These sessions are targeted towards the middle/high school and collegiate
athletics departments -- for coaches/administrators and athletes/students,
straight and LGBT.
About Parents, Families
and Friends of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Persons,
www.pflag.org
Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) is a
national non-profit organization with over 80,000 members and supporters and
more than 460 affiliates in the United States. This vast grassroots network is
cultivated, resourced and serviced by the PFLAG national office, located in
Washington, DC, the national Board of Directors and 14 Regional Directors.
About PFLAG Safe Schools &
Communities Project
Members of Greater Boston PFLAG will facilitate an interactive review and
discussion of their state wide Safe Schools and Communities project. From how
it evolved from humble beginnings in 1993 into a model that today is being
implemented throughout the country. Discussions will include how to get the
school administration and faculty to recognize that there is a need to create
a dialogue on lesbian and gay issues in the schools and assisting them with
concerns expressed by some parents.. Establishing training/awareness workshops
for faculty and administration Being able to address students directly in
assemblies or individual classrooms. Establishing GSA’s (Gay, Straight
Alliances) in the high schools. Enlisting the support and involvement of
individual allies and other organizations both inside and outside the schools.
The inclusion of gay awareness/history in class curriculum. Getting GLBT
related literature into the elementary school libraries. Review of programs
and techniques to address anti gay language in the high, middle and elementary
schools and anti bias workshops for parents. How to get community wide
involvement and support for making schools and communities safe and accepting
for GLBT youth and adults and their families. And how the simple task of
telling our stories does make a difference.
The hoped for outcome of this roundtable discussion is that people will
come away motivated to help make their schools and communities safer for all
GLBT youth and adults.
Facilitators:
+ George Clattenburg, a founding member of Greater Boston PFLAG and an early
director/participant in the Safe Schools project
+ Meg Soens, a lesbian mother who has been very successful in staging several
community events that have focused on increased awareness of gay and lesbian
issues in the elementary schools and her community. She was responsible for
developing and implementing citywide gay awareness workshops for elementary
school teachers in her community.
