The following is from the Philadelphia Gay News (PGN), Page 10, August 2-8, 1996:

"Homophobic school cited in lawsuit"

Lawyers for an Illinois high school say administrators cannot be blamed for an anti-gay atmosphere that was so severe two students found it necessary to drop out and are suing the school for $1 million.

Two former students, identified in court records as Mario Doe and John Doe, claim teachers and administrators at the Riverside-Brookfield Township High School in the Chicago suburb of Riverside did nothing to prevent a host of anti-gay incidents that forced the boys to drop out of school.

In addition, the suit claims that after John Doe confided his homosexuality to a school counselor, the counselor gave that information to the boy's father.

Mario Doe claims the same counselor advised him to learn karate to defend himself against anti-gay assaults in school.

Lawyers for the school claim state law grants school officials immunity from blame for the actions of others. But the lawyer for the boys has argued that the Illinois School Code gives teachers and administrators both the authority and the responsibility for maintaining discipline in schools.

-Windy City Times (a Chicago LGBT newspaper)

[dear readers, those in IL interested in organizing statewide around this case and its underlying issues are referred to the IL section of our organizing handbook at

http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Handbook/illinois.html

THOSE IN OTHER STATES: such horrid bureaucratic nonfeasance,
misfeasance, and malfeasance occurs in your area, too. to fight back using the law, check out your state's section of our organizing hand book at

http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Handbook/contents.html

http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Handbook/appendix8-1.html

http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Resources/list.html ]

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