Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 21:02:02 -0800 From: jessea@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Jessea NR Greenman) Subject: Colorado and Alabama alerts! [The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project note: we've excerpted below only those parts of GLAAD/SFBA's weekly reported related to educational equity organizing] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * M e d i A l e r t * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * for the week of November 20 - 26, 1995 by Al Kielwasser Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San Francisco Bay Area W A L L S O F S I L E N C E This month, the Denver School Board heard arguments for and against plans to display an informational poster in the district's 10 high schools. The poster advises queer and questioning youth that they may contact the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Community Services Center of Colorado. Students would be provided with additional assistance from school counselors. In most classrooms across the nation, an informational vacuum deprives and degrades lesbian and gay youth. Textbooks either ignore or demean homosexuality. Teachers seldom challenge homophobic harassment. Students are left to fears rather than facts, torment instead of tolerance. Testifying before the Denver School Board, one parent described this climate as a "wall of silence." Certainly, hanging a simple poster on that wall of silence is the LEAST a school might do. However, even that modest act has come under fire. According to the "Rocky Mountain News," several parents have criticized the poster's message as "an intrusion on families," an assault on the "true authority of parents," and "an improper role for the district." The staunchest opposition has come from Focus on the Family, a Colorado-based group of heterosexual supremacists. In a letter to school board members, James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family, said: "The poster's intent is clear: It is meant to promote same-sex romance among teens." Both the district's director of student services, John Leslie, and superintendent, Irv Moskowitz seem supportive. Moskowitz told parents he understood "the horrors" gay students often face in silence. "We will be on guard," he told parents of gay children, "You've certainly touched us." *** ACTION ALERT! It is vital that queer adults in ANY city stand up for queer youth in EVERY city. Encourage Denver to take the first step toward educational equity and a curriculum that is fair, accurate and diverse. Write to: All Members, Denver Board of Education, 900 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203, tel. 303-764-3211, fax 303-764-3216. Copy your correspondence to: Letters to the Editor, "Rocky Mountain News," 400 W. Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80204, fax 303-892-2568, e-mail letters@denver-rmn.com. M Y T H E D U C A T I O N : A T E X T B O O K C A S E . . . The Alabama State Board of Education has proven that it is anything BUT educated. Last month, the board unanimously approved a motion to COMMEND the Gadsden City (Alabama) Board of Education for its stand AGAINST the National Education Association's "support for the celebration of a Lesbian and Gay History Month as a means of acknowledging the contributions of lesbians, gays and bisexuals throughout history." The Gadsden City resolution stated: "Such a celebration does not reflect the mores and values of the citizens of Gadsden" and "such an observance is not supported by the employees of the Gadsden City School District and the Gadsden City Board of Education." This month, the Alabama Board of (Mis)Education voted to promote Biblical "creationism" in the state's science textbooks. Such books must indicate that, since no one was around to "witness" the "creation of life," evolutionary theory cannot be proven and is, therefore, no more plausible than "creationist" views. Alabama's governor, Fob James -- who is also president of the state Board of Education -- asserted his absolute faith in "creationism" and insisted that HE certainly did not "descend from apes." Mocking Darwin's theory, the governor then proceeded to parade around like a monkey. *** ACTION ALERT! Speak up for the children of Alabama! Write to: Gov. Fob James Jr. ; Dr. Ed Richardson, State Superintendent of Education and Secretary, Alabama Board of Education, 5303 Gordon Persons Building, P.O. Box 302101, Montgomery, AL 36130-2101, tel. 304-242-9953. Copy your correspondence to the state's most widely-circulated newspapers: "The Birmingham News," P.O. Box 2553, Birmingham, AL 35202-2553, fax 205-325-3345; "Mobile Press-Register," P.O. Box 2488, Mobile, AL 36101-1000, fax 203-434-8662; "Montgomery Advertiser," Box 1000, Montgomery, AL 36101-1000, fax 205-261-1505. A B O U T M E D I A L E R T . . . MediAlert is a weekly column that may be printed, published or posted, under this or any title, in whole or part, without prior permission. When appropriate, attribution should be made to "Al Kielwasser" and/or "GLAAD San Francisco." *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ YOU MAY RE-POST. Jessea Greenman The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project*; ph/fax: 510-601-8883, 586 62nd St. Oakland, CA 94609-1245 Gopher to "gopher.outright.com" Web sites: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/ http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/glb/person.html/ http://www.pride.net/pridenet/person The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project is *always* looking for volunteer organizers. Please cc us (for our files) on correspondence you send or receive re our action alerts. *Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally.