This is PFLAG news, not GLSEN's, but I thought you would be interested in it. Last Wed. eve the school board of the Matanuska-Susitna School District voted 4-3 to add the terms "sexual orientation" and "ethnicity" to the non-discrimination section of the district's policy manual. The district is second only to the Anchorage School District in size in Alaska. (Incidentally, the news has not appeared in the Anchorage Daily News, as of today--Saturday. It was aired on KSKA from the Alaska Public Radio News on Thursday morning.)

To appreciate the significance of this, a bit of history will help. The Matanuska valley lies 35 miles north of Anchorage and includes the cities of Palmer & Wasilla, several hamlets, and many homesteaders, for a total population of perhaps 40,00 (a guess). It was settled originally in the 30s by refugees from the midwest `Dust Bowl' under FDR's administration, but traditionally has been very conservative, as many small towns & rural areas are.

For example, Colony High School, lying between Palmer & Wasilla, was the scene last May of an incident in which the mural of an art student, Frank Asay, was defaced by students because Asay was openly gay and his mural was interpreted as having a gay theme. At a state-wide conference of prinicipals held at Colony during the summer, the principal refused to post a GLSEN poster as being `too controversial,' so I'm told.

Rev. Howard Bess, a Baptist minister who is the author of the book "Pastor, I'm Gay," has been the driving force behind the PFLAG chapter in the valley, and it was the driving force in persuading the school board to vote as they did. Rev. Bess is one of the persons in Dan Woog's new book "Friends & Family: True Stories of Gay America's Straight Allies." The e-mail that Rev. Bess sent to his friends here follows. (His address is hdbss@mtaonline.net)
(Parenthetically, I think that he is mistaken in saying that the action is the first in Alaska.
Fairbanks, Juneau, & several small communities in the bush have already added sexual orientation to their anti-discrimination policies.)
Fred Hillman
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Sent:Saturday, January 05, 1980 02:48 AM
Subject:Victory in Alaska

Dear PFLAG friends: 1/5/00 10:30 p.m.
This evening a marvelous victory was won for the good of gay and lesbian teenagers who attend public schools in the Matanuska-Susitna School District. On a 4-3 vote the non-discrimination section of the school district policy book was amended to include sexual orientation. As the key paragraph was amended it now reads

District programs and activities shall be free from discrimination with respect to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, ethnicity, marital or parental status, and physical or mental disability. The school board shall ensure equal opportunities for all students in admission and access to academic courses, guidance and counseling programs, athletic programs, testing procedures, vocational education and other activities.

The policy is binding on school board members, administrators, all employees including teachers, and all students.

PFLAG Matanuska Susitna chapter has been working behind the scenes for several weeks. Chapter president Joel Carter has worked with specific board members who were known to be supportive. Joel had furnished board members with copies of the November, 1999, American School Board Journal, which carried an extensive and comprehensive article on the responsibilities of school boards to protect gay and lesbian students. He had gathered materials from Lamda Defense Fund which he shared with board members.. He also directed them to PFLAG's web site. It was clear to everyone that PFLAG was the driving force behind the move to amend the district's policy statement.

This action is the first of its kind in Alaska. The CBS outlet in Anchorage had given the action lead coverage. Their coverage is statewide. The press was generous in their presence at the meeting. Debate was vigorous. President Joel Carter was an eloquent spokesperson for PFLAG. (He is a retired United Methodist minister and a long time friend of Jimmy Creech.) Those who opposed the action argued that the present non-discrimination statement was sufficient to protect all children.

PFLAG Mat-Su Valley knew they had four solid votes going into the meeting and had hoped that more would vote "yes." But that was not to be. The crowd was large. It was clear that the crowd was overwhelmingly negative. The four positive board members could not be intimidated.

The victory is a textbook case of a group doing its homework, working with people behind the scenes, and maintaining the high ground of reason and compassion.

We believe the action in the Matanuka Susitna Valley will be an encouragement for action in other school districts in Alaska. The Matanuska Susitna School District is the second largest school district in Alaska. It has a total of about l5,000 students.

PFLAG Mat-Su Valley is my home chapter. Needless to say, I am very proud of what they accomplished tonight.

Howard Bess

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