[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 21, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 21, 1994]



PROPOSED MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES ON EDUCATION BILL AND DISCUSSION 
                OF LOS ANGELES SCHOOL DISTRICT DOCUMENTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. 
Hancock] is recognized for 30 minutes as the designee of the minority 
leader.
  Mr. HANCOCK. Mr. Speaker, I am going to have to speak somewhat slowly 
because I may get a little bit emotional before this is over and I am 
going to do my best not to be because I want to be factual and with 
proper information.
  Yesterday as part of a bill on education, I was offered the 
opportunity to introduce a motion to instruct. That motion to instruct 
was denied to me later during the House floor debate. That motion to 
instruct said that I move that the managers on the part of the House at 
the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the bill 
H.R. 6 be instructed to agree to section 406 of the Senate amendment 
which prohibits local educational agencies that receive Federal tax 
dollars from implementing or carrying out programs or activities which 
support or encourage homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative. 
I have had a lot of people ask me, ``Why would you get involved in a 
situation like this? This is not a function of the United States 
Congress.'' Well, that may or may not be, but there are things going on 
in this Nation that I think has to be brought up that is going on in 
public education.
  An example of that, and there are many, is what is going on in the 
Los Angeles Unified School District. I have a document dated May 29, 
1992, in which the Lost Angeles Unified School District passed a 
resolution establishing Gay and Lesbian Education Month, distributed to 
all schools, and offices, approved by Sidney A. Thompson. The type of 
literature that is being distributed to our students is an abomination.
  I have one of the articles published by this school. Here is an 
article published in April 1994 by the Los Angeles Unified School 
District, Gay and Lesbian Education Commission. It has to do with 
historical figures. In fact, it says:

              Abraham Lincoln's love for Joshua Fry Speed

       Contemporaries who did not understand Lincoln's sexuality 
     found him difficult to comprehend. Thus William Herndon, his 
     law partner of 16 years and an active heterosexual, wrote 
     that Lincoln was a profound mystery, an enigma, a sphinx, a 
     riddle.
       For Lincoln, writers have thoroughly explored and even 
     freely invented love affairs with women, but no one has 
     explored his homosexual activities. Lincoln had a 4-year love 
     affair with his boyfriend Joshua Speed and at other times in 
     his life had occasional male-to-male liaisons.''
       In the Robert L. Kincaid biography of Joshua Fry Speed, the 
     author detailed the 4 years that Lincoln and Speed shared the 
     same bed.
  Mr. Speaker, I shared the same bed with my brother, because we only 
had one bed.

                              {time}  1730

  There certainly was not any homosexual activity that went on. I have 
been on camping trips with good friends and shared the bed. The idea 
that two adult males cannot sleep in the same bed without engaging in 
homosexual activity can only be perpetrated by homosexuals themselves.
  In the biography they go on,

       Speed kept a general store in Springfield, Illinois. Being 
     twenty-seven years old, a lawyer without client and no money, 
     Lincoln was unable to pay the price for the bed. Speed 
     suggested that Lincoln could ``avoid the debt and at the same 
     time attain your end. I have a large room with a double bed 
     up-stairs, which you are very welcome to share with me . . . 
     [Lincoln] took his saddle-bags on his arm, went upstairs, set 
     them down on the floor, and came down with the most changed 
     countenance. Beaming with pleasure he exclaimed, ``Well, 
     Speed, I am moved!'' Both Lincoln and Speed always used the 
     specific term ``four years'' similar to the way lovers 
     mention anniversaries.
       Lincoln was thrown into deep depression when the two of 
     them separated due to Speed having to leave the area to 
     attend to family matters. While away, Speed was pressured 
     into marriage against his wishes. At the same time Lincoln 
     sought a substitute in Mary Todd. Lincoln called off his 
     wedding on January 1, 1841 and was not lifted out of his 
     depression until having spent that summer with Speed. ``No 
     incident in Lincoln's life was perhaps more enjoyable than 
     his visit in the Speed home [that summer]''. Speed did marry 
     in February 1842 and Lincoln wrote, ``I feel somewhat jealous 
     of both of you now; you will be so exclusively concerned for 
     one another, that I shall be forgotten entirely.''

  Well, gee whiz, how many times with real good buddies that you grew 
up with did you say, ``Well, you're getting married. Now I won't get to 
see you anymore.'' That makes you homosexual?

       Lincoln never forgot Speed and wanted to name his first 
     born child after him (Mary Todd objected) and was able to see 
     Speed alone a few times later during the presidency. The main 
     difference between Mary and Joshua in their relations with 
     Lincoln was that Lincoln tried to spend all his time with 
     Speed while he was eager to get away from Mary. There is in 
     fact, more evidence for Lincoln's love of Speed than there is 
     for Mary Todd. Lincoln was uncomfortable around women.

  A lot of us are uncomfortable around women.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. HANCOCK. It makes you speechless when you read this type of stuff 
being put out by school districts.
  I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. The thing that concerns me is here we have one 
of the truly great Americans, Abraham Lincoln. We have a statue of him, 
the Lincoln Memorial down here on the plaza. He is one of the people 
that is most revered, most revered by the American citizenry. He is the 
one who saved the Union. He held it together with his own iron will 
during the darker days of the American Civil War, and for his memory to 
be denigrated and partially destroyed by this kind of trash really 
bothers me. I know it bothers the gentleman in the well.
  But in addition to that, the thing that bothers me even more is to 
know that that is being paid for with tax dollars. What right do people 
who want to destroy the image of one of the greatest Americans who ever 
lived, what right do they have to do that in the first place, and in 
the second place what right do they have to do it with taxpayer 
dollars? That article was written, and the gentleman can read at the 
bottom who put that piece of trash out. But I guarantee that was paid 
for by an education commission in California, and that was paid for at 
least in part by tax dollars. I think that is a disgrace. And whether 
it was Federal tax dollars or State or local tax dollars, those people 
should be taken to task for allowing that kind of innuendo and trash to 
be published and put out at taxpayer expense.
  Mr. HANCOCK. I will read to the gentleman that it was paid for by the 
Los Angeles Unified School District, their gay and lesbian education 
commission. That is who paid for it.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. The Los Angeles Unified School District paid 
for it, the taxpayers of California and the taxpayers of Los Angeles 
County, and I am sure some Federal tax dollars found their way down to 
the bureaucracy to the Los Angeles school corporation. I think all of 
us ought to protect that kind of garbage being paid for by tax dollars 
and being put out as fact. That is pure, unadulterated trash, and 
Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest leaders of this country, should 
not be denigrated or destroyed or his reputation distorted in any way 
by that kind of garbage.
  I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. HANSEN. Since I was denied the opportunity to offer and the time 
to discuss it, I am going to go into the details of what my comments 
would have been if we had been allowed the opportunity to offer this 
motion to instruct. It was very simple. It instructs the conferees to 
agree to the Smith-Helms amendment adopted by the other body which 
prohibits tax-funded pro-homosexual propaganda in our public schools. 
The Smith-Helms language is the exact same language I offered 
originally here in the House. As Members may recall, however, due to a 
gutting amendment, there was never a clean up or down vote on my 
original amendment.
  This motion was our opportunity to put the House on record once and 
for all with regard to the Hancock-Smith-Helms language on the issue of 
taxpayer-funded homosexual propaganda in the public school classrooms 
of our country. The Hancock-Smith-Helms amendment is very simple. It 
prohibits any school or school districts which receive Federal funds 
from promoting or advocating homosexual lifestyle. The language is very 
simple. I will read it. No local education agency that receives funds 
under this act shall implement or carry out a program or activity that 
has either the purpose or effect of encouraging or supporting 
homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative.
  It is very clear and simple and direct language. It prohibits 
activities which advocate homosexuality, which presents it in a 
positive light as being normal and desirable.
  The cases that would have been covered by this amendment would not be 
in any kind of gray area. Ours is a bright-line test. Advocacy. Does it 
encourage or support homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative? 
I am talking about things like Gay Pride Month sponsored by the Los 
Angeles Unified School District featuring things like bulletin boards 
and school assemblies organized expressly for the purposes of 
legitimizing homosexuality.
  I am also talking about books like ``Heather's Two Mommies'' and 
others which teach children that the homosexual lifestyle is normal, 
healthy, and desirable. Only a demagog would suggest that that language 
prohibits schools from teaching, from teaching homosexuality in the 
context of legitimate sex education or AIDS education. It did not stop 
schools from providing actual factual health information. All the 
amendment says is you cannot, under color of these things, portray 
homosexuality as a positive lifestyle. You cannot support, encourage or 
affirm it.
  Most Americans consider this lifestyle immoral and decadent. They do 
not want their children recruited to it at school, but even more, 
preventing students from being morally corrupt, my amendment also 
protects students from receiving false or misleading health information 
which may actually endanger their lives.
  The amendment was prompted in part by materials handed out at a 
student conference on AIDS sponsored in New York. This literature, 
given to students as young as 12, graphically portrays and glorifies 
conduct which is unsafe, unhealthy, and in some cases, even fatal. I 
cannot be more specific without offending the decorum of the House. I 
attempted to try to introduce it a few months ago as extraneous 
material, and the House Parliamentarian said that it was not fitting to 
become part of the Congressional Record. But it is fitting for us to 
hand it out in public education and in public schools.
  We had the literature over here. It is not AIDS information as it 
claims to be. It is the advocacy of inherently unsafe conduct. We do 
not dare say that we care about the health of our children and not look 
at this type of literature that we are putting out.

                              {time}  1740

  The amendment enhances the efforts of legitimate sex and AIDS 
education by prohibiting literature such as this which promotes 
inherently unsafe conduct.
  Now, you may ask, what is the scope of the Hancock-Smith-Helms 
language; what sort of programs and activities does it cover? Allow me 
to read the definition directly from the amendment. It is a very short 
amendment: A program or activity for purposes of this section includes 
the distribution of instructional materials; instruction, counseling, 
or other services on school grounds or referral of a pupil to an 
organization that affirms the homosexual lifestyle.
  Yes, we do cover some books that are in the library, and we cover 
some curriculums. We do cover counseling. We do cover referral to 
outside groups.
  Under our amendment, none of those things, books, instructions, 
counseling, or referral, are allowed to affirm this lifestyle.
  It is just not appropriate for a taxpayer-supported public school to 
use any of these means to promote the homosexual lifestyle.
  Does this mean counselors will not be able to talk to troubled 
suicidal teens who are having a crisis with their sexual identity? 
Absolutely not. Counselors can counsel against suicide. They can 
counsel against low self-esteem. They simply cannot affirm 
homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative, and they most 
certainly cannot hand such a troubled youth over to some homosexual 
recruiting service passing itself off as a community center or 
counseling organization.
  Indeed, the amendment is especially for the protection of such 
troubled youths. The last thing such a wayward student needs is for an 
authority figure to encourage them to give in to unhealthy temptations, 
to pursue a path of immoral and unsafe conduct. They need the moral 
guidance of a parent or a pastor, not the corrupting influence of a 
permissive counselor.
  Ladies and gentleman, this was a very clear vote if we had gotten it 
through yesterday. If we had voted for the motion to instruct, we would 
have been voting for the Hancock-Smith-Helms language adopted by a 2-
to-1 margin in the other body which will prohibit schools which receive 
Federal tax dollars from promoting the homosexual lifestyle in our 
classrooms. If we voted against the motion, which they denied me the 
opportunity to offer it, therefore, we did not get a vote. And, now, I 
want to close just by answering again some of the questions, the key 
questions, that have been brought up in objecting to the amendment or 
to the motion to instruct and the original amendment.
  Will this not interfere with legitimate counseling of students who 
are at risk for suicide because they think they are homosexual? No. 
Under the Hancock-Smith-Helms language, counselors are in no way 
restricted from counseling against suicide or against low self-esteem. 
They are merely restricted from affirming the homosexual lifestyle as a 
positive alternative. After all, the last thing they need is for them 
to send them to an organization that is homosexual-oriented that is 
going to recruit them rather than to help them.
  Did not the Reagan administration, and there was a rumor that came 
out, did not the Reagan administration study find that homosexual youth 
were at a greater risk for suicide and in need of affirmation? That is 
what has been circulated. No. A draft of a study was prepared making 
those assertions. The draft was soundly rejected by Dr. Louis Sullivan, 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, as biased and unreliable. The 
draft, in fact, was condemned as an unfair diatribe against the 
Catholic Church and traditional morality.
  Where is this sort of thing going on? Luckily, I do not know for sure 
whether it is going on in my district in southwest Missouri. I would 
not think so. But I am sure that it is there. I have had people say, 
``Well, if this stuff was being given to your children, they would 
bring it home.'' I think that I had a very open, a very open 
relationship with my children. I do not think my children would have 
brought this type of trash home. I do not think that they would even 
have told me about it and, in fact, I have asked some of the 
newspapers, ``Why don't you publish this stuff,'' and they say, ``Look, 
we tried once, and we had people canceling because they did not want 
their children to see it.''
  Where is this sort of thing going on? We know Alaska, California, 
Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New 
Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Virginia, and a number of places we 
probably do not know about yet. Frankly, I think it is going on in my 
own town. I cannot prove it, but possibly there will be some people, 
maybe, and maybe I can encourage, maybe I can encourage some people 
that if this type of stuff shows up to bring it to me. I want to know.

  Now, finally, would this type of legislation prohibit and interfere 
with legitimate AIDS education, sex education, or health education? 
Absolutely not; absolutely not.
  When I was in school, we had what we called a class called physical 
hygiene. We talked about body parts. We talked about a little bit of 
everything, you know. But we at that time, I do not remember that we 
talked about homosexuality. Frankly, I had never personally, and I do 
not even think about it in my association with people. I have had 
people say, `'Well, would you hire a homosexual?'' I never think about 
it. I never think about it when I am interviewing somebody or when I am 
working with somebody. I never think about what is their sexual 
orientation.
  But I can tell you one thing, folks, if I ever found out that some 
schoolteacher was trying to educate my grandsons that homosexuality is 
the thing they ought to participate in and start giving them 
instruction on how to commit homosexual acts to where they can do it 
without preventing AIDS, I will think about it then, and I think there 
are a lot of people that will think about it then. I think the 
gentleman over here would be thinking about it pretty quickly. And I 
think there are a lot of parents that ought to start thinking about 
what they are teaching in our schools.
  When they go to the point, when they go to the point to publish 
literature stating that anybody basically that ever slept in a bed, a 
male with a male or a female with a female, that there had to be some 
type of sexual activity, I cannot believe; I cannot believe that the 
U.S. Congress would deny our children the protection that our amendment 
would have offered them. I cannot believe it.
  I hope some way, some way that the right-thinking people will get the 
telephone numbers of their Representatives and say, ``Wait a minute, is 
this the type of country that we want? Do we want what happened 
throughout history? Do we want the same situation in Washington, DC, 
that existed in the Roman Empire when it started down the tube?'' Read 
your history, folks. Do we want to participate in the world population 
control organization that the other day said one way to control the 
world population is to encourage homosexuality? I guess that would do 
it. Do we want laws passed for where homosexuals, avowed homosexuals, 
are able to marry and adopt? Is that what we want in this country?
  All I can do is ask the question. I am fully aware of the fact of 
what probably is going to happen to me tomorrow.
  But I did not come to Washington, DC, to get into this question. I 
came to Washington, DC, because I believe in what the Founding Fathers 
and the people, what they stood for and what made this country the 
greatest country in the world, and I resent any organization doing what 
they are doing to one of the most respected leaders in the history of 
the world, and they are doing it with our tax dollars, condoned by 
Members of the U.S. Congress.
         Los Angeles Unified School District, Office of 
           Instruction
                                                      May 29, 1992
     Memorandum No. 36.
     Subject: Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.
       On May 18, 1992, the Board of Education passed a resolution 
     recognizing June of each year as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. 
     The resolution is based on District policy contained in the 
     ``Educating for Diversity'' document, which states as a 
     District goal the development of ``students who appreciate 
     and respect diversity and understand the roles and 
     contribution of people of diverse groups.'' The document 
     calls upon the District to include in the curriculum the 
     historical and current role and treatment of homosexuals in 
     society, ``the contributions of gay and lesbian people in 
     history and culture, and the current status of homosexuals as 
     it relates to social policy, family diversity and human 
     relations.''
       The approved Board of Education resolution states:
       Whereas, In June of 1969 in the Greenwich Village section 
     of New York City a routine raid on a gay and lesbian bar 
     called the Stonewall Inn was for the first time resisted by 
     the peacefully assembled gay and lesbian patrons;
       Whereas, This resistance led to several days of uprising by 
     the gay and lesbian population of New York City who demanded 
     equal rights and an end to police harassment of their 
     establishments; and
       Whereas, This event now called the Stonewall Rebellion, is 
     widely viewed as the beginning of the modern gay and lesbian 
     movement and is the reason why the month of June has come to 
     be a time to celebrate the accomplishments of gay and lesbian 
     people through parades, marches, commemorations, cultural 
     programs, and other means; therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Board of Education of the City of Los 
     Angeles recognize June of each year as Gay and Lesbian Pride 
     Month and encourage schools and offices to find appropriate 
     ways to fulfill the mandate of this resolution and of the 
     policy document ``Educating for Diversity.''
       For assistance call Bernadine Lyles, Advisor, Multicultural 
     Unit, at (213) 625-6791, or Laura Hale, acting director of 
     the Gay and Lesbian Education Commission, at (213) 351-7311.
       Approved: Sidney A. Thompson, Deputy Superintendent.
       Distribution: All Schools and Offices.
                                  ____


 [Excerpts from various publications of the Los Angeles Unified School 
             District Gay and Lesbian Education Commission]

                           Historical Figures


              abraham lincoln's love for joshua fry speed

       Contemporaries who did not understand Lincoln's sexuality 
     found him difficult to comprehend. Thus William Herndon, his 
     law partner of sixteen years and an active heterosexual, 
     wrote that Lincoln was `a profound mystery--an enigma--a 
     sphinx--a riddle' (Donald, Herndon, 361.)'' (Shively, p. 
     71).
       ``For Lincoln, writers have thoroughly explored (and even 
     freely invented) love affairs with women, but no one has 
     explored his homosexual activities. Lincoln had a four-year 
     love affair with his boyfriend Joshua Speed and at other 
     times in his life had occasional male-to-male liaisons'' 
     (Shively, p. 72).
       In Robert L. Kincaid biography of Joshua Fry Speed, the 
     author detailed the four years that Lincoln and Speed shared 
     the same bed. Speed kept a general store in Springfield 
     Illinois and initially met Lincoln when he entered the store 
     to buy a bed. Being twenty-seven years old, a lawyer without 
     client and no money, Lincoln was unable to pay the price for 
     the bed. Speed suggested that Lincoln could ``avoid the debt 
     and at the same time attain your end. I have a large room 
     with a double bed up-stairs, which you are very welcome to 
     share with me * * * [Lincoln] took his saddle-bags on his 
     arm, went up stairs, set them down on the floor, and came 
     down with the most changed countenance. Beaming with pleasure 
     he exclaimed, ``Well, Speed, I am moved!'' (Speed, 22-23). 
     Both Lincoln and Speed always used the specific term ``four 
     years'' similar to the way lovers mention anniversaries.
       Lincoln was thrown into deep depression when the two of 
     them separated due to Speed having to leave the area to 
     attend to family matters. While away, Speed was pressured 
     into marriage against his wishes. At the same time Lincoln 
     sought a substitute in Mary Todd. Lincoln called off his 
     wedding on January 1, 1841 and was not lifted out of his 
     depression until having spent that summer with Speed. ``No 
     incident in Lincoln's life was perhaps more enjoyable than 
     his visit in the Speed home [that summer]'' (Kincaid, 15). 
     Speed did marry in February 1842 and Lincoln wrote, ``I feel 
     somewhat jealous of both of you now; you will be so 
     exclusively concerned for one another, that I shall be 
     forgotten entirely'' (Lincoln, I, 281).
       Lincoln never forgot Speed and wanted to name his first 
     born child after (Mary Todd objected) and was able to see 
     Speed alone a few times later during the presidency. ``The 
     main difference between Mary and Joshua in their relations 
     with Lincoln was that Lincoln tried to spend all his time 
     with Speed while he was eager to get away from Mary'' 
     (Shively, p. 79). There is in fact, more evidence for 
     Lincoln's love of Speed than there is for Mary Todd. Lincoln 
     was uncomfortable around women (Baker, p. 89).


                              References:

       *Donald, D. (1948). Lincoln's Herndon: A biography, New 
     York, Knopf.
       *Shively, C. (1989). Drum beats. San Francisco: Gay 
     Sunshine Press.
       *Kincaid, R.L. (1943). Joshua Fry Speed, Lincoln's Most 
     Intimate Friend. Harrogate, Tennessee; Lincoln Memorial 
     University.
       *Lincoln, A. The collected works of Abraham Lincoln. Roy P. 
     Balser, editor. 9 vols. New Brunswick, N.J.; Rutgers 
     University Press, 1953-1955.
       *Baker, J.H. (1987). Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography. New 
     York; Norton.
                                  ____


                     Uribe Receives Award From NEA

       In September, 1992, the Los Angeles Unified School Board 
     honored Commission Chair Dr. Virginia Uribe at a regular 
     Board meeting for her receipt of the Human Rights Award from 
     the National Education Association. This award was given in 
     recognition of Uribe's contribution to identifying and making 
     recommendations to help alleviate the problems gay and 
     lesbian youths face in the public schools.
       Dr. Virginia Uribe is the founder of Project 10, a program 
     that offers counseling for gay and lesbian youths attending 
     schools within Los Angeles Unified School District. Since 
     Project 10's inception in 1984, Uribe has contributed to many 
     educational journals, including: Harvard Educational Review; 
     Education Week; Education Digest; California Association of 
     Health, Physical Education and Dance Journal; Focal Point; 
     the Journal of Homosexuality; and the Newsletter of the 
     Association of School Counselors. She is also an active 
     member of: United Teachers of Los Angeles, Gay and Lesbian 
     Issues Committee; National Education Association, Gay and 
     Lesbian Caucus; California Teachers Association, Gay and 
     Lesbian Youth Task Force; Multicultural Committee, Los 
     Angeles Unified School District; and, HIV Blue Ribbon Task 
     Force, Los Angeles Unified School District.
       We are proud of Uribe's achievements and are proud that she 
     has been elected the first Chair of the Gay and Lesbian 
     Commission.
                                  ____


Gay and Lesbian Education Commission Formed to Address Special Needs of 
                        Gay and Lesbian Students

       Los Angeles, November 18, 1991.--The Los Angeles Board of 
     Education has created a Gay and Lesbian Education Commission, 
     the first of its kind in the nation. This community-based 
     commission came as the result of a motion by openly gay 
     school board member Jeff Horton. Its purpose is to advise and 
     assist the school board on programs and issues related to gay 
     and lesbian students, which make up approximately ten percent 
     of the student population, their parents, and school 
     personnel.
       ``This commission is going to be the life line for gay and 
     lesbian students who may be confused and too frightened to 
     turn to parents and friends,'' said commission Acting 
     Director Laura Hale. ``The Gay and Lesbian Education 
     Commission was formed to be their voice.''
       The education commission will confront the critical issues 
     facing gay and lesbian students. Harassment and peer pressure 
     have led to soaring drop out and suicide rates among gay and 
     lesbian students. Members will also recommend ways to monitor 
     and curtail these problems on school campuses.
       The Gay and Lesbian Education Commission will serve as a 
     clearing house by reviewing materials and improving programs 
     to increase awareness on issues of homosexuality, especially 
     homophobia, AIDS education and prevention. It will also serve 
     as a conduit between the gay and lesbian community and all 
     sectors of the educational community. Outreach programs will 
     support gay and lesbian students.
                                  ____



                          curriculum committee

       The committee is currently reviewing a number of existing 
     gay sensitivity curriculums to develop their own that would 
     be appropriate for LAUSD students. These materials will be 
     tested in one area of LAUSD before extending it to the entire 
     district.


                         pride month committee

       The committee has begun developing ``terrific'' materials 
     to send to each school about Pride Month with a March target 
     completion date.


                            condom committee

       The committee realized that it needs much more information 
     about the effectiveness of the current LAUSD condom 
     distribution program. The Committee is in the process of 
     surveying high schools about their programs. We must help 
     stop AIDS.


                    gay and lesbian youth conference

       The committee has decided to broaden the scope of the 
     Career Day to extend it to all gay and lesbian youths and to 
     address not only careers but other issues of importance to 
     gay and lesbian youths. It is hoped that GLEC's conference 
     can be tied in with other college with university youth 
     conferences.


                          boy scouts committee

       The Commission has sent the School Board a letter 
     requesting the District to sever relationships with the Boy 
     Scouts until the Scouts remove their anti-gay policy. Other 
     school districts and police departments nation-wide have also 
     severed their ties with the Boy Scouts over this issue. The 
     committee believes that the School Board should take this 
     action in order to be consistent with their anti-
     discrimination policy.


               domestic partner/health benefits committee

       The District has refused to provide benefits to domestic 
     partners citing the cost. The committee will continue to 
     press for fairness.

                     Welcome the New Commissioners

       The response for applications to be on the Gay and Lesbian 
     Education Commission was overwhelming. We wish to thank all 
     of you who applied. The Commission needs many volunteers 
     besides official commissioners and the public is encouraged 
     to attend any and all Commission meetings.
       Our current commissioners include: Brad Albion, Julie 
     Baron, Gary Campbell, Carl Englebrecht, Charles Fogarty, 
     March Goodman, Laura Hale, Ellen Kameya, Irene Kaufman, Roy 
     Dawaskai. Steven Kornfeld, Rich Llewellyn, Max Manuel, Ernie 
     Martinez, Cheryl Mandoza, Rene Narvaez, Steve Oster, Jonathan 
     Poullard, Mary Reyna, Jason Riggs, Joe Salvemini, Dick 
     Sargent, Ken Silk, Voltaire Tinana, Virginia Uribe, Hector 
     Viera, Vallerie Wagner, Darlene Weege, Thelma Barrios, and 
     Norine Boehmer.
       Again, Congratulations!!
                                  ____


  Gay and Lesbian Victories in the Los Angeles Unified School District

       1. Ten years of Project 10. This school based counseling 
     program for gay and lesbian students was founded in 1984 by 
     Virginia Uribe and now exists in over half of the District's 
     52 high schools and in many middle schools as well. (For more 
     information call Virginia Uribe at Fairfax High School, 213-
     651-5200.)
       2. The Gay and Lesbian Education Commission. This is one of 
     seven commissions created by the Board of Education for the 
     purpose of bringing the concerns of the community directly to 
     the Board and to the District as a whole. These commissions 
     have one full time director funded by the District and unpaid 
     commissioners appointed by board members. (The other 
     commissions include Black, Mexican-American, Asian and 
     Pacific Islander, American Indian, Sex Equity, and Special 
     Education.) This institutionalization of gay and lesbian 
     interests in a public school district is the first of its 
     kind in the nation. (For more information call the director 
     Kathy Gill at 213-625-6392.)
       3. Annual recognition since 1992 of June as Gay and Lesbian 
     Pride Month in all of the schools. Last year, the Commission 
     sent an extensive packet of materials to all middle schools 
     and high schools, and many of them had assembly programs, 
     speakers, displays, and other activities associated with 
     Pride Month in the gay community.
       4. First Annual Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth 
     Conference. In October, 1993, over 200 high school and 
     college youth were brought together in this day-long event 
     sponsored by the Commission and held at Occidental College.
       5. Full inclusion of sexual orientation and gay and 
     lesbian; interests in the District's multicultural, human 
     relations, counseling, and nondiscrimination policies.
       6. A drop-out recovery program at its own school site aimed 
     at keeping lesbian, gay, and bisexual students in school. 
     (The EAGLES Center; for more information call Jerry Battey at 
     213-937-4819.)
       7. An openly gay member of the school board. (Jeff Horton, 
     213-625-6386.)
       In addition, the LAUSD is one of the few school districts 
     in the nation which has a policy of making condoms available 
     to high school students.
       Although there is still much to do, the Los Angeles Unified 
     School District has been in the forefront of efforts to meet 
     the needs of gay and lesbian youth.
                                  ____

                                                   April 20, 1994.
       Dear Friends: This coming June we're looking forward to our 
     third annual Gay & Lesbian Pride Month. Many people ask why 
     we've chosen June for Gay & Lesbian Pride Month. The answer 
     dates back to the Stonewall riots which began June 27, 1969. 
     These riots became the symbol of the Gay Liberation Movement 
     and June became the month to celebrate equal rights and 
     respect for Gays & Lesbians. (For detailed information, 
     please see the handout on Stonewall.) Thus, June has become 
     the month that we have dedicated to teach respect for Gays 
     and Lesbians and to develop students who appreciate the 
     diversity of humankind. This will help to provide a school 
     environment that is free of harassment of Gay & Lesbian youth 
     and encourage them to finish high school and continue their 
     higher education. Following are the suggested activities for 
     Gay & Lesbian Pride Month:
       1. Display:
       Using the colorful handouts enclosed, chose a central 
     display case to post the information about the Gay & Lesbian 
     community, its symbols, various organizations and resources. 
     An additional display may be done in the media center.
       2. Bulletins:
       Daily facts and information about famous Gays & Lesbians, 
     well-known contemporary Gays & Lesbians, facts about Gays & 
     Lesbians, resources for Gays & Lesbians can be put in the 
     daily bulletins.
       3. Assemblies:
       If you'd like to plan an assembly at your school, please 
     contact Kathy Gill at (213) 625-6392. We have videos, (see 
     below), college students from USC's Shout and other poets and 
     artists who will help with the assemblies.
       Available videos:
       1. LAUSD's ``1st Annual Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Youth 
     Conference.''
       2. ``Leticia Quezada addresses the Issue of Gay & Lesbian 
     Rights.'' (available in English & Spanish)
       4. Lessons:
       The information on Famous Gays and Lesbians in History & 
     Well-known contemporary Gays, Lesbians & Bisexuals may be 
     duplicated and used in History classes. The latest scientific 
     research on the possible correlates for a genetic and 
     biological basis for sexual orientation may be duplicated and 
     used in health and science classes.
       Please feel free to call if you have any questions.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Kathy J. Gill,
                                                   Director, GLEC.
                                  ____

                                           Thursday, May 20, 1993.
       Dear Colleagues: The enclosed materials have been assembled 
     by the Los Angeles Unified School Gay and Lesbian Education 
     Commission to assist middle and senior high schools in 
     planning activities for ``Gay and Lesbian Pride Month'' in 
     June. I have included posters, resources, lessons and 
     materials I hope you find useful. Don't hesitate to call the 
     various organizations listed on the resource list. They are 
     all trained to give staff inservices, assemblies and 
     workshops.
       Since the Gay and Lesbian Education Commission is not 
     funded with a full time director, we are unable to assist 
     with activities during the school day. However, if there are 
     any questions you might have, please call the commission 
     office and leave a message. I will return your call ASAP.
       For your information, all of the materials included in this 
     packet were donated by the various organizations listed on 
     the handout. The materials, envelopes and letterhead were 
     bought at no cost to the Los Angeles Unified School District 
     whatsoever.
           With Pride,
                                                    Laura A. Hale,
                                                         Director.
       P.S. Your efforts on behalf of the Gay and Lesbian 
     students, staff, and parents at your school will be 
     appreciated more than you will ever know. Since we have been 
     an often ``invisible'' group of individuals, many people 
     don't think they know anyone gay or lesbian. Believe me, you 
     do.
                                  ____


                   [From Project 21, Kansas City, MO]

     Project 21--A National Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Alliance for 
                          Curriculum Advocacy

       Project 21 is an informal, national alliance of 
     organizations and individuals working to ensure that fair, 
     accurate and unbiased information is presented to America's 
     youth regarding the nature and diversity of sexual 
     orientation.
       Project 21 also strives for inclusion of long-censored 
     information regarding the same-gender orientation of 
     significant historical and cultural figures in course content 
     throughout the curriculum.
       The organizational nexus of Project 21 is the Gay and 
     Lesbian Alliance Against Deformation/San Francisco Bay Area 
     Chapter, which acts as fiscal agent and sponsor. GLAAD/SFBA 
     was joined by the Bay Area Network of Gay and Lesbian 
     Educators [BANGLE] and the Gay and Lesbian Youth Advocacy 
     Council of San Francisco to launch Project 21 in 1990.
       Project 21 pursues a proactive agenda to improve the 
     treatment of lesbian, gay and bisexual persons in educational 
     systems of all levels of society. Advocates for Project 21 
     provide testimony before state and local boards of education, 
     inform the public about educational equity issues, and 
     furnish various resources for addressing lesbian and gay 
     subjects in the classroom. Project 21 members call for an end 
     to the censorship of information about our communities in 
     textbooks, course content, resource materials and library 
     offerings.
       Project 21 members believe that elementary and secondary 
     curricula should include:
       Fair and factual information about sexual orientation in 
     sex education, social studies, humanities and family life 
     classes;
       Information about the historical and continuing 
     contributions of lesbian, gay and bisexual people to art, 
     language, education, science, sport;
       Discussion of the gay liberation movement and the history 
     of the struggle for gay, lesbian and bisexual equality in the 
     United States and throughout the world;
       Documentation of significant social, legal and historical 
     events, including the National Marches on Washington for 
     Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979, 1987 and 1993, the Stonewall 
     Resistance of 1969, and the struggle for privacy rights 
     argued before the Supreme Court in Bowers vs. Hardwick 
     (1986).
       Did your textbooks say that:
       Alvin Ailey, Edward Albee, Alexander the Great, Horatio 
     Alger, James Baldwin, Truman Capote, Willa Cather, Queen 
     Christina of Sweden, Colette, Noel Coward, Leonardo da Vinci, 
     Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, E.M. Forster, Michael Foucalt, 
     Margaret Fuller, Allen Ginsberg, Hadrian, Henry III, J. Edgar 
     Hoover, Langston Hughes, Frida Kahle, John Maynard Keynes, 
     Federico Garcia Lorca, Michelangelo, Yukio Mishima, Montezuma 
     II, Martina Navratilova, Plato, Richard II, Eleanor 
     Roosevelt, Bayard Rustin, Sappho, Bessie Smith, Socrates, 
     Gertrude Stein, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Alan Turing, Gore 
     Vidal, Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams, 
     Virginia Woolf, and Marguerita Yourcener were lesbian, 
     bisexual or gay?
       Were their achievements even mentioned?

                          ____________________