c iM U ich yn n e w s
| Loomis was a senior at his Califor-
o nia high school when one of his
? teachers, referring to the boys ear-
z ring, told his class, “Only two kinds
| | of guys wear earrings, pirates and
§ faggots, and I don’t see any water
| around here.” During the next few
weeks the teacher continued mak
ing such remarks about him in class,
sparking a wave of harassment and
threats from other kids and staff
members that eventually drove the
honor student from school.
- 2 -
S!
Derek Henkle endured years of anti-gay verbal
abuse in Reno high schools
names, shoved against lockers and spit on.
A group of boys even threw a lasso around
Henkle’s neck and threatened to drag him
behind their pickup. He escaped, only to have a
teacher laugh at him for being so upset. He was
transferred to a schm l for students with behav-
ioral or academic problems where the principal
warned him against “acting like a fag.”
After Henkle was transferred to yet a third
high schtxil, the harassment continued, and
campus police officers stixxl by while a student
repeatedly punched him in the face. He finally
was forced to enroll in adult education classes
where a high schcxil diploma was impossible to
obtain.
“I’m signing this agreement tixlay on behalf
of the 84 percent of my peers who are assaulted
daily while trying to go to schcml," said Henkle,
now 21 and a resident of San Francisco. “This
settlement will help make sure other students
don’t go through what 1 did in Reno.”
CALIFORNIA
an Leandro High School Eng
lish teacher Karl Debro ended a
more than four-year battle with his
district Aug. 27, settling his civil
rights claim for $1,155,000. He
filed the complaint in February
1999 after being reprimanded for
discussing
“controversial” subjects
and physical
in his classroom, including racism
and homophobia.
A jury awarded Debro $500,000 in emotion
al stress damages Aug. 8. The additional $1.5
million award will cover legal fees and case costs
and includes more than $600,000 in punitive
damages because the district’s superintendent,
Thom as Himmelberg, was found to have
engaged in “oppression, malice or fraud.”
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-2-
he California Alliance for Pride and Equal-
ity announced Aug. 22 that the Assembly
has given final approval to a measure extending
inheritance rights to domestic partners who
have registered with the state. It now will go to
Gov. Gray Davis for his signature.
U nder current law, a surviving domestic
partner is not entitled to receive any portion of
a deceased partner’s estate. The measure will
provide registered domestic partners the right to
inherit a specified portion of a partner’s estate
automatically should one partner die without a
will. The bill also directs the California secretary
of state to notify domestic partners of the
change in the inheritance formula.
“This disparity was brought home for many
people after the tragic events of Sept. 11,”
explained Geoffrey Kors, CAPE interim execu
tive director. “Many individuals in long-term
relationships who lost their same-sex partners
were left with no legal right to any of their part-
ner’s possessions or assets. This financial crisis
{ only added to the trauma of losing a life partner.”
he Visalia Unified Schtxil District has
agreed to adopt sweeping reforms to address
anti-gay harassment, including groundbreaking
measures to train staff and students with the goal
of preventing harassment before it happens, the
American Civil Liberties U nion announced
Aug. 13. The settlement ends a federal lawsuit
concerning routine harassment of queer youth,
some of whom then were forced into a special
program for students with behavioral problems.
“This milestone settlement shows schixils
he Assembly tixrk the final step to approve
how to meet their legal obligation to not only
a landmark bill protecting queer youth in
respond to anti-gay harassment but to actively
foster care Aug. 19. It now will go to Gov. Gray
work to prevent it,” attorney A nn Brick said.
“Anti-gay harassment is a particularly big prob Davis’ desk for his signature.
T he bill would prohibit discrimination and
lem in schixils outside major.urban centers, like
harassment against foster youth, fos
those in Visalia. Students there will
ter parents, other foster household
now have a shot at being treated
members and staff based on a number
equally, and the rest of California
of factors including sexual orienta
and the nation will have a strong
tion, gender identity and HIV/AIDS
rruxlel for addressing these issues.”
status. It also allows nonmandatory
The settlement requires manda
training for foster parents to include
tory training for all high schtxil
education on teen-age sexual health,
staff and students to promote toler
the challenges faced by queer youth
ance. Employees will leam how to
and sensitivity to kids who have been
intervene and remedy acts of
sexually or physically abused.
harassment and how to prevent
The bill directs the Department of
them from txxurring in the future. George Loomis
Social Services to expand recruitment
“No student should have to go
through the kind of harassment I did. A nd par activities directed at gay, lesbian, bi and trans indi
viduals who are interested in caring for queer fas
ent? deserve to know their children will be safe
ter ytxith. Finally, it requires the Office of the
when they’re at schixil," plaintiff George
State Foster Care Ombudsperson to address com
Ltximis said. “This settlem ent will have a major
impact on the lives of students and their fami plaints about care, placement and services.
lies. I’m really glad to see such a positive out
come to this case.”
Continued on Page 2 1
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