Gay/Straight Alliance

[Pasadenacpl2]

Our school had the first meeting of it's Gay/Straight Alliance. It has been a two year project just to get it up and running. Everyone in the administration was so cautious. A LOT of CYA going on. And it was funny because they were trying to sound like they were playing it cool, but were completely unaware of how prejudicial they were being. I never called them on it because they were actually trying to be even handed...they were just afraid. Intent counts for a lot, I think.

So, we were given the green light earlier this week. We were told we were not allowed to advertise using posters around the school or the school's newscast. The principal doesn't want this to be 'in your face.' I understand his POV, even if I disagree with it. He just wants to see how we fare without a lot of fanfare. If it survives, all well and good. If not, well then we tried, right? I think he hopes it will fail, but he's savvy enough to not directly stand in its way. But, he's a good man, even if he is afraid. I understand fear, and the whole point of the GSA is to educate to hopefully get rid of that fear.

His main concern, which is a good one, is that this will actually cause more problems, increasing the amount of bullying. It's a valid concern, as far as it goes. My biggest fear is that bullying increases, and rather than supporting the alliance, the school will pull the plug and say it is causing a disruption to the learning environment. I have a few counters to that, so if it becomes an issue, we'll be prepared.

Anyway, we didn't advertise except by word of mouth. No posters, no newscasts, no anything. Friday afternoon arrived. I came back to my room after my traditional running to the bathroom with the final bell, and there were more students than my room could handle, with kids waiting outside my room trying to hear what was said in the meeting! I had agreed to be the sponosor because I believed we needed it. I had no idea what sort of response this would get. And, nearly half the kids there identify as straight. It was a very powerful moment. There were gays, straights, a host of self identified bi students, and even three TGs.

I am very proud of the student who did the work to get this together. He took this project by the horns. There were many hoops to jump through (more than any other club IMO), much research done, visits to other campuses that had active GSAs, and a ton of hard work all around. I can't divulge his name here, as he has not given me permission to do so. But, I am so proud of him. Since starting this journey, he has grown from a meek and mild student who just didn't want to be bullied anymore to a strong leader and an outspoken advocate. When I watched him give the opening speech, I cried. His words were powerful, and his strength inspirational.

For information on the GSA, here is their website: http://texasgsa.org/

Pasa

[ohbimale]

You should be proud of both the work involved in putting together your first meeting and of the courage it took for everyone to attend. Bullying in both your world and the adult world will not go away unless stands are taken to confront it.

One usefull resource for you might be The Tempest Smith Foundation, which is an anti bullying organization out of Michigan. Tempest Smith was a young 16 year old bullied into suicide over religion. You can find their website with google. They have losts of information about bullying and how to combat it.

May God Bless you and your friends and all involved. Know there is mosre support out there for you than you realize! Blessings.

[Pasadenacpl2]

Oh...these aren't my friends. These are students. I'm a teacher at a local high school. I'm the faculty sponsor, and probably have given up any dream I have of becoming an administrator in this district due to agreeing to sponsor this club.

But, one look at the group that showed up, and it was obvious I'd made the right call.

Pasa

[bisocialnudist]

Thank you for your inspiring story, I have a dream that our school will also have a GSA in the not too distant future. I get the sense that our administration can be personally very open minded and accepting but that they dont want the hassle that anything controversial might have. Anti bullying weeks, no name calling week etc come and go without any formal recognition.

I still have a problem with the whole visibility thing, a student that is becoming aware of their orientation or identity variation needs role models, they need to know that who they are is a perfectly normal part of the rich tapestry of our world. They will not get that if everything GLBT is hidden and not spoken about. Every straight kid that goes to a GSA meeting learns first hand that GLBT kids are just like them and these allys grow up to make our world a much kinder gentler place.

Congratulations on your success I dream of the day when "Sponsored School GSA" becomes something we point to with pride on our resume and gives us that extra edge to land that promotion, well people do talk about their fantasies here LOL.

Mark

[Long Duck Dong]

at the local high schools where I live, the students are still fighting against the gay/ straight alliances... and its the LGBT that do not want it....not the straights....

but the difference between NZ and the US, is we have rights, protection etc.... and the students are fighting against the *politics * of the lgbt..... as they already have allies, support and acceptance, and bullying of them is next to zero, suicide rates are very low... and its no longer a *crime against society * to be LGBT

recently, once again, the principal of the boys college was approached by a LGBT group with the wish to start up a Gay / Straight alliance in the school, the principal said, its up to the students and the LGBT students said NO once again.....

one of their biggest fears is something that I already know about.... the local LGBT group has a majority of older males that want young blood in the LGBT group.... and they are involved in the move for the Gay/Straight alliance, cos it give them a in road into the school and the students..... and so the students are looking after themselves and others, against a issue that is well known in this town of mine.... even the local council has worked with the LGBT and the general public to remove the * unwanted * elements around the town, IE older males that hang around public toilets and make moves on the younger LGBT people

pasa, I am happy to hear that you have the same type of support amongst the students there, that they look out for each other, and that is one of the key points of combating suicide and bullying.... not telling them that its already, but showing them that they are not alone, they have allied friends and supporters and that they are accepted as people......

fighting for your rights is a cause, looking after one another is unity..... and when the cause has been won, the unity needs to remain strong

I wish you and your group, all the best.....

[tenni]

Good for you Pasa!!! I hope that it continues to be successful. I do disagree with the name of the movement but not the intent.

[Pasadenacpl2]

Well, LGBTQ/S ia a bit of a mouthful. Gay here means anything other than straight. It's an umbrella term, and one our national organization uses. I don't get hung up on it because it conveys the intent even if its not 100% accurate.

Pasa

[darkeyes]

Well done Pasa.... I think its brill! Keep us posted and may it prosper to the benefit of all... any development which promotes understanding must be a good thing and any development which might help kids just be without the stress and hassle that gay and bi kids can get can only be a positive thing.

When u first mentioned this I raised it informally among my own school's staff to at best a lukewarm reception and at worst absolute horror... the Rector was interested but whether in a rural backward part of the world we could ever get it off the ground is questionable. We have so few openly gay and bi pupils (about 4 out of 450) that it is something to be kept in mind rather than developed for here... in short no one seees a need for it. One of my more narrow minded and reactionary colleagues was appalled saying that it could only encourage those kids in the closet to declare themselves and then where would we be? A perverts charter I think was her expression... rampant poofterism and dykeism all over the school.. some people's prejudice allows them to understand nothing...

Currently we have huge problems in education for teachers to deal with other than just educating kids.. I think we are about to embark on a huge industrial action campaign over our pensions for a start which is going to hamper so much of what we do and be a huge distraction from educating children and trying to help them become better people..and there is a huge row over a new curriculum which is simmering and is about to explode in everyones faces.. so right now we dont have time to concentrate on issues such GSA's.. but I do intend to keep it on the back burner and it wont be forgotten...

I do wish u well Pasa me luffly.. keep us informed on how things go...

[Pasadenacpl2]

Thanks Fran.

I'm sorry to hear that you would have such a hard time. Let me just say that it was no picnic here. The key is to have the kids do it. I didn't put this together. I didn't do the work. I just provided a place for the work to be done, and gave advice when it was sought (and learned to keep my gob shut when it wasn't).

As for their fear, I heard the exact same thing. That we didn't want this to become a recruiting station for homosexuality, did we? That being gay was ok, but we don't want to be activists, and we don't want to encourage people to come out of the closet if they wouldn't have normally. I sat and listened to this and wondered if I had ever sounded like this. But, our principal is really a good man. He just doesn't know what to do with it. I actually feel sorry for him, being so conflicted.

Keep the faith dear. If it's right, and if there are enough kids that want it, it will happen. You just have to be there to support them when they do.

Pasa

[darkeyes]

*laughs*.. fear not Pasa.. one thing I have is enough faith 2 fill an ocean.. if I think its right I don't let go... even when I'm in a minority of 1.. which as u well know is not an infrequent occurence!!!:tong:

[elian]

This is excellent Pasa, congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to get this off the ground, and the many, many students who seem to be interested.

I was at a party for a friend tonight and a mother there told a story that she actually had to explain to her daughter what the Civil War was about, the daughter literally couldn't understand why anyone would treat a black person as property..it was a great story to hear, to know that a child had that attitude.

[Pasadenacpl2]

Second meeting of our school's Gay/Straight Alliance. There were 53 students in attendance, plus a second teacher who has signed on to co-sponsor. We had so many students that it doubled my room's intended capacity!

There was one moment that brought a tear to my eye. We were doing a 'get to know you' exercise. We paired up students with someone they didn't know. Each pair of students would introduce their partner to the class with one fact they had learned about that person. When asked to share one thing they had learned, one student said, "Hi, my partner's name is Robert*. The one thing he would change about himself is that he is homophobic." You could have heard a pin drop. And then, all at once, he got a rousing round of applause.

That is the whole point, after all. One student who took the courage to not only face his fear, but to admit it publicly. And for 50 other people to support him. I am still choked up about it, many hours later.

Pasa

*this is, of course, not his real name.

[Long Duck Dong]

fantastic and thanks for sharing that, pasa....

I have always been a believer in the idea that putting people up as symbols of LGBT, may work, but what is more effective is putting people in a room or situation where they can actually meet LGBT people and talk with them and learn that we are all human, we are not so different to the rest of the world,
the only difference is in who we can love and be intimate with....

I have also seperated homophobia from anti LGBT, cos there is a difference in my eyes....however its a personal opinion and view point
anti lgbt is things like opposing rights or privileges,
homophobia is a dislike of being in the company or presence of LGBT people

so yeah, it sounds like * robert * is coming to terms with meeting true LGBT people, the actual people, not just the sexuality, and realising that we are not that bad, we are just like the rest of the world...