Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 18:13:13 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 4/22/99 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news, pt. 2 1. CO: More thoughts on Littleton school massacre and anti-gay harassment 2. NY: More on upcoming school safety seminars 3. Canada: LGBTQ youth & spirituality conference in Toronto 4. FL: News article on lesbian & gay prom ============================================================================ From: TWORadio@aol.com please see the report (pasted below) in today's (4/21/99) NewsPlanet. i confess to being biased, but i think NP writers Cindy and Lucia did a terrific job summarizing what is known (and not known), and placing the issue in greater perspective. -greg gordon "This Way Out" and "NewsPlanet" staff SUMMARY: Gay-baiting rumors about the Colorado high school shootings are afloat, but while chances are there's not much to them, the link between homophobia and teen harassment shouldn't be forgotten. It's going to take some time before the facts are known about the April 20 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. However, as broadcast and electronic media applied a full-court press to the story as it broke -- grabbing the nearest informant with credentials unchecked -- a student or two referred to the trenchcoated gunmen as "homosexuals." A posting on an Internet Usenet group picked up on that, applauding the shooters for avenging themselves against homophobic abuse. No less (or more) than Matt Drudge considerably amplified both these purported factoids, even as he questioned them, by citing them in his on-line Drudge Report. Similarly, there were bits about the young men wearing fingernail polish and/or makeup, although apparently in the context of Goth style rather than drag. From what NewsPlanet has seen thus far, no print media -- which have a little more lead time -- have repeated the "gay" remarks. Given that the truth has not yet been brought in from out there, it's still an interesting phenomenon to consider. It seems to be generally agreed that the group of friends known as the "Trenchcoat Mafia" were outcasts from the mainstream of the Columbine student body. As such, those outside the group were not likely to know them well. They weren't liked outside their own circle, and they were apparently taunted. In almost any U.S. high school, homophobic taunts will almost inevitably be among the verbal abuse thrown at almost any outsider. Almost anywhere, a male wearing fingernail polish will be assumed by some to be gay, style or no. The odds are that the shooters were punished as gays whether in fact they were or not. ... It's not at all unreasonable to link homophobic abuse with a school shooting -- and it might not be reported in the press. Michael Carneal was convicted of the December 1997 shooting at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky that left three students dead and five wounded. Carneal said he was not gay, but he told both a prosecution psychiatrist and a defense psychologist that beginning in 1996, he was almost daily called "gay, faggot, nerd, geek" and other epithets, and that because of the perception that he was gay, he was also "spat upon, hit, put in headlocks and threatened with violence." He also said that while he originally intended only to threaten his peers with the gun, he decided to go further when he started "thinking about all the things done to me ... all the names they called me." Yet these telling findings went almost entirely unreported (Kentucky's gay and lesbian newspaper "The Letter" helped us find them), and they were not a part of mainstream reports of the Carneal verdict. It's still a risky thing to call someone gay in print. --NewsPlanet Staff [incidentally, according to yesterday's Drudge Report (I know, not a particularly reliable source) items on the anti-gay harassment angle are beginning to appear in the mainstream print media - specifically, today's editions of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Grand Junction (CO) Daily Sentinel] =============================================================================== From: SARATOGANY@aol.com Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 04:09:38 EDT Subject: Schenectady Daily Gazette: School anti-harassment policies sought Msg fwd by: The Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020 This message has been distributed as a free informational service for the expressed interest of non-profit research and educational purposes only. School anti-harassment policies sought By RIK STEVENS Gazette Reporter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- SARATOGA SPRINGS - John Myers wonders every time he sees a story about a teen-ager killed in a one-car crash, alone, maybe drunk, anonymous to most. Looks like just another terrible accident. But he wonders, was it another kid wrestling with his or her homosexuality, tired of the gay-bashing at school, unable to tell friends or family? And he thinks of the stories that make headlines worldwide: The student who everybody said was gay finally going over the brink and shooting up a school. There is evidence to suggest such disasters in Paducah, Ky., Moses Lake, Wash., Northhampton, Mass. and Cherokee County, Ga., were carried out by students wrongly labeled gay and teased mercilessly, Myers said. Myers thinks back to his teens and early 20s and mentally counts the times he found himself behind the wheel with a bottle of Southern Comfort looking for a tree, a pole, a ledge. "I have a big concern for these kids," said Myers. "I've been there and I know what these kids are going through. I think about how many times I almost [tried suicide]." Myers is 59 now. He cloaked his homosexuality for years and fought the demons that hid in the same closet. He finally told his family and friends, and lost some of them along the way as a result. "Kids are afraid to even tell their friends," Myers said. "It's a big, big issue and nobody wants to talk about it." That's why Myers has organized The Coalition for Safer Schools and will conduct two public information seminars in Saratoga Springs, pushing for gay anti-harassment policies that now protect people based on race, color, sex, ethnicity, religion and disability. "It's happening here," Myers said, recounting the story of a boy in Argyle who had to transfer out of state because he felt so harassed at school. There also was the report of a gay student being beaten up in southern Saratoga County, he said. And too often, teachers are reluctant to take the harassers to task for fear of being labeled gay themselves. "People are being gay-bashed right in front of people now," he said. "With a district policy, the teacher who would like to take that step to stop it can refer back to the policy." Myers has invited parents, students, teachers, administrators, community leaders and members of the justice system to attend the seminars to learn what must be done to protect students. And Myers makes a point of including all students for whom there is no stated policy of protection against harassment, like kids who are overweight, for example. "These kids are at risk," he said. "We're here to support any student who is different and who is abused because of that difference." The seminar will include students who will talk about harassment in the schools, a statistical presentation about the troubles faced by gay and lesbian students and a legal discussion about the importance of anti-harassment policies. "Throughout history, schools have been prone to allowing gay students to be victims of abuse, while protecting other students," said Richard L. DiMaggio, a local lawyer who will lead the legal discussion. "But the law is changing." A big change came in 1997 when a jury in Wisconsin found school principals had failed to protect a gay student named Jamie Nabozny who was brutalized during his four years in school. Suddenly, schools are paying attention to Title IX language in federal education law that prevents sexual discrimination. "[In New York] it is only a matter of time before a gay child who has been beat up with the approval or ambivalence of a school system or its employees sues the municipalities for negligence and Title IX violations," DiMaggio said. At Saratoga Springs High School, there are instances of harassment toward gay students but administrators there try to instill an attitude of peaceful coexistence, said Principal Frank Crowley. Administrators recently met with local clergy to listen to concerns about some of the problems facing the gay population and the student organization PRIDE - Providing Respect In Diverse Environments - meets to discuss the acceptance of different groups in the school. "There is some concern by that segment of our population that there is some probably indirect bashing rather than direct bashing," Crowley said. "I tell our parents and kids and Board of Education that Saratoga Springs High School is a microcosm of our society. That doesn't mean it makes it right but it's there." The first seminar is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 28 in the cafeteria at the BOCES Myers Education Center on Henning Road. The second is 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, also in the cafeteria. "It's so important because for kids who are abused, whether they're actually gay or perceived to be gay or lesbian, the trauma is so bad, most of them are not able to learn," Myers said. "They drop out of school. Often times they run away. These kids have no place to turn to. They're deeply isolated." ================================================================================ From: "Bonte Minnema" Subject: LGBTQ Youth & Spirituality Conference-Details & Registration Info Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 11:21:13 -0500 Please Forward >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - >= >Join other young lesbian/gay/bi/trans/queer youth for: >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - >= >Loving the Spirit >A Celebration of Faith and Sexual Diversity by and for Youth >Saturday, June 12, 1999 >Noon - 10:00 p.m. >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - >= >at: Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto >115 Simpson Avenue >Toronto, Ontario >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - >= >This conference is for youth 29 and under and is FREE! >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - >= > >Want to know more? Get involved today! We welcome youth from all >backgrounds, whether you are part of a church or not. The details outlined >below are only suggestions at this point. Have an idea? Get in touch with >us soon and become a part of the team planning this event! > >For details, read below >or visit our website at http://www.mcctoronto.com >or call (416) 406-6228 ext. 121 > >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - >= >Loving the Spirit: Program >Proposed as at April 8, 1999 >All events will be youth-led. >12:30 - 1:30 - Registration >1:30 - 2:00 - Introduction >2:00 - 3:00 - Workshops, including: >Mixed Media Mural Production >The Internet and Identity and Spirituality >Coming Out & Labels/ Coming Out Christian >Topical Bible Study >Text-based Bible Study >3:30 - 4:00 - BREAK >4:00 - 5:30 - Workshops, including: >Theatre of Empowerment >Leadership and Queer Youth >Jam Session (Bring your musical instrument) >Feminism, Eroticism and Spirituality >Testimonies: Exile and Evangelical Youth >5:30 - 6:00 - Break >6:00 - 6:45 - Worship Service - We'll plan this on-site during the afternoon >7:00 - 8:00 - Spaghetti Dinner - Vegetarian option to be provided, the meal >is FREE >8:00 - 10:00 - Entertainment, Coffee House, etc. >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - >= > >All are welcome! Register today for more information! > ================================================================================= MIAMI HERALD, April 22, 1999 1 Herald Plaza,Miami,FL,33132 (Fax 305-527-8955 or 305-376-8950 ) (E-Mail: HeraldEd@herald.com ) ( http://www.herald.com ) OUTLOOKS Gay and lesbian young folk will stage special prom When he graduated from Hialeah High three years ago, Ellioth Duran didn't attend the school's senior prom. He didn't feel comfortable there. "It was just going to be a big old heterosexual bash," said Duran, a member of GLBT Youth of Miami. "I have nothing against heterosexuals. It's just not my kind of crowd. [The Hialeah prom] was advertised for boys and girls." Duran said that if he had taken a male date to the Hialeah High prom, "we'd be the talk of the town." Saturday night, Duran and a few hundred other gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered young people from throughout South Florida will stage their own prom at Florida International University's North Miami Campus. Everyone will be welcome, said Duran, 20. "Whoever wants to come to the prom will be accepted," he said. "There are even heterosexual couples coming. They are friends of our friends." Being gay is especially hard for teens. Early on in high school, Limary Moran dated a girl whom everyone at South Miami High called "Diesel." At first, Moran said, "I actually thought that was her last name." When Moran's high school prom rolled around, she didn't attend. However, her new girlfriend went to the dance with a gay boy. The reason: to bring home a traditional prom picture -- of a boy and girl together -- for her mother. "You're expected to take pictures and it's supposed to be a glorious event," Moran said. "Was I hurt? Oh, yes I was. . . . But at the time she was in denial about her mom knowing anything. It was very important for her to bring home that picture." Now, Moran is helping organize the gay prom. This dance will be different, she said. "It's not an event for mom to remember; it's for us to remember," said Moran, 20. The prom's dual theme: Beyond the Closet and Into the Wildflowers. Prom-goers will enter the ballroom under a canopy of entangled hangers symbolizing the closet. Inside, sunflowers will be everywhere, Moran said. The youth group members, ranging in age from 13 to 23, are doing all the prom planning, Executive Director Dale Ayres said. They are inviting others in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties by word of mouth, mailings and the Internet. Also, public school guidance counselors, the Broward Gay and Lesbian Youth Group, Project YES and the Stonewall Student Union at FIU are helping get the word out, Ayres said. This prom is not for young people only, though. Ayres is seeking older gay men and lesbians to attend as chaperones -- and role models. "We want the kids to walk in and see all these couples, people smiling," he said. "It's going to be a very powerful experience." Ellioth Duran said that when he was growing up, he had no gay role models. He looks forward to meeting the chaperones, particularly "adults who come from the same background as me. . . . That's what gives me the courage to be who I am. "Just the fact that they are successful. With all the stones along the way, they've gotten past them. That just because someone is gay doesn't mean they can't be successful and make something of themselves." Outlooks, a column about gay and lesbian life in South Florida, runs the second and fourth Thursday of the month. To contact Steve Rothaus, call 305-376-3770, or fax him at 305-376-5287. Notices can be mailed to: Outlooks c/o Steve Rothaus, 1 Herald Plaza, Fifth Floor, Miami, FL 33132. The e-mail address is outlooks@herald.com You can also find the column on-line at www.herald.com/outlooks =============================================================================== 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/