There was a fair number of youth in attendance as was expected, but there were an equal number of adults, many educators, school administrators, and, perhaps as important if not surprising, there were parents in the audience, all of whom were there to show support. Everyone was mannerly and the noise never got above enthusiastic applause that punctuated the remarks of the speakers. There are similar meetings going on in school districts and communities all over the state. In the hallway leading to Washington's beautifully preserved and maintained auditorium, the scene resembled a conference of sorts, tables and information booths were set up and hosted by representatives from Des Moines' Iowa Civil Rights Commission, PFLAG (a support group of parents of lesbian and gay students), the Dubuque Human Rights Commission, and other organizations who served as sponsors for the evening. Tables were covered with neat stacks of pamphlets, books, brochures, and stapled reports. Did you know statistics reveal that at least 1 in 10 students in secondary school are admitted gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender? Some argue the number may be higher. On the panel in the nearly full auditorium was Cammie Dean Director of Multicultural Student Services for Clarke College and a Dubuque School Board member; Janaleigh Dague, President of Hempstead's Gay-Straight Alliance; Matt Cornwall, President of Dubuque Senior High's Gay-Straight Alliance; Michelle Bechen, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Loras College; Thom Determan, the retired Director of Equity Operations for DCSD; and moderating the panel was the new Director of Equity Operations and School Services for the district, Dr. Kris Hall. The panel discussion was followed by a performance of the Chicago-based About Face Theater. "On the Down Low" was an original play written and performed by the ensemble. The vignettes were a mix of mostly serious anecdotal dramas of the delicate relationships between youth and especially parents at times when a young person's sexual identity begins to manifest itself and friends and family become aware. But one of the highlights of the evening occurred in the hallway between the panel discussion and the theatrical performance. During this brief intermission, a KWWL-TV reporter joined with a DCSD journalist to interview the leaders of the Gay-Straght Alliance organizations from the high schools, and the responses to questions are available on this audio essay available above and are not to be missed. The poise, intelligence, sensitivity and (yes) bravery of these two students, Janaleigh and Matt, are nothing short of incredible. The articulate responses to questions were insightful if not inspirational. So, the question is, with this event, how far have we come as a culture, as a school district, as a town called Dubuque, a highly religious "family-friendly" city on the northeastern border of Iowa with a reputation for being "clannish" and "grudgy" toward those we don't like or care to understand? Some would say we've come a long way. But no one will argue that we still have a long way to go. Just that morning, Matt Cornwall's campaign poster for student government at Senior was vandalized with the word "Fag." But a teacher immediately "took action" and removed the poster, reporting the incident to the assistant principal at Senior. Matt had mixed emotions about the incident, telling us he was sad about the poster but encouraged by the quick actions of the teacher. And then there is Janaleigh Dague. Just listening to her talk reinforced your belief in the notion that the world could indeed become a better place. "It's not just gays and lesbians who are diminished by harassment and discrimination," explains Janaleigh. We are all diminished. But the real inspiration that is Janaleigh is found in her remarks about her mother when she discovered her daughter was a lesbian. "She just cried and said had had known as all mothers must..." explains Janaleigh. "She not only became supportive, but we are now both working for the same cause, and that's amazing." Janaleigh also admits that some of her peers are not as receptive of her sexual orientation. She has actually described how she met face-to-face with fellow students who she said, "called me names or made a remark." "I look upon these incidents as teachable moments," explains Janaleigh, "part of an educational process. I've been called names, and remarks have been made, and on those occasions, I will face these people and ask, 'What were you intending by this remark? Do you realize the depth and extremities of this remark to not just me but others in our community?" Dubuque's Thom Determan, a panel member this evening and a much honored former Director of Equity Operations for the District who retired last year, now does consulting on this and all equity topics. He put the evening in a community-wide perspective, and he explained why this meeting is so important to the future of Dubuque. "This is not just a school issue, but a community issue," said Thom. "As a community, we will not grow nor will we prosper if we don't open our hearts, our minds and our doors to diversity. We want our community to become a better place to live and to work, but if we don't become more sensitive and aware, our community will fail, and the very people whose careers and jobs we want to attract and to stay in our community will leave us." Dr. Kris Hall best summed up the panel discussion in response to a question from the audience. It was from a teacher. "What can I do as an ally to gay youth in my classroom?" Dr. Hall spoke about the newly revised policy, and the motivation that was at its core. "Up to this year, we characterized our policy among educators and administrators as 'zero tolerance.' But this year," adds Dr. Hall, " we've endeavored to change that to 'zero indifference.'" "Our objective is no longer to remain silent in the face of bullying, harassing and discriminating behavior toward our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth." |
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t's
considered among the last frontiers of human rights in our country
today. So says Alicia Claypool, the Vice-chair of the Iowa Civil
Right Commission and Co-chair of the GLBT Youth in Iowa Schools
Taskforce. This is why Alicia and other representatives from the
Task Force were on hand for this meeting held at Washington Junior
High on the evening of March 30th. Also in attendance were representatives
of the Dubuque Human Rights Commission, at least three of our area
colleges, and most importantly, there were representatives from
Dubuque's elementary and secondary schools that facilitated local
organization of the forum. The Gay Straight Alliance organizations
from Hempstead and Senior High Schools were well represented by
their leaders on the panel. But let's talk about that audience for
a moment.
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