The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ended its fourth annual conference with a bang in suburban Arlington Heights Sunday, leaving its participants empowered, inspired and educated, organizers said.
The three-day event, Teaching Respect for All 2000: Ending Hate Beginning in School, was the organization's largest, with slightly more than 800 participants made up of educators, students, parents and allies.
"I think it was an incredible experience," said GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings. "It was a great moment."
Sunday was the organization's Pathfinder Awards Brunch, emceed by comedian Marga Gomez. This year's winners sang, strode, laughed and cried through acceptance speeches that had audience members leaping to their feet.
Clad in a fitted black trench coat and red tinted sunglasses, honoree Anthony Colin began his speech with an appropriately altered version of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."
"At first I was afraid, I was so petrified, I thought I could never live without GLSEN by my side," he sang to roaring applause.
Colin was at the forefront of students' historic fight for a Gay-Straight Alliance at El Modena High School in Orange County, Calif.
Looking out at the audience he said, "The greatest thing I've achieved this entire year is being a part of all of you. There are no words to express how much all of you mean to me."
The brunch was also marked by more bad news for the Boy Scouts of America.
Award recipient Carol Johnson, superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools, announced a proposal before the Minneapolis School Board that would sever sponsorship of local Scouts until the organization rescinds its ban on gay scoutmasters. At presstime, the board had not yet voted on the measure.
Jennings said GLSEN has set its sights on having all public schools stop sponsoring local Scout troops, a move that would affect 13,000 schools around the country.
"The Boy Scout battle has now moved to the schools," he said after the event.
The Minneapolis and St. Paul public school districts were honored for innovative programs that provide support for GLBT students and faculty. District superintendents Johnson, of Minneapolis, and Joan Knuth, of St. Paul, accepted the awards on the districts' behalf.
Other winners were former high school football captain Corey Johnson and M-to-F trans activist Dana Rivers, both of whom have taken on speaking engagements around the country since coming out. Johnson made the front pages of national newspapers and magazines after coming out to his coach and teammates at his Massachusetts high school. Rivers was forced to resign from her California school district after she started talking to her high school students about her transition.
For the conference's participants, the weekend's 70-plus workshops and plenary sessions left them exhausted for the moment but energized for the future.
"It was worth the 12-hour drive," said college student John Badger of Atlanta. "It was very empowering, especially all of the commitments GLSEN has made to the schools."
"GLSEN definitely went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure all of the youth had a great learning experience," said Kevin Bynes, also of Atlanta.
GLSEN Communications Director Jim Anderson applauded the efforts of the group's Chicago chapter, which mobilized 80 volunteers for 100 volunteer shifts during the weekend, including for the very successful youth dance Saturday night.
Chapter members also helped with the logistics of the event, finding local speakers and planning entertainment, said GLSEN Chicago Co-chair Dave Larson. He called the event a "great spark" that has helped invigorate the chapter's roughly 200 members.
This was the conference's first year in the Midwest; next year's conference is scheduled for Washington, D.C.
Groundbreaking speaker
Another GLSEN weekend highlight was the keynote address by the president of America's largest teachers' union. The appearance by National Education Association President Bob Chase, one of the most powerful figures on the education scene, "reveals a shift in the way that the education world understands and is beginning to address issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered ( LGBT ) youth at school," GLSEN stated in a press release.
"An appearance by the head of the most powerful mainstream national education organization would have been unthinkable two years back," said Kevin Jennings. "But today the health and well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students is increasingly seen as a mainstream concern, with national leaders like Mr. Chase urging schools and teachers to approach the issues directly and openly. It is heartening to see that on the second anniversary of Matthew Shepard's murder, concerns over student safety are slowly but surely beginning to trump fear, misinformation and political inconvenience."
Since assuming his role as the head of the 2.4 million-member group in 1996, Chase has focused his energy on recreating the union as the champion of quality teaching and quality public schools in the United States. A former middle school teacher from Connecticut, Chase has led the union as it has developed an increasingly strong track record on lesbian and gay student and staff issues. In fact, the NEA participated in creating and distributing the groundbreaking publication, Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation and Youth, which was mailed to every public school superintendent in the country in 1999.
Mental health
experts launch
teen suicide program
A new plan kicking off in high schools around the country is encouraging teens to come forward if a friend confides thoughts of suicide to them. The program starts this month at about 200 high schools. According to federal estimates, one of every five high school students has thought seriously about attempting suicide, and one in 14 has made an attempt. Recent studies show GLBT or questioning teens are much more likely than straight youth to attempt or commit suicide. The program is timed to coincide with National Depression Screening Day on Oct. 5.
