Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 16:25:26 -0800 From: Jean Richter Subject: 3/10/99 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. TX: Galveston PFLAG to hold special meeting March 14 2. NC: Teen's lesbian-themed play banned from festival 3. IL: New gay-straight alliance causes controvery ========================================================== Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 08:25:40 -0700 From: JanetTexas@aol.com (by way of Steve Basile ) Subject: Galveston TX: Special Meeting March 14 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, contact Janet Cohen, (409) 744-3200 or janettexas@aol.com PFLAG GALVESTON HOLDS SPECIAL MEETING ON SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 1999 There will be a special meeting of the Galveston Chapter of PFLAG, Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, on Sunday, March 14, at 3:00 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church located at 502 Church Street behind the Whataburger Restaurant. In light of some recent local events, this meeting will be to organize attendance for the March on Austin, March for our Families, scheduled to take place on March 21. The march is to demonstrate against the House Bills 382 and 415, which would prevent lesbians, gays and bisexuals (as well as those who appear that they might become gay) from becoming or remaining foster or adoptive parents. Also to be discussed will be the James Byrd Hate Crimes Act, (including some recent Galveston County hate crimes), employment discrimination, discrimination in education, and other legislation that is currently before the Texas Legislature. The March on Austin will begin at Palmer Auditorium in Austin at 12:30 pm, and conclude on the steps of the Capitol with speakers. The speakers include Col. Margrete Cammemeyer and Chastity Bono, amongst others. Since the series of articles and editorials has appeared in the Galveston Daily News about demonstration against the new hotel in Galveston which will cater to lesbian and gay couples, there has been an outpouring of people wanting to become involved. This meeting will provide an opportunity for Galvestonians and others to take action, beginning on Sunday, in peaceful, nonviolent ways. The meeting is not to legitimize hateful behavior or to counterdemonstrate about the hotel in any way. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian and bisexual persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity. PFLAG is an organization which provides support, education and advocacy to people who are dealing with issues about sexual orientation. PFLAG is a national non-profit organization with a membership of more than 70,000 households and more than 400 affiliates worldwide. This vast grassroots network is developed, resourced and serviced by the PFLAG national office, located in Washington, DC, the national Board of Directors and the Regional Directors' Council. The Galveston Chapter is the 12th chapter in Texas. #10# ================================================================================ Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 15:19:29 -0800 Subject: GLAADLines - February 22, 1999 From: "Channel Q News" GLAADLINES Contact: Wonbo Woo GLAAD Communications Associate (212) 807-1700 x24 woo@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 22, 1999 News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community [unrelated items omitted] WINNING LESBIAN PLAY BANNED FROM FESTIVAL: The Children's Theatre of Charlotte and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools sponsored a playwriting competition in which winners were to be awarded $100 and have their plays performed at a special festival. But 17-year-old Samantha Gellar's winning play, "Life Versus the Paperback Romance," will not be among the works showcased in the Charlotte Young Playwright's Festival, because its central characters are lesbians. The Associated Press reported that the sponsors "said discussion of sexual orientation was not appropriate for the program's middle and high school audiences," and further, that "[t]he sponsors had told students in advance that winners could be deemed inappropriate for production." Gellar told the Associated Press: "I still consider it discrimination," given the fact that the play revolves around two adult women who fall in love and contains no nudity or explicit sex. Mecklenburg County was also home to the high-profile "Gang of 5," a group of anti-gay county commissioners who repeatedly blocked arts and education initiatives and funding in 1997. For more information, contact Cathy Renna, GLAAD Director of Community Relations, at (202) 986-1360, or by e-mail at renna@glaad.org . GLAAD is the nation's lesbian & gay multimedia advocacy organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. To subscribe contact Wonbo Woo at (212) 807-1700 or at woo@glaad.org. "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" (without the quotation marks). Make sure that you turn off all signatures and extraneous text. TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" (without the quotation marks). Make sure that you turn off all signatures and extraneous text. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combatting homophobia and challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ================================================================================ Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 11:26:12 -0700 From: Jessea NR Greenman How to contact the school: Zion-Benton Township High School 3901 W 21st St Zion, Illinois 60099 Principal: Ms. Sandra Galgan Office: 847.746.1202 Fax: 847.746.7565 E-Mail: webmaster@zbths.k12.il.us URL: http://www.zbths.k12.il.us/ Waukegan News Sun, February 22, 1999 100 W. Madison St.,Waukegan,IL,60085 (Fax 708-249-7246 ) (http://www.copleynewspapers.com/newssun/ ) Gay teen group raises some hackles By Deneen Smith, STAFF WRITER Zion - A gay-straight student alliance at Zion-Benton Township High School is sparking a small flurry of anonymous protest. A group of students formed the Project 10 Spectrum club earlier this year, seeking staff sponsors and asking the district for permission to meet in the school. The group met quietly during the year, but about 10 days ago decided to post fliers and to advertise their meetings in a display case. The posting resulted in what one staff member called "lounge talk" among teachers and anger among "a small minority of teachers and students." Despite talk generated in the school a meeting of the group last week went off without incident. Superintendent Gary Fields said he has received only one phone call about the issue. But he acknowledged that there was some controversy in the community, which has a history steeped in religious conservatism. "It is a difficult issue that we have spent a great deal of time on. I believe that we are being extremely responsible as a school by seeing that we do not discriminate, that we follow the law and that we follow the Supreme Court's decisions," Fields said. He said the club is "not school endorsed, not school sponsored and no school employees are being paid" to take part. "It is no different than having a prayer club or a fellowship of Christian athletes, which we also have." The Spectrum club is modeled after a national club that offers support for gay and lesbian issues. There is a Spectrum club based at the College of Lake County and at two other public high schools in the county. The Lake County Health Department also has a support group for gay teens that meets in Vernon Hills. Kevin Herman, a Health Department counselor, said the Illinois Department of Public Health targets teen-agers with sexual orientation issues as "a designated population for services." "They are at risk for several significant concerns including suicide, drug use and running away," Herman said. The mother of one teen-aged girl in the Zion group said she was concerned about those issues for her daughter, but feels that the high school is not a good forum. "She's flunking out of school, but these people aren't concerned about that. They're not concerned about her education; they're concerned about her orientation." Although the woman said she urged her daughter to attend a support group outside of school, she said she was worried that attending meetings at her school could mark her for harassment and possibly violence. "When I heard about the group I begged her not to become part if it because of what happened in Wyoming," she said. Last October, a gay college student was beaten, tied to a split-rail fence and left to die outside Laramie, Wyo. His death put a focus on hate crimes against homosexuals and sparked protest and demonstrations around the country. Safety issues were a concern of group leaders as well. The meetings are held behind a locked door and school security is on alert. There have been no incidents at the school, however. "Everyone has been terrific about it," Fields said. "Our concerns is that adults in our community could (incite people over the issue) and make it a safety concern." The author, Deneen Smith, is online at Deneen.Smith@Exchange.CopleyPress.com O+O+ O+O+ O+O+ O+O+ O+O+ O+O+ Jessea NR Greenman, "Talk does not cook rice." Chinese proverb. ================================================================================= Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/