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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1996)
lo i; i i i :i V OCC f .e t lia it n . T S “ ju s t o u t ▼ m arch 1 5 , 1 0 9 0 ▼ 13 local news A tough assignment Despite objections, Northwest school systems want to make schools safe fo r all students—including queer youth T by Inga Sorensen incidental piece of literature.” f a student walks down the hallway and is Chambers says the pilot trainings, which lasted called a ‘nigger,’ one would expect teach about two hours, primarily consisted of two half- ers and administrators to do something hour videos and related exercises. One video in about it. That should also be the expecta troduces educators to basic concepts such as gen tion if a student is harassed and called a ‘faggot.’ There’s no difference— schools must der be and sexual orientation; the other features a discussion among a panel whose members include safe environments for everyone,” says Jack a child of lesbian parents, a retired gay school Bierwirth,' superintendent of Portland Public teacher, and a lesbian parent. Schools, a school system serving an estimated “That video is designed to build an apprecia 57,000 students. tion [among training participants] of what it’s like The district recently came under fire from to be a gay person or the child of a gay person,” critics following a front-page article and subse says Chambers. “Unfortunately, The Oregonian quent editorial in the state’s leading daily newspa never bothered to ask us about the trainings. They per, The Oregonian, which said that educators at only focused on that brochure.” Grant High and Lane Middle schools were receiv According to Bierwirth, the trainings, which ing skills-building training that could sensitize— currently are not mandated, will “be required by if not actually introduce—teachers to issues in volving sexual minority youth. The pilot program placed an emphasis on providing instruction to adults about how to prop erly counter harassment of that highly vulnerable population. The Feb. 27 editorial, however, urged the district to revamp the training, claiming that it strayed “dangerously and inappropriately into moral judgment.” Additionally, The Oregonian complained that the training guidelines “are them selves insensitive to the concerns of people whose religious or moral beliefs regard homosexuality as wrong, or those with more traditional views of marriage and sexuality. The district should strive for common sense and neutrality in this discus sion.” “We are being neutral in that we want schools to be a safe and positive experience for all stu dents,” says Bierwirth. “I guess a person who wants us to actively condemn homosexuality would think we were not being neutral. Well, we’re not going to do that, and we are going to require that all educators, counselors and admin istrators go through this training when we get it honed.” According to Bierwirth, the training guide lines were “not quite completed,” when The Or egonian caught wind of the story. “We had re !>'- -,..:c.vV■ - ■ -i;''- ceived specific requests from [Grant and Lane school officials] to do some training around this issue. We went ahead with it, even though we were not fully ready with the materials,” says Bierwirth, who speculates that a disgruntled edu cator who attended the Grant or Lane pilot train ing griped about it to the newspaper. “Because this is a sensitive matter, everything needed to be perfect—and it wasn’t,” he says. “That’s where we made our mistake...but we are going ahead all district educators, counselors and administra with our plans that all educators receive this tors after all the materials are fully reviewed by training. Before that happens, though, we’re go district officials.” ing to make sure we go over every bit of informa He says the training is part of the district’s tion with a fine-tooth comb.” overall goal to create a safe school environment Judy Chambers is a licensed clinical social for students. worker who worked in the district’s drug preven He acknowledges that abuse of youth who are tion office from 1987 to 1994. Chambers, who gay or lesbian—or simply perceived as such— is a helped develop the training using a private grant widespread problem. Numerous studies indicate from the Peace and Development Fund in Massa that queer youth are at greater risk of harassment chusetts, maintains that a “peripheral” brochure than their heterosexual peers, and a study released included in a pilot program packet became the in 1989 by the U.S. Department of Health and primary focus of controversy. Human Services Task Force on Youth Suicide “It talked about using inclusive language,” placed suicide as a leading cause of death among says Chambers, who was part of a 1991 task force gay and lesbian youth, estimating that as many as that detailed widespread harassment of sexual 30 percent of completed youth suicides were by minority youth in Oregon schools. “It basically sexual minority youth. says that people shouldn’t assume that everyone is From 1959 to 1961, three in every 100,000 married and heterosexual, and urges people to be Oregonians between the ages of 15 and 19 com a bit more thoughtful about their choice of words mitted suicide. From 1991 to 1993, the rate was 16 so as not to offend others. All it was was an per 100,000—more than a fivefold increase. Ac I Mm si ip VSfBSsmBÊM cording to federal data, Oregon has the 10th high est overall suicide rate in the nation. The latter timetable coincides with the on slaught of anti-gay-rights ballot initiatives launched by the Oregon Citizens Alliance. Some believe the campaigns have created a climate of intolerance that has contributed to the climb in the teen suicide rate. “I don’t think the general public realizes the statistics on these kids,” Anne Bliss, president of the Portland-metropolitan chapter of Parents, Fami lies and Friends of Lesbians and Gays told Just Out during an interview late last year. PFLAG was so concerned that the needs of sexual minority students were not being met that it distributed informational packets to Oregon schools statewide. The packets, which contained research materials detailing the risks associated with being a sexual minority youth in a largely unsupportive society, were designed to inform and assist educators who would undoubtedly be working with sexual minority youth. “We tend to want to ignore gay and lesbian youth, but I think society has a responsibility to these kids. We have to talk about this, and parents who support human sexuality education in schools have to speak up,” she said. H I guess a person who wants us to actively condemn homosexuality would think we were not being neutral. Well, we ’re not going to do that, and we are going to require that all educators, counselors and administrators go through this training when we get it honed. ” — Jack Bierwirth A letter from Bliss, meanwhile, was published on the opinion page of the March 10 Oregonian. She wrote: “Here in Portland, gay and lesbian students are once again sent a message they are not important enough to worry about, as a sensitivity training program in the Portland School District comes under attack from the media.” In its Feb. 25 issue, for instance, The Orego nian quoted Grant music teacher Allen Evans as saying he felt “like there was an agenda being pushed.” In its editorial two days later. The Orego nian said that teachers’ negative reactions to the training were “predictable” and “we think reason able.” “Unfortunately, a safe sanctuary at home does not always exist for gay and lesbian students,” Bliss continued. “Many deal with total isolation every day. Sometimes school is the only place they can find any understanding or safety. [PFLAG] thinks [Bierwirth] should be commended for start ing the pilot sensitivity program and for under standing that schools have a responsibili provide a safe learning environment for al dents.” “If a student is called a faggot or a nigge not enough for a teacher to be well-intentio says Bierwirth. “It’s imperative they actuall) the skills to handle that type of difficult siti in a professional manner. As well-intentior many of our staffpeople may be, the vast ma don’t have the professional training to copt such volatile scenarios.” In neighboring Washington state, cone citizens are also lobbying school officials to ( safer school environments for sexual mil youth. This past fall, the Safe Schools Coaliti coalition of 34 public agencies and private oi zations, released its second annual report, \ documented 27 incidents of harassment an< lence—ranging from name-calling to two I beatings to six rapes— against gay, lesbia sexual and transgender youth in Washing public schools. According to the report, in some cases a ers spit on targeted youth, threw things at the tried to pull their clothes off. The report say although some of the incidents were witness adults, they went unchallenged. The incidents took place in 12 high scl three middle schools, and three elementary scl and are considered to be the tip of the icebe many cases, young people said they felt they not turn to their parents or guardians for su| In response to the findings, the coalitio called for school boards, teachers and pare take steps to protect sexual minority youth. S nurses and counselors were urged to display 1 and posters to alert sexual minority student they were safe to talk to. The coalition supportive adults to teach young people h< protect themselves and how to stand up to h; ment they may witness. Educators were en aged to teach accurate information and resp messages about gay men and lesbians. “I think once people learn how unsal schools really are, it will begin to change attitudes around school support for sexual n ity youth,” says Beth Reis, a coalition me who works for the Seattle-King County F Department. “I would love to see Judith Bil [Washington state superintendent of publ struction] office sponsor a training specif around this issue, and I think what Portland F Schools is doing is absolutely fantastic.” “I guess it would be fair to say that we pro aren’ t doing enough around sexual minority y< admits Chris Thompson, a Billings spoke: “Staff aren’t equipped to handle harassrm gay students and there is a need for further ing. We at the state level are not capat handling that—local school boards and s districts really need to take that on—but we \ certainly try to provide what support we co Thompson adds: “I don’t know if any < [coalition’s] findings surprised the supen dent, but she was certainly horrified by the ir tude of the problem as it was detailed i report.” The issue of sexual minority students g national prominence in February when th< Lake City Board of Education voted to b; nonacademic clubs rather than allow gay, le: and bisexual high school students to form own club. The action sparked student walk-outs. I led to the formation of a Utah group calle Gay, Lesbian and Straight Teachers’ Alii and a local high school teacher came out as man: both precedent-setting actions in Utal As for Portland, Superintendent Bierwirtl the recent brouhaha proves why sensitivity ing is so vital. “There’s still so much misinformation an out there,” he says. “If anything, this reinl why we must do this.”