Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 18:41:24 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 4/6/2000 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. NE: Letters protesting lack of inclusive nondiscrimination policy 2. UK: Scottish millionaire will bankroll referendum on Clause 28 3. CA: Judge curious as to club's role in school board meeting fracas ======================================================================= Omaha World-Herald, March 27, 2000 World Herald Square, Omaha, NE, 68102 (Fax 402-345-4547 ) (E-MAIL: pulse@owh.com ) ( http://www.omaha.com/OWH ) Letter: Millard Disappoints No matter what Millard school officials may say, people are not protected from derogatory remarks about their supposed sexual orientation. If you were to say the "n word" in a class, you would be given an immediate detention, maybe even sent to the principal's office. However, if you were to say "this is gay" or if you were to call someone the f-word, there's a chance that nothing would happen because school policy doesn't distinctly speak out against it. Anything that isn't stated word for word in the student handbook is left at the teachers' discretion. I am incredibly disappointed in the Millard School District for its unwillingness to take a small step that would at least mentally comfort a lot of people. Millard North calls itself a nationally recognized high school. If only it could become as well known for its anti-discrimination policies as it is for its academic ones. ­ Jessie Schaffer, Omaha Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 06:50:53 -0800 From: Jessea NR Greenman Contact info: Members of the Millard School Board Millard Public Schools Don Stroh Administration Center 5606 S. 147th St. Omaha, NE 68137 Omaha World-Herald, March 28, 2000 World Herald Square, Omaha, NE, 68102 (Fax 402-345-4547 ) (E-MAIL: pulse@owh.com ) ( http://www.omaha.com/OWH ) Letter: Protect All Students The Millard School Board, administrators and teachers have the responsibility to create a safe school conducive to learning for all students regardless of sexual orientation. Written words do have meaning, and stating that current policy language "protects the rights of all students" is false security and doesn't measure up. Stating that "the policy complies with all federal and state laws" is an institutional cover-up for not wanting to address an often difficult but very serious problem. A written policy provides some visible evidence that the school district is attempting to make its classrooms safe and provides a measure for acceptable standards of conduct. Sometimes we humans do not treat one another with the respect we deserve, so we do need written rules and laws that remind us to do so. Comparing use of the words "faggot," "queer" and "homo" to other adolescent taunts minimizes the seriousness of what is being done. Political and religious leaders at national and local levels condemn gays, lesbians and bisexuals and work to deny them basic human and civil rights. People have been beaten and murdered because of their sexual orientation. Kudos to the real student leaders in Millard, members of the Gay Straight Alliance and others who had the courage to confront this problem, even at their own risk, and bring it before the board. The responsibility for action now clearly rests with the board and administrators. School officials and teachers are often taken to task and asked to explain "why Johnny can't read." The response should never ever have to be that Johnny is afraid to come to school. - Michael Gordon, Omaha [migor1@juno.com] Letter: ACLU Wrong Here Although the ACLU is a highly respected organization, its position on the current issue in the Millard Public Schools is flawed. First, with every right comes a reciprocal responsibility to use that right appropriately. In this case, the Millard public schools should take a stance insisting that their students and faculty do not use their freedom of speech to harm the learning environment of others. Second, numerous Supreme Court cases show that schools are exceptions where speech is limited in the interest of the learning process. In Millard, the need for students to have a safe, productive learning environment outweighs the ability of their classmates to discriminate. Finally, Millard's policy already limits speech against race, religion, gender, etc. An addition is no more a limitation of speech than the policies that already exist. - Nick Turner, Omaha Letter: Students Won't Forget It was disheartening to read over the last couple of days several letters to the editor that have put an interesting spin on the Millard debate over sexual orientation. To say that this issue is simply concerning use of the term "faggot" or "gay" is as narrow-minded as the bigotry that student leaders such as Melanie Gillis and Brett Johnson are trying to combat. While the use of this language is the most evident example of bigotry, the students are attempting to effect an overall mind-set. By not mentioning "sexual orientation" by name in the Millard school handbook, a silent message is sent to the student body saying that harassment and discrimination are permissible. If both Omaha Public Schools and District 66 include sexual orientation in their anti-discrimination statement, why can't Millard? It is evident that students support this measure; all one must do is look at the attendance and testimonies at last week's school board meeting. It is time for the Millard School Board to put its personal prejudices aside and listen to the students. I do not think these students will soon forget the board's annoying evasiveness. - Matt Whipkey, Omaha O+O+ O+O+ O+O+ O+O+ jessea@uclink4.berkeley.edu (Jessea NR Greenman) "A necessary corollary of giving individuals freedom to choose how to conduct their lives is acceptance of the fact that different individuals will make different choices." Associate Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun ================================================================================ Glasgow Daily Record & Sunday Mail, March 28, 2000 Anderston Quay, Glasgow, Scotland, G3 8DA (Daily Record: editors@dailyrecord.co.uk ) (Sunday Mail: editor@features.sundaymail.co.uk ) ( http://www.record-mail.co.uk/rm/ ) REFERENDUM ON SECTION 28 Keep the Clause campaigners are to ask every voter in Scotland what they think of the controversial plan to repeal Section 28. Stagecoach millionaire Brian Souter, with 22 backers, will bankroll the nation's first privately funded referendum. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ================================================================================ Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2000 Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA, 90053 (Fax 213-237-7679 or 213-237-5319 ) (E-MAIL: letters@latimes.com ) ( http://www.latimes.com ) Orange Beset by Club Suit, Labor Woes Judge wants to know if gay-straight group was involved in school board meeting fracas. By KATE FOLMAR, Times Staff Writer A federal court judge indicated Monday that he is curious about how, if at all, the Gay-Straight Alliance club at El Modena High School was involved in a fracas at a recent Orange school board meeting. [Deleted article. filemanager@qrd.org] ================================================================================= Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) These messages are archived by state on our information-loaded free web site: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/