Kergan Edwards-Stout: An Open Letter to Rick Santorum

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kergan-edwardsstout/rick-santorum-gay-parents_b_1197033.html

Dear Mr. Santorum,

You were recently quoted as saying that a jailed parent would be better for a child than being raised by a same-sex couple. You noted that if a same-sex couple were to raise a child, they would be “robbing children of something they need, they deserve, they have a right to.” You continued, asserting, “You may rationalize that that isn’t true, but in your own life and in your own heart, you know it’s true.”

Mr. Santorum, the only reason my partner Russ and I even have one of our children is because that boy’s birth parents thought it appropriate, when he was a mere 6 months old, to take him to a crack house, which was then raided by police. He was promptly placed into foster care, and numerous attempts were made to reunite him with his birth parents. However, as one was incarcerated due to attempted murder and the other would not submit to drug testing, that was difficult to achieve. In fact, when they placed this boy into his birth mother’s arms, he would burst into tears. Further, prior to his crack house adventure, his birth mother found time to pierce both his ears but could not see fit to give him adequate nutritional care, nor to fix his club feet.

Anoka-Hennepin Teachers Cool to Controversial Topic Policies

http://www.twincities.com/ci_19707112

Anoka-Hennepin teachers want to get rid of the district’s controversial policy governing classroom discussions about sexual orientation – and they don’t want a proposed new one to replace it.

Union representatives of the 2,800-member teaching staff voted Monday against having any policy that would place dictates on classroom conversations about sexual orientation or any other topic deemed controversial, according to Julie Blaha, president of Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota.

Those results were presented to the Anoka-Hennepin school board Monday night.

“Despite the good intentions of it, it turned out to be more confusing and limiting than helpful,” Blaha told board members, referring to the district’s current sexual orientation curriculum policy.

Teachers believe that the new, broader policy being considered to replace it isn’t necessary either, she added.

The vote was the first official stance taken by teachers on the sexual orientation curriculum policy. The guidelines have divided Minnesota’s largest school district, landing it in the middle of a national debate about anti-gay bullying and prompting two lawsuits.

 

Troy Mayor Said ‘Disturbing Things’ in Meeting, Gay-Straight Alliance Leader Says

http://troy.patch.com/articles/troy-high-gsa-26264a86#video-8863234

Troy Mayor Janice Daniels denies saying homosexuality is a mental issue, but Troy High School Gay Straight Alliance co-founders Skye Curtis and Zach Kilgore were disturbed by the meeting on Monday, Jan. 9.

Troy Mayor Janice Daniels again met with members of the Troy High School Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Monday afternoon in an effort to reach an understanding after Daniels’ anti-gay Facebook slur garnered statewide and nationwide attention last month.

The meeting, however, left several members of the GSA and their supporters disappointed.

“There were a lot of disturbing things that were said in that meeting,” said GSA member and Troy High School senior Skye Curtis.

Clapham Common Chose as Venue to Host Pride House During the Olympic Games

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/wandsworthnews/9461580.Clapham_chosen_to_host_Olympic_Pride_House/?ref=fbrec

Clapham has won an early gold in the forthcoming Olympics after being chosen as the venue for the Pride House to celebrate sexual diversity during the games.

The house which will be a hub for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community will be open in Clapham Common on July 26.

A spokesperson for Pride House said they chose Clapham for the venue as there is a large number of LGBT residents in the area, and it is the home of a diverse range of festivals.

The aim is to promote diversity and create awareness of homophobia in sport.

Shocking Level of Inequality for LGBT Families

http://www.advocate.com/Print_Issue/Advance/Shocking_Level_of_Inequality_for_LGBT_Families/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AdvocatecomDailyNews+%28Advocate.com+Daily+News%29

A new report highlights the shocking level of poverty endured by LGBT people — and their children.

The economy may slowly be getting its groove back, but many LGBT people will miss that rising tide. A recent report from the Half in Ten program — a campaign by the Center for American Progress and like-minded groups that aims to reduce poverty by half in 10 years — indicates that LGBT people, especially lesbians and transgender people, endure vast income inequality compared to their heterosexual peers.

Parents’ League Presents Demands to Anoka-Hennepin Schools

http://www.startribune.com/local/north/136988163.html

The group wants Anoka-Hennepin to assist students of “moral conviction” and to offer information on overcoming “sexual disorders.”

A group of parents demanded Monday night that Anoka-Hennepin schools commit more resources to “students of faith, moral conviction, ex-homosexuals and ex-transgenders.”

Upping the ante in the district’s debate over how to address controversial issues in school, in particular sexual orientation, the Parents Action League also asked the district to provide students information that links homosexuality to sexually transmitted diseases and about how to “overcom[e] sexual disorders.”

The demands were made during a public comment period on a proposed policy to replace the district’s current Sexual Orientation Curriculum Policy, which forbids staff members from taking a stand on issues of sexual orientation.

Paul Perry’s Adoption Story

http://www.colage.org/featured/board-member-paul-perrys-adoption-story/

Paul Perry joined COLAGE’s board of directors in 2010 and is pursuing his doctorate in Educational Leadership at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

Born to a drug-addicted mother who was pregnant with me while she was in prison, I was saved by her inability to feed her addiction behind bars. She had already been through five abortions and the doctors did not think her womb could support life. But I was a “fighting fetus.” I was determined to get born! Once I was, I was adopted by my father and his partner. Their families shunned me initially because of my race and difficult background. My father thought about how—with a story like that—I had enough challenges in store for me, and he did not want me to have to answer for his sexuality too. Deep down though, the pit in his stomach told him that it was inevitable.

When asked who our heroes are, many of us mention one or both of our parents. For me, this question and my answer to it take on a deeper meaning given my life circumstances. My father and his partner rescued me from being another abortion or another statistic in the streets. Despite the clouds gathered around my initial entrance into this world, they gave me a wonderful childhood. I learned my numbers on the cash register working in our family store–my first job. I played baseball and climbed trees. I became student council president in high school. And I did what no one in our family had done before: I graduated from college. All the while I was taught by them to persevere and move beyond the discrimination we faced as a family. I never had a community like COLAGE growing up and our work now is to ensure that children with LGBTQ parents who are isolated, as I was, realize that they are supported by a strong and vibrant community of peers.

Gay 23-Year-Old Running for Toronto School Board

http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2012/01/05/Gay_23_Year_Old_Running_for_Toronto_School_Board_Seat/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AdvocatecomDailyNews+%28Advocate.com+Daily+News%29

Tyler Johnson knows what it’s like to be a gay student dealing with life at a public school, and he thinks the experience makes him an ideal candidate for a position on the Toronto District School Board.

Dee Rees, Director of Pariah, Interviewed

http://www.laweekly.com/2011-12-29/film-tv/Dee-Rees-Pariah-interview/

One of the biggest success stories of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival was writer-director Dee Rees’ film Pariah, about 17-year-old black lesbian Alike (pronounced Ah-lee-kay, played by Adepero Oduye) and her struggles to forge an identity from the constricting butch/femme palette. Her best friend, Laura (a scene-stealing Pernell Walker), has her back but unintentionally complicates things; Alike’s also caught between a dad who adores her and a mom whose own demons create a volatile household. It’s a sharp, moving, visually gorgeous film, insightfully written and directed by Rees.

Rees spoke with the Weekly about adapting Pariah from her same-titled 2007 short, issues affecting queer youth, the semi-autobiographical elements of the film, and Spike Lee’s role in getting Pariah made.