Schedule for May

Posted on April 29, 2011 by LGHS GSA
Friday May 6, 2011
GSA Meeting @ Tutorial room 201
Trans Speaker: Anthony, the Director of Outlet

Saturday May 7, 2011
South Bay Gay-Straight Alliance Leadership SummitLearn essential GSA skills, make new friends, share your stories and experiences, and build the GSA movement in the East Bay!
MAKE SURE TO REGISTER BY FRIDAY, MAY 6TH AT 5PM! REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 5PM!
Friday May 13, 2011
GSA Meeting @ Tutorial room 201
Rachel Staab will be leading a special meeting

Friday May 20, 2011
GSA Meeting @ Tutorial room 201
HARVEY MILK EDUCATIONAL MEETING
Harvey Milk Movie Night
[MORE DETAILS TBA]

Sunday May 22, 2011
HARVEY MILK DAY
Milk Foundation

Friday May 27, 2011
GSA Meeting @ Tutorial room 201

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Day of Silence = SUCCESS

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Liz Gustafson














The Day of Silence went really well! I think we all deserve a pat on the back for raising awareness of LGBT related bullying.
Thank you everyone for partcipating! I’d like to give a special thank you to all of the supportive staff who explained the Day of Silence and really helped make this happen!

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Bay Area Youth Summit THIS SATURDAY

Posted on April 20, 2011 by LGHS GSA
The Bay Area Youth Summit (BAYS) is an event hosted by Aragon High’s Gay/Straight Alliance in San Mateo, CA on Saturday, April 23, 2011.
The main topic of this important summit will be about bullies, and the many ways you can effectively stand up to them and make sure your school is a safe one. The organizing committee, mostly comprised of youth, will offer up other important information such as running an effective Gay-Straight Alliance club but the focus will be how you can help perhaps save the life of your friend.


The Bay Area Youth Summit is committed to giving each individual the power to make a difference. Youth come in all different colors from a myriad of backgrounds, and every individual deserves to have a voice. BAYS can provide youth with the driving force needed to overcome challenges they face in their individual communities, whether they be an unsupportive school administration, bullies, or misunderstanding from their peers. Rather than speaking to the LGBTQ youth community as a whole, the Bay Area Youth Summit will serve to empower each unique individual with the tools and knowledge needed to combat their troubles.


While plans are still in the making, the BAYS organizing committee is excited to announce the first two major speakers who are tentatively scheduled to participate.


Cleve Jones is an outspoken AIDS and LGBT and civil rights activist. He conceived the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt that has become the world’s largest piece of community folk art still today.


Jones career as an activist began in San Francisco during the turbulent 1970’s when pioneer gay rights leader Harvey Milk befriended him. He worked as a student intern in Milk’s office while studying political science at San Francisco State. In 1979, Milk was assassinated and Jones to this day carries on his legacy by speaking out about equality and standing up to injustice, including bullying in our schools and in the community.


Joe Wilson is a filmmaker and producer who won numerous awards for his documentaries about social activists on human rights issues. His latest film, Out In Silence, captures a remarkable chain of events that unfold when the announcement of Wilson’s wedding to another man ignites a firestorm of controversy in his small town Pennsylvania hometown.


It was a desperate mother’s pleas for help for her gay teen who was being tormented at school in his hometown that make Wilson go back to the town he grew up in and make the film. His friendship with the gay teen and his mother made him realize that he had to finally stand up to the hate he was running away from, both in his past life and the hatred that still existed for this youth.


Youth and adult allies from within and outside of the Bay Area are encouraged to attend this important conference. Those who attend this summit can expect an afternoon and evening of informative content, lively interaction, and serious discussions relevant to issues facing youth, parents and administration of schools and communities everywhere. There will also be plenty of time for socializing with others and of course – a fabulous and fun dance to close the day!


The summit is scheduled from noon to 8:00pm. Beginning at 8:00pm an optional dinner/dance will conclude the day’s events.


For more information, offer donations, or register as in individual or GSA group, contact BAYS Executive Director and President of Aragon High School GSA, Jason Galisatus at ahs.gsapresident@yahoo.com.

bayareayouthsummit.org

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Posted on April 20, 2011 by Liz Gustafson

Good luck tomorrow everyone!

Wear red to show your support.
If you can’t stay silent the whole day, stand up to harassment and let people know that it not okay.

Remember, we are trying to make a peaceful statement that a problem exists and action must be taken to fix it.

Silence commencing in 3… 2… 1…

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When you say “that’s so gay”, do you realize what you say?

Posted on April 19, 2011 by LGHS GSA

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Important things this week…

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Liz Gustafson

4/19 – Don’t forget to grab your t-shit tomorrow @ tutorial in room 201.

4/21 – HUSH! The Day of Silence will be taking place at LGHS all day.
A silent lunch will take place on the front lawn (if it rains, room 201).

4/22 – GSA Meeting @ tutorial in room 201

Don’t forget to sign up for the GSA Leadership Summit @ the Billy DeFrank Center 5/7
http://www.gsanetwork.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id;=66

Please participate in the 2010-2011 school climate survey!
http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/2730.html

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Get the word out!

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Liz Gustafson
Day of Silence THIS THURSDAY 4/21!!!

Don’t forget to pick up your t-shirt and speaking cards tomorrow @ tutorial in room 201.

Also, ask your teacher ASAP to briefly explain to your class what the Day of Silence is BEFORE Thursday. Encourage your friends to participate and if you can’t stay silent for the whole day, be loud and stand up to harassment instead! If you hear someone saying negative things about the Day of Silence or hateful things such as “that’s so gay”, “fag”, “dyke”, etc…

TELL THEM TO STOP!

The Day of Silence is a moment to open the conversation on the issue of bullying. Through your participation on the Day of Silence, a message will be sent that bullying and harassment faced by LGBT and ally youth affects you, your school, and the community.
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South Bay Resources

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Liz Gustafson
GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) works to make schools safe for all students. We work to support diversity, equity and the right of every student to learn in a safe and accepting environment. We also provide networking and support for gay, bisexual, transgender and straight ally teachers, parents and administrative staff.

GLSEN Peninsula/SouthBay Email: info@glsenpsb.org Voice: (650) 361-0292 (408) 920-1735 Mail: PO Box 4092, Mountain View, CA 94040 GLSEN National at www.glsen.org GLSEN Colorado at http://www.glsenco.org/

OUTLET offers a safe, supportive, confidential drop-in support and social group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth age 18 and under at the Palo Alto YWCA. Call (650) 494-0972, ext. 301 for more information, or visit http://ywcamid.org/rcc/Outlet/.

GSA Network (Gay-Straight Alliance Network) assists students in forming gaystraight alliances at their schools, and assists those clubs once formed. Contact Carolyn Laub at (415) 442-4726 or visit http://www.gsanetwork.org/.

PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) offers a monthly support group for parents, families and friends of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. There are four meeting locations in the Bay Area: San Mateo, Menlo Park, San Jose, and Gilroy. Call (650) 857-1058 or (408) 270-8182 for more information, or visit www.pflagsanjose.org.

The Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay Community Center is a community center in San Jose provides social and support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. (408) 293-2429 The Crisis Center offers 24-hour crisis support over the telephone. Call (650) 692-6655
 Colage (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) offers support for children with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents. Call (415) 861- 5437.
Reconciling Ministries Network provides information on faith-based programs for gays and lesbians. http://www.rcp.org/

Sexual Identity Forum (the SIF Group) offers safe, supportive and confidential support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth ages 12- 23. Meets Wednesdays 7:30-9 p.m. at the Redwood City Youth Health Center. CAPE (California Alliance for Pride and Equality) lobbies to ensure basic rights for lesbians and gays in California. http://www.calcape.org/.

GLBT National Hotline serves callers of all ages.
1-888-843-4564
Monday thru Friday from 1pm to 9pm

Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of civil rights to lesbians and gays. http://www.lambdalegal.org/

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Responses from last meeting

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Liz Gustafson

At the last GSA meeting, I asked members to write a short response to the following question…

What is one thing that you wish every teacher knew about the LGBT experience or bullying at LGHS? (Answers are anoynmous and re-typed exactly as the original written response)
I wish that teachers would understand that “fag” or “gay” is as offensive as “retard.”
It doesn’t matter if I’m the victim or just a bystander – hearing someone get called a fag hurts. It’s wrong, and I feel powerless to stop it. The only thing I can do is tell them it’s not right. And at what cost? I get ridiculed, which I can handle but I know most people can’t.
Just because you put out this “super liberal, I-wear-birkenstocks-and-I-went-to-Santa Cruz” persona and you tell yourself “oh, I totally voted no on 8, I believe in equal rights” does NOT mean it’s okay to make snide, homophobic jokes to get a rise out of your biology class and make them like you!!! I guarantee that for every person that you make laugh, two more people lose respect for you. (On back of card in capital letters: teacher’s name)
I’m sick of people using names like fag or gay. I have friend who have been called this, and they’re secretly gay. It makes it much harder for them to come out and be themselves. It leaves them depressed. It leaves them in so much pain.
It makes me fuming mad whenever I hear derogatory terms used against people. It makes me angry when I try to stop the people and all they do is repeat the words. And it makes me sick when I try to talk to people about it and theysay if they had gay kids, they’d disown them.
When a teacher hears a slur and doesn’t correct it or call it out, they are promoting the behavior and more so giving their seal of approval.
It would be nice if people would get to know somebody before they even consider judging them. Almost everyone I have met is different on the inside than they appear to be on the outside.
I’m sick of hearing people calling each other gay because, even though I’m not gay, some of my best friends are gay and because of all the hate they hear, they feel as if they can’t tell their friends in fear of being judged. It’s not just the students either, some teachers unknowingly offend the gay community.
People beat on others because others have beat on them.
I am so tired of hearing the terms “that’s (so) gay” and “faggot.” It is so pathetic that people can’t even think of a better insult so they default to these terms. The insults at all are worthless, and they prove nothing but weakness.
I wish that people would stop using those terms and if said that a teacher would do something.
I wish teachers would notice the derogatory names people call each other and try to put a stop to it L.
I wish people would watch what they say. Just in general. They never know who might be listening.
I wish people would actually THINK before they speak or call somebody something, even jokingly. I wish people would not assume things like “this guy’s gay” or “that one’s not.” I realize it’s still a long time before there wouldn’t be an awkward pause after I say something “gay” but for now could you please not classify things as much?
I wish people would understand that those words are hurtful to people because usually people think it’s no big deal.
Teachers need to stand up against bulling. ANY bullying. Everyday I see teachers let students get away with insulting others, or using the phrase “that’s so gay.” It needs to be stopped!
I would like teachers to know that being gay is ok. It’s your own life and you should be able to live your life the way you want. I am straight and I support everyone.
These terms are not okay.
Everyday I watch people say hurtful words, ad I wish it would just stop.
I think it’s disgusting that the word gay can be used as an insult. It used to mean happy! I just think its absolutely ridiculous this still goes on.
I’m sick of hearing a personality trait as a derogatory term.
I wish teachers would stand up for kids when they hear the word “fag” or “that’s so gay.” They always seem to ignore it.
That the term “fag” is used more than any other insult I hear, its used more and hurts more people than most insults.
I wish people wouldn’t say hurtful things. It’s mean.
If you really want someone to blame for all this, blame the Vatican. Enough said.
I wish people would understand how hurtful any name-calling is. Even if it is joking, many people take it seriously.
I wish people would stop judging others. School should be a place that is safe for people to be themselves without being scared of reactions.
“I want the world to be a place where ‘I’m gay’ invokes the same response as ‘I’m a virgo.’” ~ P!nk. I wish the world could be a place like this where everyone is accepted and valued for who they are.
I wish people at the school were more kind and had more sympathy and understanding. I wish there was less ignorance and more acceptance. I wish everyone would believe that derogatory terms are hurtful to anyone and everyone.
If you witnessed the looks I get when I walk down the hall, you would say something. If you heard every kid who says “faggot” when they see me, in the hall or in class, you would say something. At least, I hope that you would. Sometimes I have the courage to say “fuck off,” but not always.
Every time someone says, “that’s so gay,” it’s taken as a derogatory remark. I wish I had the confidence to tell them it’s wrong to say that. If the teachers told them it was inappropriate, I’d definitely have the nerve to tell them myself.
I wish teachers would realize that prejudice goes beyond racism. We spend weeks on African American stories and issues. Why have they never mentioned gays?
I feel like the people who say derogatory terms against not just gay people but other minority groups are not necessarily mean and cruel, just ignorant and don’t understand the severity of their words. If people become more informed there will be less verbal abuse.
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No meeting this week…

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Liz Gustafson

Ask your teacher…

+ To talk about the Day of Silence +

+ What is law AB 537? +

+ Start a discussion on harassment +

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