Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/27719
a safe school “You still hear students saying ‘That’s so gay,’ but I’ve found that when you call them on it, they apologize,” she says. Still, Felts would like to see more teachers step forward to establish “safe zones” in their classrooms, where GLBT youth can go to find support. That too, she says, makes a difference. Kirsten Barnes, a counselor at Hanford West and president of the Hanford Second- ary Education Association, agrees that the atmosphere on campus has become more tolerant in the six years since the GSA was established, but the work isn’t done. “A lot of times, it’s a matter of educating ABOVE: Menlo-Atherton High School GSA President Max Philp was compelled to publicly “come out” to the student body following the four student suicides that occurred in September. Felts had never been politically active before, but she became passionate about the issue and determined to stand up for GLBT students on campus. of intolerance The price Educators were reminded of the tragic possibilities when GLBT students are not supported again last September, when four GLBT-identifi ed students took their own lives in California, Indiana, Texas and New York. Among them was Sean Walsh, a 13-year-old middle school student in Te- hachapi, Calif., who was on life support for nine days after hanging himself after being the victim of relentless bullying. As horrify- ing as these incidents were — and are — the tragedies create a clarion call for educa- tors to re-commit themselves to stamping out bullying of GLBT-identifi ed students. Overall, the statistics are sobering. In 2009, nearly nine out of 10 GLBT students reported harassment at school, while 40 percent said teachers never heard, saw or intervened in the incidents, according to statistics from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). According to GLSEN’s 2010 National School Climate Survey, students who identi- fi ed themselves as GLBT were more likely to miss classes, experience fallen grades, and suff er from an increased level of depres- sion and anxiety. Despite the grim statistics, both GLSEN and the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice report advances in laws and policies, as well as a decrease in homophobic remarks on cam- pus. Educators and students also point to groundbreaking television shows like “Glee” — which has prominent gay characters and has focused on GLBT bullying this year — as having had a positive infl uence on students. “It took educators — gay and straight — who realized students in their classrooms were being aff ected by an environment that was less than tolerant,” CTA President David A. Sanchez says. “It is vitally important for all educators to continue the work of provid- ing a nurturing, hate-free environment of awareness and acceptance for all students and colleagues in our schools.” MARCH 2011 | www.cta.org 11 the teachers as well. We still have to let teach- ers know that name-calling is unacceptable, and they have a responsibility to stop it when they hear it,” she says. (See story on teachers’ legal responsibilities on page 16.) A similar campaign is under way at Menlo-Atherton High School in Menlo Park where this year the Gay-Straight Al- liance has teamed with the school’s Peer Education Team in a yearlong GLBTQ Video extras > See Hardgrave’s students respond to “That’s so gay” at cta.org/slurs-video. > Learn how Hardgrave formed the Gay- Straight Alliance at cta.org/GSA-video. > Watch the Gay-Straight Alliance in action at cta.org/bullying-video. (the Q is for Questioning) awareness cam- paign that includes fliers and posters around the campus, and will culminate with a training of faculty and staff by students. GSA President Max Philp took to the school’s public address system on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, to come out to the entire student body. He told the school: “I feel that the closeted, in- secure and questioning students at Menlo-Atherton need to know that it is okay to be whoever you want to be. There are people who will love you for who you are.”