SAFE: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FAMILIES OF GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH

Making Schools Safe for Gay & Lesbian Youth

The Education Report of The Massachusetts Governor's
Commission on Gay & Lesbian Youth

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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FAMILIES OF GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FAMILIES OF GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH

We recommend that Governor Weld, the Department of Education, and the Executive of Education support our recommendations for families of gay and lesbian youth and work in concert with the commission to provide the appropriate services and resources.

Our recommendations for helping families of gay and lesbian youth are:

1) SCHOOL-BASED COUNSELLING FOR FAMILIES AND PEER-SUPPORT GROUPS IN THE P-FLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) MODEL

We recommend that the Department of Education support and individual school systems provide counselling for family members of gay and lesbian youth within the school setting. We also recommend that the Department of Education support community-based peer-support groups such as P-FLAG.

2) EDUCATION OF FAMILIES THROUGH INFORMATION IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES 11

We recommend that all public libraries develop and display collections of up-to-date books as well as information on issues relating to gay and lesbian youth and their families. We also recommend that the Department of Education develops a resource guide for families of gay and lesbian youth.

3) PARENT SPEAKERS BUREAUS TO ADVOCATE FOR GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH IN SCHOOLS

Families can play an active role in working to make schools safe for gay and lesbian youth and to prevent suicide attempts and drop-out. We recommend that Governor Weld designate a parent in each school district who will advocate for gay and lesbian youth in schools, and with other parents and educators, make panel presentations in the community.

EACH OF THE ABOVE RECOMMENDATIONS IS EXPLAINED MORE FULLY IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES.

RECOMMENDATION ONE: FAMILY COUNSELLING IN SCHOOL
AND PEER SUPPORT IN THE P-FLAG MODEL

The Department of Education should support family counselling as requested by families of gay and lesbian youth or by the youth themselves within the school setting. These meetings would seek to open up communication among family members in order to diminish family strains and prevent isolation of the gay or lesbian youth.

School guidance departments and counselors should undergo training in issues concerning the needs of gay youth and their families in order to effectively provide family counselling within the school setting.

We also recommend that the Department of Education support and develop organizations throughout Massachusetts which offer peer support for families of gay and lesbian youth. These should be ongoing, long-term support and discussion groups for families of gays and lesbians.

The organization P-FLAG, (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), offers a model for this kind of support where families of gays and lesbians provide help and understanding for other families. Information on the availability of groups such as these should be disseminated through PTO's and pupil service coordinators at schools.

RECOMMENDATION TWO: EDUCATION OF FAMILIES THROUGH
INFORMATION IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES

We recommend that public libraries develop and maintain an up-to-date collection of books and information on issues relating to gay and lesbian youth and families of gays or lesbians, as well as books on gay and lesbian issues in general. Parents and families of gays and lesbians would play a role in the selection process. In addition, we recommend that public libraries include movies on gay and lesbian themes in their regular screening schedules and advertise them widely in the local community.

We also recommend that the Department of Education develop a resource guide for families of gay and lesbian youth to be distributed to every school principal and superintendent, to School Committees and PTA members, and to all school and public libraries. The resource guide should also be distributed to public clinics, hospitals, and a variety of human service agencies.

RECOMMENDATION THREE: PARENT SPEAKERS BUREAUS TO
ADVOCATE FOR GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH IN SCHOOLS

We recommend that Governor Weld designate a parent liaison in every school district to work with the commission and to advocate for services for gay and lesbian youth in schools. The parent would work to ensure a safe and supportive environment for young gays and lesbians within our public school system.

The Department of Education, in concert with the parent liaison, should create and support parent speakers bureaus throughout the state. These parent speakers bureaus would perform two functions: outreach and advocacy in the larger community, and education of groups within the school community. The bureaus would also communicate regularly with local School Committees and PTA's

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Last Updated: 27 August, 1998
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