[glstn.what.you.can.do] 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/ WHAT YOU CAN DO: TEN ACTION POINTS and RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS DEALING WITH GAY AND LESBIAN ISSUES TEN ACTION POINTS The suggestions below are not all-inclusive, but are intended as starting points as you begin to think about how to end homophobia in your school. 1. GUARANTEE EQUALITY Gay and lesbian members of the school community need to know that their schools value equality and that they are protected against discrimination. Schools should add "sexual orientation" to their non-discrimination statements in all school publications as a way to communicate their commitment to equal treatment for all. 2. CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT Every member of the community has a right to play his or her role without fear of harassment by peers: it is the school's obligation to take pro-active measures to ensure this right. However, in too many schools, physical and verbal harassment against gay and lesbian people is the norm. Schools must make it clear that neither physical violence nor harassing language like "faggot" and "dyke" will be tolerated. Clear harassment policies, which include sexual orientation as a protected category, must be developed and then publicized to the entire school community, so that the consequences of and procedures for dealing with such behavior are clear to all. 3. PROVIDE ROLE MODELS Studies consistently show that personal acquaintance with gay and lesbian people is the most effective way of reducing homophobic bigotry. Both gay and straight students benefit from having role models such as openly gay teachers coaches and administrators: straight students are offered an alternative to the inaccurate stereotypes with which they have been raised, and gay students get the chance (often for the first time) to see healthy gay adults, which gives them hope for their own future. Schools need to create the conditions necessary for gay faculty to feel safe in "coming out," just as heterosexual faculty "come out" daily through such acts as wearing wedding rings. If no role models are available from within the school community, the school must work to bring in such individuals from beyond the campus. Inviting presenters from a local gay and lesbian speakers bureau, gay youth group, or college gay and lesbian student association can help fill the gap left by the absence of openly gay faculty. These measures, however, cannot substitute for having on-campus role models, and should be seen as interim arrangements until these can be provided. 4. PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS Peer support and acceptance is the key to any student's feeling that he or she "belongs" in the school. "Gay-Straight Alliances" have been the key to creating such an atmosphere in many schools. These groups welcome membership from any student interested in understanding issues of homophobia and sexual identity, regardless of sexual orientation. They have been successfully established in all kinds of schools and in communities as diverse as Los Angeles, Chapel Hill, N.C., Lincoln, Nebraska, and Minneapolis. The diverse range of schools which now have "GSAs" indicates that, if there is a will, there is a way to establish one in any school. 5. PROVIDE TRAINING FOR FACULTY AND STAFF School staff need to be equipped to serve all the students with whom they work, including gay and lesbian ones. Understanding the needs of gay and lesbian youth, and developing the skills to meet those needs, should be an expected of all teachers. Schools must provide the ongoing training necessary for the faculty to fulfill this expectation. 6. REASSESS THE CURRICULUM Teachers need to incorporate gay and lesbian issues throughout the curriculum--not just in classes such as health education, but in traditional disciplines such as English, History, and Science. This can be done in three ways. First, incorporating new scholarship in fields such as gay history can now be done easily, due to the proliferation of such material in recent years. Second, teachers can address the impact of sexual identity on works by gay and lesbian people already included in our curriculum, such as the novels of Virginia Woolf, the music of Tchaikovsky, or the poetry of Walt Whitman. Finally, teachers can undo the "hidden heterosexism" of the curriculum, such as the exclusive use of opposite-sex couples in math word problems and foreign language exercises. The bulk of the school day is spent in class; as long as gay and lesbian issues are seen as "special" and outside the classroom, students will continue to see gay and lesbian people as marginal. 7. PROVIDE APPROPRIATE HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION While being gay is not a "health issue" (any more than being heterosexual is), health education on sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases should sensitively address the particular issues of gay and lesbian people in this field. Counselors and other health staff should be particularly careful to make their sensitivity to gay issues clear, as the history of psychiatric "cures" for homosexuality has led to a climate of distrust between many gay people and the health care profession. 8. DIVERSIFY LIBRARY AND MEDIA HOLDINGS Often, the library is the first place students turn for accurate sexuality information. Too often, few or no works on gay and lesbian issues are found there. Librarians and media specialists need to be sure their holdings are up to date and reflect the diversity of our world. The existence of collections addressing gay and lesbian issues needs to be communicated to the community, through events such as book displays which include gay and lesbian titles. 9. BROADEN ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS "Extracurricular" activities often set the tone for the community. Programs such as assemblies and "film nights" should regularly include gay and lesbian content that reflects the diversity of our nation. 10. DO NOT ASSUME HETEROSEXUALITY The constant assumption of heterosexuality renders gay and lesbian people, youth in particular, invisible. Such invisibility is devastating to the individual's sense of self. Both the school as an institution and its professionals as individuals must be inclusive in their language and attitudes. Inviting "spouses" instead of "friends," offering health care only to heterosexual families, and encouraging students to find opposite sex dates, are all inappropriate manifestations of heterosexism. By reminding themselves that gay and lesbian people are found on every staff, in every classroom, and on every team (which they are), faculty can "unlearn" heterosexism and become more inclusive in both word and deed. RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS DEALING WITH GAY AND LESBIAN ISSUES ORGANIZATIONS THE GAY, LESBIAN, AND STRAIGHT TEACHERS NETWORK (GLSTN). GLSTN is a national organization that brings together gay and straight teachers in order to combat homophobia in their schools as well as to support gay teachers. For information, contact: 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/. PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LESBIANS AND GAYS (P-FLAG). P-FLAG offers support to family members of gay people. Its national office can refer you to local chapters: P.O. Box 27605, Washington, D.C. 20038 (202)-638-4200. The Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition offers support for gay parents and also for children of gay parents, the latter through its sub-group Children of Lesbians and Gays are Everywhere (COLLAGE). They can be reached at Box 50360, Washington, DC 20091 (202-583-8029). THE HETRICK-MARTIN INSTITUTE, a New York-based social service agency, has long been the leader in providing services for gay youth. They also publish You are Not Alone: The National Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth Directory, which is available for a $5 fee. Address: 2 Astor Place, New York, NY 10003, (212) 674-2400. THE BRIDGES PROJECT of the American Friends Service Committee facilitates communication among gay youth service providers through its newsletter and other activities. Address: c/o AFSC, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102 215-241-7133. Two organizations operate national, toll-free hotlines for gay youth: The INDIANAPOLIS YOUTH GROUP operates The NATIONAL GAY/LESBIAN/BISEXUAL YOUTH HOTLINE, 7:00-11:45 p.m., EST at 1-800 347-TEEN. They also offer a pen pal service, for which an application can be obtained by writing : P.O. Box 20716, Indianapolis, IN 46220. The OUT YOUTH AUSTIN HELPLINE operates seven days a week, 5:30-9:30 P.M., CST, and can be reached at 1-800-96-YOUTH (Address: 2330 Guadalupe St., Austin, TX 78705). PUBLICATIONS GENERAL BACKGROUND LOOKING AT GAY AND LESBIAN LIFE by Warren Blumenfeld and Diane Raymond is a good general introduction; IS IT A CHOICE?: ANSWERS TO THREE HUNDRED OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT GAY MEN AND LESBIANS by Eric Marcus is a good starting point as well; THE NEW LOVING SOMEONE GAY by Don Clark offers answers and information from a therapist for gay people and their families. SCHOOLS THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT OF THE MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR'S COMMISSION ON GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH, MAKING SCHOOLS SAFE FOR GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH, surveys the needs of gay youth and presents detailed recommendations for action by schools to meet those needs. Its recommendations were adopted as state educational policy by the Massachusetts Board of Education in May 1993. Write the Commission at State House Room 111, Boston, MA 02133, to receive a copy. Specifically focusing on independent schools: BREAKING THE SILENCE: ADDRESSING GAY ISSUES IN INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS, available from Bob Riddle of the Crossroads School (310-829-7391); Voices of teachers are found in ONE TEACHER IN TEN: GAY AND LESBIAN EDUCATORS TELL THEIR STORIES, edited by Kevin Jennings, a collection of autobiographical writings by 36 openly gay and lesbian teachers; SCHOOL'S OUT: THE IMPACT OF GAY AND LESBIAN ISSUES ON AMERICA'S SCHOOLS by Dan Woog is an collection of "snapshots" of what is happening in schools around the country; THE GAY, LESBIAN, AND BISEXUAL STUDENTS' GUIDE TO COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES, AND GRADUATE SCHOOLS by Jan-Mitchell Sherrill is a wealth of information on post-secondary education. YOUNG CHILDREN The "ALYSON WONDERLAND" series, including such books as HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES by Leslea Newman and UNCLE WHAT-IS-IT? IS COMING TO VISIT by Michael Wilhoite, consists of books which introduce children to gay people in age-appropriate ways. A catalogue is available from Alyson Publications, 40 Plympton St., Boston, MA 02118. MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS The Chelsea House "LIVES OF NOTABLE GAY MEN AND LESBIANS" biography series is excellent; AM I BLUE?: COMING OUT FROM SILENCE, ed. by Marian Bauer, an anthology of pieces by well-known children's writers, is also excellent; Good novels include: ANNIE ON MY MIND by Nancy Garden; THE DROWNING OF STEPHAN JONES by Bette Green. ADOLESCENTS A useful book for gay adolescents (or closeted people of any age) is OUTING YOURSELF: HOW TO COME OUT AS LESBIAN OR GAY TO YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS, AND YOUR COWORKERS by Michelangelo Signorile, which is exactly what it says it is -- a step-by-step guide to coming out. Works addressing the experiences of gay youth include: GROWING UP GAY, GROWING UP LESBIAN:A LITERARY ANTHOLOGY edited by Bennett Singer, which includes a detailed resource guide to all national support groups in its appendix; TWO TEENAGERS IN TWENTY: WRITINGS BY GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH, ed. by Ann Heron; NOT THE ONLY ONE: LESBIAN AND GAY FICTION FOR TEENS by Tony Grima; DEATH BY DENIAL:STUDIES OF GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH SUICIDE by Gary Remafedi collects research on this subject (including the Mass. Governor's Commission report, see above); HELPING GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH: NEW POLICIES, NEW PROGRAMS, NEW PRACTICES ed. by Teresa DeCrescenzo and THE GAY TEEN ed. by Gerald Unks (originally published as an issue of "The High School Journal") contain many useful articles. FAMILY ISSUES COMING OUT TO PARENTS: A TWO WAY SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR LESBIANS AND GAY MEN AND THEIR PARENTS by Mary Borhek provides practical advice to both gay youth and their parents from the mother of a gay son; BEYOND ACCEPTANCE: PARENTS OF LESBIANS AND GAYS TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES by Carolyn Griffin; STRAIGHT PARENTS, GAY CHILDREN: KEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER by Robert Bernstein; THE FAMILY HEART: A MEMOIR OF WHEN OUR SON CAME OUT by Robb Forman Dew; PRAYERS FOR BOBBY: A MOTHER COMES TO TERMS WITH THE SUICIDE OF HER GAY SON by Leroy Aarons; NOW THAT YOU KNOW: WHAT EVERY PARENT SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY by Betty Fairchild and Nancy Hayward; THERE'S SOMETHING I'VE BEEN MEANING TO TELL YOU by Loralee MacPike addresses coming out by parents; THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CLOSET: THE COMING OUT CRISIS FOR STRAIGHT SPOUSES AND FAMILIES by Anne Pierce Buxton tells an important side of the story; THE LESBIAN AND GAY PARENTING HANDBOOK by April Merten offers practical information for gay parents and is useful reading for those who will be working with these families; A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY: GAY MEN WRITE ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES, ed. by John Preston, DIFFERENT DAUGHTERS: SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF LESBIANS TALK ABOUT THEIR LIVES by Louise Rafkin; ALL THE WAYS HOME: PARENTING AND CHILDREN IN LESBIAN AND GAY COMMUNITIES, A Collection of Short Fiction edited by Cindy Rizzo et al, present important perspectives on gay and lesbian families. LITERATURE AND HISTORY Useful literary anthologies include: THE PENGUIN BOOK OF LESBIAN SHORT STORIES, ed. by Margaret Reynolds; THE FABER BOOK OF GAY SHORT FICTION, ed. by Edmund White; THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GAY SHORT STORIES, ed. by David Leavitt and Mark Mitchell; GAY AND LESBIAN POETRY IN OUR TIME, ed. by Carl Morse and Joan Larkin; THE PENGUIN BOOK OF HOMOSEXUAL VERSE, ed. by Stephen Coote; THE PENGUIN BOOK OF INTERNATIONAL GAY WRITING, ed. by Mark Mitchell. History books include: OUT OF THE PAST: GAY AND LESBIAN HISTORY FROM 1867 TO THE PRESENT by Neil Miller, a readable secondary source survey; BECOMING VISIBLE: A READER IN GAY AND LESBIAN HISTORY FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS by Kevin Jennings, a documentary collection and curriculum for high school history classes; MAKING HISTORY: THE STRUGGLE FOR GAY AND LESBIAN CIVIL RIGHTS, 1945-1990, An Oral History by Eric Marcus, a collection of readable interviews with many important figures in the gay rights movement; GAY AMERICAN HISTORY and THE LESBIAN/GAY ALMANAC, both ed. by Jonathan Ned Katz, which contain exhaustive collections of primary and secondary documents; SURPASSING THE LOVE OF MEN: ROMANTIC LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN WOMEN FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE PRESENT and ODD GIRLS AND TWILIGHT LOVERS: A HISTORY OF LESBIAN LIFE IN TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICA, important works on the lesbian experience; STONEWALL by Martin Duberman, which details the events leading up the 1969 riots generally considered the beginning of the modern gay liberation movement. COLLECTIONS ADDRESSING DIVERSITY Numerous publications now address the diversity of the gay and lesbian community, including: TWICE BLESSED: ON BEING LESBIAN OR GAY AND JEWISH, by Christine Balka; IN THE LIFE: A BLACK GAY ANTHOLOGY, ed. by Joseph Beam; BROTHER TO BROTHER: NEW WRITINGS BY BLACK GAY MEN, ed. by Essex Hemphill; PIECE OF MY HEART: A LESBIAN OF COLOR ANTHOLOGY. ed. by Makeda Silvera; LIVING THE SPIRIT: A GAY AMERICAN INDIAN ed. by Will Roscoe; A LOTUS OF ANOTHER COLOR: AN UNFOLDING OF THE SOUTH ASIAN GAY AND LESBIAN EXPERIENCE, ed. by Rakesh Ratti; COMPANERAS: LATINA LESBIANS, by Juanita Ramos; AFREKETE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF BLACK LESBIAN WRITING ed. by Catherine McKinley et al; EYES OF DESIRE: A DEAF GAY AND LESBIAN READER ed. by Raymond Luczak. FILMS FRAMELINE, a San Francisco-based distributor, maintains a large catalog of gay films (415-703-8650) YOUTH FILMS INCLUDE: RESPECT FOR ALL: PREVENTING HOMOPHOBIA AMONG SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN, a collection of four videos that look at how to educate K-6 students on gay and lesbian issues, available from Women's Educational Media (415-641-4616); BOTH OF MY MOMS' NAMES ARE JUDY, aimed at young children of gay and lesbian parents and their experiences (available from the Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition 202-583-8029); Gay Youth (40 minutes) is an excellent documentary on the topic ($60, from Wolfe Video, P.O. Box 64, New Almaden, CA 95042); WHO'S AFRAID OF PROJECT 10? (23 minutes), a profile of one of the nation's first in-school gay youth groups (from Friends of Project 10, 7850 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046); THE DISCO YEARS (30 minutes), a gay teen story told in an "After School Special" style (Select Media 1-800-707-MEDIA); THE INCREDIBLY TRUE ADVENTURE OF TWO GIRLS IN LOVE, a feature depicting a coming-of-age romance between two young lesbians (not yet commercially available on video). DOCUMENTARIES INCLUDE: BEFORE STONEWALL (90 minutes), a history of the pre-Stonewall gay community; LAST CALL AT MAUD'S, which examines pre-liberation lesbian life by studying a well-known lesbian bar in San Francisco; COMING OUT UNDER FIRE: GAY MEN AND LESBIANS DURING WORLD WAR TWO (75 minutes), which shows how this event was a seminal moment in creating the modern gay community and movement; THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK (90 minutes), the 1984 Academy Award winner profiling the life and assassination of the first gay man to be elected to public office in the U. S.; COMMON THREADS: STORIES FROM THE QUILT (85 minutes), the 1990 Academy Award winner which tells the human and political history of the AIDS epidemic through stories behind panels of the NAMES Project Quilt; VOICES FROM THE FRONT (90 minutes), which details the history of AIDS civil disobedience movement led by ACT-UP. FEATURES INCLUDE: THE WEDDING BANQUET, a comedy which tells the story of a gay Chinese man whose sexuality is revealed when he attempts a "green card" marriage; DESERT HEARTS, the love story of a woman who falls for another woman awaiting her divorce in Nevada; GO FISH, a portrait of life among some twenty-something lesbians; PARTING GLANCES, 24 hours in the life of a gay New York couple and their best friend, who has AIDS; MAURICE, the Merchant-Ivory film based on Forster's novel; TORCH SONG TRILOGY, based on Fierstein's Tony-winning play. ***** ***** ***** 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.