Out in the Mountains VT NEA Supports Carol Although some gay and lesbian educators are out at work,the majority remain clos- eted. As a member of the latter group, I found an article in the May 1992 issue of the Vermont NEA Today newsletter to be of particular interest Barbara Barbour, a Vermont teacher and newly appointed rep- resentative to the National Education As- sociation’s Civil Rights Committee, out- lined the committee’s recommendations in the area of sexual orientation biases. The committee stressed the importance of sen- sitizing all members to the needs of gay and lesbian education employees and stu- dents via training at the national and state levels. Other recommendations included publication of articles on sexual orientation in the NEA’s national newsletter and as- sistance to local affiliates regarding con- tract language and school district and high- er education policy addressing civil rights, equal access to employment benefits and hiring practices as related to sexual orienta- tion. Said Barbour, ‘‘It is very difficult for gay and lesbian teachers to stand up for their rights and the rights of gay and les- bian students. We could, however, all stand up as teachers to protect the rights of all teachers and students no matter their race, religion, handicapping condition, gender, or sexual orientation.” The August/September issue of Vermont NEA Today included an article which spoke to the needs of gay, lesbian and bi- sexual students in Vermont Marilyn Gillis and Jeff Lavin, having attended a three-day NEA conference in Washington, D.C., “Affording Equal Opportunity to Gay and Gay Students & Educators Lesbian Students Through Teaching and Counseling”, advised readers of the critical need to recognize and to help these stu- dents. Dueto their significantly higher risk to fail, drop out, runaway from home, en- gage in substance abuse, or commit sui- cide,”...gay and lesbian kids are being de- stroyed by the thousands.” Gillis and Lavin wanted to increase the visibility of this problem, and reviewed five assumptions presented at the national conferencezl. Gay, lesbian and bisexual persons are present in our classrooms and faculty rooms. 2. Every student deserves a safe en- vironment in school. 3. Professionals in ed- ucation need accurate information and spe- cific skills. 4. The only way to know another person’s sexual orientation is if that person divulges it. 5. Not everyone will accept assumptions 1 - 4.They invited all NEA members to attend a free all day workshop in October. Sure enough, the front page of the October issue of Vermont NEA Today directed read- ers to page 8 to find out about “Equity for gay and lesbian students.” Convinced that all of this was evidence of a groundswell of support among my colleagues, I attended the October 17 workshop in Berlin, VT. Charles Duzinski, Vice-President of the Vennont NEA, read opening remarks which reminded us why we were there. The workshop goals and objectives pro- vided further clarification: ‘To increase the level of awareness of school employees about the educational and psychological needs of gay and lesbian students and to enhance the ability of all school employees to ensure that these students receive an equal educational opportimity.” The conference organizers expressed their concern that they might be preaching to the converted, but perhaps that was not such a bad starting point. The day featured small and large group discussion; viewing of a tape of a 20/20 segment on gay, lesbian and ? bisexual students; David Wolk as a keynote luncheon speaker; and a panel discussion facilitated by Dot Brauer of Outright Ver- mont. Despite the fact that it was a Sat- urday, no one appeared anxious to leave, ' and the conference ran slightly over the ‘ scheduled time. Lots of talking, listening and networking took place.It was wonder- ful to feel such empathy and support for gay, lesbian and bisexual educators and stu- dents. If this is a groundswell, I’d like to be part of it, and encourage others to join. As a next step, the conference organizers would like to be available to school districts in Vermont that would like workshops or presentations on this topic. For more in- fonnation contact Marilyn Gillis in Milton; at 863-5308 or Jefi” Lavin in Springfield at 263-5228. Educators may also be interested in the Gay and Lesbian Caucus of the Na- tional Education Association (established in 1987). The address is: NEA/GLC, PO. Box 314, Roosevelt, NJ 08555. Barbara Barbour would like to start a Vermont’ chapter of the NEA/GLB Caucus. She in- vites those interested to contact her at 436 2038. 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