New York School Board Association's On Board

New York School Board Association's
On Board (newspaper)
March 6,2000

POINT - COUNTERPOINT

ISSUE
Sexuality booklet sent to all US schools

This school year a coalition of groups including the American Association of School Administrators sent a booklet on sexuality to all 14,700 public school districts in the United States. Called "Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation and Youth: A Primer for Principal, Educators and School Personnel," the 12 page booklet says gay, lesbian and bisexual teenagers are often isolated and lack peer support, and that school districts must protect students from anti-gay harassment. It also say that the separation of church and state and state requires school official to refrain from attempting to persuade students that homosexuality is "a sin" or "unhealthy."

Nor should school personnel refer students to psychologists who try to extinguish homosexual desires through so-called "reparative therapy." the booklet says because "homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus there is not a need for a cure." Copies of the booklet are available at www.glsen.org. Below two views.

POINT
Don't Promote Homosexuality as "Normal"
by Dr Laura
In the last few weeks we've all been reading about yet another educational effort in the schools to promote gay tolerance. Writing about this for The New York Times on Nov. 23, 1999, Erica Good said that "... a coalition of medical, mental health, educational and religious organizations announced it would send the nation's school superintendents a booklet informing them there is 'no support among health and mental health professional organizations for the idea that homosexuality is abnormal or mentally unhealthy."

Does that sound like an initiative to promote "tolerance"? Not to me. To me it sounds like an advocacy position.

Now, don't get me wrong. It is extraordinarily important for children to be taught not to be cruel to anyone - old people, disabled people, people with different color skin, or those who are too tall, too fat or whose ears are too big. Kids need to be taught not to be cruel. It doesn't come naturally to them to be compassionate and kind. We have to devote time and energy in our homes, churches and synagogues, and in our schools and legislatures, reiterating that we have a standard in society that deplores and rejects hurting other people.

Of course, there has to be some sanity here, as well. There is a playfulness that kids have. They often have nicknames for each other based on a strange last name or someone's freckles or red hair. But most kids are not offended by these "names," because they realize they are said in fun and used as another way to relate to each other. This kind of playfulness makes for bonding.

On the other hand, there ARE things kids say to be mean or ugly to others. They are meant to hurt and exclude. And this is always wrong. I think that calling someone who is homosexual ugly names is outrageous, but no more outrageous than any other slur based on body type, ethnicity or religion. I'm all for a concerted effort to teach tolerance in the schools, but I cannot support an effort to camouflage advocacy under the heading of tolerance.

Even worse, the assertion that there is support" among medical and mental health professionals for the idea that homo- sexuality is abnormal or mentally unhealthy is patently false. The fact is that the sexual "norm" is heterosexuality. In addition, many young homosexual people are in intense emotional turmoil, not just because people are picking on them, but also because they are facing a very difficult future devoid of marriage and family.

The tragedy is that the gay activists' agenda has succeeded in making it impossible for these teenagers to get any kind of help sorting through their confusion and concerns. The booklet sent to superintendents, "Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation & Youth," discourages school counselors from referring kids to their clergy or church groups because of the phobic fear of violating separation of church and state. It also claims that therapy to change sexual orientation is "contraindicated," which is not science but propaganda, since there have been NO scientific studies to objectively investigate its effectiveness.

I have received hundreds and hundreds of letters from individual doctors and therapists, as well as from ad hoc groups of mental health professionals, who are frightened to offer any support to homosexuals seeking ways to normalize their sexuality, because of "official" positions from their various professional associations.

You can make up your own mind about who is being cruel to kids who believe they have homosexual tendencies. The educational, medical and mental health so-called "experts" have closed virtually any avenue of help and exploration to them except embracing homosexuality as "normal" and "healthy," And they are surrounded by adults who seek to sup- port (read "encourage") them in proudly claiming that identity.

Dr Laura is an internationally syndicated radio talk show host and syndicated columnist.

CSS-NYS note, Dr. Laura is a physiologist and not a psychologist or psychiatrist

COUNTERPOINT

We Must Protect ALL Students' Rights

By: Ellen Seigel

Two years ago, a fellow board member came to me and pointed out that we were not serving a whole group of students: our gay/lesbian/bisexual students. We brought this thought to our superintendent who recognized the seriousness of the matter. He instituted a district-wide committee - administrators, teachers, nurses, psychologists, guidance counselors, social workers, support staff, students,parents, and board members to explore the issues of this invisible minority.

Although racial and ethnic slurs heard in classrooms and hallways are stopped immediately by adults and even by other students, this is not so with gay slurs. The most common derogatory remarks made by second graders to each other are "That's so stupid" and "That's so gay."Surveys indicate that students hear 26 gay bashing remarks a day in middle school and high school. Many are made under the guise of playfulness. Adults allow such comments because they don't know what to say. Until now, virtually no one has addressed this socially permissible prejudice. Left unattended, such remarks can flare into violence against gay students. One only needs to be perceived as gay to be at risk of abuse. Mental health and educational professionals know that the inner self of the child is sensitive to put downs. There is nothing playful about any of this.

The goal is simple: to ensure that gay, lesbian and bisexual students are experiencing leaming in a safe environment. This is not about special treatment; such an environment is the right of every student.

Nor is this about whether we believe that homosexuality is right or wrong. It's about ensuring every child has equal access to excellent education. This can only happen when children feel safe enough to be themselves and not have to hide who they are. Only then can their full creativity be available to the learning process.

The "Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation & Youth" booklet that Dr. Laura rejects is a giant step in the right direction. It is endorsed by 10 groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Health Association, the National Association of School Psychologists and the National Association of Social Workers.

The purpose of the booklet is to equip school personnel with understanding about sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality,bisexuality) and youth. Such an understanding is needed to ensure a safe and non-discriminatory learning environment for all students - where "all" really means "all." Dr. Laura condemns these organizations for advocating for the rights of ALL children including gay, lesbian and bisexual children.

The "Just The Facts" booklet is a clear primer for understanding some of our students' sexual orientations, and all school districts would be wise to use it as a springboard for our work to ensure a safe learning environment and prevent violence in schools.

Staff in school districts need to be taught how to respond appropriately to harassment that occurs many times daily in our classrooms,hallways, ball fields, lunchrooms, and staff lounges.

Kids tease each other every day, which means that feelings are hurt on a regular basis. This is not new.

What is new is that adults - educators and administrators - agree that it's time to stop all kinds of harassment so ALL kids can feel safe.

Ellen Seigel, CSW is president of the Roslyn School Board. She and Rosyln HomeISchool Coordinator Dorothy McHugh, CSW lead a 16-hour in-service course for educators and administrators called "Sensitivity Training: Teaching in an Age of Sexual Diversity."