This week the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) held its annual No Name-Calling Week, by helping individuals host educational events with young people in classrooms and homes. Not that we're a bunch of wild children here at the Weekly Surge headquarters, but we observed the week as well and held back from bashing each other with Neanderthal-ish insults.
But recent events in the Charleston area have many thinking about the need for more educational efforts to increase understanding and combat prejudice against the LGBT community. A six-year-old reportedly asked her mom what gay meant after seeing an ad at Mt. Pleasant's Palmetto Grande Theater. The ad, which is part of an annual advertising campaign by the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), along with a billboard you may have seen on I-26, states very simply in white print over a black background that some of the best employees, friends, neighbors, parents and children are gay. The mother subsequently complained and the ad was pulled from the screens.
In an online statement following the action, filmmaker Debra Chasnoff said that "in today's society, most kids are hearing 'gay' at a very young age... It's actually irresponsible of adults not to do something proactive to talk to kids about gay and lesbians in a responsible way." Chasnoff is the executive director of GroundSpark, previously known as the Women's Educational Media. Started in 1978, GroundSpark has produced and distributed films, educational resources and campaigns on preventing prejudice. The Respect For All Project, GroundSpark's landmark program, provides youth and teachers with programs such as "It's Elementary," a 1996 documentary by Chasnoff and Helen Cohen that showcased a then-small group of elementary and middle schools teaching students about LGBT people and the discrimination they face.
After being seen in thousands of schools nationwide, the film is now celebrating its 10th anniversary and will be re-release this month on DVD. The DVD also comes with a companion documentary, "It's Still Elementary," which features follow-up interviews with students in the original film, the filmmakers, educators and leaders. Although wildly controversial at the time of its original release, the film has served as a "catalyst for the discussion of LGBT issues in elementary-age education," Eliza Byard, interim executive director of GLSEN, told The Advocate in an October interview. There are now some 3,600 gay-straight alliances in high schools nationwide, up from 300 or so before the video's release in 1996. Byard also points to the murder of Matthew Shepard as being partly responsible for that increase, but "the video provided a conversational starting point for many of the GSAs."
I got a chance to watch the films earlier this month, and feel that they are still relevant today as discrimination and bullying continue to exist in our schools. However, there are many like the mother in Mt. Pleasant who feel that we don't need to talk to children about gay issues. That it's not the right time and that schools aren't the right place. In press materials, Chasnoff touches on the controversy over the original film and what they deal with today. "The people we are trying to reach often come to understand and accept that this film is about responsible teachers using standard classroom curriculum, good lesson plans and constructive discussions to talk about gay issues in school - with the ultimate goal of creating school communities that are safe for all students."
Let's make every week "No Name-Calling Week." For more information on "It's Elementary" or to pre-order call 1-800-405-3322 or go online to www.groundspark.org.
S.C. RESIDENTS WIN HRC AWARDS
South Carolinians Elke Kennedy of Greenville and Rev. Bennie Colclough of Columbia will be honored with awards at the 13th Annual Human Rights Campaign Carolinas Gala on Feb. 16 in Charlotte, N.C. Kennedy, who won the 2008 Equality Award, is the founder of Sean's Last Wish Foundation, which was formed in May 2007, after her gay son, Sean was killed in a suspected hate crime. Since Sean's death, Kennedy as been working to raise awareness about hate crimes legislation and to combat prejudice. She has toured the state to talk about bias-motivated crimes and the need for hate crimes legislation. Her work has tied directly to that of HRC during the last year, as they have campaigned in support of the Matthew Shepard Act. Sean's Last Wish Foundation organized vigils for Sean in Greenville, Charleston, Columbia and here in Myrtle Beach. Kennedy has spoken at Atlanta Pride, Pride Charlotte, S.C. Gay & Lesbian Pride Movement and The Center Project's 2nd Annual Gala by the Sea. The Equality Award recognizes an outstanding individual and an organization every year that have furthered the progress of civil rights for LGBT people.
The Rev. Bennie Colclough, the pastor of Providence Christian Church in Manning has devoted much time and effort working as an advocate and straight ally for the South Carolina Equality Coalition (SCEC), S.C. Gay & Lesbian Pride Movement, Faith in America and HRC. He has won the 2008 Trailblazer Award, which recognizes an individual who has a consistent and significant list of contributions to the LGBT community and is seen as a role model to others. A native of Sumter, Colclough has actively participated in numerous town hall forums, vigils, press conferences and radio talk shows around the issues of discrimination, justice, equality and religious bigotry. During the 2006 election, Colclough worked with SCEC to try and defeat Amendment One, which defined marriage in South Carolina as between a man and woman only.
The HRC Carolinas Gala is held every year to support its mission of building an America where LGBT people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.hrccarolinas.org.
Until next week, have fun and be safe.
-Chris Rudisill, Weekly Surge