Provo students,
parents debate gay-club issue
By Dani Woodland,
Daily Universe Staff Reporter
BYU NewsNet from
theWeb, November 10, 2005
Provo, UT -- LDS parents,
young homosexual students and everyone in between openly confronted local views
on homosexuality at a school board meeting Tuesday night. The debate
centered on gay clubs at public schools, and the board voted 6-1 to maintain its
current policy of conditional allowance.
The policy leaves it up to administrators to deny authorization to any club
whose purpose or activities could, in the administrators' view, "advocate or
approve sexual activity outside of marriage."
Participants in the meeting included practicing gays, parents of gay or lesbian
children, concerned parents and grandparents of straight children and
representatives from a faith-based values organization. While both sides
expressed deeply personal experiences and strong convictions, the meeting
maintained an intense but respectful atmosphere.
Sandy Packard, vice president of the board of education, wanted to hold off on
approving the policy until the legality of other options — such as changing the
policy to prohibit gay-straight alliances — could be explored. Hers was
the sole dissenting vote
"If they [administrators] get the application for any kind of GSA club, then I
think they will have to accept them [under the current policy] if the details of
the club are not sexually explicit," Packard said. "I think it's kind of
funny to have a club called the Gay-Straight Alliance that doesn't talk about
sex."
Several community members voiced opinions similar to Packard's, saying the
presence of these kinds of clubs on high school campuses would force students to
make premature decisions about their sexuality.
"It's something that I think is not necessarily a decision for kids to make in
their youth," said LeGrand Huntsaker, a 21-year-old Provo resident. "I
know that it's hard enough in high school, with all the things around you,
you're making enough decisions without having another decision thrust upon you
by having a club that you're confronted with every day."
Huntsaker said he has seen people around him make this decision too early.
"I see a lot of youth around me who mislabeled themselves in trying to think
that 'I am this way because everybody says I am this way,' or 'I think I want to
be this way,'" Huntsaker said. "They label themselves incorrectly in their
youth, and it destroys their life."
Where some spoke passionately about the harm they have witnessed as a result of
homosexual pressures and experiences, others spoke with just as much fervor from
the other side. "Anyone who is perceived as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or
transgender, or just different, is harassed with horrendous language and
violence," said Stan Burnett, who works with the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual and
Transsexual Community Center of Utah. "As a parent and a member of the
community, I would like to ask tolerance, equality and safety for all students
as values that we have."
Burnett said it has been his experience that schools with a Gay-Straight
Alliance usually have a process where harassed students can talk with
administrators.
In schools where there is no GSA, however, Burnett said there is "no culture of
tolerance and safety." He said the students are often simply dismissed.
The policy the school board approved Tuesday night requires a faculty member to
be present at each meeting to ensure the club does not violate any of the
district guidelines, specifically to make sure the clubs do not talk about
sexual ideas. Participants in the club will also be required to obtain
parental permission for membership.
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