Justice For All : Creating Safe Schools

On Thursday May 7th, I presented at an event co-hosted by the Human Rights Campaign, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, and Equality Arizona. The goal of the presentation was to start a dialog in Arizona about how to improve the school situation for LGBT students and families.

A few months ago I wrote about Chris Quintanilla, a student in the Peoria High School District that had been told by his school that he could not wear a rainbow wristband that said "Rainbows are Gay." After the ACLU got involved and wrote a letter to the district that matter was resolved favorably and Chris has been able to wear the wristband.

The problem is, the school never really wanted to deal with Chris' sexuality. They wanted to try and hide it and make him conform to how everyone else looks and acts. Many of the students in attendance spoke of a similar problem at their school. The common theme with the students was that the teachers and administrators were not supportive or too scared to be supportive. Since in Arizona one can be fired for being gay many teachers are afraid of losing their jobs if they are assumed to be gay.

I had taught High School for a short time. Back in 1995 students at the High School asked me to help them establish a gay-straight alliance. I was more than happy to sponsor it. While that story should be it's own post some day, I did gain valuable experiences that I could pass onto the students and empower them. I suggested that they try and get the teachers on board by treating it as a sexual harassment policy. All schools must treat name calling using fag, dyke, etc. as sexual harassment. If the teachers and administrators are failing to stop it and follow the necessary discipline procedures then they can be reprimanded.

Besides trying to give tips on empowering the students, I was able to share HRC's latest program called Welcoming Schools. The concept of the program is to start teaching diversity in the elementary schools. This includes teaching about all types of families. My daughter is in 1st grade. For the past two years during the first month of school they do projects about your family. This means each year she has to "come out" to her class that she has 4 mommies (I had her with my ex). This can create questions from the students. How those teacher handles the conversations will be key in how my daughter is accepted by her peers. This is what the program is designed to do, give the teachers training and tools to be able to handle these types of discussions. The program also deals with bullies. We know that bullying happens very young so by having a program that educates teachers on what to do hopefully we can begin to improve the situation.

The program was well received. Thanks to some educators and board members in the audience I think we are going to try and bring the program to Arizona.

All the co-sponsors help to put on a great event and I hope we will see more of these events in the future.

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HRC Releases New Welcoming Schools Guide To Address Name Calling and Bullying Among Younger Students

With two 11 year old boys committing suicide in recent weeks for being bullied by being called gay I can't think of a more important thing for schools to be looking into. A new program from the Human Rights Campaign is rolling out and will hopefully help schools deal with the problem of bullying that is facing kids in schools across the country.

I spoke with Ellen Kahn, the Director of the Family Project at HRC about this program. Our interview will be featured in Episode 5 of the Thoughts From A Lezzymom Podcast which will be out April 24th.

Here is the press release from the Human Rights Campaign:

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today announced the release of “An Introduction to Welcoming Schools,” a guide aimed at equipping school administrators, classroom teachers, and all other school personnel with knowledge and skills to address bias-based bullying, and to create environments where all students feel safe and affirmed. The announcement comes as the nation grapples with the suicides of two 11-year-old children, both of whom were frequent targets of anti-gay bullying.

“It is absolutely devastating that two children took their own lives in response to chronic bullying at school,” said Human Rights Campaign Foundation Family Project Director Ellen Kahn. “These tragedies point to an epidemic of bullying and name-calling among younger students, as well as a lack of knowledge or responsiveness on the part of school leaders to address these behaviors head on. ‘Welcoming Schools’ will help schools reduce those tensions and teach children to respect differences and not belittle them.”

The subject of school bullying and teasing—particularly harassment that is homophobic in nature—has emerged as a major issue in the wake of the suicides of the two 11-year-olds this month.

On April 6th, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover of Springfield, Mass., hanged himself after a period of prolonged school bullying. Walker-Hoover’s mother says she complained to school leaders multiple times about the abuse her son suffered but was met with inadequate responses. Ten days later, Jaheem Herrera of DeKalb County, Ga., hanged himself. Herrera’s mother says her son was often bullied by other children at Dunaire Elementary School and claims the school administration ignored her complaints about it.

“We know that in these tragedies both boys routinely heard the words ‘gay’ and ‘fag,’ and were harassed in part because they were not perceived as “masculine” enough. We also know that school personnel do not always know how to respond to these kinds of behaviors. ‘Welcoming Schools’ can deliver real results in reducing this type of bullying,” continued Kahn.

“As a mother and teacher, I know some students wake up every morning and dread going to school because they don’t fit the gender norm,” Graciela Slesaransky-Poe, Ph.D., a member of the Welcoming Schools Advisory Board. “They’re harassed because somehow they’re different. What’s so powerful about Welcoming Schools is it helps students and educators alike understand that there are many different ways of being a boy or a girl.”

Originally planned for release later this spring, the ‘Welcoming Schools’ guide is designed for use in elementary schools to help create an inclusive approach to family diversity, name-calling and gender stereotyping. It also offers specific guidance on addressing anti-gay and gender-based name-calling.

HRC is in the second year of a three-year pilot of Welcoming Schools. Preliminary results show that educators want more training to address LGBT issues, as well as other diversity issues, in their schools and that with administrative support, professional development, and community involvement, educators want to tackle these issues with students.

The central goal of Welcoming Schools is to create a respectful learning environment for all students. The nation’s elementary school communities are comprised of diverse children and families, including multiethnic families, single parents, adoptive parents, gay and lesbian parents, immigrants, foster parents, and families headed by grandparents. The Welcoming Schools guide gives educators the tools to open dialogue about all kinds of diversity with students and families. By engaging the entire community, Welcoming Schools offers a comprehensive approach to improving the school climate.

“Educators have an important role in keeping students safe and creating an environment that provides for maximizing every student’s potential for academic success. Welcoming Schools is a valuable resource that can help lay the foundation for addressing these issues in elementary schools,” said Jerald L. Newberry, executive director of the National Education Association Health Information Network.

“An Introduction to Welcoming Schools” can be viewed online at www.welcomingschools.org.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.