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om, you can’t throw a stick
at MLC without hitting a
queer person,” said Joel
Smith, cover model for this
story. He wanted to reassure
his mom that posing for a photo for Just Out
was unlikely to cause problems for him at his
school, Metropolitan Learning Center in
Northwest Portland. Not that anyone is
throwing sticks—or insults—at MLC, a pro
gressive K-12 school that stresses justice and
compassion, among other values.
When it comes to harassment and bullying
not all students in Oregon are as lucky as
Smith. The national Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network released its first State of the
States report June 28. Oregon got an E
The GLSEN report evaluated all 50 states
and the District of Columbia in the areas of
general education, state safe schools laws to
protect queer students, state nondiscrimina
tion laws, sexuality education and local safe
schools policies. Only eight states and the
District of Columbia received passing grades.
New Jersey and Minnesota, scoring 95 and
91 out of 100 points, received the report’s
only A’s. Mississippi was the only state to end
with negative points (-3 overall), in part
because of a law that specifically prohibits
any positive portrayal of queer issues or peo
ple in schools.
Oregon, earning only 28 points, ranked
29th and, along with 41 other states,
received a failing grade. Most states, includ
ing Oregon, fell short when it came to a
M
statewide safe schools law and nondiscrimi
nation law that included sexual orientation
and gender identity.
Bonnie Tinker, executive director of Love
Makes a Family, is not surprised that Oregon
received a poor mark. She notes, “Although
Oregon has a bully law, it doesn’t go very far
in actual implementation.”
Human Rights Watch and Lambda Legal
still a cultural expectation that homosexuality
would like to see statewide legislation that
should not be talked about. The whole point
offers concrete protection for sexual minority
of bullying is to intimidate and to keep people
students. Some Oregon schœl districts such as closeted. We must recognize that bullying is
Beaverton, Salem-Keizer and Portland do
easy because teachers themselves are intimi
have such protections in place on a local
dated by it.”
level. Portland’s policy states that the schœl
Even in districts such as Portland where
district “is committed to maintaining a learn
the employee contracts have an anti-discrimi
ing environment that is free of harassment.
nation law that includes sexual orientation,
Flimsy legislation
Harassment against persons on the basis of
many teachers are reluctant to be open
age, color, creed,
regon legislation defines bullying as “any
disability, marital
# of States
act that substantially interferes with a
status, national ori
Receiving a
student’s educational benefits, opportuni gin, race, religion,
# of States
D-Grade
ties or performance” and involves physical sex, political affilia
Receiving a
harm to the student or the student’s property, tion or sexual orien
C-Gradt
generates fear of harm or creates a hostile
tation will not be
environment. Oregon law mandates that each
tolerated.”
# of States
schœl district “shall adopt a policy prohibit
GLSEN would
Receiving a
ing harassment, intimidation or bullying.”
B-Grade
like to see policies
The law provides suggestions to what
that go one step fur
should be included in district policies but
ther to include gen
# of States
stops short of making requirements. Schœl
der identity.
Receiving
districts are “encouraged to develop the policy
While statewide
an A-Grade
after consultation with parents and guardians,
anti-bullying laws
schœl employees, volunteers, students,
would be helpful by
administrators and community representa
providing a course
tives.” Schœl districts are also “encouraged”
of legal action and
to have a description of the type of behavior
by acknowledging
expected from each student, a statement of
homophobia as a
problem, safe schœl
consequences and a procedure for investigat
advocates recognize
ing reports of bullying. However, such policies
the need for grass
are not required.
GLSEN’s .Stute of the States 2004 grade distribution
roots change. Tinker
Instead of general guidelines, GLSEN and
for the 50 states and the District of Columbia
other national advocacy organizations such as
explains: “There’s
O