School daze for gay kids

Detroit News - August 16, 2006
By Debbie Woodell
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/opinion/15283942.htm

But for many gay and lesbian students, this is not a wonderful time. For some, summer offered a reprieve from taunting or even physical harm. For others, this summer is when they've come to realize that they are gay, and this fall will be either a return to the closet or the threat of harm

YOU LAUGHED at the commercial: a father joyfully tossing school supplies into a shopping cart, while his kids trudged along, to the music of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

But for many gay and lesbian students, this is not a wonderful time. For some, summer offered a reprieve from taunting or even physical harm. For others, this summer is when they've come to realize that they are gay, and this fall will be either a return to the closet or the threat of harm.

Some adults who ought to know better have shown that they are among the most intolerant.

Leading the way is Perry McGuire, a candidate for attorney general in Georgia, who likened gay-straight alliances (GSAs) to pedophilia and said they're illegal because they promote sex among minors: "In Georgia, sex between minors is illegal; statutory rape laws apply."

"Homosexual activist clubs in schools are detrimental to students and to the moral well-being of society," he said.

In Idaho, under the pretense of helping parents get more involved in their children's lives, lawmakers tried in vain to require students to get a parent's signature to join a school club - yes, any school club, but they had GSAs in mind. (Better that parents sign a statement guaranteeing that their children were not brought up to be bullies.)

California offers a slightly bright spot. While forward-thinking lawmakers were forced to back away from efforts to alter curriculum to reflect contributions of gay men and lesbians, a new bill still forbids public educators from speaking of homosexuality to students in a negative light.

Still, gay students face struggles all across the country. Nearly two-thirds of high school students say they face harassment regularly, with their real or perceived sexual orientation a primary reason for harassment. (I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers are higher, because the fear of being outed likely keeps some students from giving the real reason they are harassed.)

So, how do we help our gay and lesbian children as they prepare to head back to school? For starters, parents do need to be involved in their children's lives, and they need to make sure their kids attend a safe school. The Gay Lesbian and Straight Educators Network has valuable information on its Web site, www.glsen.org, about making schools safe and starting GSAs.

In fact, it's imperative for all of us who pay for schools - which is all of us - that all kids can learn without the threat of harm.

And maybe the time has come to start high school gay alumni associations. Some of us might find it as torturous to return as it was to get through the first time, but what a blessing it would be for those kids going through torture now, to see that we made it through.