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News :: Civil & Human Rights |
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Lesbians Voted Couple Of The Year |
Current rating: 0 |
by Rev. Dave
Email: DarkMatter (nospam) Hypocrisy.org (unverified!) |
16 Dec 2002
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A lesbian couple which was voted couple of the year by their peers at a Crete, Illinois high school receives communuity and school support ... |
Behold The Adorable Like, Lesbians
The true story of two really cute high school lesbians and the small
Illinois town who was all like, totally flustered by them
Associated Press
CRETE, Ill. (AP) -- Their story has played out like the name of a
popular lesbian movie: "The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in
Love."
It started last month, when the girls -- longtime high school
sweethearts -- were voted "cutest couple" by their fellow seniors at
Crete-Monee High School in the suburbs south of Chicago.
Administrators balked, at first. Then several students walked out of
class to support the girls.
It is a drama that, for a time anyway, awakened this sleepy town, lined
with antique shops, churches and cafes, and still surrounded by corn
fields.
In the end, the girls' parents -- though a bit shell-shocked -- agreed
to let a photograph of the couple appear in the school yearbook.
And last week, district superintendent Roberta Berry wrote a letter
praising the students at Crete-Monee High: "I am proud to say that while
other schools continue to address issues such as alienation, bullying
and hate crimes, we have a student body that not only accepts each
others' differences, but also celebrates them."
Upset, some parents and community members have called to complain and
written letters to the editor of local newspapers.
But others are supportive -- a sign, students say, that times are
changing.
"This isn't 1952 anymore. I think people need to realize there are
different people everywhere," says Rachel Urban, a 17-year-old
Crete-Monee senior. "If 15- and 17-year-olds are mature enough to handle
this, the rest of the country can."
There are other examples of students supporting their gay, lesbian and
bisexual peers. In 1999, an openly gay high school student in San
Anselmo, Calif., was elected homecoming king. Last year, a lesbian from
Ferndale, Wash., was elected king at her prom.
Meanwhile, students at an increasing number of schools are forming
gay-straight alliances to support one another -- and more school
districts are training teachers to work with gay students.
That's all happened at Waltham High School in Waltham, Mass., where
school nurse Nancy Ryan oversees the gay-straight alliance. Still, she
says, the school has a long way to go in helping its lesbian and gay
students feel safe.
"I don't think they fear for their physical safety," she said. "But I
think they still are hearing things that make them uncomfortable and
make them afraid to come out."
It is, for example, still common for students at many schools to use the
word "gay" to describe something they don't like. And "fag" remains a
common slur, teachers and students say.
A 2002 report by the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a
nationwide group of students, parents and teachers, notes that only nine
states and the District of Columbia have some form of protection for
students, based on sexual orientation and gender identity -- California,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island,
Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
The lack of protection, students and others say, makes it that much
harder to come out.
At Crete-Monee, officials and even students have chosen not to reveal
the names of the "cutest couple" girls, whose parents didn't know they
were dating until the vote.
"The girls are understandably overwhelmed and so are their families,"
school district spokeswoman Sue Rossi said.
Choosing senior "bests" is a long-standing tradition for Crete-Monee
seniors. Each year, they cast their votes for everyone from the "most
likely to succeed" to "most likely to shock us at our reunion."
While there were three or four senior couples who'd been together
through a good chunk of high school, the majority voted for the girls.
Classmates say it was done with sincerity.
They say the girls -- popular students who are active in sports and
other extracurricular activities -- can often be seen holding hands in
the school's hallways.
"I think people voted for them because they're so open about their
relationship -- and how good it is," says Danielle Cheatom, a
17-year-old senior. "They're actually in love and care about each
other."
Adds Nick Renfroe, another 17-year-old senior: "They really are the
cutest couple."
Renfroe was among about 60 students who protested last month outside the
school, fearing that administrators would withhold the girls' photo from
the yearbook.
Several students were suspended for two days for taking part in the
protest.
Maris Formas, a 17-year-old senior, says the issue brought students to
the forefront who'd never been class leaders before.
"The teachers are amazed at our dedication," she said. "I was, too." |
