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Resources
These
resources have been compiled by the Oregon Safe Schools and Communities
Coalition to provide information for individuals and/or groups who
are seeking information or contacts on gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) issues. We have also included information for
people who plan to facilitate workshops in their communities about
LGBT youth issues.
YOUTH GROUPS
Clackamas
County
* Clackamas County Sexual Minority Youth Connection (COSMYC)
Adventure, fun, support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual and
questioning youth who are 23 and younger. Activities include weekly
meetings, one-on-one support, creative projects and connections
to local resources. www.cosmyc.org
Corvallis
* Out 'n' About Youth
541-754-3906
Eugene
* Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender and Questioning Youth Group
Offers support, information and fun for 13-18. 541-684-3466
* Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Youth Group
For 25 and younger. 541-346-1134
Washington
County
* Pride Project
For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth who
are 21 and under in Washington County. Activities include organized
social events and groups meet weekly in Beaverton and Hillsboro. www.prideproject.org
High
School Gay-Straight Alliances
* Aloha, Gay-Straight Alliance
* Ashland, United Sexuality
* Beaverton, Gay-Straight Alliance
* Catlin Gable, Students and Friends for Equality (SAFE)
* Century (Hillsboro), Full Spectrum
* Corvallis, Gay-Straight Alliance
* Crescent Valley (Corvallis), Gay-Straight Alliance
* Forest Grove, Students Organized Against Prejudice (SOAP)
* Franklin, Gay-Straight Alliance
* Gresham Union, Youth for Change
* Mountain View (Bend) Gay-Straight Alliance
* North Salem, Rainbow Youth
* Oregon Episcopal School, Spectrum
* South Albany, Straight and Gay Alliance
* South Eugene, Youth for Justice
* South Salem, Gay-Straight Alliance
* Southridge (Beaverton), Gay-Straight Alliance
* Springfield Senior, Gay-Straight Alliance
* Sunset High (Beaverton), Gay-Straight Alliance
* Tigard, Gay-Straight Alliance
* Tualatin, Gay-Straight Alliance
* Wilson (Portland), Gay-Straight Alliance
* Woodburn, Straight and Gay Alliance
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LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
Ashland
* Abdill-Lambda Community Center
A social services center serving gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
individuals. 541-488-6990 or www.abdellis.org
* Chrysalis
Provides support and education for people involved and interested
in the southern Oregon transgender community. 541-488-6990 or www.chrysalis4tg.com
Benton/Linn
Counties
* After 8
Works for political change and provides information and referral
for sexual minorities and allies in Benton and Linn counties, located
in Corvallis. 541-752-8157
Klamath
* Klamath Pride Organization
Provides support and activities to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender
and questioning youth and adults. klamathprideorg@msn.com or groups.msn.com/klamathprideorganization
North
Coast
* North Coat Pride Network
A volunteer human dignity organization serving the sexual minorities
community. It publishes a newsletter and maintains a resource office
in Astoria. 503-338-0161 or ncpn@pacifier.com
Parents,
Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
An organization that provides love and support for all family members
and friends and works to create an environment of understanding
so our gay, lesbian, and bisexual children can live safely with
dignity and respect.
* Central Oregon
Meets in Bend. 541-317-2334
* Eugene
541-302-4422
* Mid-Columbia PFLAG
Meets in The Dalles. 541-298-8383
* Portland
Website provides information about the organization, a copy of its
newsletter and a link to a list of approximately 200 books, videos,
pamphlets and magazines. www.pflagpdx.org
* Rogue Valley PFLAG
Meets in Ashland. 541-488-1142 or 541-512-0326
* Salem PFLAG
503-292-9668 or 503-897-2524
* Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays School Team
Located in Salem and provides information, training, networking
and advocacy to make schools safe and fair for all, regardless of
sexual orientation or gender identity. 541-242-2746
Portland
* Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians And Gays (PFLAG -
Portland)
Providing love and support for all family members and friends. Work
to create an environment of understanding so our lesbian, bisexual,
gay and transgender children can live with dignity and respect
P.O. Box 8944, Portland, OR 97207 Phone: 503-232-7676
Email: Support@pflagpdx.org Web Site: http://www.pflagpdx.org/
* Sexual
Minority Youth Resource Center-Portland(SMYRC)
A center for all youths who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual
or questioning their sexual identity/expression to hear positive
messages about their lives and dreams. Website provides information
on recreation activities and other advocacy programs that support
these youth. www.smyrc.org
* Youth
Guardian Services
A youth-run, nonprofit organization that provides support services
on the internet. The website is a safe space for straight and questioning
youth with GLBT friends or family members to discuss gay-related
topics and their own acceptance issues.
www.youth-guard.org/youth/str8
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STATE ORGANIZATIONS
*
Basic Rights Oregon (BRO)
BRO is a statewide civil rights organization, dedicated to ending
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender. BRO has political
(remember No On 9?) and educational programs and has many resources
for youth. BRO's safe schools work includes trying to pass legislation
to protect LGBT youth in and out of school, working with schools
to develop nondiscrimination policies and supporting youth in their
activism and GSA development. 503-222-6151 or www.basicrights.org
*
Love Makes A Family
This group works for social change to create a supportive environment
within our communities and provides a public voice for all families,
especially those subjected to social, economic, and legal discrimination
due to sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
Love Makes A Family, Inc. has members nationwide and a speaker training
program. Its nationally distributed newsletter is posted on the
website, which also has links to other resources. Support groups
exist in Portland and Washington County.
www.LMFamily.org
*
Oregon Center for School Safety
Jeffrey Sprague, Co-Director, Institute on Violence and Destructive
Behavior,v1256 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1265 or 541-346-3592.
*
Oregon Education Association Gay and Lesbian Caucus (OEA GLC)
The OEA GLC is an voluntary organization within the teachers' union
of OEA and works to protect the rights and interests of gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender students and members of the Association. www.geocities.com/OregonGLC
*
Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition (OSSCC)
OSSCC seeks to create safe schools and communities where family
can belong, eevry educator can teach and every child can learn regardless
of actual or perceived sexual orientation gender identity. Supported
by numerous individuals and organizations, OSSCC provides speakers
and workshops. www.oregonsafeschools.org
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NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
*
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts,
legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual
rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by
the Constitution and laws of the United States. It's website carries
a section on lesbian and gay rights along with other civil liberties. www.aclu.org/
*
American Psychological Association (APA)
APA is a scientific and professional organization that represents
psychology in the United States. With more than 155,000 members,
APA is the largest association of psychologists worldwide and its
website lists information about lesbian, gay and bisexual concerns.
It also has materials in Spanish. www.apa.org
*
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
GLADD is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate, and
inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media
as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on
gender identity and sexual orientation. Its website contains recent
articles in the media, services the organization provides and a
publication archive. www.glaad.org
*
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
This organization strives to assure that each member of every school
community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation
or gender identity/expression. It believes that such an atmosphere
engenders a positive sense of self, which is the basis of educational
achievement and personal growth.
Under Booklink, the organization has an online resource to order
books or videos in the areas of Secondary Students (Grades 7-12),
Primary Students (Grades K-6), Adults and Curriculum & Training. www.glsen.org
*
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
The largest national lesbian and gay political organization envisions
an America where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are
ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and
safe at home, at work and in the community. HRC has more than 400,000
members, both gay and non-gay, all committed to making this vision
of equality a reality. Website contains up-to-date information about
issues. www.hrc.org
*
The Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies (IGLSS)
This organization is the source for timely and relevant scholarship.
An independent think tank answering questions that affect the lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, IGLSS confronts tough
issues, by using credible methodology to assure reliable answers.
With a mix of scholarly study and rapid-response data on pressing
topics, IGLSS fulfills some of the most vital research needs of
the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, and provides
leadership within the movement through informed critical analysis.
IGLSS offers a variety of products to serve different policy needs.
One of its articles, "Going Beyond Gay-Straight Alliances to
Make Schools Safe for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students,"
is referenced in Website Materials.
www.iglss.org/
*
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
The mission of NASP is to promote educationally and psychologically
healthy environments for all children and youth by implementing
research-based, effective programs that prevent problems, enhance
independence, and promote optimal learning. This is accomplished
through state-of-the-art research and training, advocacy, ongoing
program evaluation, and caring professional service. Its website
carries information on services, publications and other information. http://www.naspcenter.org/teachers/gc_glb.html
*
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF)
NGTLF is the national progressive organization working for the civil
rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, with the
vision and commitment to building a powerful political movement.
NGLTF believes a strong GLBT movement demands the empowerment of
community leaders at the local level. Its website contains up-to-date
activity in the nation and has a folder on publications. www.ngltf.org
*
National School Boards Association (NSBA)
NSBA's mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary
and secondary education through school board leadership. NSBA achieves
its mission by representing the school board perspective before
federal government agencies and with national organizations that
affect education, and by providing vital information and services
to state associations of school boards and local school boards throughout
the nation. NSBA advocates local school boards as the ultimate expression
of grassroots democracy.
Founded in 1940, NSBA is a not-for-profit federation of associations
of school boards across the United States. NSBA represents the nation's
95,000 school board members, who govern 14,890 local school districts
serving the nation's more than 47 million public school students.
NSBA has information on school legislation and policy and has published
articles on GLBT issues-"Guest Viewpoint: View Gay-Straight
Alliance Clubs as Partners" and "I Don't Feel Safe Here
Anymore," see references in Printed Materials and Documents
section. 703-838-6722 or http://www.nsba.org/
*
National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
NMHA is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization
addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. With
more than 340 affiliates nationwide, NMHA works to improve the mental
health of all Americans, especially the 54 million people with mental
disorders, through advocacy, education, research and service. Its
website offers information on sexual orientation and prejudice (see
"What Does Gay Mean" article in Documents section). http://www.nmha.org/
*
Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays-National (PFLAG)
A national non-profit organization with over 80,000 members and
supporters and more than 460 affiliates in the United States. PFLAG
promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender persons, their families and friends through: support,
to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed
public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal
civil rights. PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual
orientation and gender identity and acts to create a society that
is healthy and respectful of human diversity. www.pflag.org
*
Safe Schools Coalition
A public-private partnership that supports gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender youth. Headquartered in Washington, Safe Schools
Coalition's website offers information and resources for school
boards and youth as well as stories. Materials in Spanish also are
provided. www.safeschoolscoalition.org
*
Southern Poverty Law Center
Publishes a quarterly magazine, Teaching Tolerance, and a weekly
email that contains articles, stories and activities to promote
the acceptance of all children in schools and in the community. www.teachingtolerance.org
*
Youth Activism Project
This national clearinghouse site aims to prove that minors can play
a major role. It promotes youth civic engagement, trains adults
(see "Traits of Great Adult Collaborators" in Printed
Materials section) how to collaborate successfully with young people,
provides free advice to young people to help them transform their
ideas into proposals and be taken seriously by the powers-that-be,
convinces community, educational and government leaders to engage
young people in meaningful roles and the decision-making process
and promotes youth infusion on citizen task forces, school boards,
community coalitions and other organizations. The website also offers
publications, other resources and success stories. 1-800-KID-POWER
or www.youthactivism.com
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LEGISLATIONS
*
Center for School Safety
Oregon Revised Statutes 339.331, .333, .336 and .339. http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/339.html
*
School District Policy on Harassment, Intimidation or Bullying
Oregon Revised Statutes 339.351, .353, .356, .359, .362, .364. http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/339.html
DRAFTING
STATE LEGISLATION
* Guidance
for Drafting State Safe Schools Legislation (National Center for
Lesbian Rights)
www.nclrights.org/publications/schoolguidance.htm
TRANSGENDER
INFORMATION
*
TransParentcy
Supporting the loving and caring relationship between the transgender
parent and their children through support and education.
Portland Email: Paula@TransParentcy.org Web Site: http://www.TransParentcy.org
*
It's Time, Oregon! (ITO)
ITO is a gender advocacy and educational organization on the west
coast of the United States of America. We are a chapter of It's
Time, America! (ITA), the first nationally-organized grassroots
civil rights group seeking to secure and safeguard the rights of
all transgendered persons.
Portland, OR Email: itstime@itstime.org Web Site: http://www.itstime.org
*
FTM International
This site is the internet contact point for the largest, longest-running
educational organization serving FTM (female-to-male) transgendered
people and transsexual men.
Phone: 415-553-5987 (Voicemail) Email: info@ftm-intl.org
Web Site: http://www.ftm-intl.org
*
International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE)
IFGE is a leading advocate and educational organization for promoting
the self-definition and free expression of individual gender identity.
Web Site: http://www.ifge.org/
*
International Journal of Transgenderism (IJT)
A national non-profit legal organization that advocates for LGBT
people (including youth) through impact litigation and public policy
advocacy.
Web Site: http://www.symposion.com/ijt/
*
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
Online resource of professional provided information and research
related to gender identity.
870 Market St. Suite 570, San Francisco, CA 94102 Phone: 415-392-6257
Email: info@nclrights.org Web Site: http://www.NCLRights.org
*
Outside In
Addressing the changing needs of homeless youth and other low-income
and marginalized people as they work toward self-sufficiency and
improved health by providing them innovative social, medical and
mental health services and material resources
1236 SW Salmon St., Portland, OR 97205-2042 Phone: 503-223-4121
Fax: 503-223-6837 Email: info@outsidein.org Web Site: http://www.outsidein.org/
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TRANS RESOURCES
Information for Allies to Trans and Intersex People
*Do
ask pronoun and name preferences, and use them when appropriate
(check name/pronoun use with work, family, school, etc.)
*Do
correct other people's inappropriate use of pronoun(s) and name(s).
*Don't
fall prey to binary gender and sex classifications (for example,
there are only two sexes, male and female).
*Do support and affirm the choices trans and intersex people make
about their genders, bodies, and/or transitions.
*Do
show your support of intersex and trans people, and advocate for
intersex and trans awareness in your schools, organizations, workplaces,
and among your peers.
*Don't
reveal a person's sex assigned at birth, or their given name.
*Don't
assume sexual orientation based on your perception of gender. Do
realize that sexual orientation and gender identity are separate
(although sometimes related) issues.
*Do
let intersex and trans people define their own inclusion in certain
spaces (e.g., queer-only space, women-only space, bathrooms, etc.
*Do
educate yourself!!
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WEBSITES
www.safeschoolscoalition.org The Safe Schools Coalition is a good starting point for resources
for educators, parents/guardians, and youth working for safer schools
for LGBTQ people.
www.glsen.org GLSEN (pronounced "glissen") is the Gay Lesbian
and Straight Education Network, the largest national network of
parents, students, educators and others ending discrimination based
on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in K-12 schools.
www.pflag.org Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity
for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts
to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.
www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/ipe/suicide.htm Youth suicide prevention information is available at the state Health
Services Department
http://www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/iowa/documents/record?record=958 Lambda Legal: A Guide to Effective Statewide Laws/Policies: Preventing
Discrimination Against LGBT Students
http://gsanetwork.org/ Gay-Straight
Alliance Network
http://www.glsen.org GLSEN: Creating
safe schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
http://www.apa.org/ed/hlgb/ Healthy Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Students Project
http://www.uoregon.edu/~ivdb/ Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior
http://www.tentalks.com Ten Talks Center
http://www.teachers.ab.ca/diversity/Sexual_Orientation/Index.htm The Alberta Teachers' Association
http://www.nwchd.org The Northwest
Coalition for Human Dignity
http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org The Safe Schools Coalition
http://www.tolerance.org/rthas/index.jsp Teaching Tolerance "Responding to Hate in Schools"
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/websrch.htm UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools
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VIDEOS
*
"Speak Out"
LGBT youth activism in schools. More information and a fun preview
of the video at the website. www.mediaed.org/videos/MediaGenderAndDiversity/SpeakUp/#
Selected
Videos (PFLAG)
A list of 13 GLBT videos with a short description, time length,
price and acquisition information. List includes: "All God's
Children," "Always My Kid: A Family Guide to Understanding
Homosexuality," "Both My Moms' Names are Judy," "Coming
Out," "Coming Home: Asian and Pacific Islander Family
Stories," "Gay Youth,"' "It's Elementary,"
"Out of the Past," "Queer Son: Family Journeys to
Understanding and Love," "A Safe Place for Questions,"
"Straight from the Heart: Stories of Parents' Journeys to a
New Understanding of their Gay and Lesbian Children," "That's
a Family," "We Are Not Invisible," "Youth Out
Loud." http://www.pflag.org/education/schools/docs/resources.pdf|
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GSA RESOURCES
*
GSA Network (California)
Materials, with Spanish versions, include articles ranging from
having fun with your GSA, to how to plan an event, to fundraising,
to public speaking, to conducting a school survey, to recommended
books for GLBT students. How to Facilitate A Meeting, How to Start
a GSA, Take It Back: A Manual for Fighting Slurs on Campus and Youth/Adult
Partnerships are printed in Printed Materials section. 415-552-4229
or http://www.gsanetwork.org/
GUEST VIEWPOINT: VIEW GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE
CLUBS AS PARTNERS
By Carolyn Laub
Founder and executive director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network
12/10/02
- Julie Silva was determined. The enthusiastic and intense 17-year-old
had decided in May 2001 to start a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club
at Clovis High School in Clovis, a medium-sized town in California's
culturally conservative San Joaquin Valley.
The first requirement was that she produce a list naming other students
who wanted to join the GSA, a significant hurdle in itself, given
many students' confidentiality concerns.
She then began the arduous process of gaining administrative approval
for the club. More than nine months of negotiations, meetings, and
delays passed - extending into the second semester of the next school
year - before the school board allowed Clovis High GSA to meet.
In the meantime, many other clubs had gained faster approval.
"I am not going away, and neither is the issue of intolerance
and homophobia," Silva says.
Unlike many cases involving GSAs and reluctant school districts,
Julie's experience didn't make national headlines or result in a
lawsuit. It represents the extremely grudging acceptance that many
GSAs have encountered across the country.
Gay-Straight Alliances are here to stay. After years of local controversy
and struggle, most school administrators and school boards now recognize
that these student-led clubs have an equal access right to exist.
But it's time for school administrators and school boards to move
beyond grudging acceptance. GSAs provide significant opportunities
for youth leadership development and can be valuable partners in
supporting schools' commitment - and legal obligation - to provide
a safe and nondiscriminatory school experience.
New research shows, in fact, that the presence of a GSA does exactly
that. Researcher Laura Szalacha examined the effects of GSAs on
schools in Massachusetts and found that having a GSA in a school
is associated with a more positive school climate.
The presence of a GSA correlated strongly with reduced harassment.
In schools without GSAs, 75 percent of students reported hearing
slurs against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) youths
every day. In schools with GSAs, that number was nearly 20 percent
lower.
Data from surveys across the country, including the federal Youth
Risk Behavior Surveillance System, point to the persistence of anti-LGBT
harassment and violence and to its negative health consequences
for targeted students.
Students who might not be LGBT but whose identity, appearance, mannerisms,
or even choice of extracurricular activities don't conform to social
expectations based on their gender also are often targeted.
Furthermore, allowing harassment to persist without an appropriate
response damages the overall school environment and fosters a climate
of division, isolation, and fear.
GSAs began forming in the late 1980s in response to this hostility.
The intention was to make schools safer through education, support,
and advocacy. Nearly 300 GSAs are registered with the GSA Network
in California, and estimates put the number of GSAs in the rest
of the country at well over 1,000.
How do GSAs change their campuses? Laura Vilchez, GSA president
in South Pasadena High School in California, noticed, like many
students, that teachers often didn't know how to respond to anti-LGBT
slurs.
She and other club members led a poster campaign to give teachers
a tool to help them articulate a clear response. The posters declared
a "Hate-Free Zone," and in the process of asking teachers
to display them in their classroom, GSA members educated teachers
about the importance of responding to slurs.
Other GSAs conduct teacher training or peer training, make videos
focusing on LGBT student issues and experiences, or meet with principals
to promote stronger responses to harassment.
How does a school benefit from having a GSA club? Improved overall
safety, greater well-being for LGBT students, youth leadership development,
and a general improvement in school climate are the most important
benefits. But a GSA and its educational efforts can also help a
school fulfill its legal obligations to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory
learning environment.
If your state has a nondiscrimination law that includes sexual orientation
or gender identity, your GSA can play a key role in helping implement
that law.
If your state has no such law, your district is still obligated
by the Constitution and federal law not to discriminate, and a GSA
can support you in fulfilling that obligation.
It is in every school's interest to support GSAs and the leadership
they bring to the problem of homophobia and bias-motivated violence
on campus.
Here are a few ways that school boards can support GSAs and partner
with students to create safer schools:
o Don't place obstacles in the way of students who are trying to
form a GSA. Treat a GSA just as you would treat any student-led
extracurricular club.
o Let GSAs know that you support their work and make sure they know
that you would welcome meeting with them to discuss how your district
can improve its school climate.
o Consider offering small grants to any student organization that
undertakes work to promote fairness, tolerance, and safety on campus.
o Stand up for the rights of students, even in the face of controversy.
o Recognize that GSAs are about nondiscrimination and safety, not
sex.
o Don't try to make GSAs take the word "gay" out of the
club's name. A federal court has ruled that such efforts violate
students' fundamental free speech rights.
This year, Visalia (Calif.) Unified School District settled a lawsuit
brought on behalf of the GSA Network and a former student who was
systematically harassed and discriminated against because of his
sexual orientation.
The settlement consists of a three-year consent decree in which
the district committed to providing teacher training and peer training
to all ninth-graders in the district on California's sexual orientation
nondiscrimination law.
Who will provide the peer training? GSA club members and other student
leaders will be at the forefront. From opposition to partnership
- school districts can and should transform their relationship to
Gay-Straight Alliances.
Reprinted
with permission from School Board News, Dec. 10, 2002. Copyright
2002 National School Boards Association. All rights reserved.
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