This morning I traveled to Dixfield to take part in Dirigo High School’s annual Diversity and Cultural Awareness Day. The ACLU of Maine led a pair of lessons in the morning on the 1st Amendment and the importance of free speech, followed later by workshops on equality under the U.S. Constitution and the historic significance of the 14th Amendment. It’s always exciting to teach about the Bill of Rights and the Constitution – and we’re proud that we’re able to speak with hundreds of students every year – but today was especially enjoyable since the event provided such a great opportunity for students to hear from a diverse set of voices.
Among those were the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), who talked about what it means to be gay in high school from different perspectives. There were also workshops on safe sex resources for HIV and LGBT youth, as well as ones exploring what it’s like to be a minority living in a majority community, just to name a few. It’s a very positive thing when schools like Dirigo address these issues head-on. And it’s especially worthy of distinction when we compare it with the type of story we heard out of Tennessee recently.
There, at an assembly last month, a high school principal reportedly threatened to expel any gay student who publicly showed affection for members of the same sex. According to students and families who contacted the ACLU, the principal proclaimed that gay students were “not on God’s path.” She also allegedly interfered with efforts to establish a Gay-Straight Alliance, and she told a lesbian student that she would go to “hell” because of her sexual orientation. The ACLU sent a letter to the superintendent last week asking the school to clarify students’ rights, and less than three hours later, the principal resigned.
Stories like that make the news – as well they should – but when schools take positive steps to pro-actively address issues related to sexuality and diversity, they rarely seem to get covered. That’s a shame, because many schools are doing amazing work to address bullying and to create a level playing field for every student, while at the same time encouraging free speech and diverse viewpoints. It was a lot of fun to be a part of today’s event in Dixfield, and hopefully students came away with a better appreciation of the Constitution, but also a deeper understanding for how broader issues such as discrimination and equality fit into the world we live in and affect our daily lives. It shouldn't take incidents like the anti-gay assembly in Tennessee to spark those types of discussions, and thankfully, most of the time it doesn't.
