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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1999)
aprii lfi. 1999 < citi I [ ih V iH new s ..his year, for the first time, the U.S. government has included informa tion about protecting students from harassment and abuse based on sexual orientation in a policy guide issued to schools “Its become very, very clear that if you’re going to talk about hate in schools, you have to talk about gay youth,” says Kate Frankfurt, “E” for E ffort New Department of Education manual tackles the problem of anti-gay harassment in schools by G ip P laster X ° V o [ l r c T u s b i a n , The 158-page guide which includes straight Education Network, a samples o f policies already in place national organization working to in some jurisdictions, represents the tackle issues involving sexual minority youth and schools. first tim e the U.S. Departm ent o f The 158-page guide, which includes samples of policies Education has included advice already in place in some jurisdic- f a r CUn ()lr n n n m l p r i m n tions, represents the first time the ,U f >UtUUIb UI1 p iO W llin g U.S. Department of Education QQy Q fl(] ¡esblO H has included advice for schools . j . . students in a on protecting gay and lesbian students in a manual designed to m anual help schools establish policies. Such policies are sorely need designed to help ed, say backers of the action, because abuse is no small prob schools establish policies. lem. For example, in Cherokee County, Ga., eighth-grader Josh Belluardo was killed by a 15-year- old bully, Jonathan Miller, who allegedly used anti-gay slurs. Miller had reportedly called other students “faggots” and said that gays “deserved to die.” The crime is not being investigated as a hate crime, take into account incidents that went unreport and Cherokee school officials plan no changes ed. despite the fact that Miller had been in trouble Additionally, queer youth are two to five times more likely to skip school than their peers at school 34 times in the last two years, accord ing to media reports. because of feeling unsafe, according to research Meanwhile, high school student Adam compiled by GLSEN. They are twice as likely to consider suicide and four times more likely to Colton of San Marin, Calif., now bears the scars of student-on-student harassment. He was attempt it, the group reports. attacked in February and the word fag was Some school districts have policies protect carved with a pen into his chest and forearm. He ing students from harassment and some do not. Few include protection based on sexual orienta had attempted to start a gay and straight alliance at the school and had been the target of abuse. tion. No federal regulations protect gay and les bian students and no federal laws require schools These are only two cases of what experts say to have policies protecting students based on is a widespread problem. sexual orientation. In a recent survey of 3,(XX) students ages 16 The new manual, titled Protecting Students to 18, nearly half said they are biased against gay and lesbian people, according to Who's Who in from Harassment and Hate Crime: A Guide for American High School Students. The number is up Schools, was issued in mid-January by the DOE in conjunction with the National Association 19 percentage points from last year. of Attorneys General. The Federal Bureau of Investigation record DOE officials say the guide aims to increase ed 848 incidents of hate-motivated crimes in awareness and to offer strategies for creating schools in 1997, the latest year for which statis long-term solutions, developing policies and tics are available. That number represents more providing support for victims. than 10 percent of all hate crimes and does not “ *1 5 “While we had published legal guidance before, we were hearing that there was a real need for more,” explains Arthur Coleman, DOE’s deputy assistant secretary for civil rights. “When we started talking about providing addi tional information, we talked about going beyond what the law required.” The department chose to include recom mendations that sexual orientation he addressed by school districts, while noting the law does not require them to do so. “I think it is a major step forward across the board," Coleman says. “We've taken a step to highlight prevention strategies.” He adds DOE is striving to “get schools to look at the issues before the problem arises.” GLSEN ’s Frankfurt worked with the COE officials from the beginning. She was contacted by them to offer feedback on language used in the guide and helped them incorporate sexual orientation throughout, rather than relegate it to an out-of-the-way section where it could eas ily be missed. “They wanted to make sure the way they were doing it rang true,” she explains. Frankfurt says this is the first time she has worked closely with COE, and that she believes the tide has changed in the past year. “We believe the decision to put the language in the manual shows a very large commitment,” she says. “It’s what we’ve been waiting for all along.” She admits, however, that changes further down the line will not come overnight. “I think changes in schools around this issue are slow,” Frankfurt says. S traight S tudent C ited for C ombating A nti - gay H arassment heterosexual student who is vice president of his Barrington, R. 1., high school’s Gay Straight Alliance has been awarded a $10,OCX) college scholarship for his efforts to com bat anti-gay harassment. Benjamin Chaika, 17, is one of 35 Rhode Island students recognized for their public service by the Public Education Fund in Providence. Feinstein Scholars, as they are known, receive the grants if they attend a college or univer sity in the state. The scholarships are named for philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein. In his application, Chaika wrote that after learning how frequently gay and lesbian youths are victimized by harassment, hate crimes, violence and depression, he joined the then newly formed G SA chapter. “I plan to remain active in the G SA and continue to speak out when I hear homophobic remarks,” he vows. “I had some openly gay friends even before I joined the G SA . I feel accep tance of all is very important. Rather than just believing that, I thought I should act on it." A senior at Barrington High School, Chaika has applied to Brown University, the Ivy League school in Providence. A ■ Reported by PETER C assels W hen an ordinary R ealtor sim ply won 7 do ... 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