The
Human Rights Campaign is condemning the efforts of a
small group in Indiana working to ban gay and lesbian students from
attending the Sullivan High School prom this year. One student who
supports the ban told
a local NBC affiliate: “We want to make the public see that we love the
homosexuals, but we don't think it's right nor should it be accepted.”
The high school says it cannot ban gay and lesbian students from
attending, but school officials can do more to condemn the efforts
underway and send a message that singling out LGBT students is
unacceptable. One student referred to a prom that would prohibit LGBT
youth as a “good” prom, while a special education teacher in the area
said she believes allowing LGBT kids to attend the high school’s prom is
“offensive.”
“It’s disheartening to see some community members make such an explicit
attempt at singling out LGBT youth for exclusion from a prom, which is a
milestone event for so many young people,” said HRC Vice President for
Communications Fred Sainz. “We know that LGBT youth are twice as likely
as their straight peers to face bullying, and 92 percent of them hear
negative things about being gay. Our teachers and community leaders
should be striving to create an environment that is inclusive and
welcoming, not one that marginalizes kids and says who they are is
wrong.”
A Facebook page set-up by those backing attempts to ban LGBT students from the prom is now defunct, but a page set-up to support
all Sullivan High School students – regardless of their sexual
orientation or gender identity – has attracted nearly 5,000 likes.
“We should be teaching our children to treat others as they wish to be
treated. It’s unfortunate that some of the adults in Sullivan are
instead sending a message to youth in the community that there is
something fundamentally wrong with LGBT people,” added Sainz.
Last year, HRC released a groundbreaking youth survey
that illustrates the obstacles LGBT youth face. The survey found that
42 percent of LGBT youth say they live in a community that isn’t
accepting of LGBT people. Nearly one-third of youth say their biggest
problems in life include not being accepted by their family, bullying at
school and a fear of living openly. And 92 percent of youth say they
hear negative messages from others about being LGBT.
HRC is calling on its members and supporters to speak out against the
discriminatory “separate but equal” prom movement by taking action at https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1567.