Creating Safe Schools in California for LGBTQ Youth

Rob Darrow, Ed.D.

Director of Research Safe Schools Project

Santa Cruz County.

CCSESA SPSCC. September 2017

Rob’s Wiki:

http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com

Creating Safe and

Compliant Programs for

LGBTQ Students

http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com/

CCSESA - SPSSC . Sept. 2017.

This is a Safe Space


Who am I? Who are you?

What is my identity?

What is your identity?


My Lens Today

What makes schools safe

and affirming ? (Especially

for LGBTQ Youth)

Current laws

How you can be proactive


A little history:

LGBTQ Terms and Year First Used

L = Lesbian (1732)

G = Gay (1955)

B = Bisexual (1960)

T = Transgender (1990)

Q = Queer / Questioning (1894, 1990)


Important to Know

There IS a difference between:

Teaching LGBT history or

Comprehensive Sex Ed

Advocating for a certain lifestyle

Religious beliefs




What barriers prevent us from

embracing that

common humanity?

Share one or two ideas with

someone near you.


Why this matters:

A Few Stories


Frank Kameny

1925 – Born in NY

1941 – Joined Army

1956 – Harvard: Doctorate

in Astronomy

1957 – Hired by U.S. Army

Map Service – Produced

maps for U.S. military


Frank Kameny

1953: President Eisenhower signs

Executive Order 10450.

“Immoral and sexual perversion

were a security risk – sexual

deviants” (In place until 1975).

1957: Kameny released from

government service

1960: Files lawsuit. Supreme Court

denies claim. First civil rights claim

based on sexual orientation

1960: Forms Mattachine Society in

Washington DC to advocate for

gay people.


Frank

Kameny

1965: First of many protests at the White House

1973: Lobbies American Psychological Association to remove gay/lesbian as a disease.

2010: Present at the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” signed by President Obama

2011: Dies at age 86


David Schroer

1959: Born in Chicago

1979: Joins the military Special Forces Commander

Haiti Special Forces Commander

Post 911 Coordinated Secret Counterterrorism Unit in Pentagon

Briefed VP Dick Cheney on secret missions

2004: Retires from Military

2005: Applies for job with Library of Congress. Job Offered.


Diane Schroer

Shares that she is transitioning to Diane

(Transgender male to female).

Library of Congress rescinds job offer.

2005 – Files employment lawsuit – Title VII

(Schroer v. Billington – Library of Congress)

2008 – U.S. District Court – Discrimination and

$500,000 awarded

Works in Pentagon advising transgender affairs


Ronin Shimizu

2nd Grade: Joins Cub Scouts

4th Grade: Became a cheerleader – Vista Junior Eagles Cheer Team

Enjoyed art and fashion – made his own clothes

• 2002: Born in Folsom, Ca


Ronin Shimizu

2008: Began being bullied and taunted with: “gay,” “girly” and “a fag,”

2008-2012: Moved to different schools to escape the bullying

2012: Awoke every day worried about who would pick on him.

2014: Removed from school, placed on Independent Study program


Ronin Shimizu

2014 (December):

Took his own life (Age 12)


Every community impacted by student

suicide, bullying, harassment

Many related to LGBT harassment

- if reported -

Santa Clara County

Kern County (Seth’s Law, 2010)

Santa Cruz County

Santa Barbara County

Los Angeles County

San Francisco County

San Diego County


A few Stats

20% of homeless youth are LGBT youth.

63% of LGBT students in California report

being harassed because of their sexual

orientation or gender expression (GLSEN,

2015)

But, very few of them reported

More than 30% of all students reported

being bullied or harassed in California

(Ca Healthy Kids Survey, 2013)


Many Variables Impact

Student Achievement

Learning styles

Home life

Culture

School and school culture

Friends

Teachers, Counselors, Administrators

Curriculum


5 Variables that impact Safe and

Affirming Schools…

Especially for LGBTQ Youth

1. Administrative leaders

policies and actions that create a culture of

acceptance and inclusiveness

2. Teacher and Curriculum leaders

LGBT history integrated into various courses,

school library books, inclusive sex education

Darrow, R. (2015). Implementation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and

Transgender (LGBT) Inclusive Policies and Curriculum in California School

Districts and Recommendations for Creating Safe School Environments.


5 Variables that impact Safe and

Affirming Schools…

Especially for LGBTQ Youth

3. Student leaders

Gay straight alliances, yearly supportive events

e.g. National Coming Out Day or Day of

Silence

4. Health leaders

HIV prevention / Sex Education

5. Mental health leaders

ongoing programs to promote wellness and

reduce bullying, sexual assault and suicide


Related Laws

2016 – Suicide Prevention Policies in

Schools

2015 – California Healthy Youth Act: Sex

Ed and HIV education must be inclusive.

2013 –School Success and Opportunity

Act: Transgender youth

2011 –Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and

Respectful (FAIR) Act. LGBT history in

curriculum.


The Bottom Line

All students successful in school –

engaged and happy – and college and

career ready.

If school is safe and affirming for LGBTQ

students – it will be safe and affirming for

all students.

More cost effective when students

graduate from high school


Curriculum as a Mirror / Window

Think about how

school curriculum is

a mirror (reflecting

who you are) and a

window (looking at

others’ experiences)

Share your ideas


A little history:

History Curriculum in Ca

1998: New Ca History Standards – first state to

adopt such standards. New textbooks.

2010: Common Core Adopted.

2011: Fair Education Act Passed. Added Lesbian,

Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans to the

curriculum – especially related to history.

2016: New State History Framework

2017: K-8 History Textbook Adoptions

(State Board vote in Nov. 2017)


State History Framework –

11th Grade Themes Romantic Friendships Increase Women’s Rights

(1890-1930)

Gays in the Military from the Civil War to Don’t

Ask Don’t Tell (1860-2010)

Harlem Renaissance: As Gay as it was Black

(1917-1935)

The Lavender Scare and the 1950s (1918-2011)

Amendments, Laws and Court Decisions

Expand Equality (1868-2015)


History:

Various Social Movements Latinx (gender inclusive term)

African American

Asian

Civil Rights

Women

Gay and Lesbian

Transgender


Intersectionality Lens

Intersectionality is an important lens that

is used to better understand the lived

experiences of individuals across

identities, both those identities

that hold power in society, as well as

those that

experience marginalization in society

(Warner & Shields, 2013).


Where is the intersection between

ethnicity, gender and LGBT history?

“I was black before I was a lesbian.”

“As a Latino gay man, I still live in a world

where I seem to be asked to pick one

community over another. It’s time for

America to realize that there is not one type

of ‘experience.’ Everyone has their own

history, culture and traditions.”

Human Rights Campaign. At the Intersection: Race, Sexuality and

Gender. 2009.


Questions to Consider?

Does it matter if a person in history was

male or female?


white, African American or LatinX or

Asian?


gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender?


Questions to Consider

Are these groups treated differently?

Marginalized vs. Non-Marginalized?

Are there different levels of privilege?

African American gay male

White straight female

LatinX lesbian female

Asian Transgender female

White straight male

Latinx bisexual male


What is happening where

you are?

What do you do in your County Office

or school district or schools to

promote safe and inclusive schools? Administratively

Teachers

Students

Support Staff


Be Proactive – 5 Ps

Policies - Consider adding LGBTQ to LCAP or

School Safety Plans

Put a rainbow flag or safe space symbol in your

office

Power of presence. Visit a GSA in your county

and ask them to share with you if they feel safe.

Participate in national coming out day (Oct) or

day of silence (April).

Promote safe schools every day…in your words

and in your actions


Ideas from Santa Cruz County

LGBTQ Task Force – Countywide

School District LGBTQ Task Force

SCCOE website has resources for LGBTQ

families

Annual Queer Youth Leadership Awards

Safe Schools Project – reactive and

proactive (curriculum integration)

Organization: The Diversity Center


Support for You

Curriculum, LGBT History (see hand out)

Curriculum, Comprehensive and

Inclusive Sex Ed, Cardea Organization

Safe Schools Environment

Strategic Implementation of safe and

inclusive school variables

(administrators, teachers, students, health

and mental health professionals)



Comprehensive Sex Education

Networks by CARDEA:

CSE Networks: County Level

In 9 counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara,

San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Orange, San Bernardino,

LACOE and San Diego)

Technical Assistance for Districts

Updating policies, monitoring and evaluation

Teacher Professional Learning (School or District

Level)

http://www.cardeaservices.org/

http://www.cardeaservices.org/


Equality Schools Indexes

Campus Pride Index:

https://www.campusprideindex.org/

Equality California – Safe and Supportive

School Quality Index (To be distributed

for the first time at end of September to

selected unified districts)

http://www.eqca.org/bay-area-reporter-

political-notebook-eqca-to-grade-ca-

public-schools-on-lgbt-policies/

https://www.campusprideindex.org/

http://www.eqca.org/bay-area-reporter-political-notebook-eqca-to-grade-ca-public-schools-on-lgbt-policies/



Further Reading

Curriculum as a Mirror and a Window.

State Organizations

Resources

Rob’s Wiki:




Contact Info

[email protected]

Rob’s Wiki:


mailto:[email protected]
