The Bryan/College Station Chapter of PFLAG — Parents, Friends, and Families of Lesbians and Gays — of which I am honored to be co-chair, promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through support, education and advocacy.
I feel a certain sense of pride for our members when they listen to visitors with open minds — no matter their own political leanings. More than a year ago, we approached both Bryan and College Station school boards to offer assistance in the education of teachers, counselors and staff on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. Board members listened with respect, but gave the impression that “gay issues” were not relevant.
This is despite stories we hear on a regular basis in our meetings. Let us look at a few facts from the Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby’s Coalition to End Discrimination in Education packet at www.lgrl.org:
- 97 percent of students in public high schools report regularly hearing homophobic remarks from peers.
- The typical high school student hears anti-gay slurs 25.5 times a day. Teachers who hear these slurs fail to respond 97 percent of the time.
- In a 14-city study of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth, 80 percent reported verbal abuse, 44 percent reported threats of attack, 33 percent reported having objects thrown at them and 30 percent reported being chased or followed.
On Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Friends Congregational Church, the Bryan/College Station Chapter of PFLAG, BV QueSt, and The GLBT Professional Network will co-sponsor a coalition building workshop for all people in our community who would like to see an end to discrimination in Brazos Valley education.
For more information, contact katydstewart@hotmail.com or 979-571-6190.
Katy Stewart,
Bryan
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