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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2002)
march 1 . 2 ÛQ 2 * Just Mat 13 mïïîTTTWn?rine<u;s t Eric Brow n Want to be on *1 District Manager - S ttt/e in Portland top of the world 500 NE Multnomah Portland, OR 97232 with your investments? 503.238.6036 - '■ A > |,^4 ' v Tina Barfoot coordinates Bridge 13, which educates young people about gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation D iversity or P erversity ? Centennial High School caves to parental pressure by Jim R a d o sta ation C enter, an o th er Vanguard program] is a fficials at C entennial High in Gresham apologized Feb. 15 for sex club where children can go to m eet adults to have sex with, w hich is just ludicrous,” requiring student attendance at Barfoot says. presentations teaching tolerance Nobody older than 23 is allowed in the facil toward sexual minorities. T he ity except classes were part of the school’s annual diversi for volunteers. “We have very strict boundary guidelines that they have to sign, and ty week. Bridge 13, a program of Vanguard Youth Serv one of those includes not dating or sleeping with • ices, arranged the Feb. 11 presentation, which edu any youth, obviously,” Barfoot says. Larson also concentrated on the heterosexual cated kids about gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. About 50 of the classes are questionnaire. According to Barfoot, his listeners completely missed the point of the exercise. held every year, primarily in the Portland area. “T he parents who were calling in to Lars’ Youth facilitators focus on definitions of words as well as inappropriate slurs such as “fag” show ...didn’t seem to read the first paragraph and “th a t’s so gay,” says Tina Barfoot, Bridge 13 on the questionnaire that very clearly states that [these are] not questions that you are actually coordinator. “We stress...eliminating those as supposed to answer,” she says. “A nd they were much as possible and the importance of inter- taking those questions out of context— and nipting that language even if you’re not an quite literally, as if we were asking the students LGBT student.” She says the facilitators go through an inten to all go and find a gay lover so that they could sive training before giving the 90-minute presen be gay.” As a result of Larson’s show, about two dozen tations. “They tell their coming-out stories and parents complained to Centennial. Principal sort of put a real face to gayness, so to speak.” The interactive classes include games as well C urt H eath then canceled the Feb. 14 appear ances of an HIV-positive speaker from Cascade as a question-and-answer segment, Barfoot says. AIDS Project and a student skit featuring a gay “We felt like it went really great.” character, according to the Oregonian. She describes one C hristian student who “1 was pretty upset,” says Barfoot, whose pro said th a t hom osexuality is wrong but th a t peo gram never has received this kind of a response ple deserve support no m atter what. “We from a school. “I felt like that was kind of an acknowledged her for being able to stand up overreaction." and say th a t.” O f course, the speakers focusing o n the O ne exercise presented scenarios to students Holocaust, cerebral palsy and Africa did not and asked how they would respond— for exam require permission slips. “T hey’re being treat ple, what support they would offer to a friend ed differently, and I think th a t’s really unfor who came out as hi. Again, the Christian teen tunate because...LGBTQ youth deserve the had something to say. “T hat student...said that she felt that it was same rights th at everybody else has,” Barfoot says. important to offer resources to her theoretical W endy Reif, C entennial School District bisexual friend because her opinions don’t need to be shoved down other people’s throats,” Bar communications specialist, says parents must be foot says. “So it was a really open environm ent.” notified in advance of any hum an sexuality instruction. “T hat did not happen in this case, Bridge 13 also distributed a role-reversal so the school really is taking responsibility for it questionnaire that turns the tables on straight because the policy wasn’t followed.” students. Barfoot describes it as an effective tool Reif says the Bridge 13 instructors ventured allowing kids to walk in someone else’s shoes. into territory that goes beyond just teaching tol “People ask LGBT folks, ‘W hat do you think erance. “There were some pieces of the material caused your homosexuality, and isn’t it possible that I think have raised some eyebrows as far as that you just need to sleep with somebody of the whether it was appropriate for a high school opposite sex and then you’ll figure it all out and audience.” then you’ll be straight again V ” she says. “So the But how can a speaker discuss tolerance heterosexual questionnaire...asks those same based on sexual orientation when the district’s questions to heterosexual people: ‘W hat do you policy restricts hum an sexuality instruction? think caused your heterosexuality T ” “T he potential was there to have the same But th e n right-w ing KXL-AM talk show speakers and have it not tread on sexual materi host Lars Larson learned about Bridge 13 and al," Reif says, “but in reality what was presented, started spreading lies o n his Feb. 14 show. “He was saying [the Sexual M inority Youth Recre I think, fell into that realm.” JP1 O Mutual funds Investing IRAs and Roth IRAs Sure, you can get a lot of information on the internet. Too much information, in IRA Rollovers fact Where do you begin? How do you know it's reliable? And, most important, how does that information apply to your specific situation? Estate Planning Retirement Planning Investments for Retirement Income Savings Plans for College Tax Advantaged Investments Those are some of the reasons to meet with Eric Brown, a personal financial advisor from Waddell & Reed. Eric takes the time to get to know you and your family and help you create a workable, personalized, financial plan specifically tailored to help you reach your goals. For information without the confusion, call Eric Brown, financial advisor from Waddell & Reed. Working with the Gay and Lesbian Community for over Ten Years .WADDELL l<S rR E E D F m a in nil Sci v u cs Member SI PC octf»* U e te t M l r\ e t>ce r iv e \ > t e My Sexy Gifts Exciting Ideas and Unique Apparatus W e’re co m p a ct & w e ’re w o n d erfu l! 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