Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 17:20:14 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 6/29/2000 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. PA: Group urges Philadelphia mayor to withdraw support from Boy Scouts 2. CA: Space still available for GSA activist camp; Community housing volunteers needed for Young, Loud, & Proud Conference 3. New film "That's A Family!" showcases diverse families ================================================================================ 1. PA: Group urges Philadelphia mayor to withdraw support from Boy Scouts Date: 28 Jun 00 17:31:00 -0400 From: "Center for Civil Rights news" Subject: Group asks Phila. Mayor to withdraw support of Boy Scouts The Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights June 28, 2000 Gay group demands City withdrawal of support for Boy Scouts FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Andrew Park, Esq. 1315 Spruce St., Suite 301, Phila., PA 19107 (215) 731-1447 FAX: (215) 731-1544 www.center4civilrights.org (Philadelphia, PA) - The Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights wrote to Philadelphia Mayor John Street today to ask that he withdraw all city support for the Boy Scouts of America. In a 5-4 decision in the case of Dale v. Boy Scouts, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Boy Scouts discriminatory policy to exclude gay people from its organization. The Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights entered an appearance before the Court as amicus. The letter, addressed to Mayor John Street from Andrew Park, executive director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, begins with the following: "Today, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision finding that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) pro-actively discriminates against gay people as part of its mission. Because the BSA openly discriminates, we request that you rescind any public support, and refuse any future support, for BSA and its affiliates. Specifically, we ask that you prevent Boy Scout Troops from meeting in any Philadelphia Public School facility, as well as any other publicly funded facility under your control, at any time. Also, we ask that BSA be removed from all workplace charitable giving programs operating in any city office." The letter stresses the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance prohibits discrimination against lesbian and gay people in Philadelphia, and notes that public support of the Boy Scouts in Public Schools may violate the principles of Philadelhia law, as well as state and federal law. Pennsylvnaia state law prohibits discrimination against lesbian and gay people in public education. The letter concludes "Allowing the BSA to avail themselves of the use of public facilities for meetings and fundraising is inconsistent with the letter and intent of federal, state and local law. We ask that you cease all city support of BSA and its affiliates, and uphold Philadelphia's long-held principles of fairness and equality." "The Boy Scouts have fought hard for the right to be anti-gay. Now that they have distinguished themselves as an organization of exclusion and bigotry, we want to make sure they are not supported by scarce public resources. The presence of the Boy Scouts in our public schools and workplaces sets an example that we want to avoid," said Andrew Park. The decision can be found at http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/99-699.ZO.html. The brief signed by the Center can be found at www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/sections/sections/dalepresskit/amicusbalif.pdf [this URL doesn't seem to go to the right place...] Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund served as lead counsel representing James Dale, the plaintiff. # # # The Center advocates equality for lesbians and gay men in Pennsylvania through education, legal assistance, and policy reform. ==================================================================================== 2. CA: Space still available for GSA activist camp X-Sender: cmlaub@pop.slip.net Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 10:41:58 -0700 From: Carolyn Laub Subject: Apply now for GSA Activist Camp! ***You still have time to apply for the first-ever GSA Activist Camp!!!*** The Camp planners will be looking at applications on Friday, July 7. So, get your applications in to our office by email or snail mail by Thursday July 6 to be considered. Below is a copy of the application questions. Return the application to: emilie@gsanetwork.org For questions, call Emilie at 415.442.4726. Hope to see many of you there! Carolyn P.S. The camp is free. Meals are provided. If your parent(s)/guardian(s) have questions...yes, there will be adult supervision. They can also call the office with any questions. **************** GSA Activist Camp GSA Activist Camp is a free, 4-day camp offered to youth in GSAs by the Bay Area GSA Network -- all youth who will be leading GSAs next year are encouraged to apply. The Camp is open to any LGBTQQ youth or straight ally youth who care about fighting homophobia. Planned and led by youth, the camp is designed to give GSA members the skills and tools they need to improve their GSAs. The event will also give participants an opportunity to become involved with broader organizing through the Bay Area GSA Network and the Youth Council. Highlights/Topics: community building leadership skills and organization building AB 537 implementation political education resources When: Noon on Tuesday, August 15 - noon on Friday, August 18 Where: The CTWO (Center for Third World Organizing) Mansion, Oakland, CA Who should apply? Youth GSA leaders and potential leaders who will still be in middle or high school during the 2000-2001 school year How to apply: Fill out the application form below. Print it out and mail to: Bay Area GSA Network 965 Mission St., Suite 218 San Francisco, CA 94103 or copy it into an email and send it to emilie@gsanetwork.org ____________________ GSA Activist Camp -- Application Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: Email: Do we need to be discreet when contacting you? Yes or No Name of your school: Name of GSA or LGBTQ-related group: Your current age: Year in school (for 00-01): GSA Network strives for diversity in all programs. The following questions are optional but very important to us: Gender: Sexual Orientation: Race/Ethnicity: Prior GSA organizing or leadership experience, as well as a history of attendance at regional conference and events, are NOT required for participation in the GSA Activist Camp. All current and potential GSA leaders are encouraged to apply. Indicate which, if any, of the following events you have attended: __ Bay Area GSA Network Leadership Training __ Queer Youth Lobby Day __ OHMY Conference Please answer the following questions (in as much space as you need): 1. Describe your GSA experience and how it has been meaningful to you. 2. What vision do you have for the future of your school's GSA? If your GSA has done any planning for next year, list your club's major goals and anticipated projects. Identify some of the ways in which the GSA can improve. 3. Describe how your involvement with your GSA has influenced your views on youth-led movements for social change and why you want to be an activist. 4. What do you hope to get out of the GSA Activist Camp? 5. What would you contribute to the GSA Activist Camp? **************************************** Bay Area Gay-Straight Alliance Network 965 Mission Street, Suite 218 San Francisco, CA 94103 ph: (415) 442-4726 fax: (415) 442-4727 carolyn@gsanetwork.org http://www.gsanetwork.org/ **************************************** ========================================================================== Community housing volunteers needed for Young, Loud, & Proud Conference X-Sender: cmlaub@pop.slip.net Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 15:12:01 -0700 From: Carolyn Laub Subject: Fwd: Volunteers Needed to Host Young, Loud and Proud 2000 Conference Participants >COMMUNITY HOUSING NEEDED FOR THE 2000 YOUNG LOUD AND PROUD CONFERENCE > >LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUESTIONING YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE > >MISSION HIGH SCHOOL, JULY 14-16, 2000 > >During the weekend of July 14-16, LYRIC's Young, Loud & Proud Leadership conference expects over 700 participants between the ages of 18 and 25. It is a chance for many young people to finally meet and network with other queer youth. The conference is by youth, for youth, and about youth. The main goal of Young, Loud & Proud is to empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth to become more active participants in our own lives. We hope you realize the importance of such a conference, and would greatly appreciate your help accommodating out of town participants who need housing. > >FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT MARJON AT THE LYRIC OFFICE AT 703-6150 EXT. 25 OR EMAIL ylp@lyric.org > >IF YOU ARE WILLING TO HOST A PARTICIPANT PLEASE PRINT THIS EMAIL AND FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW. YOU CAN FAX IT ATTN: MARJON TO 415.703.6153 OR EMAIL ANSWERS TO YLP@LYRIC.ORG. THANKS SO MUCH FOR HELPING TO MAKE THIS CONFERENCE POSSIBLE! > >Host Information for Young Loud & Proud Conference > July 14-16 > > Name ________________________________ Age _____ Gender __________ >Telephone ____________________________ Pager ______________________ >Address __________________________________________________________ >Organized Affiliation _______________________________________________ > >Please complete and return to YLP c/o LYRIC, 127 Collingwood St., San Francisco, >CA 94114 or by fax to (415) 702-6153. >1. I am able to house a conference attendee ( 18 years and older ) for >(Check as many as apply): > __ Overnight Friday and Overnight Saturday > __ Any Additional Days (please list) _________________________________ > >2. I am able to house __________ participant (s). > >3. I am __ Smoker __ Non -Smoker > >4. I r cannot >5. I am a (check any that apply) __ Morning Person __ Night Owl __ Heavy Sleeper > __ Light Sleeper __ Person who Snores __ Sleepwalker/talker > >6. My residence is >__ Barrier-Free (ramps, elevators, sufficient width in halls, space to turn a chair) > __ Semi-Barrier Free (some steps, narrow halls) > __ Not Barrier-Free (many steps, narrow halls, no elevator) > >7. Please add any additional information or requirements that would facilitate our placement of a young person in your home: > >________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please list two references below _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ **************************************** Bay Area Gay-Straight Alliance Network 965 Mission Street, Suite 218 San Francisco, CA 94103 ph: (415) 442-4726 fax: (415) 442-4727 carolyn@gsanetwork.org http://www.gsanetwork.org/ **************************************** =================================================================================== 3. New film "That's A Family!" showcases diverse families From: WEMDHC@aol.com Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 15:09:14 EDT Subject: That's A Family! premiere Thanks and be well, Debra Chasnoff New film on families shows how 'different' is normal Carol Ness OF THE EXAMINER STAFF t June 04, 2000 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kids on video share varied experiences, nontraditional lives "Some kids think divorce is their fault. But it's not. Your parents just don't want to be with each other anymore, but it's not your fault." Wise words. And from the mouths of babes - in this case 8-year-old Montana - they carry the power to reach other children who may live with unspoken doubts and fears - and with tough questions from other kids - about the shape of their families. That's the hope of a San Francisco-made teaching film called "That's a Family!" premiering Saturday at Herbst Theater. The peppy half-hour video is intended to be shown in elementary and middle school classrooms. It's the latest release by Women's Educational Media and its producers, Debra Chasnoff and Helen Cohen, and was made with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission, Board of Supervisors, and San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland schools. This is the film Chasnoff and Cohen envisioned when they made "It's Elementary," the first educational film on how to teach children about the existence of gays and lesbians. Their original idea, almost a decade ago, had been to make a film for children, but teachers convinced them the schools weren't ready for that yet. So they made it for parents and teachers. Used in teacher trainings The film generated a firestorm of protest from the religious conservatives, but has been shown on more than 115 public television stations and is widely used in teacher trainings. "That's a Family!" is designed for children, and it's children who tell a story about living in families that are so-called different. The focus isn't on families headed by gays and lesbians, in couples or alone, but they are included. Children watching "That's a Family!" will see kids like them in their various families. Some have parents of different races or religions. Some, like Montana, have parents who divorced. Some have single parents. Some were adopted. Some are being raised by a grandparent or guardian. Glimpses of almost 50 family types make the point that in the United States today, "different" families are the norm. A fact sheet that will be part of curricular materials circulated with the video contains statistics supporting that thought: Only 28 percent of American children live with their married, biological parents; as many live with one parent; more than 1 million kids a year have parents who divorce; 2 to 4 percent of families have an adopted child; an estimated 6 million to 10 million Americans, including adults, have at least one gay, lesbian or bisexual parent. Regular kids talking Kids like Montana are the stars of the film. They introduce their families and talk openly about things that can be hard for kids to talk about: being adopted, having gay parents, living through divorce. Emily has a mother of German descent and father who is Chinese. She says she gets to celebrate Christmas and Chinese New Year. "You don't have to be a rat to marry a rat. You can be a rat and marry a mouse," she says in a 9-year-old's explanation of interracial marriage. Josh, who lives with his lesbian mothers, Joan and Stacey, describes one classmate who sometimes "uses mean words for gays and lesbians and that hurts my feelings." He adds, "I wish he knew it was OK to be different." It's startling but honest to hear Brittany say she's living with her grandmother "because my parents were on drugs for a long time." Clips show the families at home, eating, getting ready for school. In their own words, the kids talk about their lives, and what they'd like other kids to know about their families. And they show how it's possible to talk about their feelings about such personal issues. Director Chasnoff, whose documentary exposE of General Electric won an Oscar in 1991, said focus groups of children, parents and teachers confirmed the power of the idea and shaped the film. Allowing open feelings One girl watched, and then said her own parents' divorce hadn't affected her. But there were tears in her eyes. When Chasnoff asked how it was to see Montana in the film, she admitted, "I never knew anyone else whose parents were divorced." An 8-year-old boy saw it and then turned to his mother, a lesbian, and told her, "That's what happens at my school. All the kids say very bad things about gay people and it really upsets me," Chasnoff recounted. "It was the first time he'd ever said anything. His mother had been trying to figure out a way to get him to talk but he wouldn't, until he saw other kids expressing what he felt," she added. "This opened the door." That's exactly what Chasnoff and Cohen hope the video will do - open discussions about what kids often feel and fear but don't know how to talk about. It would be just one part of a broad family diversity curriculum if used, as they hope, in schools around the country. Stirring up criticism It's already stirred up criticism from right-wing organizations such as the American Family Association and Concerned Women for America. They call it "yet another attempt to indoctrinate our children with the lie that homosexuality is merely an 'alternative lifestyle' that should be accepted and affirmed." Chasnoff and Cohen hope the cultural wars over "That's a Family!" will be less fierce than those waged over "It's Elementary." Chasnoff said the climate has changed over the last decade, in part because so many gays and lesbians have children in schools. They point out the support the film has from schools and teachers, including California school Superintendent Delaine Eastin and state and national teachers' associations. The premiere on June 10, with an appearance by actor Robin Williams, sold out so quickly that organizers may add a second showing that Saturday. The video also will be shown June 18 at San Francisco's gay and lesbian film festival. Women's Educational Media is reachable at (415) 641-4616 or www.womedia.org. Women's Educational Media 2180 Bryant Street, Suite 203 San Francisco, CA 94110 Phone: 415 641-4616 Fax: 415 641-4632 wemfilms@womedia.org http://www.womedia.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/