From: GLAADSFBA@aol.com Date: Wed, 3 Jan 1996 11:43:05 -0500 Subject: HISTORIC GAY YOUTH LOBBY (Press Release) 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 billuni@aol.com. _________________________________________________________________ ** 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 _________________________________________________________________ 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 -- _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 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 glaadp21@aol.com. 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 jessea@uclink2.berkely.edu. 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 NASP8455@aol.com, 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. _________________________________________________________________ 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. _________________________________________________________________ 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." _________________________________________________________________ GLAAD/SFBA, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, California 94103 Administration Line 415-861-2244 Facsimile 415-861-4893 E-Mail GLAADSFBA@aol.com