[glstn.essay.winner] Provided by: GLSTN 122 West 26th Street, Suite 1100 New York, NY 10001 USA Tel: (212) 727-0135 Email: glstn@glstn.org Web: http://www.glstn.org/freedom/ The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network is the largest national organization working to make sure all students are valued and respected, regardless of sexual orientation. FIRST ANNUAL LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL HISTORY MONTH ESSAY CONTEST PRESS RELEASE AND FULL TEXT OF WINNING ESSAY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kevin Jennings, Executive Director John Spear, Assistant Director (212) 727-0135 GLSTN ANNOUNCES THE WINNER OF THE FIRST ANNUAL LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL HISTORY MONTH ESSAY CONTEST NEW YORK, NY (SEPTEMBER 26, 1995)--The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN) announced today the winners of its First Annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual History Month Contest. Allison Holzer, a 17-year-old senior who resides in Richmond, Indiana and attends Westtown School, a boarding school in Westtown, PA took the $250 prize with her essay about the importance of celebrating Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual History. Holzer's essay describes why studying gay, lesbian, and bisexual history is important for all students, regardless of sexual orientation. She wrote, "When we discover that we are gay, lesbian or bisexual, we have no concept of how we are supposed to behave, or what our place is. We have no assurance that there are those who came before us, and therefore some of us think of ourselves as abnormal or awful people. Holzer writes on to explain why knowing gay, lesbian and bisexual history is so important: Knowing my history gives me pride in who I am. I can be proud in what my predecessors have accomplished which is an important part of self acceptance." A goalie on the varsity soccer team at Westtown, and winner of the Scenic Arts Award from the schools Theater Department, Allison is respected by her peers and teachers alike. "Allison is a incredibly reliable and dependable kid," says Megan Spears, one of Allison's teachers, and advisor to Westtown's Gay-Straight Alliance. Allison first learned of the contest at a meeting of Westtown's Gay-Straight Alliance, a student-run organization open to all students, and dedicated to educating the student body on the dangers of homophobia and heterosexism. "Ms. Spears told us about the contest, and I thought it would be a great way express myself," said Holzer. (The full text of Holzer's essay is attached below). The contest was open to all youth under the age 21, and 35 youth from across the country entered the contest. Kevin Jennings, GLSTN's Executive Director said, "This contest was an opportunity for youth to speak out about the importance of studying gay, lesbian, and bisexual history. The longer schools keep silent on this subject, the more youth will be victims of harassment and suicide, and drop out." Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual History Month, celebrated in October, is a time when special attention can be focused on the contributions of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people to world history. It is administered by The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN), the largest national organization working to make sure all students are valued and respected, regardless of sexual orientation. ### When I was very young, my parents began to teach me the history of my family. They started with the easy parts: the number of brothers and sisters and parents I had, and where they lived when they were growing up. Gradually, they built up to my third cousins and their children, and then went back to my great-grandparents and where they had lived. Also, through the various history courses I have taken, I have learned the history of my particular ethnic group--that is, Anglo Saxon. None of these educational experiences seemed especially important at the time this information was passed on to me. However, as I look back, the knowledge of my past has given me many indispensable resources: first, it has given me roots--connections to others who shared the same past and the same kind of experiences, and a sort of pride in being who I am. Second, it gave me the comfort of knowing that someone had been there before me, and a direction in which my past was pointing that I could either follow or ignore. Finally, it taught me to choose my direction carefully, for though I am learning my history today, I will be part of it tomorrow. When I came out to myself a year and a half ago, I knew almost nothing of gay and lesbian history. I had never heard of the lesbian bar culture of the '40s and '50s or the Stonewall riots, and I had never paid attention to the marches that had been making history right before my eyes. Because I didn't have this knowledge, I also did not have the support that I poorly needed. I had no direction--I didn't know where I had come from, so how could I know where I was headed? I also did not occur to me that the confusion I was experiencing had been experienced before by hundreds of thousands of people, and that I, like those countless before me, would pull through. I see my friends walk through the halls at school. They have their rich family and cultural histories, as do I, but most of them also have the history of their heterosexuality. Maybe it wasn't taught to them as formally as the other parts, but it was taught nonetheless, from the brief descriptions in history texts about how men courted women in the 'old days,' to every movie made in which a boy and girl fall in love. Through this they learn their roles as men and women, the ways they are expected to behave and the ways they fit into society. But a big part of me and many other young people in this world is not taught to us in this manner. When we discover that we are gay, lesbian, or bisexual, we have no concept of how we are supposed to behave, or what our place is. We have no assurance that there are those who came before us, and therefore some of us think of ourselves as abnormal or awful people. Knowing our history would not automatically make us happy, healthy human beings, whether we be gay, straight or bisexual, but it gives us a source of strength: something to fall back on when we falter. It is important for me to know gay, lesbian, and bisexual history for many of the same reasons it is important for me to know the history of my family and my culture. First, if I know where I come from, I can better determine where I want to go. I can see what has been done in the past, and either accept it or reject it, with the knowledge that I too will soon be part of that history. Second, knowing my history gives me pride in who I am. I can be proud in what my predecessors have accomplished, which makes me proud of who I am and what I am a part of, which is an extremely important part of self-acceptance. Finally, the knowledge of my past gives me roots, and a connection with others who have the same roots. These connections foster contact with people who I might otherwise have nothing in common with, and also give me a chance to support and be supported by people who have had the same kinds of experiences as I have. In short, gay, lesbian, and bisexual history is important to me because it is a part of who I am and who I wish to become. ***** ***** ***** This document is part of THE GLSTN TOOLBOX, an online resource of practical information and tools, for educators, students, parents and community organizers, to help fight homophobia in K-12 schools. Founded in 1990 as a regional volunteer organization in Boston, The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN) today has over 20 chapters around the country and is the largest organization of teachers and community members dedicated to ensuring that all students are valued and respected, regardless of sexual orientation. GLSTN's work includes community organizing, providing programming to schools, and developing materials that teachers can use to raise awareness among their colleagues and students. Membership is open to all who are committed to ending homophobia in schools, regardless of sexual orientation or occupation. The GLSTN TOOLBOX is available from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Teachers Network World Wide Web Site: http://www.glstn.org/freedom/ In the interest of sharing this information with others, you may copy and redistribute this document provided that all notices remain intact. You may not charge or make a profit from the redistribution of this material. If you have writing which you would like to contribute to The GLSTN TOOLBOX, please contact us by phone at (212) 727-0135 or by e-mail at glstn@glstn.org.