Queerly Speaking
The following is a transcript of HRC's weekly news webcast for queer young people called "Queerly Speaking." To watch the current webisodes, visit the main Queerly Speaking page.
First Week of September 2009
Good morning and thanks for tuning in to Queerly Speaking, your weekly shot of news for you, Generation Equality. It's the first week of September and I'm Arthur Hartnett, Media Center Intern and University of Michigan graduate.
And I'm Aaron Teskey, Youth & Campus Outreach Coordinator and George Washington University graduate. First up, controversy at a Michigan Christian college.
The Board of Trustees at Calvin College issued a decree to faculty stating that written or spoken support for LGBT equality, including marriage equality, would not be permitted. Faculty objected to the top-down nature of the declaration and Faculty Senate Vice Chairwoman Karin Maag said "We see this as an opportunity for a discussion on campus about these issues, for which there is a range of opinion." Two years ago, Soulforce Equality Riders, youth volunteers who visit religious colleges nationwide to challenge LGBT discrimination on campus, had what they described as a "incredibly encouraging and productive visit" that included a lively Q&A discussion and sparked the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance.
The Soulforce Riders may need to visit Calvin College again during their 4th annual Equality Ride, which kicks off in March 2010. Soulforce is currently seeking applications from LGBTQ and allied young people to participate in the two-month-long ride. Guided by the principles of nonviolence, Equality Riders will engage in critical dialogue, direct action, and in some cases civil disobedience, to press for much-needed changes for LGBTQ students.
In an update to a past story, the two teachers who are accused of verbally harassing a Minnesota student with homophobic taunts are on leave from the Secondary Technical Education Program, where they taught. Due to privacy reasons, it is unclear whether the teachers are on paid or unpaid leave or how long the leave will last. A group of concerned citizens has called for tougher sanctions, including firing the teachers and revoking their teaching licenses.
In other education news, GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, released an article this week examining factors that contribute to hostile school climate for gay youth. The research, published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, found that while LGBT youth as a whole face higher rates of victimization than other students, youth in rural communities, communities with higher poverty and communities with lower adult educational attainment often face especially hostile school climates.
Kyle Giard-Chase, a transgender teenager, asked the Vermont Human Rights Commission last week to help make the state's middle and high schools offer gender-neutral bathrooms. The student says he faced intimidation and harassment when using the restroom at school to the point where he would wait until he got home to use the restroom. At a Queer Youth Summit Kyle attended earlier this year, the students identified gender-neutral bathrooms as the number one thing that would make their school life better.
In entertainment news, Lil Mama sparked outrage over her comments on last week's episode of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. In criticizing transgender dancer Leiomy Maldonado's attitude, Lil Mama said "You were born a man, and you are becoming a woman. If you're going to become a woman, act like a lady." Maldonado is a member of Vogue Evolution, the only openly gay dance crew in the competition.
Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church have taken their hate and pony show on the road to follow the latest American Idol tour. Runner-up Adam Lambert, who is openly gay, seemed to be the group's primary target when they arrived at a concert in Kansas City. Lambert himself tweeted about the protests, saying that "Love overcomes hate. Love has no color. Love has no orientation. All is love." If your school or community ever becomes the target of the Phelps clan, turn their hate into something positive with a Phelps-A-Thon. Learn more at: www.Phelps-a-Thon.com.
To celebrate Vermont's marriage equality law going into effect, ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's has ceremoniously renamed popular flavor "Chubby Hubby" to "Hubby Hubby." The move came as no surprise to Daily Show fans as host Jon Stewart joked earlier this year that Ben & Jerry's would introduce a "Chubby Hubbies" flavor. I'm sure ready for my scoop of equality!
That's your queer news for this week – thanks for tuning in!
We end the show with a regular feature, "Better Know Gen EQ" where we'll hear from LGBT and allied young people with their thoughts on queer topics. Enjoy the clip and join us next week on Queerly Speaking!
If I were President of the United States, the first thing I would do for LGBT issues would be to implement same-sex marriage throughout the entire country. It's basic and it should be available to everyone. It shouldn't be a controversy that's voted on on a state-by-state basis. Everybody in the entire nation deserves to marry the person that they fall in love with.
