[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1374-E1375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ISSUES FACING YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 21, 1998

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have printed in the Record 
these statements by high school students from my home state of Vermont, 
who were speaking at my recent town meeting on issues facing young 
people today. I am inserting their statements in the Congressional 
Record as I believe that the views of these young persons will benefit 
my colleagues.


[[Page E1375]]



 Statement By Isaac Evans-Frantz and Alina Lyon Regarding Gay-Straight 
                                 Issues

       Isaac Evans-Frantz: Growing up gay, lesbian or bisexual can 
     be very difficult in the society that we live in. Many gay 
     teenagers are subjected to homophobia every day of their 
     lives. 93 percent of Vermont educators reported that 
     homophobic name-calling takes place with great frequency and 
     intensity in their schools. We can assure you that these 
     educators are absolutely correct.
       Gays are frequently harassed at school, and many drop out 
     as a result. Those kids who hide their sexual orientations 
     because of fear sometimes suffer just as much. It is not 
     surprising that suicide is the leading cause of death among 
     gay youth. An overwhelming percent of gay and lesbian youth 
     experience severe social isolation. It is often difficult for 
     these students to find the resources and support that they 
     need within their schools.
       The silence about homosexuality not only affects gays, but 
     affects our entire society. We are caught in a cycle of fear 
     and hatred, which comes from ignorance. It is obvious that 
     the bigoted remarks about gays that are so prevalent in our 
     hallways are the result of an education we have not had.
       Aliana Lyon: Prism, Brattleboro's Gay-Straight Alliance, 
     was started two years ago as the answer to an urgent need of 
     support for gay, lesbian and bisexual youth. The Gay-Straight 
     Alliance is open to all who wish to attend, and sexual 
     orientation is not discussed unless initiated by the 
     students. The Alliance plays two major roles--it acts as a 
     support group and an activist group.
       Our group is composed of about twenty students and is 
     supported by trusted faculties and community members. Prism 
     is a comfortable atmosphere of caring people where issues of 
     harassment, sexuality, homophobia and personal fears are 
     freely discussed. When we are not sharing stories or 
     concerns, we are planning our next project to make people 
     aware of homophobia in our school or society.
       We started working within our school first. We led 
     discussions on homophobia in the freshman health classes, 
     trying to create an awareness of our group's existence and 
     the social issue. To involve the community, we showed an 
     educational video called `It's Elementary.'' It discusses 
     homosexuality with elementary school children, asking them 
     what they think the definition of gay, lesbian or bisexuality 
     means. It is followed by a sharing of experiences, ideas and 
     information.
       We have visited other gay straight alliances in Vermont and 
     Massachusetts to inform each other of events happening, along 
     with difficulties and successes of having an alliance in 
     public schools. Statewide, Prism has visited the Vermont 
     State House twice for Teen Day at the legislature. The second 
     visit, we facilitated a workshop in how to start an alliance, 
     and how to find the support needed to sustain an alliance. We 
     are not funded by the school for any of these activities, and 
     we have paid for our own expenses by grants and donations.
       Isaac Evans-Frantz. There are still many schools that 
     provide little assistance for gay, lesbian and bisexual 
     students. We feel that this support is important to their 
     social and academic well-being. We would like to see our 
     governments--local, state, and national--provide financial 
     backing for schools to initiate gay-straight alliances.
       Massachusetts has done just that. In 1992, the Governor and 
     Lt. Governor established a commission to research problems 
     affecting gay and lesbian youth. As a result, the 
     Massachusetts government offered monetary incentives for 
     schools to start groups for gay and lesbian and straight 
     students. Hopefully, the work of Massachusetts will serve as 
     a model for Vermont and the country.
       Our state has made progress towards making schools safer 
     for gay students. In March, our Governor and Commissioner of 
     Education wrote a letter to Vermont school principals urging 
     them to stop the harassment of gay and lesbian students. He 
     reminded schools that Vermont law requires every school to 
     maintain a policy prohibiting the harassment, including 
     harassment of homosexuals.
       We hope that one day, gay and straight alliances will no 
     longer be necessary. Until then, we ask that our schools, our 
     state, and our nation take an active role in making our 
     schools places where all students are safe, valued, and 
     respected.
       Congressman Sanders: A very good job.
                                  ____


      Statement by Scott Radimer Regarding the E.U. and Free Trade

       Scott Radimer: Good afternoon, for those of you that are 
     left.
       I would like to take this chance today to talk about 
     something that I found most people don't know about, which is 
     the European Union, 15 countries in Europe, including 
     England, Germany, Italy and France, along with others who are 
     joining together--this has been in the works for the last 40 
     years, I think, moving towards one market, one currency, and 
     becoming one economic power.
       As this has gone along, it has become one of the biggest 
     markets in the world. The gross domestic product of the 
     European Union in 1992 was higher than that of the United 
     States or Japan. The reason that this is important, it is not 
     affecting us right now, but it will be affecting us in years 
     to come, when I am in the work force, when the rest of us 
     are, is that we are going to have to compete with Europe. 
     Many people talk about Japan and trying to compete with 
     Japan, and this is going to be even bigger.
       There are a few things that we can do. We could try and 
     expand things, such as NAFTA, whereas Europe is moving more 
     together, and North America could try and do similar things. 
     We could also try and work just within the United States, or 
     just Canada, or the rest of the parts of the world. The 
     important things is not necessarily that we find a solution 
     right now, but that we are at least aware that this exists 
     and it is something we are going to have to deal with. It is 
     better to start looking at these things now, before we have a 
     huge trade deficit with a country now, instead of later.
       Thank you.
       Congressman Sanders: Scott, thanks very much.
                                  ____


          Statement by Daniel Nelson Regarding Troubled Teens

       Daniel Nelson: Thank you, Mr. Sanders, fellow youth. I 
     apologize, I have a little bit of a cold I'm getting over.
       An issue that has been big on my mind is a lot of young 
     people that are placed under state's custody. Young people 
     that aren't necessarily troublemakers are getting into 
     trouble and have troubles at home. I was one of those young 
     people. I am still young, but not in that position anymore. I 
     was placed in a group home, not in a foster home, but there 
     are problems with both.
       A lot of the times, young people are taken out of a home 
     environment that might not necessarily be good. They can 
     escape from physical abuse, but they don't escape mental 
     abuse. There are a lot of restrictions put on these young 
     people, when, really, they don't need restrictions; they need 
     to be encouraged, shown that they can succeed, and that they 
     do have potential. That is the last thing these young people 
     get in group homes and a lot of foster homes.
       I am not a person that likes to whine about things; I like 
     to do things and make changes. This is something I don't know 
     how to change myself, at least at this point in my life. 
     After college, I hope to try and do that. But my suggestion 
     would be if there is some way that these group homes and 
     foster homes could be evaluated more effectively. These 
     people that are condescending, say mean, hurtful things, and 
     impose restrictions that are really not necessary, that they 
     be removed from these environments. They are damaging young 
     people that could be very effective in society, and I think 
     would like to, if given the opportunity.
       And that is about all I have to say.
       Congressman Sanders: Thank you.