Speaking out

Pioneers in the LGBT community continue to break stereotypes about sexuality and gender. This week, Mike Penner, a sports columnist in Los Angeles, discussed his identity as a transsexual. Congratulations for your courage, Mike!

Free money

The good news is that LGBT and straight students/activists can qualify for a $10,000 scholarship from mtvU and The Point Foundation. The bad news is that the deadline for 2007 submissions has already expired. But it’s not too late to think about next year …

According to the mtvU Web site, the scholarship is offered because “LGBT students already face unique challenges that can make it even more difficult to cover the tremendous cost of a college education. From job discrimination to being financially cut off by their parents, LGBT students often learn firsthand why it can be difficult to foot the tuition bill.”

Finding your voice

GLBT teens overwhelmingly report being harrassed in school. It’s so bad that Human Rights Watch says these students are at risk of dropping out or receiving a lesser education. How do you handle it? GLAD says youths can protect themselves by knowing the law, and learning to work the system.

Peanuts

If you have ever wondered what Peanuts might look like if Charles Schultz created anime, please visit this link. Thoughts to ponder: What is with Peppermint Patty and Marcy? Is Snoopy a furry?

Guide for parents

Teens coming out to their parents can refer them to the following article, which discusses common reactions and seeks to dispell misconceptions. There are also some links and resources, but they’re mostly British-oriented. [Link]

New research on gender identity

New research shows that gender identity disorder can start in adolescence, and that this condition may be reflected in brain structure.

Judge: Gay-straight alliance not “sex club”

Judge rules students can form gay-straight alliance in Okeechobee, Fla., high school, rejecting administrators’ arguments that a “sex-based” club would violate the school’s abstinence-only policy.

Is anti-LGBT (or anti-gay) bullying and harassment a real problem in our schools?

GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to accept and respect all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.

“The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network is calling on Ann Coulter to apologize for her use of an anti-gay slur and for her subsequent defense, which is potentially dangerous to millions of students across the country in denying the real impact of the word “faggot” on those who experience pervasive bullying and harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation in school.”

Watch this ACLU video

Get Busy Get Equal

“There’s only so much a national organization like the ACLU can do on the local level to make schools safer, more welcoming places for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. But much of what can be done to improve your school are things that students, parents, or community members can do themselves, given the right tools”.

Get Busy Get Equal – is a website dedicated to providing the tools needed to get LGBT equality in schools