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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1997)
jus« out T octobor 3. 1097 ▼ 21 Continued from page 19 “So 1 told them,” she says. Well, here’s the deal: Rierson, then 26, was out (as in absent) because she had taken a couple of days to celebrate her commitment ceremony with partner Ena Eakin (who is the assistant volleyball coach at Franklin). The students, says Rierson, were cool. “They were more curious about the ceremony,” she laughs. Nonetheless, she admits she was a tad nervous about possible reactions. “ But I knew I had to do it,” says Rierson, clear ly a woman who cuts to the chase. “The kids know have to say, ‘W ell...in looking at your son’s sched ule, we’d have to remove him from three classes in order to have him avoid being with a lesbian or gay teacher.’ Until we begin to act in accordance with this new activism, the traditional activism which has brought us this far will bring us no further.” P erhaps Oregon’s own Julie Rierson fits into this mold of “new activist.” The 28-year-old, who teaches math and from parents and students, not to mention her fam ily and partner. Since that spring day, Rierson says she’s had many a positive experience stemming from her willingness to be honest. “That day I came out, a girl who was a fresh man came up to me after school and told me how much that affected her. 1 didn’t know this student at the time, but a friend of hers was in one of my classes and told her,” Rierson says, adding she felt “really, really good” when she heard the younger woman’s words. Today that student, she says, is a member of an ongoing queer youth group that meets at Franklin during school hours. Rierson, who herself attended Franklin as a student years earlier, notes how times have changed. There were no out teachers then; there was no student queer youth group. “I guess you could say it’s a little different now,” she says. ierson isn’t alone in her “outness” at school. PHOTO BY LINDA KUEWER R Jan Donald coaches volleyball at Franklin High School in Southeast Portland, came out to her students in the spring of 1996— during her second year of teach ing at the school. Rierson had been absent from school a few days and knew her students would wonder why. anyway. If we refuse to be open about it, we’re just signaling to them that this is something we’re ashamed of and— if they’re gay or lesbian— that they should be ashamed too.” Rierson says her decision to be upfront was made all the easier by the sense of support she felt O ut at S c h o o l ? Jan Donald is another member of the Franklin High School staff who is openly lesbian. And Donald, the school’s media specialist/librarian, is doing her own part to dismantle the invisibility of sexual minorities. She has created displays for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual History Month featuring lesbian and gay-related books and posters. Donald pulled together the first such exhib it, situated in a bustling locale near the media center, in 1995 after Kitzhaber issued his proclamation. “I didn’t hear one negative remark. In fact, staff would come in and jot down a title and say something like, ‘My sister’s a lesbian. This is a book she may be interested in.’ It was so gratifying to hear that,” says Donald, 43. Not that Franklin is Queer Paradise, mind you. Both Donald and Rierson recount an incident in which school administration balked at an announcement regarding the youth group. “They switched ‘gay and lesbian’ to ‘alterna , Coming out can be an enriching experience though for students it does warrant serious thought ▼ by Paul Hatton hat happens if my school finds out?” You must come out to yourself first. It sounds Like most of us who came out at an strange, but you really have to be able to accept early age, that question was the most who and what you are. If you don’t, the slightest hint of hostility will scare you back in, making it important one we could think to ask. What terrified us, what made us cry even harder for you to accept yourself, let alone ourseives ro sleep at night, was the fear have that others we accept you. You must be completely would be singled out and shunned by our confident peers. that you are what you are. And it is a serious issue, one that unfortunately Know your area. Remember, you’re probably is not often dealt with at the appropriate levels. going to be one of a small handful of openly gay people in your school. In my situation, I was the Recently a 12-year-old Pacifica, Calif., boy and his only one out of 1,500 students, and everybody mother sued the Laguna Salada Union Elementary knew me. My school was surprisingly tolerant— District for more than half a million dollars on no threats were ever made, no obscene com grounds the district failed to protect the boy from ments. People admired my strength and courage being sexually harassed at school. The harassment and most likely, they’ll admire yours too. D on’t continued for more than two years, eventually overstep your bounds, though. You may think it resulting in a transfer to a different school. The boy would be really cool to fly the Rainbow Flag in is heterosexual but was presumed to be gay by place of the American Flag outside o f your peers, teachers and staff. school, but your coolness will subside as your When young people struggling with their own straight principal calls you into his or her office. sexuality hear such stories, what incentive do they Also, you have to weigh the benefits o f coming have to come out? Why would anyone want to out against any threat to your safety— you’re express themselves in such a hostile environment? going to want to survive to be an adult gay per This case was an exception, involving false pre son. sumptions, and is being taken care of in court. But How to avoid being harassed? There’s no sure how can young teenagers prepare themselves for way. You may hear the occasional sneer, chuckle or the great change they want to happen? W Paul Hatton offensive phrase. But always, always remember that you are better than the homophobes. Hold your head high and have faith in yourself. They’ll see your confidence and realize you’re probably not a very fun target. But if you feel threatened, don’t hesitate to tell someone. Even in the absence of regulations specifically protecting gay men and les- tive lifestyles,’ ” says Rierson, “because [adminis tration] couldn’t bear to say ‘gay and lesbian.’ ” “Alternative lifestyles,” that unappealing and ambiguous phrase, they add, not only makes one cringe but can lead the imagination to run wild. “We’re trying to do what we can, even in small steps if need be,” says Donald, who sits on a Portland Public Schools diversity subcommittee which in part aims to introduce more accurate and gay-friendly curricula into the schools. “I’m Native American and I came up through the public education system,” says Donald. “ I remember the very one-sided view I was taught with respect to how this country developed.” Donald says she has spent many hours as an adult teaching herself about her tribes— the Ponca and Osage— as well as broader Native American culture. Queer youth, she says, shouldn’t have to suffer the same neglect at the hands of the educational establishment. "That’s a lonely place to be, and it needn’t be that way,” she says. hile that's certainly true, the schools remain hostile territory not only for receiving accurate and inclusive infor mation, but simply if you are queer (or queer-like). Some things are painfully slow to change. In mid-September, national GLSEN released its first “report card” highlighting how schools in general fail to protect students and teachers from harassment and discrimination. The average grade was a C. (Portland Public Schools received a B- plus, but some are expressing concerns over gay- supportive Superintendent Jack Bierwirth’s recent announcement that he’s leaving by year’s end.) Among the highlights of the national report’s findings: Half the districts reporting received a failing grade; Massachusetts, the first state in the nation to enact legislation prohibiting discrimina tion in public schools on the basis of sexual orien tation, received the highest grade with an A-minus; and the national average drops from a C to D when the Bay State is removed from the scoring. W Continued on page 23 bians, your school has a responsibility to protect every student from violence. Be yourself. You’ve probably lived a straight life until this point. I’m not saying you have to dress in drag, or avoid members of the opposite sex altogether. But you guys out there, I know you’ve always wanted to be a bleached blond. And you girls, who needs skirts! (No offense meant.) Unless there is a threat to your safety, don’t be afraid to make some changes. Have a voice. If someone offends you, let them know. Talk to your teachers about being gay— let them know who they’ll be teaching. If you don’t speak your mind, the less tolerant will continue to speak theirs. Their ignorance is our pain. All of the above will come naturally to you. You will grow closer to your friends, probably gaining many new ones. If things look bleak in the beginning, don’t give up. Talk to teachers, staff, counselors— if you find someone unwilling to help you, there is always someone else who can. The school is a place of learning, and your com ing out will teach your peers. I hadn’t known any gay people at my school, located in the heart of the farmlands. After I came out, I was approached by several students just wanting to talk with me— all had questioned their sexuality. You will become a role model: Always remember that no matter how bad it gets, no matter how frustrated you are, being able to say “ I’m gay” to a stranger is awesome. Paul Hatton, 18, is a clarinet major at James Madison University in Virginia His work is dis tributed by The Rainbow Writers Group. This piece represents the author’s personal expe rience and is not intended as clinical advice.
