The Post-Gazette reprinted a piece from the New York Times on what amounts to a gay college fair in Greenwich Village.

All this is good news for the young gay applicant. Of course, being gay does not lend an advantage, and the embrace is not universal inside admissions offices, and out. While much of the stigma of homosexuality may have eased over the years, harassment and even violence are still real concerns around campus -- Matthew Shepard, after all, was an undergraduate.

Students are looking for colleges where they will feel comfortable and safe, Mr. Windmeyer says. Also, he says, "straight students who have gay family members want to find a campus that is welcoming," so, for example, two moms can show up for parents weekend without a ripple. "They don't want to pick a college that's not going to be accepting of people they love."

Very interesting read. While not everyone can get to Greenwich Village for a college fair, you can do some internet searching to determine which colleges thought it important enough to attend and follow up. 

We've reported before on legislation introduced by State Representative Phyllis Mundy to create a "Children in Foster Care Act" to identify and protect rights of our most vulnerable children.  The significant problem with this legislation is the need to strip protections for LGBT children out to ensure passage.

Representative Phyllis Mundy of Luzerne County says she has introduced her ?Children in Foster Care Act? legislation during every session since 2005. But this time, she?s made some adjustments that may make the bill more popular, by omitting a section that would have protected children against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Because many children are in foster care because of their sexual orientation, she says the clause would be relevant in the bill of rights. However, since she?s had trouble passing it with that inclusion, she says she?d ?rather pass an imperfect bill than no bill at all.?

I've been in touch with a few co-sponsors and determined that the language protecting LGBTQ foster children could be reintroduced as an amendment. That is an opening we cannot afford to miss, friends.  If we don't step up to protect children in our own community, who else can they count on? 

The list of cosponsors is here (there are 42).  These are friendly folks so simply drop them a line saying thank you for cosponsoring and ask them to remember that LGBTQ kids in foster care need protection, too.  Every one of you who reads this blog has some personal story to add ... a memory of your own experiences as an LGBTQ teen or a story from your loved one's life.  You just have to ask them to do this.  The legislation has bipartisan support so if the legislators from Western PA can head in to a vote with your comments to back up their vote, you can make a difference.

Peter Daley (Washington and Fayette counties)   Email him.

Dan Frankel (Allegheny County) Email him.

Patrick Harkins (Erie County) Email him.

Deberah Kula (Westmoreland and Fayette counties) Email her.

Tim Mahoney (Fayette County) Email him.

John Pallone (Armstrong and Westmoreland counties) Email him.

Joe Preston (Allegheny County) Email him.

Chelsa Wagner (Allegheny County) Email her.

May is Foster Care Awareness Month so I'll be following this legislation and the story.

The legislation is current in the Children & Youth Committee.

Stay tuned ...

This is a refreshing take on why the Boy Scouts discrimination against gay scouts and scout leaders and gay people is problematic for all young men.

The Boy Scouts' policy is contributing to the problem of prejudice against gays. Although the organization officially denies making efforts to discover anyone's sexual orientation - much as the military maintains a "don't ask, don't tell" policy - it also doesn't hesitate to expel outed members. It's ironic that the conservatives running the Boy Scouts, who are typically proponents of limited, unobtrusive government, concern themselves with the innermost lives of their members.

If the Boy Scouts is a private organization, as the Supreme Court has held repeatedly, it has every right to enforce its code of ethics and morality. But if it aspires to be a distinctly American institution embracing a democratic, multicultural society, then it should approach sexual orientation not as a church would, but as an accountable public entity that doesn't allow discrimination. Public schools, after all, play host to the Boy Scouts more than any other type of facility; Mormon and Catholic churches come in second and third.

Part of the Boy Scouts' mission has been to protect and project traditional notions of masculine identity. That may be why many local Scout leaders, as well as the central leadership in Texas, resist even acknowledging the possible presence of homosexuals.

But as the Boy Scouts of America enters its second century, it should recognize that, despite all it has done for the youth of this country, it has more to do. Like the U.S. military, it should understand that embracing a broader definition of masculinity can reinforce a public culture in which misogyny and homophobia are no longer welcome. Discrimination is not a value that we should be teaching our youth.

Written by an Eagle Scout in the Philadelphia Inquirer. This is about far more than publicly subsidized rent.  It is about leadership for young men across the nation.

You've undoubtedly heard about Fulton, Mississippi -- Meanest Town in America -- which treated a lesbian student pretty poorly.

Never doubt that Pennsylvania can sink to those depths courtesy of our homegrown hatefest, the American Family Association of Pennsylvania.  These are the folks who never miss an opportunity to write a letter to the editor or send an email to their elected official.  They are organized, tenacious and out to corrupt our youth. 

AFA of PA ACTION ALERT   

April 8, 2010

Issues  (check corresponding number in ?Details? and ?Action? Sections)

1.)     Will Students Be Silent in Your Child?s School?

2.)    Gay Prom in Harrisburg

Details

1.)     The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) will again act as the primary organizer for the Gay Day of Silence which will be observed in most schools on April 16^th.  This day is supposedly used to highlight the ?silence? and discrimination that students who identify as homosexual, bisexual or transgender must endure during the school day.  However, the stories out of schools show that it?s Christian students who are being forced to remain silent or be labeled a homophobe or bigot.  The majority of parents/taxpayers have no idea this effort to normalize the homosexual lifestyle is taking place in their local school.  GLSEN used to post the participating schools on the Day of Silence website, but in recent years they have kept that information top secret!  The AFA of PA helped expose Pennsylvania schools which permitted students to remain silent throughout the school day, perhaps this is one reason they no longer make that list public!  Also, remember Kevin Jennings, President Obama?s ?Safe Schools Czar? was the founder and executive director of GLSEN until August 2008 when he left the organization to work for candidate Obama?s campaign. 

2.)    Last month I was contacted by a reporter from the Harrisburg Patriot News about an upcoming ?gay? prom that was being sponsored by local homosexual activists groups (that?s my description, not the reporter?s).  I told her the groups had every right to have such an event, but I believed they were taking advantage of troubled students, that students should not be encouraged to engage in the homosexual lifestyle and the compassionate response to students who are questioning their sexual identity is to warn them of the dangers of engaging in homosexual activity and encourage them to steer clear.  I also told her adults should be protecting students not leading them down the wrong path.  Click here to read the online version of the story (which doesn?t mention my comments, but apparently they were in the print edition, see below) 

Action Steps

1.)    The AFA of PA has joined a national coalition asking parents to be part of the Day of Silence Walkout if their child?s school permits students who are participating in the Day of Silence to remain silent during instructional time.  Click here to listen to my interview with Laurie Higgins, Director of the Division of School Advocacy for IFI.  Go to the Illinois Family Institute?s (an AFA affiliate) Day of Silence Walkout webpage for a list of additional reasons for the Day of Silence Walkout, instructions for parents, and a sample letter to send your school if you decide to keep your child home that day.   What NOT to do:  Don?t call your school and ask if they are sponsoring, endorsing or supporting the Day of Silence.  Their answer will be ?No? because technically it is to be student initiated.  Click here for specific ways to approach your school.  For an idea of PA schools which have participated in the Day of Silence in the past, check out our website here.  But remember GLSEN allowed anyone to register any school, so even if the school is on one of the lists the administrators may not have permitted silence during instructional time.  Call your school to find out what their plans are this year..

 2.)  Note the organizations which sponsored the ?gay? prom:  Allies at Millersville University  (note they have 35 members out of a student body of over 7,300) , Common Roads and TransCentral PA .  As mentioned above my comments were included in the print edition of the article and apparently were not appreciated by a Lancaster County homosexual activist, click here to read that letter to the editor.  Beware that this issue is no longer simply a ?big city? issue, but rural Pennsylvania is also being targeted. The only way to counter this homosexual activism is to be vigilant as to what is taking place in your local schools and community and be a voice for Biblical truth and  PRAY. 

(I don't understand how you are supposed to both call and not call you school about the Day of Silence, but hey ... )

These folks are complete wingnuts, but never make the mistake of underestimating their determination to protect our children from ... us.

sdf

Quite a disturing tale from Mississippi .... you remember Constance McMillen who just wanted to take her girlfriend to the prom.  Then came outrage, banishment, the ACLU, court cases, media frenzy ... and a fake prom.  Yes, the senior class held a "private prom" and sent Constance, her date and five special needs children to an alternative prom. Basically, they pulled a fast one on her. 

What is wrong with people?

Fulton, Mississippi has earned the title of the Meanest Town in America from all sorts of people, including Perez Hilton. From Pam's House Blend

To think that Fulton not only displayed rank homophobia, it raised the bar of evil by sending learning-disabled students to the fake prom, clearly labeling them "others." I challenge any of these "Christians" in Fulton to cite where in the bible Jesus teaches that the physically or mentally challenged deserve to be outcasts.

This social hellhole isn't even worthy of a boycott, since no gay person or ally would want to drive through this evil place to begin with. For Constance, one can only hope for a scholarship to get the hell out of there to attend college in an environment where she can thrive. Leave the evil behind, gain strength, knowledge and, should you want to challenge the hate, return to reclaim your space with others ready to fight homophobia in the darkest of places.

Fulton, Mississippi has earned its stripes as the cruelest town in America, by treating one of its young residents as a pariah for no good reason that the God they claim to worship can imagine. I do hope there is no adultery or fornication going on in Fulton. The bible had a lot to say about that.

There's a lot of LGBT news circulating, including DOJ action on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, but somehow this latest twist in a story involving a 18 year old lesbian has caught the attention of people everywhere. 

It should. One of the reasons we struggle so hard to win our equal rights -- hate crimes protections, anti-discrimination protections, domestic partner benefits, marriage equality  -- is to protect our children.  We want queer youth to grow up into a world where they don't worry about their jobs, healthcare and access to swimming pools. We want them to fall in love, get married, have children and grow old together.  We want to protect them, nuture them and benefit ourselves from the amazing new world they create. 

There are the other kids, too.  The ones who went to Bigot Prom 2010.  These kids didn't organize a prom on their own.  They were led there by adults.  I'm betting more than a few of the kids caught up in this bigotry actually grasp the truth behind the situation and I hope they get out of Fulton, Mississippi to see the big world. 

Pam has a poll up to see if Constance herself should stay in Fulton.  Her "peers" have started an anti-Constance Facebook page.

Sigh.  This is one of the reasons I believe LGBT parents in Pittsburgh need to get more involved in advocacy and political.  These children matter to all of us, but that's a particular interest group who need to be drawn more actively into advocacy. 

On a related note, PA Representative Phyllis Mundy has introduced legislation to protect children in foster care.  The bill has been introduced.  Again.  This time, it does not include sexual orientation as a reason to protect children.

Mundy has introduced legislation in previous sessions in response to testimony she heard from former foster children eight years ago as a member of the Joint State Government Commission's Task Force on Services to Children and Youth. In its report, "Children and Youth Services Delivery System in Pennsylvania," the task force made recommendations to the General Assembly for preventing the abuse and neglect of the state's foster children.

"It is critical that we establish this act to assure that clear and concise information is made available on the basic protections for children in foster care in Pennsylvania," said Joan L. Benso, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. "The lives of 31,000 vulnerable children will be positively impacted by this legislation and we support it wholeheartedly."

Mundy noted that the bill is not a reflection on the many wonderful foster families who provide loving care and support to vulnerable, at risk-children. Rather, she remarked that it is an acknowledgment that more can be done to prevent abuses that do occur despite the best intentions.

All good stuff.  I worked in the foster care system for three years and there are clearly reasons to take this step.  But other news is more disturbing.

But this time, she?s made some adjustments that may make the bill more popular, by omitting a section that would have protected children against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Because many children are in foster care because of their sexual orientation, she says the clause would be relevant in the bill of rights. However, since she?s had trouble passing it with that inclusion, she says she?d ?rather pass an imperfect bill than no bill at all.?

I wrote about this before. Constance isn't in foster care and her family is standing behind her.  Who is standing behind the LGBT children in foster care?  The faith based foster care agencies like Catholic Charities which closed up shop rather than acknowledge gay marriages?  Imagine how they treat LGBT kids in their care. Maybe that's not the best example. 

Parents, I urge you to get involved.  Contact Steel-City Stonewall Democrats or follow them on Twitter @stonewallpgh   There's also PFLAG, GLSEN and the GLCC. 

According to my contacts at the ACLU, the prom situation has happened in Pittsburgh.  It has always been resolved with a letter from the ACLU, at least when someone called the ACLU. 

Think of all the kids who would love to take their same sex dates to their proms. Think of how many aren't able to turn to their parents for support (or their foster parents).  Or their grandmas or their friends. 

You can support these kids (and Constance) by following the links.  Sign the petitions.  Etc.

The PA House Bill has 42 co-sponsors including Dan Frankel and Chelsa Wagner. In 2008, the earlier version has 24 sponsors. 

Maybe a weaker bill is better than nothing, but the bill won't be strengthened if the LGBT community and our allies fail to speak out to protect children here in PA. 

Let Representative Mundy know you support including sexual orientation in the legislation. 

The other sponsors include:  MUNDY, EACHUS, TRUE, BELFANTI, BRADFORD, BRIGGS, CALTAGIRONE, CARROLL, CURRY, CUTLER, DALEY, DePASQUALE, DeWEESE, FRANKEL, HARKINS, HICKERNELL, HOUGHTON, JOHNSON, JOSEPHS, KULA, MAHONEY, MANN, McILVAINE SMITH, MURPHY, MURT, PALLONE, PARKER, PASHINSKI, PAYTON, PETRI, PRESTON, SAMUELSON, SANTONI, SHAPIRO, SIPTROTH, K. SMITH, STABACK, STURLA, WAGNER, WILLIAMS, YOUNGBLOOD, and GINGRICH

If your rep is on this list, please drop them a line thanking them and explaining why it is important to reintroduce sexual orientation into the legislation. You can find your legislator here and get the contact information.

This is a good example of seizing a moment to educate and bond.  Those relationships can lead to further dialogue on other issues. 

There are kids who need you.

sdf