More protection urged for gays in local schools

More protection urged for gays in local schools

August 11, 2001

By Aspen C. Emmett
Journal Staff Writer

Gay and transgendered students need better protection from harassment in public schools, members of PFLAG urged school officials during a meeting in Durango Thursday night.

The local chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays had invited school administrators to join in an informative session and discussion about creating a safe and fair learning environment for all students, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered children.

The meeting was part of a week-long line-up of events in response to the June 16 murder of Fred Martinez Jr., a 16-year-old Cortez boy who identified himself as gay, transgendered and "two-spirited," a Native American term for a person with both male and female spirits.

Although Martinez reportedly endured harassment at school because of his gender identity, finger-pointing was not the focus of Thursday’s discussion.

Representing Montezuma-Cortez School District Re-1 were Superintendent Bill Thompson and Director of Human Services Dave Crews as well as principals, assistant principals, counselors, and nurses from the high school, middle school and Southwest Open School. Also in attendance were representatives of other area school districts and parents of students who reportedly have suffered from anti-gay harassment locally.

"Every day, in every community, in every school district, a child who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or two-spirited is harassed, teased and threatened," said Carolyn Wagner, national vice president of PFLAG. "A few more become victims of physical violence and a few more go on to take their own life because they feel they can’t face the world any more."

Wagner, an Arkansas mother of a gay son, described how her son suffered from school harassment and savage bullying that resulted in permanent body damage. She eventually had to remove him from the public school system because of the lack of protection extended to him as a gay student, she said.

"As long as one student feels unsafe — nobody is safe," said Gabi Clayton, co-founder of Families United against Hate.

Clayton, of Washington, also told the crowd about her bisexual son’s experiences with anti-gay hatred and brutal beating that eventually pushed him to the point of suicide. Now, in her son’s memory, she is fighting to inform schools and communities about the effects such hatred can have on young people.

Clayton and Wagner emphasized that not only should schools implement all-inclusive policies for the protection of students, they are required to do so.

Wagner told the crowd of administrators and parents that federal law requires all students and staff to be protected by sexual-harassment policies, regardless of the victim’s or perpetrator’s gender or sexual orientation. Also, Wagner cautioned that dress codes, under federal law, cannot be gender-specific.

"If girls can wear bras, so can boys," she said. "And if girls can wear make-up, so can boys," she said, referring to claims that Martinez was discriminated against for wearing eyebrow liner to school.

Federal requirements aside, Clayton said there are several programs that can voluntarily be implemented to assure gay or transgendered students are safe in schools.

Schools can hold assemblies and post copies of the policies to make students and staff aware of the rules and consequences regarding sexual harassment. Wagner also recommended creative discipline for students who harass gay or transgendered children, including educational videos about discrimination as part of an in-school suspension.

Clayton pointed out that several prominent figures in history were gay, lesbian, or bisexual, such as Margaret Mead, Walt Whitman and Crazy Horse. She suggested incorporating their contributions into school curricula, accompanied by the knowledge of their sexuality, in an effort to make for a better understanding of gays who are important members of the community.

"When people become real people and not labels and caricatures, that breaks down the walls," Clayton said.

Clayton and Wagner acknowledged the difficulties and criticism surrounding changes in the schools to better serve and protect gay and transgendered students.

"We know it takes courage. . . if you are a school administrator, teacher or public servant," Wagner said. "But do it because it’s the right thing to do, not because you have to do it."

Thompson said he and other Re-1 administrators came away from the meeting with several ideas for ensuring they are in line with federal requirements and sensitive to every student’s needs.

"The first thing we’re going to do is check with the people that write our policies and make sure all of our policies on harassment and bullying are written to include all people," Thompson said Friday. "That’s going to be our approach — we’re here for everybody, every student, regardless of who they are and what their background is."