Date: Wed, 1 Sep 99 11:11:40 -0400 From: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Subject: [NGLTF PRESS] Op-Ed: Back To School for GLBTQ Youth ********************************************* NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE OPINION EDITORIAL Contact: David Elliot, Communications Director 202-332-6483 ext. 3303 800-757-6476 pager delliot@ngltf.org http://www.ngltf.org 1700 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC ********************************************* Attention editors: The following is the September opinion/commentary written by Kerry Lobel, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. For mug shots, please contact the NGLTF communications department. BACK TO SCHOOL RUSH RAISES SAFETY ISSUES More than 50 million young people in grades kindergarten through 12 trek back to school this month. They bring with them the concerns of their parents and their communities over the issue of school safety. Seeing the flood of back-to-school stories on the local news, I sense that something - or someone - is missing from this picture. Specifically, five million someones. That's the number of estimated number of GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or questioning) students in our public schools. For them, safety is an everyday concern. Let's consider some statistics: * Twenty-eight percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth drop out of school because of harassment and verbal attacks, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services. * Twenty-two percent of boys and 29 percent of girls perceived as gay or lesbian have reported physical attacks by students, according to another study by the same agency. * Eighty percent of gay and lesbian teens report feelings of severe social isolation at school, according to statistics provided by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. Right now, our nation is having a public discussion over what to do about violence in the schools. President Clinton held a summit. Columbine, Colorado officials put in place a policy of "zero tolerance" for harassment and taunting. Many are pointing fingers at the entertainment industry or the gun industry or the Internet. Republicans and Democrats, in typical fashion, are pointing fingers at each other. But once again, our voices are left out of the debate. Our voices are enriched by painful experience, for who among us can forget the frequency with which epithets like "fag" and "dyke" are casually tossed around on the playground, in the school cafeteria, in the locker room, even in the school classroom. What can be done? The good news is progress can - and is - being made to protect our schoolchildren. In the state of New York, for example, legislators this summer filed (but have not yet passed) the Dignity for All Students Act, which would direct schools to adopt policies to create a safe school environment for all students. The proposal would revise state curriculum requirements to include human relations education. This curriculum would enable students to foster an appreciation of people of different sexual orientations as well as different racial or religious backgrounds. In the state of California, legislators defeated similar legislation by one vote. That was disappointing, but the bill progressed further than ever before, and I am hopeful California and New York will join Connecticut, Massachusetts and Wisconsin in protecting their students. Across the country, hundreds of school districts have examined ways to keep young people safe. Perhaps some of you reading this column have joined in this effort. I like to say that equality begins at home - and there's no better place to join the battle for GLBT equality than at your local school district. Groups such as the National Youth Advocacy Coalition (www.nyacyouth.org) and the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (www.glsen.org) are already working across the country to improve the lives of GLBTQ youth. What can you do? Demand that your school district adopt polices that protect students and teachers from harassment and discrimination; provide staff with workshops and training; support curricula that includes information about the lives and contributions of GLBT people; and allow for the formation of gay-straight alliances and other clubs that address homophobia and heterosexism in school. As the award-winning documentary producer Debra Chasnoff ("It's Elementary") taught us, children are not born with bigotry and intolerance - they learn it. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we used back-to-school season as a platform to address safety for our children? Five million children are waiting for us to act. _____________________________________________________________________ Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force works to eliminate prejudice, violence and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people at the local, state and national level. As part of a broader social justice movement for freedom, justice and equality, NGLTF is creating a world that respects and celebrates the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society. _________________________________________ This message was issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Media Department. If you have a question regarding this post, please direct it to the contact at the top of this message. 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