Howard Co. High School Students to Hold First Rainbow Conference

In June Howard County successfully held its first ever LGBTQ+ Pride whereby an estimated 10,000 people joined in the celebration. In 2020, the first ever Rainbow Conference for LGBTQIA+ students, parents, Howard County Public School System staff, community members and allies is scheduled for May 15 at Hammond High School.

According to the event’s website , “The Rainbow Conference came about as…an idea that arose from a need to connect with others who share a similar story, similar values, and a similar struggle. It is our hope that this first Rainbow Conference is the first of many conferences of its kind in our school system.”  This idea ostensibly originated from students and staff at Hammond H.S.

The conference will take place from Noon to 4 p.m. on May 15 and will include three concurrent workshop sessions. While some presenters have already been lined up, there is an opportunity for others to lead a concurrent session. Broadly, the topics may include literary focus, self-awareness, creative expression, activism, health curriculum and instruction and others. Those who may be interested in being a presenter should visit the Contact link of the website and complete the form.  

Planners are also seeking sponsors to cover the costs of the conference. If interested, please complete the Rainbow Conference Donation Form.

To request a table at the Exhibition Hall, the form to complete is here. 

Openly gay Mikah Meyer has already been selected as the Keynote Speaker.  He traveled on a record-breaking 3-year road trip to all 419 National Park Service sites making him the first to experience all those parks in a single journey.  For good measure, he took photos with the Pride flag at each of the sites.

In addition, there will be a literary component of the conference called Rainbow Vision 2020. Students who are currently attending a Howard County high school are encouraged to submit original art, poetry, essay or story on such matters as being an LGBTQIA+ teen or ally.  Selected submissions will be part of a countywide literary magazine, which will be distributed at the conference. The rules and methods for making a submission are included here. 

“The HoCo Rainbow Conference is going to be a great opportunity for members of the LGBTQ community in Howard County schools to come together to share experiences, show their unity, and continue to advocate for inclusive, accepting, and supportive school environment for all,” says PFLAG-Columbia Howard County President Max Crownover. “Our chapter is excited to be able to support the efforts of the conference’s planners.”

Adds local librarian Sarah Cooke, who is a scheduled presenter at the conference on the topic of LGBTQ+ authors and/or characters in a variety of genres:  “Having this conference in HoCo is significant on so many levels. First and foremost it shows our LGBTQ+ students that we see them, we love them and we support them.  Representation and visibility is so important, as is more education of our history and the celebration and respect for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Indeed, bringing high school students together to learn about issues that affect them and network with others is a positive and needed step.  LGBTQIA+ teens nationally continue to be bullied and harassed in schools and online. 

According to GLSEN’s 2018 National Schools Climate Survey  the environment for such students has not improved. In one key finding, the vast majority of LGBTQ students (87.3%) in 2017 experienced harassment or assault based on personal characteristics, including sexual orientation, gender expression, gender, religion, race and ethnicity, and disability. Seven in ten LGBTQ students (70.1%) experienced verbal harassment at school based on sexual orientation, more than half based on gender expression (59.1%) or gender (53.2%).

“This report should serve as an alarm bell for advocates and a call to action for anyone who cares about students’ wellbeing,” said Eliza Byard, GLSEN Executive Director. 

“Fortunately, the evidence continues to show that key interventions are working to improve students’ lives. We must continue to push to see them implemented in more schools, and support students who are organizing to improve their communities. LGBTQ-affirming supports in our schools reduce violence, improve academic achievement, and help save lives. Who wouldn’t want LGBTQ youth to feel safe and do better in schools?”

The upcoming Rainbow Conference is akin to the recent “B’More Proud” series of conferences at the collegiate level involving Baltimore area colleges and universities. This inaugural conference of high school students in Howard County is similarly on the right path to success.

As additional information about the Rainbow Conference becomes available, I will provide updates. You can also email pride@hcpss.org or follow the Rainbow Conference on Instagram @hcpss_pride. 

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UPDATE: This post was published last July. Since then the coronavirus and its stay-at-home mandate has altered the logistics of the conference. But it will go on regardless even if it will be a virtual event. For more information about signing up for the seminars and workshops, visit https://sites.google.com/hcpss.org/hcpssrainbowconference/home?authuser=0

Baltimore LGBT Ally Surprised at Ellen Show

Wyatt Oroke, a Baltimore teacher for five years, appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show this past week to receive a series of surprises.  Oroke, who had been invited to the studio, was led to believe he was being recognized for his work in the East Baltimore City Springs Elementary Middle School with a pre-recorded clip praising his work with his students, who call him “Mr. O”.  Suddenly, he was told he was going to sit in that famous chair on the set to talk live with Ellen herself.

Clearly emotional and taken aback by the unexpected appearance in front of the lights, cameras and live audience, Oroke participated in a brief interview with Ellen.  Then he was stunned and became teary-eyed when a significant number of students appeared live by remote from Baltimore to offer praise of the young Humanities teacher, how he has inspired them, and how, in one student’s case, he provides the needed support since she lacks a support system at home.

If that wasn’t enough, a check for $25,000 from Shutterfly was presented to the school, again shocking Oroke.

Oroke points out that the East Baltimore school is “under resourced and underserved for centuries based on political decisions that were made, segregate housing, or redlining for neighborhoods. ” This resulted in the fact his “students come from the highest poverty rates of any school in Baltimore City.”  Moreover, Oroke notes there have been homeless students every year, one lost to gun violence, some have given birth to children. 

He says he tries to show as much empathy as he can and encourages his students to read by purchasing independent reading material for his students.  Oroke explains that the students need “access points” to give help provide them with equal access to opportunities. He instills the idea that “if you fill the classroom with love today, you’re gonna will fill the world with love tomorrow.”

Oroke is an ally of the LGBT community and a member of the Board of Directors for GLSEN  Maryland. 

“Mr. Oroke represents the kind of teachers we all want in our schools,” says Jabari Lyles, executive director of GLSEN Maryland. “Kind, compassionate, knowledgeable about vulnerable populations and willing to go the extra mile. Mr. O once led the GSA club at NAF (National Academy Foundation) Middle School in Baltimore City, and joined our board of directors last year to broaden his impact. We are very happy to have him on our team.”

Lyles states that Oroke’s students raised thousands of dollars for the recovery effort in Puerto Rico despite being from some of the poorest neighborhoods of Baltimore.

The video of the segment is shown below:

Oroke told me, “As a proud board member of GLSEN Maryland I am always happy to be an advocate for all students in our state.”

UPDATE: Mr. Oroke was named Baltimore City Teacher of the Year on June 26, 2020.

Baltimore School to be Honored by GLSEN

Roland Park Elementary/Middle School’s GSA wins national recognition

Roland Park Elementary/Middle School  Photo courtesy of Live Baltimore

Baltimore’s Roland Park Elementary/Middle School will be honored along with three other awardees by GLSEN at the 2017 GLSEN Respect Awards – New York to be held at Cipriani 42^nd Street on May 15.  Dr. Jill Biden will deliver the evening’s opening remarks.   

Roland Park Elementary/Middle School is being recognized for the work being done by the diverse student-run Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) to ensure that every student of Roland Park Elementary/Middle School has the best school experience possible, with a mission of providing a safe and inclusive space for all genders and sexual orientations.

According to GLSEN, the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe and affirming schools for all students, GSA members at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School “have led advocacy efforts both within their school’s walls and in their community. They have created positive environments in their classrooms by confronting hostility and prejudice against the LGBTQ community.

“Together they created a project called ‘Dear Mx’ in order to educate their school on LGTBQ issues, offering a way for their peers to anonymously ask questions. Their work has also led to a ‘GSA Edition’ in their weekly aired Student News, giving a platform and a voice to LGTBQ people and history, and raising awareness around multiple issues.

“In their community, the Roland Park GSA has worked actively with the GLSEN Baltimore Chapter as well as partner organization PFLAG. Serving as a model for other GSAs across the country, their group testified at a school board meeting to advocate for clearer district policy and guidance around LGBTQ issues.

“From pushing for all gender bathrooms to working towards intersectionality alongside other student groups such as The Diversity Club, the Roland Park Elementary/Middle School GSA continuously demonstrates how important our shared vision of inclusivity is.”

Jabari Lyles, executive director of the Baltimore chapter of GLSEN, explains it was not easy to get this group started at Roland Park.

“Initially, around the year 2009, Baltimore City Public Schools hesitated to allow a middle school to start a GSA,” Lyles said. “Through our advocacy, we urged the board to allow Roland Park to start their group. Fast forward to today, and this group has won this incredible award. The GSA at Roland Park Elementary/Middle is a model for GSAs everywhere. Their hard work, dedication and success show anything is possible when students are motivated, staff are invested, and safe space is created.”

Members of the GSA   Photo: Kimberly Mooney/WYPR

According to a May 5 interview on WYPR’s radio show “On the Record,” eight members of the Roland Park Elementary/Middle School GSA, the principal Nicholas D’Ambrosio, and the GSA’s faculty advisor Kimberly Mooney will be traveling to New York to receive the recognition.

“I was not expecting this recognition as we were up against a lot of high schools,” Mooney said in the interview.  “Getting this proves that kids of any age can accomplish anything whatever they put their minds to and they are making a difference. It shows schools across the country what a small group of committed kids can really do to change the culture of the school and the environment in which kids are trying to learn.”

The other awardees to be recognized by GLSEN are Ryan Pedlow, Founder of Two Creeks Capital, who will receive the Visionary Award; Ann Clark, Superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, will receive GLSEN’s Educator of the Year Award; and First Data will receive the Corporate Ally Award.

“Now more than ever it is crucial to support those pushing to create safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ youth,” said Dr. Eliza Byard, GLSEN’s Executive Director, in a statement.

“I am proud to advocate for LGBTQ students’ lives by recognizing this year’s honorees, each of whom are playing an important role of fighting for justice by ensuring that LGBTQ youth have equal opportunities and the support to reach their full academic potential,” she said.

The GLSEN Respect Awards, introduced in 2004 and held annually in Los Angeles and New York, showcase the work of students, educators, individuals, and corporations who serve as exemplary role models and have made a significant impact on the lives of LGBTQ youth.

Thanksgiving Turkeys to Carve Up

Thanksgiving offers a great opportunity to reflect on our blessings and bring those not as fortunate into forefront of our thoughts.  To be sure, from a personal standpoint I feel I’m blessed.  Regarding the accomplishments within our LGBT community to which I’ve dedicated a good portion my life, there have been blessings aplenty, which make me feel proud and fulfilled.

I’m proud that Baltimore achieved a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign Metropolitan Equality Index that reflects myriad achievements on various levels to help bring our community to at least on par with the rest of the citizenry.  I am also elated that my state was wise enough to allow same-sex couples like ours to marry and finally be able to receive the benefits that marriage affords.  I am also happy that the state ended discrimination against my transgender friends this year by asserting that all of our citizens should not be subject to discrimination.

Thus, with the rainbow flags flying high and proud, this Thanksgiving brought into focus other areas of concern that afflict our communities. I don’t want to sound dour but there is a set of realities or turkeys that should also noted.

Around the same time HRC’s pat-on-the-back to Baltimore came out, GLSEN presented some disturbing news that indicates we’re not making sufficient progress in Maryland’s high schools when it comes to bullying and related issues.  In the report GLSEN’s survey revealed a staggering high percentage of secondary school students in Maryland who have heard taunts, name-calling and/or experienced various forms of bullying that are LGBT-oriented. 

Just as disappointing is the fact that only 14 percent attended a school with a comprehensive anti-bullying/harassment policy. We have been led to believe the state has such policies in place and perhaps the students aren’t aware of them.  But with so many of the students reporting such incidents you have to wonder. 

Recently, I represented PFLAG-Howard County at a county parks and recreation teen opportunities fair and heard mixed results from the students.  One student said that her gay friend at her high school is doing fine with being openly gay and has not experienced any problems with respect to bullying.  Yet, another student from the same high school, if you can believe it, mentioned her gay friend has been hospitalized due to the stress he received from being bullied by other students.

Clearly, anti-bullying policies must be tightened and enforced, and students, faculty and staff alike must be educated on these policies.  While it is true that today’s youth are increasingly supportive of equal rights for LGBT people, there is still evidence that it is not universal and bullying of all forms need to be eradicated.  No longer should a report emanating from GLSEN state that Maryland schools are unsafe for LGBT students.

Too many teens have taken their lives as a last resort because of kids who have the need to raise their own self-esteem at the expense of others.  According to The Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to ending suicide by LGBTQ youth, suicide is the 2^nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24.  LGB youth are four times more likely (and questioning youth three times) to attempt suicide than their straight peers.  And about 25 percent of young transgender individuals have attempted suicide.

Another turkey that needs carving is the rate of homelessness among LGBTQ youth.  As the frigid, cold winter dawns upon us, it is imperative to acknowledge that homeless LGBTQ youth are sleeping outside in boxes or on grates just to survive. 

The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that 20 percent of homeless youth are LGBT.  (Some organizations’ estimates are even higher, even up to 40 percent.)

While homeless youth typically experience severe family conflict as the primary reason for their homelessness, LGBT youth are twice as likely to experience sexual abuse before the age of 12.  LGBT youth, once homeless, are at higher risk for victimization, mental health problems, and unsafe sexual practices. Over 58 percent of LGBT homeless youth have been sexually victimized compared to 33.4 percent of heterosexual homeless youth. LGBT youth are roughly 7.4 times more likely to experience acts of sexual violence than heterosexual homeless youth. 

"LGBT organizations must seriously direct their efforts to preventing homelessness among LGBTQ youth and dealing with those who are." 

To the issue of suicide, homeless youth who are LGBT commit suicide at higher rates (62 percent) than heterosexual homeless youth (29 percent).  Transgender youth are even far more vulnerable.

These statistics are as chilling as the weather and illustrates that parents and families who continue to reject their children based on sexual orientation and gender identity either throw their kids out on the streets or make their environment so inhospitable that the kids need to run away.

Foster care is not a solution at this point because of the discrimination homeless LGBT youth experience, and these situations promote a homophobic atmosphere leading many youth to run away believing they are safer on the streets.  

LGBT organizations must seriously direct their efforts to preventing homelessness among LGBTQ youth and dealing with those who are.  It’s not as sexy a cause as marriage equality where tons of money had been raised.  But this crisis needs to be met if those organization still aspire to remain relevant.

This little reminder only scratches the surface.  We still need to face the epidemic of HIV/AIDS as folks are mistakenly assuming that unsafe sex practices are OK now.  They aren’t.

We have a developing crisis in the rapid growth in the aging population whereby seniors are experiencing discrimination in assisted living and nursing care facilities.  The discrimination among those entities are driving LGBT seniors back into the closet and preventing their partner’s access to them.

There are other such turkeys that need carving providing more food for thought to chew on, but this list should fill you up for now.

We Take Pride in Our Allies

By Steve Charing

Our front page feature interview of straight collegiate athlete Hudson Taylor was intended to highlight the importance of having straight allies on our side in the quest for equality. As we celebrate Pride and reflect upon why as members of the LGBTcommunity we should be proud, one of the major reasons is the fact we have many straight friends and allies aiding our cause.

The inconvenient truth is that if we try to go it alone, we will get nowhere. Simply put, the LGBT community by itself does not have the numbers to affect the outcome of policy decision-making or alter elections. With estimates that indicate we comprise anywhere from 2 to 10 percent of the U.S. population, it is clear the math isn't there.

For us to succeed in the myriad unresolved LGBT-related issues, we must attract straight allies to bolster our numbers to influence lawmakers at all levels. Aside from Hudson Taylor who has stuck his neck out to publicly support LGBT rights and advocated for the end of homophobia in sports at the expense of losing some friendships along the way, there are many other straight folks who have also courageously taken a strong stand for equality and continue to do so.

Representative Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, an Iraq war veteran, spearheaded the efforts in the House of Representatives to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Being straight and a combat veteran, Mr. Murphy possesses the credibility to persuade his colleagues that the policy as it exists is discriminatory and has hurt national security.

Closer to home, Maryland's Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has been another true advocate for LGBT equality. In February he issued an opinion against vitriolic opposition from conservatives that allowed Maryland to recognize valid same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.

The law and precedent were on his side, and Mr. Gansler could have left it at that and continued to carry out his duties. Rather, Mr. Gansler demonstrated the political courage so sorely needed by elected officials—especially Democrats—to not only be on the right side of fairness and equality but to go out and fight for it. Mr. Gansler has not just talked equality, he is trying to do something to achieve it, and he does it in a public way.

Since the opinion was issued, Mr. Gansler spoke before a number of LGBT political groups and religious and civic organizations encouraging those in attendance to keep up the fight for marriage equality. Considered a likely candidate for Governor in 2014, some pundits have speculated that Mr. Gansler is taking a huge political risk in championing this issue. Undaunted, he believes it's the right thing to do. And he could be encouraged by the fact that the recent Washington Post poll indicated that more Marylanders, by a narrow margin, support same-sex marriage than oppose it.

We expect the margin to widen by 2014 as young voters who tend to regard marriage equality as a no-brainer enter the voting pool and replace the older conservative voters. Having an increasing number of Gay-Straight Alliances in schools across the country is a major contributor towards this goal as does the GLSEN-led National Day of Silence that brings awareness to the need for safe schools and other LGBT issues.

The efforts in Maryland have also been bolstered by the Maryland Black Family Alliance—a civil rights advocacy organization consisting of mainly straight African-American individuals. This group has been highly visible and outspoken in their beliefs that marriage equality is indeed a civil right and condemns those preachers who cherry pick biblical passages to oppose LGBT equality.

Then you have the good folks in PFLAG—Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Although the organization is not just for parents anymore as more and more lgbt people have hopped on board, it is the first group of straight allies to help our cause when it began in 1972. Now there are over 500 chapters in the U.S. What better ally could one hope for other than a parent of an LGBT child?

Furthermore, PFLAG has a program called Straight for Equality, which is a national outreach and education project that empowers straight allies in supporting and advocating on behalf of LGBT people. PFLAG offers the tools and strategies needed to attract more straight allies to the cause.

Added to the mix is the growing number of people in the entertainment industry who are coming out for LGBT rights. The battle over Proposition 8 in California served as a catalyst for this activism, and it hasn't waned. From the world of movies, television and music we are seeing more personalities unabashedly supporting our cause. Allies such as MSNBC's Keith Olbermann have been invaluable in the struggle to repeal DADT and advance other LGBT issues.

And let's not forget the number one ally-in-chief, President Barack Obama. While many activists have criticized him, and I believe unfairly, for not acting swiftly enough on lgbt initiatives, he has proven to be the first and only President who has not only talked the talk but in several significant instances, walked the walk. Read his Proclamation of LGBT Pride Month for a summary of the key actions the President has taken on our behalf.

We can increase our efforts to attract allies by having more LGBT folks coming out when feasible. When family members, co-workers, employers, friends and neighbors know that someone is lgbt, the odds are they will want to help secure rights for that individual. Almost immediately one can increase support exponentially just by coming out.

And education on important LGBT issues by political, religious and social justice groups is needed to garner further support in the straight community.

The wind is at our backs now. We are gaining momentum during this slow-moving battle to achieve full equality. And with more allies to give our movement a crucial boost, we will get there.

As we celebrate Pride, we should not only be proud of ourselves but also those wonderful allies, elected officials or not, who are helping us big time.

www.SteveCharing.blogspot.com.

Anti-Gay Bullying is Killing Our Kids

By Steve Charing

South Carroll High School in Sykesville, MD held a "Unity Day" on March 26 to celebrate diversity. Included in the program in front of the entire student body was a presentation on lgbt issues by members of PFLAG that focused on the consequences of hate speech, hateful words and bullying.

To amplify the point, the presentations were followed by students’ writing insulting words on pieces of paper, like ‘faggot," "that’s so gay," "homo," etc. and proceeded to shred these epithets in the hope that the symbolic gestures would lead to permanent eradication of the vile language and the pervasive bullying that continues to exist in schools.

As well received as this demonstration was, apparently not all were happy about the event. A Mt. Airy woman in a letter to Gazette.com called the shredding of paper an "empty gesture" and stating that "words kill" is a "platitude." She wrote, "Words do not kill. Behavior kills."

Oh really?

Recently two suicides related to anti-gay bullying were tragedies that could have been avoided. An 11 year-old boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself on April 6 in Springfield, MA. His suicide comes about a year after eighth-grader Lawrence King was shot and killed by a fellow student in a California classroom, allegedly because he was gay.

A little over a week later a second suicide—also by hanging—took place in Georgia by fifth-grader, Jaheem Herrera. "He was bullied relentlessly.

They called him gay and a snitch," his stepfather told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"[Jaheem's best friend] said, 'He told me that he’s tired of everybody always messing with him in school. He is tired of telling the teachers and the staff, and they never do anything about the problems. So, the only way out is by killing himself.' "

Although neither student identified as gay, both students endured anti-lgbt bullying until they couldn’t take it anymore. And in both cases, the schools did not act on complaints.
Ironically, the suicides occurred in a month in which schools around the country participate in "Day of Silence" events to draw attention to bullying in the schools.

This effort has been promulgated by GLSEN—the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. A leader in anti-bullying education, GLSEN presents statistics that show how acute bullying is in schools—especially against LGBT students.

In a 2007 National School Climate Survey, 86.2% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 44.1% reported being physically harassed and 22.1% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation. 73.6% heard derogatory remarks such as "faggot" or "dyke" frequently or often at school.

More than half (60.8%) of students reported that they felt unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation, and more than a third (38.4%) felt unsafe because of their gender expression. 31.7% of LGBT students missed a class and 32.7% missed a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe, compared to only 5.5% and 4.5%, respectively, of a national sample of secondary school students.

These numbers cannot be ignored.

"Anti-LGBT bullying affects all students, gay and straight alike," says GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard, Ph.D. "Bullies learn from an early age that anti-lgbt language is one of the most effective ways to torment their peers. And far too often, schools fail to address the problem."

GLSEN proposes a four-pronged approach to address anti-lgbt bullying and harassment. They recommend that schools adopt a comprehensive anti-bullying policy that includes in the categories sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

They encourage required training so that school staff can be well equipped to respond to anti-gay name-calling, bullying and harassment in an effective and timely manner.

GLSEN supports student efforts, such as establishing Gay-Straight Alliances in the schools to help prevent anti-gay bullying.

And lastly, GLSEN recommends that age-appropriate, inclusive curricula be instituted to help students understand and respect difference within the school community and society as a whole.

"These two tragedies highlight the need for schools to do more to make sure their hallways and classrooms are safe for all students," says Byard. "Education, community and federal leaders need to come together and find solutions to the endemic problem of bullying in America’s schools. We owe it to our children to do everything we can to make sure they are safe in school."

Otherwise, young lives are being cut way too short.