Appendices

[ Student Survey | AGLY & G/SA Survey ]
[ Executive Order | Dept. of Ed. ]

APPENDIX A: SURVEY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Note: Category totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Source: Survey of students at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, February 1993, N=402.

"How often have you heard homophobic remarks made at your school?"

Responses	All	Female	Male
Don't know.	18%	14%	21%
No	22%	11%	36%
Yes	60%	75%	42%

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"Would you be upset or afraid if people thought you were gay, lesbian or bisexual?"

Responses	All	Female	Male
Don't know	22%	26%	17%
No	18%	18%	19%
Yes	60%	56%	64%

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"How would your friends react to finding out someone they knew was gay, lesbian or bisexual?"

Responses	All	Female	Male
Don't know.	21%	21%	20%
They would be indifferent.	20%	21%	19%
They would stop being friends with the person.	10%	4%	16%
They would be indifferent.	15%	23%	6%
They would be uncomfortable.	34%	31%	38%

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"Do you think high schools should have groups or clubs that support gay, lesbian and bisexual students?"

Responses	All	Female	Male
Don't know.	18%	14%	21%
No	22%	11%	36%
Yes	60%	75%	42%

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"How do you feel about discrimination against gay, lesbian and bisexual people?"

Responses	All	Female	Male
Don't know.	9%	8%	9%
It's acceptable.	8%	3%	14%
It's acceptable sometimes.	20%	10%	32%
It's never acceptable.	64%	78%	46%

Note: Category totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Source: Survey of students at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, February 1993, N=402.

Student Comments from the Survey

"...just keep them out of my sight and away from me." --Male, 16 years old

"I hate them." --Male, 16 years old

"I believe that homosexuals and bisexuals are living in sin. The person should not be discriminated against, but helped with the forgiveness of their sin by God." --Female, 17 years old

"I think that it is right to have support groups if the people were teased or need to get it in the open. But I think it should be treated like any club; if they get rowdy they should discontinue the club. No special treatment because that makes people think they are different." --Female, 14 years old

"Discrimination is wrong in any form." --Male, 14 years old

"Many people I know are homosexual. It is accepted even though it provides for some interesting conversation." --Female, 17 years old

"I am not gay but I have a friend who is & I think it is really mean when people make fun of him." --Female, 14 years old

"Learning about the gay and lesbian community should start at a young age. Some people I know are already prejudiced against homosexuals because they were never exposed to any information about them when they were younger." --Female, 16 years old

" I believe that this topic should be openly and more frequently discussed in schools. I believe that discrimination, of any kind is wrong. Educating people may help solve this problem." --Female, 18 years old

"I think it is important that in high schools students & teachers have open discussions on this topic." --Female, 18 years old

"People should be taught more in school about the subject." --Female, 14 years old

"I myself am going into the military next year and in response to the recent controversy surrounding gays/lesbians in the military -I think it is great if anybody wants to go into the military. They are certainly entitled to the same rights as I am." --Female, 18 years old

"I think that gays and lesbians shouldn't be allowed in the Army. I don't think that they should be allowed to teach, and the students if gay or a lesbian should keep it to themselves, and let it be known to only them, and not the rest of society." --Female, 15 years old

APPENDIX B: SURVEY OF COMMUNITY GROUPS AND SCHOOL GAY/STRAIGHT ALLIANCES

Community groups surveyed included BAGLY, the Brockton Regional Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth (BRAGLY), the Framingham Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth (FRAGLY), the North Shore Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth (NAGLY), Pioneer Valley Youth Group, the Supporters of Worcester Area Gay and Lesbian Youth (SWAGLY), and the Lowell Gay Youth Group. School-based groups were from Brookline High School, Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Newton South High School, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Concord Academy, Milton Academy, and Noble & Greenough School.

Note: Category totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Source: Survey of youth from community groups and school-based Gay/Straight Alliances, N=218.

"How would most students in your high school react to finding out a student they new was lesbian, gay or bisexual?"

Positive	Mixed	Negative	Neutral
5%	13%	60%	21%

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"How would the parents of your friends react to finding out that their child was lesbian, gay or bisexual?"

Positive	Mixed	Negative	Neutral
17%	7%	60%	16%

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"Have you ever heard teachers in your high school make anti-lesbian or anti-gay remarks?"

Yes	No
53%	47%

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"How often do you hear anti-gay or anti-lesbian remarks made at your high school?"

Often	Sometimes	Never
43%	51%	6%

Note: Category totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Source: Survey of youth from community groups and school-based Gay/Straight Alliances, N=218.

APPENDIX C: The Governor's Executive Order
Creating & Charging the Commission

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT STATE HOUSE   *  BOSTON 02133

WILLIAM F. WELD
          GOVERNOR

ARGEO PAUL CELLUCCI
   LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR

     WHEREAS, this Administration is committed to protecting the physical, emotional, and psychological health and well-being of all young people in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, in its 1989 "Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide", estimates that 30% of completed youth suicides annually are by gay and lesbian youth; and

WHEREAS, the same report states that suicide is the leading cause of death for gay and lesbian youth; and

WHEREAS, the 1989 Report estimates that 26% of young gays and lesbians are forced to leave home because of conflicts over their sexual identity and that gay and lesbian youth form a large component of the homeless youth population; and

WHEREAS, this Administration is committed to abolishing harassment, violence, and discrimination against young people because of their real or perceived sexual orientation; and

WHEREAS; Massachusetts has been and continues to be in the forefront of the national movement to end discrimination and prejudice directed at gays and lesbians; and

WHEREAS, many of the problems facing gay and lesbian youth are within the purview of state government and can be corrected by promulgation of information, training and the implementation and diffusion of formal guidelines and state policy; and

WHEREAS, the health of the Commonwealth is served by strengthening the physical and emotional health of both individuals and their families;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, William F. Weld, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Supreme Executive Magistrate, do hereby create the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth and order as follows:

1.    The Commission shall consist of at least sixteen (16) members who shall serve without compensation. The Governor shall designate the chair of the Commission. The membership of the Commission shall include at least one parent of a gay or lesbian person; one high school student; one college student; one representative from an educational institution; and one representative of the mental health profession.

2.   The Commission shall meet on a quarterly basis with the Secretary of Education, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Public Health Commissioner and the Secretary of Communities and Development or their designees and shall advise the Executive Office of Health and Human Services on an ongoing basis.

3.    The Commission shall investigate the utilization of resources from both the public and private sectors to enhance and improve the ability of state agencies to provide services to gay and lesbian youth.

4.    The Commission shall report to the Governor and make recommendations to the Governor relating to the concerns of gay and lesbian youth. The report shall be filed with the Governor on or before September 30, 1992.

Michael Joseph Connolly
Secretary of the Commonwealth

MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNOR'S COMMISSION
ON GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH

The Reverend Stewart Barns, Cambridge
Sharon Bergman, Amherst
Dean Bruno, Stoneham
Luann Conaty, Northborough
Bill Conley, Wilbraham
Harold Dufour-Anderson, Cambridge
Marshall Forstein, Jamaica Plain
Alexander Gray, Boston
Holly Gunner, Newton
Steve Johnson, Boston
Cynthia Lanane, Allston
Abner Mason, Boston
Enrique Maysonet, Worcester
Vincent McCarthy, Boston
Margaret O'Neill, Quincy
Dale Orlando, Lynn
Stephen Perreault, Cambridge
Michael Savage, Boston

In addition, Governor Weld has appointed the following individuals to serve on the Commission:

Charles Connors, Jamaica Plain
Karen Harbeck, Maiden
Donald Heller, Somerville
Michael Hoyle, Boston
Peter Kassel, Jamaica Plain
Edward LeMay, Boston

APPENDIX D: Statement of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Education

350 Main Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-5023 (617) 388-3300

Recommendations on the Support and Safety of Gay and Lesbian Students

Public health and educational research has documented that gay and lesbian students and other students dealing with sexual identity issues face increased risk of violent victimization, harassment, and discrimination, impeding their ability to do well in school. In addition, due to their low self-esteem, lack of support, and family difficulties, some of these students may be at greater risk for alcohol and other drug abuse, suicidal behavior, infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and homelessness.

In response to these concerns, Governor William F. Weld signed an executive order in February, 1992, establishing the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. In February, 1993, the Commission issued its report, Making Schools Safer for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Breaking the Silence in Schools and in Families, which makes recommendations regarding educational issues.

Based on the recommendations in this report, the Board of Education voted in May, 1993, to adopt the following steps to improve the safety of schools and school-based support services for these students:

1. Schools are encouraged to develop policies protecting gay and lesbian students from harassment, violence, and discrimination.

In order to guarantee the rights of all students to an education and to prevent dropping out, school policies should include sexual orientation within anti-discrimination policies, as well as within policies which guarantee students' rights to an education and to equal access to school courses and activities.
In order to make schools safe for all students and to prevent violence and harassment, schools should amend existing anti-harassment policies to include prohibiting violence, harassment, and verbal abuse directed against gay and lesbian students and those perceived to be gay or lesbian. Incidents of anti-gay abuse should be treated with the same discipline procedures as other incidents involving bias and hatred.

2. Schools are encouraged to offer training to school personnel in violence prevention and suicide prevention.

In order to prevent violence in schools, teachers, guidance counselors, and all school staff should be provided with training in violence and suicide prevention, including the particular issues/concerns of gay and lesbian students.

3. Schools are encouraged to offer school-based support groups for gay, lesbian and heterosexual students.

In order to support students who are isolated and may be at high risk for suicide, high schools should establish support groups where all students, gay, lesbian and heterosexual, may meet on a regular basis to discuss gay and lesbian youth issues in a safe and confidential environment. These gay/heterosexual alliances should be open to all students and should have a faculty advisor and support from the school administration.

4. Schools are encouraged to provide school-based counseling for family members of gay and lesbian students.

School systems should extend existing student support teams, guidance services, and partnerships with community agencies to provide counseling services to gay and lesbian students and their families.

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