School's gay awareness day ripped

by Franci Richardson

Instead of attending math and English classes today, many Newton North High School students will hear testimony from gay and lesbian classmates during seminars entitled "The Transgender Panel,'' "Queer Athletes,'' and "Gay Back in the Day.''

Today is the school's fifth annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Awareness Day, an event that has some parents accusing school officials of trying to make homosexuals out of their straight kids.

"It's basically homosexual activism . . . and I think it's psychologically reckless,'' said Brian Camenker, a parent whose daughter will attend Newton North next year. "They're trying to tell children that these kinds of behaviors are not only normal, but you should consider trying them.''

The program, funded by a small grant from the state's Safe Schools for Gay and Lesbian Students, will detail their social struggles, not their sex lives, school officials say.

"This is not about sex. This is about human rights,'' said Jim Marini, assistant superintendent of high schools. "These students are going to talk about the discrimination they have felt as a person who has this orientation.''

Linda Shapiro, head of Newton North's counseling department who started the event, said the purpose is to make gay students feel safe in an atmosphere susceptible to gay bashing.

Students, said Shapiro, aren't required to attend the workshops. Teachers can sign their class up, but a student can request to be excused.

But that's not likely, said Colleen Minaker, whose daughter is a Newton North sophomore.

"Kids tend to participate because they go with the flow. That's the nature of high school,'' she said.

Minaker added that she would like to have received advance notice of the event.

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