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Published Every Two Weeks On Recycled Paper • Volume 14, Number 11 • October 16, 1999 • FREE
Survey mines depth of harassment in public schools
by David Stout
Q-Notes Staff
NEW YORK—new survey indicates that
69 percent of GLBT youth are the recipients
of verbal, physical or sexual harassment at
school. The study was conducted by the Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network
(GLSEN), the largest national organization
working to end anti-gay bias in K-12 schools.
The school climate survey was compiled
from the responses of 496 students attending
schools in 32 states. It was administered by vari
ous youth service providers affiliated with the
National Youth Advocacy Coalition.
According to the survey, 61 percent of re
spondents have experienced verbal harassment,
47 percent have been subjected to sexual ha
rassment, 28 percent have been the target of
physical harassment, and 14 percent have been
physically assaulted in school.
“Harassment leveled against [GLBT] stu
dents can no longer be considered an aberra
tion or an exception to the rule. Verbal, sexual
and physical harassment is the rule,” said
GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings. “In
“Schools owe all of their students a
safe, harassment-free learning
environment," declared Kevin
Jennings (above).
post-Columbine America, we’ve heard a lot of
talk about making schools safe places for all.
We strongly urge [education leaders] to do the
right thing and walk that talk.”
In addition to direct experience with vic
timization, 90 percent of respondents report
having heard anti-gay epithets “sometimes” or
“frequently” at school. Sadly, more than one-
third report having heard such comments from
faculty or school staff. Nearly 40 percent of re
spondents said that when anti-gay comments
were made in the presence of others, no one
intervened.
“[GLBT] students are required by law to
attend school — an environment these students
say is incredibly hostile,” continued Jennings.
“At the very least...schools owe all of their stu
dents a safe, harassment-free learning environ
ment.”
For more information on GLSEN or the
school survey, call (212) 727-0135 or access
their web site at www.glsen.org. For more in
formation on the National Youth Advocacy
Coalition, access their web site at www.
nyacyouth.org. ▼
Leaders work to increase people of color presence
by Jason Riggs
Special to Q-Notes
WASHINGTON, DC—How does racism
operate in the work of national GLBT organi
zations and the GLBT justice movement as a
whole?
That question framed the discussions among
31 representatives of GLBT groups at the fifth
National Policy Roundtable, convened Septem
ber 24-25 in the nation’s capital by the Policy
Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force (NGLTF). The discussion concluded
with an affirmation that racial justice was an
issue of central concern and priority to the
GLBT groups represented at the meeting.
The National Policy Roundtable convenes
the executive directors of policy-oriented na
tional GLBT and HIV/AIDS organizations and
the national co-chairs of policy-oriented na
tional associations of local organizations. It
meets semi-annually to provide a forum for
discussion, strategic thinking and information
sharing.
Executive directors and co-chairs attending
the Roundtable spent two days discussing how
and why race and racism shape organizational
structure and affect the agenda, direction and
face of GLBT politics and organizing.
“Many national GLBT organizations have
closed the gender gap in leadership positions
but very few have crossed the color line in lead
ership positions,” observed Urvashi Vaid, .Di
rector of the Policy Institute of'the National
Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
“Talented people of color leaders abound,
running many local and national non-profits
in the HIV/AIDS movement, leading the gay
and lesbian people of color movement, serving
as elected and appointed officials, working in
non-GLBT social change organizations, and in
the corporate sector. But our mainstream move
ment remains largely untouched by the racial
diversity that is American society.”
Three presenters offered their perspectives
on racial and GLBT politics: Barbara Garcia,
former executive director of Salud Para La
Gente and current Deputy Director of the San
Francisco Department of Health; Phill Wilson,
executive director of AIDS Social Policy Archive
at the University of Southern California and
the co-founder of the National Black Gay and
Lesbian Leadership Forum; and John D’Emilio,
MMOW board hires director; co-producer quits
by David Stout
Q-Notes Staff
NEW ORLEANS—During a two-day
meeting convened the last week in September,
the Board of the Millennium March on Wash
ington for Equality (MMOW) voted to create
a new staff position — executive director —
ostensibly to enhance preparations for the event.
In the short term, the announcement had
precisely the opposite
effect. Ginny Foat, one
of the March’s co-pro
ducers, resigned in pro
test while Robin Tyler,
the other co-producer,
was still weighing her
options at press time.
The flap stems from
the board’s decision to
transfer control over several aspects of the
March from Foat and Tyler to the new execu
tive director. Included in the restructuring are
matters such as fundraising, sponsorships and
The co-producers
labeled the board’s
move “unethical and
illegal.”
During a lengthy closed executive session
that ran deep into the first night, board mem
ber Malcolm Lazin was tapped to temporarily
fill the executive director’s position. When the
board re-convened in open session the next
morning, the surprising changes were an
nounced. Lazin then surrendered his board
position and officially accepted the job.
According to March co-chair Ann DeGroot,
“Malcolm was the
unanimous choice of
the board.”
That was of little
comfort to the co-pro
ducers who labeled the
board’s move “unethical
and illegal” based on the
contract it had with
Robin Tyler Produc
tions. Foat resigned pending implementation
of the new staff position. Tyler, declaring that
she would not work under the executive direc
tor, announced plans to consult an attorney.
Exclusive
Brad Pitt
Interview...pg. 20
Learn
The Warning
Signs...pg. 11
Professor of History at the University of Illi
nois, Chicago and Senior Fellow at the Policy
Institute.
Roundtable participants broke into small
groups to delve into the problem of racial bar
riers to leadership in institutions and to brain
storm concrete strategies. Four aspects of the
challenge facing GLBT organizations interested
in doing anti-racist work were discussed. These
included; 1) specific strategies for diversifying
the racial composition of national GLBT orga
nizations; 2) ideas on how to integrate racial
justice commitments into the missions and pro
grams of non-people of color GLBT organiza
tions; 3) securing* resources and financial sup
port for leaders of color, for autonomous people
of color organizations and for doing anti-racist
work; and 4) defining GLBT agendas to inter
nalize a commitment to racial justice.
Extensive discussion centered around why
some issues are seen as “gay” and others as not
appropriately belonging to the GLBT move
ment. Significant acknowledgement was made
of the GLBT movement’s political diversity and
how it always results in debate on whar the most
See LEADERS on page 14
endorsements, publicity and administration. but she did not step down.
The board closed discussion on the subject
after agreeing to revisit it in executive session
at the next appointed meeting.
Despite the upheaval in New Orleans,
March leaders painted a rosy picture of the
move in their post-meeting press release.
Donna Red Wing, another of the four
March co-chairs, lauded Lazin’s hiring and his
past work. “Malcolm brings extraordinary ex
pertise to the position of executive director of
the March. He is the founder and executive
director of PrideFest America, the nation’s larg
est annual gay and lesbian symposium and fes
tival. He is also an attorney, having served in
the US Department of Justice, where he earned
the Department’s highest honor.”
Co-chair Nicole Murray-Ramirez offered the
board’s rationale for hiring an exective director
— without explaining why the change was
made so far into the process and in a closed
meeting. “The MMOW is similar to a perform
ing arts organization. One arm produces the
show and the other runs the important day-to-
See BOARD on page 14
Pvt. faces court-
martial for hate
crime murder
by Dan Van Mourik
Q-Notes Staff
FORT CAMPBELL, KY—Pvt. Calvin
Glover, 18, accused of killing a fellow infantry
man in part because he was gay, will be court-
martialed on a charge of premeditated murder.
He faces a maximum of life in prison if con
victed of killing Pfc. Barry Winchell, 21, who
was beaten with a baseball bat in his barracks
on July 5. He died the next day.
Fort Campbell’s commanding general re
ferred the case to court-martial after receiving
recommendations from the investigating officer,
a brigade commander and the staff judge ad
vocate. No date has been set for the court-mar
tial, the military equivalent of a civilian crimi
nal trial.
According to testimony at Glover’s prelimi
nary hearing, soldiers.harassed Winchell about
his sexual orientation, but no one, including
his commanders, did anything to stop it. One
sergea'nt testified that he even approached
Winchell and asked if he was gay — an appar
ent violation of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell” policy.
Pvt. Justin Fisher, 25, Winchell’s roommate,
has been charged as an accomplice and is ac
cused of encouraging Glover to strike Winchell.
He is also charged with lying to Army investi
gators and obstructing the investigation, among
other things. A decision on whether Fisher will
face a court-martial has not been made.
According to Army prosecutors, Winchell
and Glover fought two days before the killing.
Winchell had beaten Glover and Glover vowed
revenge, telling fellow soldiers that he would
not be beaten by a “faggot,” prosecutors said.
According to testimony at the hearing,
Glover confessed to the crime while in a deten
tion cell at Fort Campbell after his arrest. He
told another soldier that he killed Winchell
because Winchell had made a pass at him.
However, there has been no evidence to sub
stantiate that claim.
Glover’s court-martial will be open to the
public.
Spurred by Winchell’s murder, on October
7, President Clinton signed an Executive Or
der allowing for stiffer sentences against
servicemembers who commit anti-gay hate
crimes and asserting limited privilege between
military psychotherapists and servicemembers
in their care. See page 4 for details. T