National School Board Association's
American School Board Journal
BATTLES OVER GAY STUDENT CLUBS HEATING UP ACROSS THE NATION
04/05/00
BY CHELSEA J. CARTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
ORANGE, Calif. (AP) -- Anthony Colin wanted a club at his high school where students could get together and promote tolerance of homosexuality.
Instead, his proposed Gay-Straight Alliance Club has polarized this Orange County community, pitting those who say school is no place for sexual issues against those who say it's the perfect place.
Since 1989, students have formed more than 700 Gay-Straight Alliance clubs at high schools across the country. About half of those came after the beating death two years ago of gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard.
The Orange County debate has generated threats, courtroom battles and heated school board meetings. During one scuffle, a student was arrested for biting a principal.
"This whole thing has stopped being about my club. It's become this debate
about sex," said Colin, 16, a sophomore at El Modena High School.
The clubs, supported by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, also
known as GLSEN, promote education and tolerance of homosexuality. They also
advocate some activism, such as changing anti-bias policies at schools to
include sexual orientation.
Most schools prohibit bias or discrimination because of gender, race and
creed, but most don't include sexual orientation.
The National School Boards Association has advised schools to treat such
student clubs as they would any other.
"We're not saying give the clubs carte blanche. You can't apply different
rules to them. But you can apply the same rules to every club," Underwood
said.
As students attempt to form such clubs, they are being met by resistance from
parents, school officials and religious leaders. Many say the clubs are an
attempt by gay rights advocates to get "their foot in the door at schools."
Battle lines between parents and club organizers have been drawn in
California, Utah, Louisiana, Indiana and Florida. In Salt Lake City, a school
district eliminated all student clubs rather than allow a gay club. The
ruling is being appealed.
"It's all being done under the assumption that it will make it safer for
homosexual children. We're for protecting all children. But this is about
more than that. They are talking about curriculum ... To us, this is just
another demonstration ... that there is a broader agenda out there," said Ed
Vitagliano, director of research for American Family Association, a
Mississippi-based conservative watchdog organization. "We fully expect once
there is a GSA on a campus, it will open the door to a wide range of things
on campus -- gay curriculum, gay pride days."
But Kevin Jennings, executive director of GLSEN, said his organization
doesn't seek out students nor does he use them to promote activism.
"That's ridiculous. We don't use children. We don't go to them. They come to
us. Most of them we never hear from until there's a problem like in Orange
County," he said.
Galen Newton, 18, said his GSA club in West Des Moines, Iowa, only contacted
GLSEN after it unsuccessfully tried to get the school board to change its
anti-bias policy.
"That's when we asked for their help," he said.
Michael Kozuch, the faculty adviser for the GSA at Newton South High School
in Newton, Mass., said his students spend much of their time hosting dances,
going to conferences and showing movies "just like other student clubs."
"They don't talk about sex. They talk about trying to educate people about
homophobia and discrimination," he said.
But the Family Research Council, a Washington D.C.-based conservative
research group, maintains that those education efforts are "much more radical
than people think."
"Some of the clubs have had school-wide seminars where they bring
transsexuals in to talk about their lifestyle," said Pete LaBarbera, a senior
analyst for the council. "Their reality is there is much more going on than
meets the eye."
Many of the students heading up the clubs dispute LaBarbera's claims, saying
they only want safe, tolerant schools.
"Look, if this was elementary school, this would be an issue," said
16-year-old Sarah Austin, president of her school's GSA in Decatur, Ga. "But
high school students, and I mean all high school students, have been having
sex since the beginning of time. And if they're not having it, they are
thinking about it. If you don't know that, you really don't know what's going
on at schools."
That's exactly what concerns parents in Orange County.
"That's my job to talk with my children about their sexuality. It belongs at
home, not at school," said parent Jack McNiff.
Donna Sigalas, who is leading the parental opposition, said she has health
concerns like HIV and hepatitis.
"These people are not a racial minority. They are identified by their
behavior," she said. "Their behavior is what concerns me."
The Orange Unified School District board unanimously rejected the club in
December. Colin sued, accusing the board of violating the Equal Access Act,
which gives students the right to form clubs.
A federal judge granted Colin a temporary injunction earlier this year,
allowing the club to meet on the 2,000-student campus while his lawsuit
against the board winds its way through the courts.
Many of the students at El Modena say they just want to see the controversy
go away.
"I think it needs to be decided and over with, so people can get on with
their lives," said 15-year-old Emily Burningham. "I don't like being known as
the girl who goes to the school with a gay club."
============================================================================
"The Actual or Perceived GLBT Student Protection Project"
A project of:
John Myers
From:SARATOGANY@aol.com
04/04/00
Battles Over Gay Student Clubs
By CHELSEA J. CARTER
ORANGE, Calif. (AP) - Anthony Colin wanted to create a club at
his high school where students could get together and promote
tolerance of homosexuality.
Instead, his idea for a Gay-Straight Alliance Club has divided
the community, generating threats, courtroom battles and heated
school board meetings. One student was arrested for biting a
principal.
``This whole thing has stopped being about my club. It's become
this debate about sex,'' said Colin, 16, a sophomore at El Modena
High School.
Although homosexual concerns - like anti-discrimination laws and
lifestyle acceptance - have been discussed for decades, dealing
with them in public schools is a recent development.
``Students are feeling more comfortable and, therefore, a little
more courageous about coming forward'' to ask for recognition of
student clubs, said Julie Underwood of the National Schoolboards
Association, which represents the country's 15,000 districts.
Since 1989, students have formed more than 700 Gay-Straight
Alliance clubs at high schools across the country - about half came
after the beating death two years ago of gay Wyoming college
student Matthew Shepard.
The clubs, supported by the Gay, Lesbian, Student Education
Network, or GLSEN, promote education and tolerance of
homosexuality. They also advocate some activism, such as amending
anti-bias policies at schools to include sexual orientation.
Efforts to form gay-oriented clubs are being met by resistance
from parents, school officials and religious leaders. Battle lines
between parents and club organizers have been drawn in California,
Utah, Louisiana, Indiana and Florida. One Salt Lake City school
district eliminated all student clubs rather than allow a gay club,
a ruling that is being appealed.
``We're for protecting all children. But this is about more than
that,'' said Ed Vitagliano, director of research for American
Family Association, a Mississippi-based conservative watchdog
organization. ``To us, this is just another demonstration ... that
there is a broader agenda out there.''
``That's ridiculous,'' said Kevin Jennings, executive director
of GLSEN. ``We don't use children. We don't go to them. They come
to us. Most of them we never hear from until there's a problem like
in Orange County.''
Michael Kozuch, the faculty adviser for the GSA at Newton South
High School in Newton, Mass., said club members spend much of their
time hosting dances, going to conferences and showing movies ``just
like other student clubs.''
``They don't talk about sex. They talk about trying to educate
people about homophobia and discrimination,'' he said.
The Family Research Council, a Washington D.C.-based
conservative research group, maintains that those efforts are
``much more radical than people think.''
``Some of the clubs have had school-wide seminars where they
bring transsexuals in to talk about their lifestyle,'' said Pete
LaBarbera, an analyst for the council. ``Their reality is there is
much more going on than meets the eye.''
``Look, if this was elementary school, this would be an issue,''
replied Sarah Austin, the 16-year-old president of her school's GSA
in Decatur, Ga. ``But high school students, and I mean all high
school students, have been having sex since the beginning of time.
``And if they're not having it, they are thinking about it. If
you don't know that, you really don't know what's going on at
schools,'' she said.
That's exactly what concerns parents in Orange County.
``That's my job to talk with my children about their sexuality.
It belongs at home, not at school,'' said parent Jack McNiff.
The Orange Unified School District board unanimously rejected
the club in December. Colin sued, accusing the board of violating
the Equal Access Act, which gives students the right to form clubs.
A federal judge granted Colin a temporary injunction earlier
this year, allowing the club to meet on the 2,000-student campus
while his lawsuit against the board goes through the courts.
Things have hardly been quiet.
A 17-year-old El Modena student was arrested March 10, a day
after she allegedly bit the principal of another high school at a
school board meeting. Police said the bite happened after a group
wearing bandanas rushed forward when a critic of the club was
preparing to speak.
Administrators stepped in to stop them and the protesters fled,
police said.
Many El Modena students just want the controversy go away.
``I think it needs to be decided and over with, so people can
get on with their lives,'' said 15-year-old Emily Burningham. ``I
don't like being known as the girl who goes to the school with a
gay club.''
___=
On the Net:Gay and lesbian network:http://www.glsen.org
"The Actual or Perceived GLBT Student Protection Project"
A project of:
John Myers
Return to P.E.R.S.O.N. Project Home Page
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expressed interest of non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS
Director of Operations and Programs
PO Box 2345
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(518) 587-0176
Email:SARATOGANY@aol.com
Date:Tue, 4 Apr 2000 06:09:31 EDT
Subject:AP:Battles Over Gay Student Clubs
Associated Press
School boards' group:http://www.nsba.org
=============================================================================
This message has been distributed as a free informational service for the
expressed interest of non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS
Director of Operations and Programs
PO Box 2345
Malta, NY 12020
(518) 587-0176
Email:saratogany@aol.com