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AFY_EmilyB
AFY_EmilyBWednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:20:00 AM EST
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There have been a couple of important articles this week about the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ young people in Minnesota, specifically in Michelle Bachmann's district. One appeared in Rolling Stone, and one in The American Independent. I encourage you to read both of the articles - though they are infuriating.
The Anoka-Hennepin school district has a policy that says that teachers and school officials may not discuss homosexuality in positive terms; they must remain "neutral" on the issue. Students participating in a lawsuit against the district say this so-called "neutrality" has led to a harmful atmosphere in which gay students are bullied, but adults can say nothing:
"So maybe she was a fat dyke, Brittany thought morosely; maybe she deserved the teasing. She would have been shocked to know the truth behind the adults' inaction: No one would come to her aid for fear of violating the districtwide policy requiring school personnel to stay "neutral" on issues of homosexuality."
Today, The American Indepndent's columnist Andy Birkey published the history of the so-called "no promo homo" policy, how it was softened to a "neutrality" policy, and how it is being driven by a radically anti-gay group:
For almost two decades, Anderson has worked to ban books that she considered to be “pro-homosexual.” She even managed to remove posters for support hotlines for LGBT youth. In early 2002, Anderson spotted a poster hanging in Champlin Park High School that offered “a toll-free resource, referral and counseling service” to LGBT students. The poster included a number, 1-877-GLBT-543, and was paid for by the state of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Justice....
The article goes on to describe how the community is fighting back against the policy, and how these types of policies have played out in other states.[Anderson] has referred to herself as a spokesperson for the Parents Action League, a group of conservative Christian parents who have been testifying at school board meetings for the last two years, urging them not only to keep the “neutrality” policy but to beef it up to include so-called “ex-gay” programming and information about “gay-related immune deficiencies.”
It is truly shocking and deeply angering that LGBT teens in any part of the country should have to learn homophobic lies or suffer homophobic bullying in their school - in this era when the suicide of LGBT young people is all too common. No-promo-homo laws are terrible, but so-called "neutrality" laws are not the solution. The Department of Education has made it clear that homophobic bullying is not just immoral, it's illegal - you can't be neutral on it because it's illegal.
On Monday the school district responded strongly to the Rolling Stone article, claiming it " “presents a grossly distorted portrayal of the Anoka-Hennepin School District, its schools, and its communities.” As yet they have not responded to the American Independent article. And it's important to note that while everything in their response may be true, it does not address the involvement of overtly anti-gay groups in crafting district policy, nor does it address either the "no promo homo" policy or the "neutrality" policy.
The Independent article notes that the board is leaning toward passing a new policy, and I hope that they do. They have the responsibility to protect all of the young people in the district, including LGBT youth.
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