Message from:
The Coalition for Safer Schools of NYS, PO Box 2345, Malta, NY 12020
John Myers, Director of Operations and Programs
Email to:saratogany@aol.com
The Real or Perceived Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Student Protection Project

CSS-NYS Note:Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) student clubs in public secondary schools receiving federal funding must be allowed under the provisions of the (US) Equal Access Act (EAA). This issue has been tested in the courts many times and GSA's have prevailed or in some cases the school district banned ALL non-curricular student clubs to preclude a GSA. Detailed info regarding GSA's and the EAA can be found at http://www.lambdalegal.org......John Myers

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Gay club upsets parents
June 6, 2002
BY LUCIO GUERRERO lguerrero@suntimes.com STAFF REPORTER

Chicago Sun-Times
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-gay06.html

A gay-straight student group at Chicago's only all-girl school is causing concern among some parents, who say the school is overstepping its boundaries and causing the girls to question their sexuality.

A handful of parents from the Young Women's Leadership Charter School are writing letters to school officials, legislators and the school's financial backers to try to get the school to shut the club down. They say the girls, ages 11 to 16, are too young to be learning about sexuality.

"I feel that at this age these young ladies should not even be concerned with whether they are gay, bisexual or even questioning their sexual preference," said Norell Ceaser, who has a seventh-grader at the school. "If they have questions, it should be discussed with the parents."

Parents became aware of the club after some of the students came home with flyers promoting the "Gay Straight Alliance Club."

School leaders said they decided to allow the club after some high school students approached them to start the club. A number of other Chicago schools have similar clubs.

"Honestly, I think this is about homophobia," said Mary Ann Pitcher, the school's co-director. "It's about some people's inability to recognize that we are a public school, and like any other public school, we support each and every one of our students in the building."

Parents are concerned that even though the club is open only to high school students, the middle school kids will still talk about it because all the grades are housed in one building.

Pitcher said she had no plans to stop the club, and there is little the Chicago Public School district can do to stop it, even if it wanted to, because the facility is a charter school not run by CPS.

Greg A. Richmond, director of the charter school's office for the CPS, said the issue could have been handled differently.

"This calls for keen, sensitive judgment," he said. "There was a lack of judgment in advance and poor management afterward."
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John Myers
Director of Operations and Programs
(518) 587-0176

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