INTRODUCTION

"We feel strongly there is a tremendous need to address the difficult issues facing gay and lesbian youth. Half a million young people people attempt suicide every year. Nearly 30% of youth suicides are committed by gays or lesbians....We must abolish the prejudice and isolation faced by gay and lesbian youth. We need to help them stay at home and stay in school so they can have healthy and productive lives."
-Governor William Weld, speaking at the swearlng-in ceremony for the members of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth on June 11, 1992.

HISTORY OF THE FORMATION OF THE NATION'S FIRST GOVERNOR'S COMMISSION ON GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH

The legislation was refiled for the 1991 legislative session and came to the attention of the media on May 7, 1991, when Lieutenant Governor Paul Cellucci publicly endorsed the bill on behalf of himself and Governor William Weld. The bill passed the House in December, 1991, but died in the Senate at the close of the session.

Governor Weld at that point offered to create a commission by executive order; the Commission would last throughout his administration. The order was drafted by the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights in consultation with the Weld administration. The executive order broadened the mandate of the original legislation considerably.

On February 10, 1992, Governor William F. Weld and Lieutenant Governor Paul Cellucci signed an executive order creating the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. The Commission is the first of its kind in the United States. On June 11, 1992, Governor Weld swore in the 27 members of the Commission, including two high school students, two parents of gay and lesbian children, three teachers, and a number of human services professionals. Governor Weld urged the Commission to gather information and hold public hearings and to submit a report to him within a year.

U.S. REPORT ON GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH SUICIDE BRINGS THE ISSUE TO PUBLIC AWARENESS

"Adolescent suicide attempts result from the adolescent feeling that he has been subject to a progressive isolation meaningful social relationships. "
-J. Jacobs, (Adolescent Suicide, 1971).

In 1989, the United States Department of Health and Human Services issued a stunning report on youth suicide, with a chapter on gay and lesbian youth suicide. Pressure from anti-gay forces within the Bush/Quayle administration led to suppression, not only of the controversial chapter, but also of the entire report. Only 3000 copies of the report were printed and little or no action was taken to deal with the epidemic of youth suicide, let alone the problems of gay and lesbian adolescents. Statistics in the report revealed that between 1950 and 1980, the suicide rate for youths aged 15 through 24 rose 170% as opposed to only 20% for the total population. This clearly indicated an alarming rise in the suicide rate for all youth.

Even more striking was the fact that gay and lesbian youth accounted for approximately one-third of all youth suicides. Five hundred thousand young people attempt suicide annually; of these, gay and lesbian youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. The report also revealed that suicide is the leading cause of death among gay and lesbian youth.

COMMISSION MANDATE

Alarmed by the findings of this report, both members of the gay and lesbian community as well as health professionals began to call for greater efforts to meet the needs of gay and lesbian youth. Governor William Weld expressed his support for this initiative through the creation of the Commission and in a personal appearance at the swearing-in of Commission members. At this event, Governor Weld urged the Commission to make curbing the high rate of suicide among gay and lesbian youth its top priority. "We feel strongly that there is a tremendous need to address the difficult issues facing gay and lesbian youth," said Governor Weld at the ceremony. "Half a million young people attempt suicide every year. Nearly 30% of youth suicides are committed by gays or lesbians....We must abolish the prejudice and isolation faced by gay and lesbian youth. We need to help them stay at home and stay in school so they can have healthy and productive lives."

According to the executive order, the Commission has a broad mandate. Preventing suicide and preventing violence against gay and lesbian youth are its priorities, and it is also charged with working to end all forms of discrimination against youth who are gay or lesbian. The Commission reports directly to the Governor, meets regularly with three of his cabinet secretaries, and makes recommendations to both public and private agencies about creation of policies and programs to help gay and lesbian youth.

The Commission is active on an ongoing basis, serving under the Weld/Cellucci administration. In the first six months of its existence, Commission members have launched a statewide campaign to educate the public of Massachusetts about the problems of gay and lesbian youth. Commission members have made a variety of public appearances, speaking to teachers, human service professionals, youth, and family groups, both in person and through the media.

THE COMMISSION'S PUBLIC HEARINGS: A VOICE FOR GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH

In the fall of 1992, the Commission held a series of five public hearings to gather testimony from gay and lesbian youth, from teachers, from parents of gays and lesbians, and human service professionals. The testimony from these hearings forms the heart of this report An unprecedented number of gay and lesbian youth spoke out at these hearings, which were widely covered by the mainstream print media, by radio, and television. The result was to put a human face on the suffering of gay and lesbian youth and to bring their personal stories to the attention of Massachusetts citizens.

The hearings were statewide and offered regional diversity. The first hearing was held in Amherst on November 13 and the second was held in Worcester on November 16. The two largest hearings were held at the State House on November 17 and November 18. The final hearing was in Springfield on December 1. A total of 90 people testified at these hearings.

The hearings, in addition to providing the testimony for this report, also crystallized the mission of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. The Commission is committed to giving an ongoing voice to gay and lesbian youth, a voice in their schools, in their families and communities, and a voice in the media through the young people who have chosen to speak out publicly. The courage, honesty, and pride of these young gays and lesbians continue to broaden public support and understanding for our work.

IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEMS OF GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH

At the hearings and through our research, the Commission found that gay and lesbian youth face numerous, often unendurable, obstacles growing up gay or lesbian in this society. Gay and lesbian youth exist in a society that in attitude and behavior discriminates against them. Society at large creates a mythology about gays and lesbians, and virtually denies the existence of gay and lesbian youth. Parents, family, peers, and teachers are generally ignorant of what it means to be gay or lesbian. Gay and lesbian youth have little chance of talking with a knowledgeable or understanding person concerning his or her gay or lesbian identity.

Overt hostility, in addition to ignorance and silence, surrounds gay and lesbian youth. Both adults and peers often reject gay and lesbian youths. This often takes the form of physical violence and verbal harassment, leading 28% of gay and lesbian youth to drop out of high school, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The primary effects of society's hostility and lack of acceptance are feelings of isolation, extreme low self-esteem, and consequent attempts at self-destructive behavior.

AN UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT IN SCHOOL

Inspired by the testimony of these youth, the Commission has chosen to first focus on schools, where the prevailing unsafe climate denies equal educational opportunity to lesbian and gay youth. Virtually every youth who testified before the Commission cited the need for action to change their school environment. Often the first person experiences these youth related were horrifying -- stories of violence, abuse, and harassment, from both peers and adults. Given that state government has a responsibility to guarantee equal opportunity and a safe environment for all the students in the Commonwealth's schools, the Commission has focused its first report around recommendations designed to create an environment where all students might learn, free from fear and intimidation.

"MAKING SCHOOLS SAFE FOR GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH"

This report, entitled "Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth", is the first in a series of reports the Commission will issue. It outlines the problems faced by gay and lesbian youth in school and makes a series of recommendations that seek to guarantee safety and end abuse. Massachusetts Public Schools need to abolish abuse, harassment, and violence against these youth. In addition, schools must provide support through school-based gay/straight student groups, from counselors and teachers, and through information in school libraries.

School, along with family, forms the life of the teenager. It is within the purview of state government to set guidelines, and work to promote school policies and programs on a statewide basis to make schools safe for gay and lesbian youth. This report is the first step in meeting the obligation our government has to guarantee equal educational opportunity and safety for all of its youth.

NOTE: For the sake of format consistency, the Commission has chosen to use the phrase "gay and lesbian youth" to describe all youth who suffer from prejudice based on sexual identity. In reality, however, this term is meant to be inclusive of not only gay and lesbian youth but also those who self-identify as bisexual, those whose dress does not conform to gender expectations, those who are themselves heterosexual but have gay and lesbian family members, or those who are simply perceived by others to be gay or lesbian.

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