From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 07 Jun 1994 15:10:49 -0500 (CDT)

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR
                GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER
                        CONCERNS IN EDUCATION

               55 Glen Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148
               Phone (617) 321-3569   Fax (617) 321-9901

Karen M. Harbeck, PhD, JD                                 Al Ferreira, M.Ed.
Executive Director                                    Warren Blumfeld, M.Ed.
                                                      Associate Directors

Dear Colleagues:

     We are pleased to announce the formation of The National Institute for
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns in Education.  Our goal is to
create a not-for-profit entity that serves as an information and resource
referral center for organizations, school, and individuals who are working to
create safe and supportive learning environments for GLBT youth, GLBT adults
and their heterosexual allies.  Our organization is committed to assisting in
all areas of the educational and social service contexts, and in all grade
levels--elementary, secondary, university and professional programs.  In
addition to providing training and intervention assistance, the Institute will
publish a strategy-oriented newsletter, and provide bibliographical and
resource referral services.

     If you would like to be on confidential mailing list, please provide the
following information.

Name:_________________________________________________________________________
Address:___________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Areas of Concern or Interest:__________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

THANK YOU.  We look forward to working with you in the months ahead.

NOTE:  Karen is  *NOT* on-line!  If you wish to forward the information to me I
will forward it to her, mail me at:  [email-masked]

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FIRST LETTER FROM THE INSTITUTE.

Dear Colleagues:                                            May 19, 1994

     We know that you are all busy with the end of the school year, but we
wanted to briefly report back to you about all of the activities that have
occurred over the past few months.  Given our plans for the summer, we hope to
have some major announcements and publications prepared to help start the
school year off positively for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth,
GLBT adults and our heterosexual allies.

     Our planning meeting of Feburary 10th, which occurred in Washington, D.C.,
at the offices of the National Education Association was constructive.  Dr.
Joanne Kliejunas, a not-for-profit organizational planning expert from Oakland,
California, helped us to consider the structure and functions of the Institute
so that we could best serve the wide variety of needs defined during the
meeeting.  Our special thanks to Joanne and everyone who made the effort to
attend the meeting given all the bad weather.

     Out of that Feburary meeting came some very positive contacts with the
Federal Department of Education, who sent a liaison.  Additional contacts were
made with the Departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban
Development (around teen homelessness).  We are following up on all fronts.  In
fact, we are delighted to report that Karen harbeck presented a lecture on GLBT
youth and the Massachusetts intervention models to the Office of Civil Rights
of the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. on May 16th, which
apparently was the first such presentation to those individuals.  In general,
it appeared that staff members were surprised to learn of the circumstances of
GLBT youth, and eager to be of assistance.  A strategy discussion concluded
that additional training sessions were needed and that key individuals within
the DOE should be contacted.  Given the new Federal "Safe School" legislation
passed recently, DOE officials felt that they might be able to intervene
through sexual harassment protections extended to schools, but that additional
directives and legislation would be required before they were empowered to take
dierct intervention action on behalf of GLBT individuals.

     Karen Harbeck and Al Ferreira have been traveling all over the country
speaking on behalf of GLBT concerns.  In the past few months we have been in
California, Ohio, Iowa, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, as well as Massachusetts. 
Karen presented a lecture on the legal rights of GLBT students and adults to a
special training session by the National Education Association from May 13th
through the 15th, with Jerry Newberry and Pamela Wilson.  The session was
filmed by the NEA and should be ready for distribution by late this summer. 
Also, keep in mind that the NEA has provided two trainings a year on the rights
of GLBT youth and two other trainings on the rights of GLBT educators.  Contact
the NEA Office of Civil Rights if you would like to participate next year.  The
trainings have been inspirational and effective!  Thank you to Ron Houston,
Hazel Blakey, Jerry Newberry Pamela Wilson and all of the NEA leadership.  What
a terrific contribution!

     You should know that the Massachusetts legislative delagation has taken
the courageous step of providing leadership on GLBT concerns.   Representatives
Frank and Studds and Senator Kennedy will be introducing a bill to support
national employment protections for GLBT persons.  Representative Meehan will
be introducing a bill to establish a commission to investigate the status of
GLBT youth and suicide.  While the Meehan bill was originally directed at the
Department of Health and Human Services, we have reason to believe that it will
be amended to include the Department of Education as well.

     Advocacy Advice:  For those of you who live in one of eight protected
states (California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont,
Wisconsin and Minnesot --plus the District of Columbia), we would appreciate
your involvement in reviewing sexual orientation laws this summer.  We have
found a clause in the Massachusetts anti-discrimination employment protections
legislation, for example, that suggests that if an employer causes to be
published any document or publication pertaining to employment of any
nature(job listings, employment handbooks etc.) that compliance with the state
law requires a complete listing of all protected classes of persons.  Thus,
every employer of 6 or more people in Massachusetts, excluding religious
organizations and private clubs, must be including sexual orientation in all of
their publications whenever they list protected categories.  We know that this
is rarely done, so educational efforts on this front might be very productive!

     Over the summer we will be working out our not-for-profit tax status and
other organizational details.  At this point your contributions to our efforts
and your involvement would be most appreciated.  We also will produce a more
formal strategy-oriented newsletter tthat we hope will be of interest and
assistance.  In the meantime, feel free to contact us--and have a terrific
summer!

Best wishes,  Karen.

P.S.  Feel free to copy this letter and share it with your friend and
colleagues!
Karen M. Harbeck PhD, JD,   Executive Director
55 Glen Street
Malden, Ma.  02148
(617)321-3569   Fax(617)321-9901