Let's not forget about the kids

I'm thrilled that yesterday Maine's governor signed into law legislation legalizing gay marriage.

But, I can't help but think about this news in contrast with the two recent deaths of kids who were harassed so badly for their perceived sexual orientation that they committed suicide.

Gay and lesbian youth are 2-5 times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

We can't look at these two boys' deaths as separate from a society saturated with homophobia. School leaders, community members, parents, and youth allies need to take responsibility for creating environments in which all youth thrive, not just those that fit into our culture's narrow definition of 'normal'.

Curricula, films, and other tools designed to reduce bullying in schools generally do not take into account the toxic environment. Rather, resources focus on singling out bystanders, bullies, and victims singling out individual students involved without taking into account the systems in place that reinforce and reward students' bullying and harassing behavior.

Hardy Girls' Ugly Ducklings Campaign is a national campaign designed to combat bullying, harassment, and suicide of lesbian and gay students through the use of a multi-media community action kit. The kit includes a documentary film about the real effects of homophobia and hate on youth as well as a guide for creating safe, supportive environments for all youth. It also includes a special section on youth and suicide.

Check out the Campaign and preview the kit and documentary online at www.uglyducklings.org. And now, for a limited time, get a copy of the Kit and Documentary for 50% off.

Join with us. Because together we can create a better world for girls.

Media Resources for LGBTQ Youth of Color

LGBTQ youth of color face specific challenges and heightened discrimination as they navigate a society that is often both homophobic and racist. A recent interview with three generations of black gay and lesbian people explores the role age plays in their sexual identities. The Challenges of Being Black and Gay Spans Generations, aired on National Public Radio and is one of the resources available from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's (GLAAD) People of Color (POC) Media Program. GLAAD's POC Media Program works to promote fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of LGBT people of color in the media in order to increase the visibility of these communities and serves as a community resource for LBGT people of color and their allies. The POC Media Program publishes a periodic e-newsletter and maintains web pages focusing on Communities of African Descent, the Asian Pacific Islander Community, the Latina/o Community, the Muslim/Arab American Community, and the Native American Community. These pages contain links to community-specific media kits, articles, and a variety of other resources.

Listen to The Challenges of Being Black and Gay Spans Generations
Check out GLAAD's People of Color Media Program

The Upshot: Love Won

Check out this piece, by Anna Quindlen, about love, gay marriage, and social norms.

The Same People - Scream, shout, jump up and down. No matter. The gay-marriage issue is over and done with. The upshot: love won.

"...One of the most transformative social movements over our lifetime has been the battle for gay rights, and the key to its great success has been the grass-roots phenomenon of exploding stereotypes by simply saying, 'Yes, I am.' Each time the woman at the next desk or the guy down the street lets it be known that he or she is gay, it takes another brick out of the wall of division. Or, as Ellen DeGeneres told John McCain on her show recently, 'We are all the same people, all of us.' That's what the California Supreme Court said when it ruled that gay couples should have the right to marry as a matter of basic equality..." Read the entire story.

Originally published in Newsweek on June 9, 2008.

70% of LGBQ Students Sexually Harassed

According to a new study authored by James Gruber, University of Michigan in Dearborn, and Susan Fineran, University of Southern Maine, sexual harassment is often dealt with by school administrators as just another form of bullying; however, the study found that sexual harassment has a greater negative impact on its victims than bullying. “Comparing the Impact of Bullying and Sexual Harassment Victimization on the Mental and Physical Health of Adolescents,” which will be published in the July 2008 issue of Sex Roles, found that a staggering 70% of LGBQ students had been sexually harassed in school. This is twice the percentage (34%) of heterosexual students who reported harassment. The study also found that LGBQ and heterosexual female victims of sexual harassment suffered greater effects on their mental and physical health and more symptoms of trauma than heterosexual male victims.

To read more, check out the New York Times report or read the full study.

New Study on Inclusion of LGBT Parents

In February, GLSEN published the first comprehensive report on the school experiences of LGBT-headed families. Released in partnership with the Family Equality Council and COLAGE, Involved, Invisible, Ignored: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Parents and Their Children in Our Nation's K-12 Schools, found that LGBT parents are more likely to be involved in their children's education than the general parent population, but many LGBT parents and their children also report harassment because of their family structure. Current estimates indicate there are more than seven million LGBT parents with school-age children in the United States. More than half (53%) of parents described various forms of exclusion from their school communities, and 42% of students said they had been verbally harassed at school in the past year because their parents were LGBT. "This report casts doubt on schools' inclusion of different kinds of families in our education system," said GLSEN Executive Director, Kevin Jennings. "LGBT parents are actively engaged in their children's education yet are often not accepted by school communities. Further, their children are often harassed in school simply because of the makeup of their families."

Visit the GLSEN website to read more highlights and access the full report.

Don’t Miss These Important Events

Suicidal Behavior and Suicide Prevention Among LGBT Youth
April 4, 2008 – Atlantic Oakes, Bar Harbor, Maine

Led by Mea Tavares, Maine Youth Action Network, and Effie Malley, Suicide Prevention Resource Center.

This interactive workshop will provide lots of examples and will review terminology, as well as current data and research, about suicidal behavior among LGBT youth and young adults. There will be discussion about LGBT youth culture and development and an examination of risk and protective factors. Finally there will be a discussion of the implications for suicide prevention. Participants will assess their school or agency for LGBT cultural competence and design program adaptations to address the needs of LGBT youth.

For more information contact Joanne DeCampos at jdecampos@mcd.org or 622-7566 ext. 202

Maine LGBTI Health Summit: Challenges, Opportunities, Change
May 29, 2008 – Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, Maine

In Healthy Maine 2010: Opportunities for All sexual orientation and sexual minority status are factors that can lead to health disparities. These health disparities are intensified by a lack of population based data on the LGBTI community resulting in a scarcity of information on the health LGBTI Mainers.

That’s why the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MECDC) will be hosting its first LGBTI Health Disparities Summit, Maine LGBTI Health Summit — Challenges, Opportunities, Change on Thursday May 29, 2008 at the Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, Maine. Through a combination of educational sessions and workshops the 2008 Summit will focus on increasing awareness of health disparities, advocacy for consumers, and the collection of health related data in LGBTI communities. The keynote will be presented by Dr. Ilan H. Meyer. Registration is $25.

To Register: visit www.neias.org/mecdc/lgbti08.html or call 207-626-3615

Gay Youth News Blog

Looking for a source of up-to-date news relevant to the lives of LGBT youth? We at the Ugly Ducklings Campaign have discovered the informative Gay Youth News Blog: News for LGBT Kids and Their Allies. This very active blog highlights the latest news and events from around the world and also includes occasional editorial entries. Here you will read about schools, parents, organizations, communities, celebrities, politicians, and youth whose actions and policies are having a significant impact, be it positive or negative, on the lives of LGBT youth. So stay informed and keep up the good work!

Check out the Gay Youth News Blog