Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/tag/lgbtq/page/6/)
Just don't use pronouns in public. That's what C.G. usually tells his mother before they go out. Just call me by my nickname. G. is not obsessed with grammar, but being born a female now living as a male, makes common pronouns like “he” and “she” a complicated issue. The transgender distinction is one that even the most shunned of the gay and lesbian community will often agree has the hardest plight of the oft-embattled LGBT community.
Second Life is a virtual reality game wherein members create a customized “avatar” that serves as a digital representation of themselves. In this three-dimensional virtual community, the avatar assumes an identity, takes up residence and moves about in a world completely created by them, for them. Second Lifers buy property, start businesses, make friends, join clubs, attend classes or sometimes just hang out. Amber Holt* has never played this game, but in many respects, she feels like she lives it every day.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth across America are facing a crisis in the juvenile justice system as a result of harmful discrimination in their homes, schools and communities. Recent studies demonstrate that continued harassment of LGBT youth in their schools place them at a higher risk for involvement with the system. LGBT youth are more likely to skip school to avoid victimization and in the process face truancy charges. Additionally, other LGBT students end up in the system on assault or disorderly conduct charges after they try to defend themselves against bullying by their classmates. In other instances, LGBT youth are disproportionately targeted by school officials for punishment, often referring them to juvenile court for conduct that is more appropriately handled in school.
When my editor, John Fleming, informed me that I would be writing a series about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) young people in metro Atlanta and the issues they often face, honestly I did not know what to expect. At the least, I knew it would be interesting. Ultimately the very personal accounts shared by Brian, Amber and G. were far more than that. I found their accounts to be engaging, enlightening and, quite frankly, educational. Interviewing these dynamic individuals really offered me some insight into the real challenges many people face just trying to express who they feel they are deep inside.
In April 2008, Brian Dixon was 18-years-old and homeless. Being gay, he says, only exacerbated his predicament. After allegedly enduring years of mental and physical abuse, at age 14 Dixon left home to live with his grandparents. Within a year, they placed him in Georgia’s foster care system.
Young people who self-identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual are more likely to experience bullying, sexual abuse and parental physical abuse, according to a new study by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. As a result, LGBT youth are also more likely to miss school. Study co-author Mark S. Friedman, Ph.D., told ScienceDaily that this abuse is one of the underlying reasons for higher rates of mental illness among LGBT youth. "However,” Friedman said, “I cannot stress enough that these youth experience sexual and physical abuse and bullying because they identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual or experience same-sex attraction; abuse does not 'cause' sexual orientation or identification." A number of studies had previously been conducted on this topic but were limited in size. Friedman and co-authors conducted a meta-analysis of the previous data that provided more accurate results.
The Gang Violence That Never Was — Social Media and Bad Journalism in Boston
http://bit.ly/k0AT5D
School Internet Filter Illegally Blocks LGBT Websites, Says ACLU
http://bit.ly/mEUWua
Journeys
http://bit.ly/gladxs
Students and teachers in Gwinnett County, Ga., schools hoping to find educational material about sexual orientation and identity are discovering that those websites are blocked by the school district’s Internet filter. The filter, administered by a private company, includes a category named “LGBT” intended to block access to sites that include information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia says the filter violates the First Amendment and the Equal Access Act, federal legislation that provides equal access to school resources for all extracurricular clubs. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the ACLU sent a letter to the Gwinnett school superintendent demanding the LGBT filter be removed or risk litigation. “The administration at Brookwood High School has always been really supportive," said Nowmee Shehab, a senior and the president of the high school’s Gay Straight Alliance. "But a few weeks ago the web filter system at our school was changed, and suddenly websites that I’d been using all year to plan activities for our gay-straight alliance club started being blocked.”
A Gwinnett school system spokesperson told the AJC that students and faculty may request access to some blocked sites.
This Week's Stories:
In Tennessee, If You Can't Say Gay, Try George Takei
http://bit.ly/ioiSde
Is Ronald McDonald a "Deep Fried Joe Camel" or Just Plain Creepy? http://bit.ly/jxzbuS
Delinquency Prevention is Latest Area to Face Big Cuts
http://bit.ly/kQ2Usd
Legislation banning the discussion of homosexuality in Tennessee classrooms has just passed that state’s Senate. Referred to by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Senate Bill 49 would affect prepared materials and instruction in kindergarten through eighth grade. Popular “Star Trek” alum and noted gay activist George Takei wants LGBT youth to know he has a workaround if the bill becomes law. In a video posted on Youtube, Takei suggests replacing the word “gay” with his own name: “Takei.”
“The so-called ‘don't say gay’ law is premised on the misguided belief that, by not talking about gay people, they can simply make us disappear,” Takei said. The video offers several suggestions for where use of the term “Takei” would be appropriate, including, “I am a supporter of ‘Takei marriage’.”