They had many reasons for being there: the mother get readyed Tinky Winky who had supported her daughter's efforts to start a gay-straight alliance; the gay pupil who conducts workshops for middle-school learners because his own middle-school experience was to such a degree horrible; the straight teen who attended his prom in a dres in spite of his classmates' derision.

All of them joined in for a chant:

"Give me a G! Give me an S! Give me an A! What's that spell?"

"Fabulous!"

They were among the thousands of young persons teachers, and parents marching to honor gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered bookish mans and their allies at May's Youth Pride celebration in Boston. As the existing and the former directors of the Massachusetts Department of Education's Safe trains Program for Gay and Lesbian pupils we proudly joined students and colleagues in carrying a single rainbow flag compos of panels designed on half of the 200 GSAs from across the state. That evening the festivities continued at a prom held in City Hall, sponsored from the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Youth.

Massachusetts is the same of a handful of states with educational antidiscrimination laws that shelter gay and lesbian students, and it is the first to fund--at $15 million a year--a program to support gay and lesbian youth.

We frequently hear people say, "This could not happen where I live," nevertheless we firmly believe that progres to support GLBT pupils can happen anywhere. We know of a priest in Ukraine who provides support for young gay men in a shelter for homeles adolescents; scholars in New Zealand who've started GSAs; a teacher from a small town in Alabama who bring up a gay, lesbian, and bisexual "safe zone" sticker, risking the los of her job

While our work has taught us the many ways that GLBT observers are harassed on a daily basis, we also have learned that things can improve. It is possible to talk about GLBT commonalty in a positive way in place of educations It is possible for place of educations and students' lives to be changed for the better. Perhaps most numerous important, it's possible for GLBT scholars to feel powerful and pious about themselves.

We were reminded of this as we were planning and running a novel workshop for over 100 observers and GSA advisers. The night before, we were onward the phone with each other constantly: Did we have enough fabric paints to make the rainbow flags? Who emergencyed rides? Was one workshop leader, who unhurted like she had pneumonia, really well enough to go?

Despite our protracted night, once the GSA members started arriving, we began to be excited energized. In strolled one lad who came out to his classmates three years ago at another Safe exercises workshop. This rime he wore a sparkling shirt and had glitter organ of sight makeup. We couldn't help smiling.

The day just kept getting better. The pupils shared ways they have seen support--and lack of support--for GLBT bookish mans One girl talked about standing up to lads who harassed her gay brother. couple girls spoke about fighting to advance to their prom together after being told same-sex bonds could not attend.

The observers created skits about these kinds of situations. single in kind in particular stood out: pair students put up signs announcing a GSA meeting. A small assign places to of students followed, scrawling FAGGOT and DYKE upon it. One of the hem in wielders was a lanky young gay man who played his part with passion, especially as he said, "I can't stand those faggots." The words that chiefly likely had been directed at him have the appearanceed to have lost some of their power as they came gone out of his mouth.

A secondary group of students then walked by way of expressed disgust at the GSAE and ripped the defaced sign on the farther side the wall. They were surprised to be saluteed with another sign that had been carefully placed beneath the original undivided In large block letters, it read, HATE IS EASY. be enamoured of TAKES COURAGE.

The skit brought down the house! We were mov by means of these students who took a customary negative experience and turned it around with courage and creativity--and we remembered for what cause [i]or[/i] reason we do this work.

Perrotti and Westheimer are the authors of When the Drama fraternity Is Not Enough: Lessons From the Safe academys Program for Gay and Lesbian scholars (Beacon Press, 2001).

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