Subject: HISTORIC GAY YOUTH LOBBY (Press Release)
From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 1996 11:43:05 -0500

News From . . .
THE GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:    January 3, 1996
CONTACT:    Kristy Billuni, 415-861-2244, e-mail [email-masked].

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**  YOUNG GAYS CONVERGE IN SACRAMENTO FOR HISTORIC PROTEST, LOBBYING  **
 
Education Issues -- School Discrimination, Textbook Bias, HIV/AIDS --
Highlight  "A Day to Empower the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered
Youth of California;" Chastity Bono, Assemblymember Shiela Kuehl Join the
Capitol Rally  
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SACRAMENTO [January 3, 1996] --  Lesbian and gay youth gathered this morning
in the State's Capitol to inform their elected officials that homophobia is
rampant in California's public schools.  This "Youth Lobby Day," an historic
first, was coordinated by LIFE Lobby, a legislative advocacy organization
concerned with lesbian/gay and AIDS issues.  

The "Youth Lobby Day" began with an 8:30 AM check in and concluded at a 4:30
PM reception.  An 11:30 AM rally featured speeches by Chastity Bono and
Assemblymember Sheila Kuehl.  All of the day's events --  workshops, meetings
with members of the legislature, and the rally -- were intended to expose
California's indifference to, and hostility towards, lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender youth.  

"Youth Lobby Day" organizers specifically called for the passage of pending
legislation that would protect public school students from discrimination
based on sexual orientation (AB 1001) and provide life-saving HIV/AIDS
education to 5th and 6th grade students (SB 101).  Other demands included the
reform or replacement of current textbooks (which either ignore or berate
homosexuality), support for affirmative action policies, and protection from
organizations that discriminate against gay youth (including the Boy Scouts
and JROTC).  

The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD/SFBA), applauds this effort to empower youth and
focus attention on California's "dismal record of disregard for lesbian and
gay students."  "Because of its economic clout, the State does influence
educational policy across the nation," said GLAAD spokesperson Al Kielwasser,
"but California is in no way a leader in public education."  "The State's
know-nothing approach to homosexuality has only promoted the ignorance of
homophobia -- and taught generations of children to hate." 

California's textbooks and curriculum frameworks lag far behind the equity
standards set by leading professional associations.  Policy statements
supporting multicultural/inclusive curricula and educational equity for
lesbians and gays have been adopted by the National Education Association,
the American Federation of Teachers, the American School Health Association,
the American Psychological Association, the Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, the American Association for Counseling and
Development, and the National Association of Social Workers -- to name a few.

Founded in 1988, the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of GLAAD is an
independently-incorporated, non-profit membership organization, dedicated to
cultural advocacy and media activism.  In 1990, GLAAD founded Project 21, a
national curriculum advocacy and educational equity alliance.  Project 21
promotes the fair, accurate and diverse representation of lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender subjects in public school textbooks and other
educational media. 

-- 30 -- 

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I. Additional Contacts/Resources:

Ellen McCormick, LIFE Lobby, 926 J Street, Suite 522, Sacramento, CA 95814,
tel. 916-444-0424, fax 916-444-3059.

Al Kielwasser or Bonnie Haley, Project 21, c/o GLAAD, 1360 Mission, Suite
200, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 861-2244, fax 415-861-4893, e-mail
[email-masked].

Oren Slozberg, Forest Swartout, Dennis Isner or Brandon Taylor, LYRIC
(Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center), 127 Collingwood Street, San
Francisco, CA 94114, tel. 415-703-6150, e-mail lyric@thecity sfsu.edu.

Jessea Greenman, The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project, 586 62nd Street, Oakland, CA
94609-1245, tel./fax 510-601-8883, e-mail [email-masked].

All Members, The California State Board of Education, P.O. Box 944272,
Sacramento, CA 94244-2720, tel. 916-657-5478, fax 916-653-7016.

The Honorable Chair and All Members, Education Committee (K-12), California
State Assembly, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0001.
 
The California State Senate, P.O. Box 942848, Sacramento, CA 94248-0001.

National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East West Highway, Suite
402, Bethesda, MD, e-mail [email-masked], URL
http://www.uncg.edu/~ericcas2/nasp/.

National Education Association, 1201 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC,
20036-3290.

National Education Association, Gay and Lesbian Caucus, P. O. Box 3559, York,
PA, 17402-0559, tel. 717-848-3354.
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II. Additional Background Information:

1.  ASSEMBLY BILL 1001:  AB 1001, the "Dignity for All Students Act," was
authored by lesbian Assembly Member Shiela Kuehl.  This legislation would
simply add "sexual orientation" to the language of the California Education
Code, which already prohibits discrimination on the basis of "race, creed,
color, national origin, sex, or economic status."  However, homophobic
members of the Assembly Committee on Education (K-12) -- buoyed by testimony
from hate groups like the Traditional Values Coalition and Concerned Women --
successfully opposed the bill on it's first vote, which took place last
session.  AB 1001 is scheduled for its second vote next week, on January 10. 

2.  SENATE BILL 101:  SB 101 would authorize AIDS/HIV prevention education
for 5th and 6th grade students.  According to LIFE Lobby, the bill is
currently "stalled" in the California State Senate.

3.  THE CALIFORNIA EDUCATION CODE:  The "Ed Code" is, literally, THE LAW
regarding education in the State.  Unfortunately, provisions of the Code are
profoundly homophobic.  In 1987, for example, the State Legislature amended
the Education Code (Section 51553, b-6) to include the REQUIREMENT that ALL
textbooks used in California's public schools MUST "teach honor and respect
for monogamous, heterosexual marriage."  

4.  THE CALIFORNIA BOARD OF EDUCATION:  The California Board of Education,
dominated for years by un-elected homophobes, also enforces a state-wide
policy stating that the subject of homosexuality "should not be introduced
before the seventh grade" and that "family values and monogamous,
heterosexual relationships are [to be] affirmed throughout" (("Family
Life/Sex Education Guidelines," State of California, Department of
Education).  Additionally, whenever the topic of homosexuality IS introduced,
"the implications of promiscuity for the spread of AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases should be clearly explained."  The guidelines also
(over)emphasize the need to "remind" students that they might be confused,
rather than gay.  

5.  EDUCATIONAL EQUITY IS ESSENTIAL:  In breeding ignorance about
homosexuality, our schools breed homophobia.  Homophobic ignorance is a
detriment to ALL youth, regardless of sexual orientation.  Queer youth are at
risk for all sorts of problems, arising from psychological stress as well as
physical abuse.  Many children will grow up to be the parents of lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender offspring.  Yet, our schools do nothing to
prepare them to understand their own children.  Disproportionate numbers of
homeless youth are ;lesbian and gay, having been kicked out of their homes in
the name of "traditional family values."  Many, if not most, anti-gay hate
crime is committed by young straight men and boys . . . children taught to
hate in their own homes, in certain churches, and in OUR public schools.  Our
tax dollars often pay for the "hidden course" in homophobia common to most
popular textbooks; in effect, we are expected to subsidize our own bashings.
 
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III.  NEA Resolution (Excerpt):

"UNDERSTANDING GAY, LESBIAN, & BISEXUAL STUDENTS THROUGH DIVERSITY 

NEA Resolution Sexual Orientation Education

The National Education Association recognizes the importance of raising the
awareness and increasing the sensitivity of staff, students, parents, and the
community to sexual orientation in our society. The Association therefore
supports the development of positive plans that lead to effective ongoing
training programs for education employees for the purpose of identifying and
eliminating sexual orientation stereotyping in the educational setting. Such
programs should attend to but not be limited to--

a. Accurate portrayal of the roles and contributions of gay, lesbian, and
bisexual people throughout history, with acknowledgment of their sexual
orientation.

b. The acceptance of diverse sexual orientation and the awareness of sexual
stereotyping whenever sexuality and/or tolerance of diversity is taught.

c. Elimination of sexual orientation name-calling and jokes in the classroom.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ASSOCIATIONS

Work with the school district, the parent-teacher organization, and community
groups to provide information to other members, parents, and counselors about
the developmental and health needs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual students.

Provide training to enable selected staff to become resources to members on
gay, lesbian, and bisexual student issues.

Recommend to the school district that in-service programs address gay,
lesbian, and bisexual concerns; and that the library include -positive
learning materials about gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.

Encourage the establishment and maintenance of peer support and community
self-help programs for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students.

Work with the school district to develop or expand school policy to ensure
respect for diversity, including gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.

Participate in coalitions to improve services for gay, lesbian, and bisexual
students."

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GLAAD/SFBA, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, California 94103
Administration Line 415-861-2244    Facsimile 415-861-4893    E-Mail
[email-masked]