Gay rights activists protest for bias ban

By Lama Bakri / The Detroit News

WESTLAND -- Gay-rights activists vow to continue their protests at monthly meetings of the Wayne-Westland school district's Board of Education until the board restores a ban on discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Jeff Montgomery, spokesman for Detroit's Triangle Foundation, said he and other activists are protesting at the public meetings because they have been frustrated in their attempts to meet personally with board members. The ban was repealed about a year ago.

"They have repeatedly refused to meet with us," Montgomery said. "We can continue to speak to them at public meetings. But it's a one-way deal. There is no dialogue."

School board members call Montgomery unreasonable.

"There is nothing we can do but to change the ordinance -- and I don't see that happening," board member Teresa Robbins said. "We have been very respectful, responsive and have been meeting with them at school board meetings. That is a public forum. If that is not good enough, that is something they have to deal with."

The school board approved specific language in May 1997 protecting the rights of gay students and staff. Three months later, it reversed itself, citing the threat of lawsuits from a religious group that insisted the policy infringed on free speech.

Since then, public comment during meetings has been occasionally raucous, and board members and gay activists have traded verbal jabs.

But Robbins said tensions have been easing between the board and the gay-rights activists.

"They are very courteous and respectful and nonviolent," Robbins said. "If they want to come to every school board meeting, that's fine with me. But that does not mean I will do what they want me to do."

The activists say they are determined to convince the board to re-adopt the ordinance.

"We are committed to continuing to be at those meetings and to help them understand that they made a mistake in changing the policy," said Trish Brown, a gay woman who is a former president of Wayne-Westland's board of education.

"We aren't going to go away. We'll show up at every meeting. We believe this is in the best interest of everyone involved."

Districts share views on policy

Wayne Westland isn't the only school district to have battled over whether to include wording that specifically identifies gays and lesbians on anti-discrimination policies.

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools revised its policy in anti-discrimination in March, but did not specifically include homosexuals in the policy -- to the dismay of some parents and teachers.

Detroit and Allen Park school districts also don't include sexual orientation in anti-discrimination policies. Birmingham School District includes sexual orientation in all of its anti-discrimination policies.

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