Thursday, 21 June 2001

ATLANTA-Being gay can mean being the object of harassment and derision, particularly for young people, but the success stories of at least two metro Atlanta teenagers may offer hope for a better future.

Still, a new study shows there is certainly room for improvement in the atmosphere that gay youth face at school.

"That is a gross understatement," said Steve Epstein, executive director of Enlight Atlanta, which conducted the survey. "I think school guidance counselors are very out of touch with how the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students in their schools are feeling.

"In fact, if they know any [of these teens], they know a very small percentage, I would predict. The vast majority of [gay] students are invisible," Epstein added.

Enlight, formerly GLSEN Atlanta, was once a chapter of the national Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. It is now an independent organization with a goal of ending bias and harassment, "based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity," in K-12 schools.

The group surveyed 144 Atlanta area public and private high schools during a three-week period in May. Guidance counselors were asked a series of 10 questions. Of the 111 schools responding, only 40 reported being aware of any incidents of bias against gay students.

But asked whether or not their school provides training for staff members to handle sexual orientation and gender identity issues, only 16 counselors said "yes." Only four of the schools responding to the survey have an existing club that offers support to gay youth.

Many of the counselors, 53, said they have heard anti-gay epithets used in their school. But most respondents, 86, said a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender student would feel safe at their school.

Meanwhile, some students are braving school atmospheres to simply be open about who they are.

Readying for his senior year at Parkview High School in Gwinnett County, Alexander Garrard has high hopes for the newly formed Gay/Straight Alliance. Garrard led the formation of the club after initial opposition from school administrators.

In Fayette County, 15-year-old Josh has faced, in the last three months, coming out to his parents and seeking their help in his fight against continual harassment from other students because he is gay.

Both of these teens are examples of young people who are part of efforts, like those of Enlight, to open schools up to diversity that is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity issues.

"Every time I see Josh and Alex, I tell them how proud I am that they have the courage at such a young age to come to terms with their true feelings," Epstein said. "They are role models. I think that's wonderful."

Gwinnett gets GSA

At Parkview, survey results from Enlight showed that officials are unaware of any incidents of bias against gays, that the school does have a course of action for intervention and that staff members are aware of gay students that attend the school.

But staffers are not trained to handle gay issues even though the school's diversity statement includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Results also show that Parkview officials were unaware of any parent or family education on gay issues, any school club that offers support or any needs that gay students may need addressed.

Parkview also reported that its gay students would feel safe attending that facility.

At least one student at the school has identified further needs of gay youth there.

"I kind of felt that there was a need for a gay student alliance at our school. Being a gay student myself, I grew up with a lot of [derogatory] comments in middle school," said Alexander Garrard.

The young man came out as being gay to his twin sister, Stephanie, and friends in the fifth grade. Four years ago, he came out to his mother, Susanne, and two years later to his father, Benjamin.

To Garrard, the next logical step in living as an openly gay teen was helping others.

"My school isn't the most open-minded school," he said. Forming Parkview's GSA was, for him, a way to educate and inform both gay and straight people.

"I didn't really see any other way to get that message across," he said. "A lot of people are really misinformed about what a gay and lesbian person [is] like. They don't have any information."

So after approaching a teacher to serve as an adviser, Garrard researched GSAs and actively began pursuing the formation of one at Parkview last fall. As part of the process for the GSA to become a recognized club, he had to submit a proposal to the Lilburn school's principal, Dr. Bob Clark.

The request was denied.

"There was a focus on the gay aspect of it [in the denial]… [using] a lot of gay stereotypes that had nothing to do with it at all," Garrard said.

That's when he contacted Robert Tsai, staff attorney for the ACLU in Atlanta.

"It became very clear based on our investigation that the administration at that particular school, specifically the principal, was not going to let this happen," Tsai said. "He didn't want to hear anything more about it."

ACLU officials began negotiating with the school district and Gwinnett system attorney Victoria Sweeney, who could not be reached for comment by press time.

"Rather than going directly to court, we wanted to try to work it out and allow the school district to really grapple with this issue and come to the right conclusion of its own accord," Tsai said.

"This is a school that allows all kinds of noncurricular clubs to exist, from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to more silly clubs like something called the 'Happy Fish Club,'" Tsai said. "There was no question that there are all kinds of other groups that were not teaching anything related to the curriculum allowed to meet and be recognized. In our view there was no legal basis to exclude this particular club."

On April 20, students at Parkview and the ACLU won in talks with school board officials.

"They eventually acknowledged that the club had a right to be formed, overruling the principal," Tsai said.

The Parkview GSA now is allowed the same access and resources at the school as other clubs. It is the first GSA in Gwinnett County schools, and only the fourth in the metro Atlanta area. Decatur High School students also have a GSA, as does one private school in the region, according to Epstein.

The new GSA met three times before the school year was out, electing officers, including Garrard as president. About 23 members have signed up.

Now the Garrards, Tsai and other supporters look to the next school year as a test of the Parkview administration's willingness to treat the GSA equally among student organizations.

Fayette teen fights harassment

At Fayette County's Sandy Creek High School, survey results from Enlight showed that the counselor interviewed is aware of incidents of bias toward gay students, that the school administration has a course of action for intervention and that the counselor knows of gay students at the school.

Those results also show that the facility has no training for staff members to handle gay issues, nor does it have a diversity statement, school-initiated parent or family education or any existing clubs to support gay youth.

But although that counselor also revealed having heard anti-gay epithets used at the school, the staff member also said gay students would feel safe at the school.

One teen at Sandy Creek has heard more than his share of anti-gay slander. Josh, 15, whose parents requested that his last name not be used out of concern for his safety, began to realize he was gay in about the second or third grade.

"I didn't really do anything about it. I was just kind of like, 'Oh, it's there… I'll deal with it later,'" he said.

By the time he was in fourth grade, Josh faced taunts from other students because he is gay.

"Then it got worse as I got older," he said. "It was more homophobic. 'Hey look, it's fag boy,' things like that."

Josh came out to his parents in mid-March, although he said it was almost an accident. His mother sensed something was bothering him and prompted Josh to tell her what was wrong.

"She was just like, 'That's okay. It's fine with me,'" he said. "I kind of knew that that's how she would react to it, but part of me still kind of was not too sure."

His mother then told his father, who also has been supportive, Josh said.

A week later, Josh told his parents about the constant harassment at his high school.

"My mom knew that there still was something up," he said.

Normally an "A" student, Josh's grades had fallen, giving his parents a clue about problems he faced.

Josh said other students would throw trash at him, trip him as he walked down the hallways and some even threw rocks at him in the halls of the school.

"It was just crazy sometimes," he said.

Teachers frequently would stand and watch the harassment, according to Josh, and only sometimes intervene.

"They would laugh sometimes-laugh right along with them," Josh said.

Once Josh told his parents about the harassment, they contacted Epstein at Enlight Atlanta through a friend. Josh, his parents and Epstein then went to Sandy Creek High School to meet with the principal, Dr. Charles Warr.

Epstein said he was impressed by the school officials' response.

"What happened in that meeting was really wonderful. The principal said he only had five minutes, and he ended up staying at least 20," Epstein said.

After the meeting, the administrators put a stop to the harassment and Josh saw an end to the daily incidents.

"They handled it very appropriately," Epstein said.

Warr even invited Enlight officials to talk to students, and also to do a program for teachers and staff this fall.

Josh now is looking forward to the upcoming school year. He is also thinking of forming a GSA at his school.

"I made many, many friends," Josh said. "I feel great. I'm really happy."

Josh's father said he hopes that his son will not have a rough childhood because he is gay.