Gay Straight Alliance

February 2nd 2011

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:29:29 -0500

April - 15 Day of Silence
April: Anti-homophobia day/month/shitthing

We need to complete the package for middle school conf. before spring break.

Movie Night - February 17th

Conference:
2 hrs in the Afternoon
(We’ve split up the descriptions of each activity.)
Media Rep/Gay Celebs - Me/Moi/Sidney
Kinsey Scale - Nomi
Comp/Contrast Gay/Straight relationships - Shannon
Trivia, T&F - Emmanuel and Simmone
Definitions/power of words (hate slurs) - Nomi, Bella, et Moiself
Teen Suicides - Gioia

Pennsylvania: Midd-West student killed himself due to bullying

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 01:19:41 -0500

Pennsylvania: Midd-West student killed himself due to bullying:

MIDDLEBURG — Students at Midd-West High School cried out against bullying Friday as they mourned the loss of a classmate who in the early morning hours walked about 13 miles from his home to Routes 11-15, where he ran in front of a southbound tractor-trailer after leaving a suicide note at his home.

Freshman Brandon Bitner, 14, of Mount Pleasant Mills, ran in front of the truck at 3 a.m. near Liverpool, according to state police at Newport.

The boy’s family discovered him missing at 3:45 a.m., and contacted police.

The road was closed for about three hours after the crash.

There seems to be little doubt in the students’ minds why Bitner did what he did.

“It was because of bullying,” friend Takara Jo Folk wrote in a letter to The Daily Item.

“It was not about race, or gender, but they bullied him for his sexual preferences and the way he dressed. Which,” she said, “they wrongly accused him of.”

His death came just days after an anti-bullying assembly at the high school, which, according to district Superintendent Wesley Knapp, was not held in response to any specific problems at the school, but because it is an issue Principal Cynthia Hutchinson has always felt strongly about.

After the assembly, according to student Briana Boyer in another letter to The Daily Item, “No one took it seriously, and joked around about it.”

Former Midd-West student Erin Barnett sent a letter as well, blaming the school, saying that when students report bullying, “Nothing is done.”

“Bullying should be addressed in every school, and should have a punishment,” Barnett said.

“I do not appreciate … kids bullying others for their own gratification,” Folk wrote. “Because of bullying, one of my closest friends took his own life.”

[…]

equalitopia: Pope visits Spain, greeted by gay kissing flash...

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 01:18:43 -0500

equalitopia:

Pope visits Spain, greeted by gay kissing flash mob

The Pope visited Barcelona, Spain on Sunday, and was greeted by gay kissing flash mob. Participants were protesting the Pope’s condemnation of gay marriage laws in Spain.

The flash mob, which was organized on Facebook, attracted around 200 participants, according to the New York Times.

“Many gay Spaniards don’t see why they should pay for the Pope’s visits, only to have their way of life criticized”

During the Pope’s homily on Sunday, he defended traditional families and denounced Spanish laws allowing gay marriage.

The protest gained more media attention last week, when Facebook shut down the event’s page, but was later reinstated. A Facebook official stated that the event was created by a fake account, which violates Facebook’s policies.

Gay marriage has been legal in Spain since 2005. A 2007 Pew Research study showed that 82% of Spain supported homosexuality and 9% did not (9% were unsure).

Another LGBT Suicide in Utah

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 03:22:49 -0500

Another LGBT Suicide in Utah:

Salt Lake City, UT – We have lost another beautiful life. Colt David Hansen, 28, passed away Wednesday evening after a lifelong struggle against the Mormon Church which he felt never accepted him because he was gay.

According to friends, Colt had a fight with his father the night before he died over the Mormon faith and his refusal to be a part of it. However, his obituary reads that he was a member of the Mormon church and despite never going on a Mormon mission, the family is asking that donations be made to the Mormon Mission fund. The obituary also never makes any mention that he was gay.

Colt’s family is refusing to let his friends attend the funeral, presumably presided over by a Mormon Bishop, calling it a private family affair.

The Utah LGBT community will remember Colt for who he was. A beautiful, intelligent young man who worked for several years at Try-Angles, beloved by many.

When will our families learn that they must love us for who we are, and they dishonor our memories when they try to pretend we are something other than who we are.

There will be a memorial for the community held at Club Try-Angles this Sunday, I believe at 4pm but I haven’t confirmed that yet.

Photo

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 03:20:32 -0500

Photo

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:44:39 -0400

Gay cancer patient struggles to bring partner to U.S.

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:42:02 -0400

Gay cancer patient struggles to bring partner to U.S.

N.J. Mayor Charged with Making Antigay Comment

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:39:37 -0400

N.J. Mayor Charged with Making Antigay Comment:

Police officers in Jackson, N.J., have filed a complaint charging the township’s mayor, Michael Reina, of making an antigay comment when talking at police headquarters.

According to the Asbury Park Press, a confidential investigation report was filed in response to an incident on September 30, when Reina talked with Sgt. Steven Laskiewicz in the watch commander’s office in Ocean County.

“The report says Laskiewicz commented to Reina that he (Reina) was a hero for drawing criticism away from Gov. Chris Christie after the mayor complained about the media coverage he (Reina) had been receiving about taking a $78,000-a-year job in the state Transportation Department. Reina forfeited his mayoral salary in taking the job.

“’At least I’m not a homo,’ Reina said in response, according to the report.”

The reports says that one of the officers who heard the remark is gay.

Reina, a Republican, denied the allegation, according to the newspaper. A bias incident report was sent to the state Department of Law and Public Safety, signed by Detective Mitchell Cowit.

This is the Kinsey Scale for all those who were wondering.

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:07:53 -0400

This is the Kinsey Scale for all those who were wondering.

November 3rd Meeting Update

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:03:47 -0400

-We brain stormed ideas about the Middle School Conference
-Ideas Included:

Gay Stereotypes-Debunk Them!-Fashion
Sexuality does not define who you are
Different Terms-Asexual, Transexual, etc.
Bullying-Seriousness of words
Fact Vs. Myth (Give candy to those who get it right?)
Comparison: Heterosexual Relationship vs. Homosexual Relationship (They’re the same besides the copulation part)
It Gets Better Videos-other videos (MAY NOT HAPPEN. SOME MIDDLE SCHOOL’S CAN’T AFFORD PROJECTORS)
The Kinsley Scale: 0-6

-Other topics discussed:

New mascot! Nordstrom the Narwhal!

Photo

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:51:36 -0400

Photo

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:48:22 -0400

Something to cheer us up after reading the “kill the...

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:46:34 -0400

Something to cheer us up after reading the “kill the gays” post

Fuck Yeah LGBT: Closeted/Coming Out FAQ

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:40:12 -0400

Fuck Yeah LGBT: Closeted/Coming Out FAQ:

fuckyeahlgbt:

How do I come out?

Everyone comes out differently. Here are just some ways:

Sit them down for a talk and Q&A when they aren’t busy

Make a joke of it. I once said to a friend, ‘Let’s get one thing straight, I’m not’ and that worked fine

Come out on National Coming Out Day

Don’t come out!…

Uganda “Death To Gays” Law May Be Passed Shortly

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 01:36:57 -0400

Uganda “Death To Gays” Law May Be Passed Shortly:

Despite pressure from the international community, the Death Law for LGBT people in Uganda is moving forward according to MP David Bahati. The new law would put known homosexuals to death and life-imprisonment for anyone who doesn’t report a gay person.

Let this be a lesson for all of us. A handful of “christian” bigots go to an African country for a month, and within a year this is where we’re at. It’s horrifying.

Meeting Update

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:33:54 -0400

October 26th

Purple Day

Many people showed their support. We were suprised at the overall response. Though there was vandalism to the memorial and information signs, the majority was very kind.

Movie Ideas

Brainstorming next Tuesday.

Community Vigil

Very emotional time. Gioia, the leader, went and made a speech along with many other supporters in the community.

Guest Speakers

A professor from the University might be able to be a guest speaker. Hopefully, we can do this for all the grades. During class time would be best, but only if we’re able too. We’ll need to begin to schedule this.

Middle School Conferences

Brainstorming for topics, methods and how exactly we’ll be able to put this together will be next week. We must start planning now if we want to do this by the Spring.

Boards

We must deal with our designated board in the West Foyer. It is being blocked by the (magnificent) Band display, so we must either find a new place for that board or decorate it so people can’t miss it when passing through the foyer. The board in the East will be decorated. Chiana is incharge of this.

Obnoxious advertisment

The advertisment for things in the past years have been lacking in eye catching detail and meaningful or interesting text. In many cases, they were mocked. This year we must step up and make better and more prominent advertisment for all of our events.

Fundraising for?

A possibility we might look into is fundraising for a charity relating to bullying (for example, Trevor Project?”

Chibi is awesome

Indeed.

Liana brought cookies

They were double stuff heart shaped cookies. :)

That’s all for now!

(Marilyn)

Video

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:29:10 -0400

Cis* Privilege Checklist

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:21:49 -0400

Cis* Privilege Checklist:

transpride:

A very good list of cis gender/sex privileges. It’s quite thorough.

*The terms cis and trans are from Latin, in which cis means “on the same side” and trans means “on the other side” or “across”.

Paper Won't Print Gay Couple's Marriage Announcement

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:06:38 -0400

Paper Won't Print Gay Couple's Marriage Announcement:

MANCHESTER, N.H. — The state’s largest newspaper is coming under fire for its refusal to print a wedding announcement for a gay couple getting married this weekend in Portsmouth.Manchester native Greg Gould said the day same-sex marriage became legal in New Hampshire was a proud one for him.”It sort of highlighted all our values we had when we grew up — individual thinking, independence,” he said.Despite now living in New York, Gould and his soon-to-be husband, Aurelio Tine, set a wedding date for Saturday in Portsmouth and hired a wedding planner to help out.

“There are still a lot of nerve-wracking challenges that any couple faces when they get married,” Gould said.But he said one challenge they didn’t expect came from the state’s largest newspaper. The couple said the New Hampshire Union Leader told them that since it was a same-sex marriage, the paper would not print the announcement.”I was really disappointed because the Union Leader is a big voice in the state of New Hampshire, and they seem to be so out of touch,” Gould said.Gould took his complaint to the publisher of the paper, but to no avail. On Friday, the Union Leader released a statement saying: “This newspaper has never published wedding or engagement announcements from homosexual couples. It would be hypocritical of us to do so, given our belief that marriage is and needs to remain a social and civil structure between men and women.” ( Read Full Statement )Wedding planner Kate Parker said the decision left her flabbergasted.”To me, as a planner, it’s just a wedding, a wedding between two people,” Parker said. “So let them celebrate it.”Parker blogged about Gould and Tine’s story on her website, and she said she was stunned by the dozens of responses.”It’s pretty amazing to see a state that can be known as somewhat conservative to be so supportive,” she said. In its written statement, the Union Leader said it is not anti-gay, but has a constitutional right to print or not print whatever it wants.Gould said he doesn’t see that as an adequate response.”To specifically exclude same sex-couple’s wedding announcements is particularly vindictive,” he said.Mo Baxley, executive director of New Hampshire Freedom to Marry, said she was saddened by the Union Leader’s policy but “hardly surprised.”“The Union Leader’s opposition to gays and lesbians being treated equally under the law is no secret to those of us that live in New Hampshire,” Baxley said in a written statement.Baxley said her group supports freedom of the press, saying it’s vital to a free and democratic society.”We defend the constitutional rights of all, even those we disagree with, and look forward to a time when all New Hampshire families are celebrated,” Baxley said. “We send our congratulations to Greg and Aurelio.”

Spirit Day

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 01:20:38 -0400

I was quite moved and happy by the amount of purple I saw at our school. I think we did a pretty good job of raising the awareness!

A few things I noticed that should be remembered for the future when we make plaques though:

We need to make them bigger
The edges of the sticks to be pointy so that they can be driven into the ground

Sadly, there were some people who had the audacity to kick the signs but if we follow the pointers above, it’ll be harder for the homophobes to achieve that.

Good job club, I’m proud of you all :)