville, AR 72703

Thank you.
Esther Gordon
PFLAG- Little Rock
[email-masked]

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