Gay teenagers are often victims of harassment, ostracism, and even violence at school, Jerald Newberry, director of the family life program in Fairfax County (Va.), told his audience. Even more alarming, gay students are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers, as a result of the isolation and hostility they experience.
What can schools do to support gay students? First, Newberry said, they can provide clear and accurate information about homosexuality as part of their sex education programs. Schools must have a decision-making process for approving such curriculums "that involves parents in a thousand ways," he advised. In Fairfax County, the sexual orientation component of the family life program has withstood attack because the curriculum was approved through an "ironclad" six-step review process, Newberry said. To forestall criticism that the curriculum undermines family values, the 9th-grade lesson about sexual orientation includes an activity that encourages discussion between parents and children.
Schools should offer an "opt-out" provision for parents who object to a program that addresses homosexuality, Newberry recommended, because without such an option, schools are likely to get a backlash. "In most districts, if you try to institutionalize [a mandatory program], you meet tremendous resistance," he said. (In Fairfax County, very few students opt out of the program, he noted.)
Schools should also develop policies to protect gay students and staff members from discrimination, including verbal harassment. At most schools, anti-gay language is heard every day in the hallways, Newberry said: "Ask any 15-year-old." To keep verbal harassment in check, administrators could ask every teacher to give a lesson on name-calling the first week of school—and to use examples that include derogatory terms for gays, he suggested.
Educators and counselors can also convey to students that they are comfortable discussing issues relating to homosexuality, by using inclusive language and by displaying gay symbols such as the pink triangle. "It doesn't take a lot to send the message `I'm a safe person to talk to,'" Newberry said. Educators should also be aware of counseling and support services for gay youth that are available in the community, he added.
To help avert controversy, educators should make it clear to community members that they are "not asking people to change their religious or moral beliefs—but that they, as educators, have a mandate to protect all children," Newberry said. He noted, however, that people often change their beliefs about homosexuality after they hear the personal stories of gay adolescents.
