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Groups warn of “unprecedented” surge in bullying, harassment and discrimination against LGBTQ students

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Illinois

* Clare Spaulding at the Sun-Times…

Advocacy organizations across the state have received an “unprecedented” number of reports of bullying, harassment and discrimination against LGBTQ students, a coalition of groups said at a virtual news conference Tuesday.

“LGBTQ students must be treated with dignity and respect and must be supported and loved so that they can show up authentically as they are at schools, where they can be safe and learn and thrive,” said Mony Ruiz-Velasco, deputy director of Equality Illinois, which hosted the meeting. “This is not acceptable.”

Groups across the state are working together to hold schools accountable, offer training resources and make sure no LGBTQ students “fall through any cracks,” Ruiz-Velasco said.

Name calling, destruction of property and assault are just some of the incidents reported recently to LGBTQ support organizations. Though anti-harassment provisions have existed in schools for decades, advocates attribute the increase at least partly due to the pandemic, said Grecia Magdaleno, policy and advocacy manager with the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance.

Students took the time to “look inward,” resulting in more coming out — and then a backlash.

* WBEZ…

The group of LGBTQ advocacy groups around the state that reported the rise in harassment toward LGBTQ students on Tuesday said the climate is difficult for LGBTQ students this fall. They say harassment is coming from staff or fellow students. It’s also happening at the local level at school board meetings like in Downers Grove.

Grecia Magdaleno of Illinois Safe Schools Alliance says some students may have become more vocal about their identities since returning to in-person learning, which may result in an increase in discrimination.

“But there are many other factors for it as well,” Magdaleno said. “I think it’s because of the rise in anti-trans legislation that we’ve been seeing across the country.”

In 2019, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a law that requires public schools to include LGBTQ history in the curriculum. Magdaleno is helping to build that curriculum. They say the most common push back toward LGBTQ affirming material is that it isn’t age appropriate. Magdaleno says the curriculum is designed to reach students at the appropriate time in their development.

* More on that Downers Grove incident…

Josiah Poynter felt like an outsider when he transferred to Downers Grove North High School as a sophomore.

But his fellow football players filled the gap — providing a warm welcome and strong support. Poynter, who identifies as heterosexual and a Christian, cited that experience Monday night, when he told an audience of more than 100 at a Community High School District 99 board meeting that he strongly supports keeping the controversial LGBTQ graphic memoir “Gender Queer” on the shelves of the district’s high school libraries.

“Inclusion matters to young people,” said Poynter, 18. “Inclusion brings an opportunity to grow in a safe environment. It brings comfort to people who feel cast out.”

The local controversy over “Gender Queer,” which has drawn criticism at schools across the country, spilled into full view at the board meeting, with opponents characterizing images of oral sex and a sex toy as “pornographic,” and saying the book should be removed from library shelves. Supporters say that the book — about growing up asexual and nonbinary — sends a strong message of support and inclusion to LGBTQ teens at a vulnerable time.

About a dozen people spoke — among them students, parents and a former teacher. Most called on the district to keep the book on library shelves, while three speakers called for the book to be removed.

* The protest, spurred by the Proud Boys, appears to have been a failure…

Members of the Proud Boys — a far-right neo-fascist group which has recently latched onto school board protests around the country — promoted the meeting on a messaging app commonly used by far-right activists and urged each other to attend, according to screenshots posted to social media. It’s unclear whether any members of the group showed up.

The school board did not plan to discuss or vote on any items regarding “Gender Queer” — the book was solely brought up during the public speaker portion of the meeting. Supt. Hank Thiele, addressing the topic before people shared their views, said “Gender Queer” met the district’s requirements for inclusion in its library, and it was not part of any class’ required reading. Only one copy of the book is available for check-out at each library at Downers North and Downers South high schools, which combined serve nearly 5,000 students. […]

Tabitha Irvin, a junior at Downers North, said she felt it was “ironic” that people wearing American flag masks, hats and shirts were at the meeting calling for a book to be banned when, in her view, the issue was about free speech.

Linda Schranz, a longtime Downers Grove resident who said her daughter graduated from District 99, said “despite the noise in the community” she believes it’s a small minority who disagree with the board’s policies.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 9:48 am

Comments

Happening in SW Illinois too: https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/Southwestern-student-being-held-after-gay-pride-16509687.php

Comment by SWIL_Voter Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 9:59 am
Same as the masking protests in the run-up to the school year. A bunch of frothing “concerned citizens” in a Facebook group don their finest red and hop from district to district being loud and obnoxious to make themselves seem bigger and more worthy of consideration than they are.

Props to the speaker at the meeting who noted that none of the people with very legitimate concerns about graphic depictions of sex in school library books seem to take issue with graphic depictions of heterosexual sex, like “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

As for the Proud Boys, it takes a lot to be more pathetic than the Klan, so congrats to them on achieving it. Get lost and stay there.

Comment by Roadrager Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:01 am
The harassment sounds terrible. Hopefully those who are responsible are held accountable. But is it really “unprecedented?” LGBT kids who were in school 20 or 30 years ago (and before that) dealt with much more abuse and had far fewer places to turn to for help.

Comment by Telly Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:02 am
–Tabitha Irvin, a junior at Downers North, said she felt it was “ironic” that people wearing American flag masks, hats and shirts were at the meeting calling for a book to be banned when, in her view, the issue was about free speech.–

Miss Irvin: you make an old Government teacher proud (banned punctuation)

Comment by Iterim Retiree Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:04 am
What time is the book burning? Can we toss in some Toni Morrison too, just like Virginia?

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:09 am
Since the cult leader of the GOP empowered and emboldened discrimination and hate it has been a downward spiral in society because there is NO shame in having racist thoughts, social prejudices, and acting on these disgusting impulses in many different and dangerous ways.

A major problem, I feel, is that you can’t shame folks in what they know is wrong, and you can’t have family and friends lean on these folks to keep them socially in line.

If shame snd shun can’t and won’t work, it may be time to look at how we as a society embrace hate, or ignore hate in those we care for and love as those folks cause harm directly at people and groups, and ruin society. Can’t ignore the angry in-law uncle as he poisons his kids and that side of your family.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:10 am
This shows that attacking “woke left” really means being against marginalized groups of people who are struggling for their rights. Same as it ever was, just with new words.

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:15 am
Does anyone have the list of books that kids read that cause them to be heterosexual?

Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:30 am
Does anyone have a list of the books in public school libraries depicting hetero sex? Oh that’s right, there aren’t any because it’s called porn.

Comment by Bootsie the Cat Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:35 am
“Oh that’s right, there aren’t any because it’s called porn.”

Ooh. We’ve riled up the pro-Michelangelo crowd.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:37 am
===Oh that’s right, there aren’t any because it’s called porn. ===

I always hesitate to speculate about the education that others received in K-12, but did you really make it all the way through your public education without a single instructor ever explaining even the basics about sex?

The first formal rundown I recall receiving was in the 4th grade, which included a pretty graphic video and then again in a junior high health class which included an even more graphic video.

What you’ve written is the kind of thing I would expect from someone that’s either suffered a serious head trauma or has taken no time to reflect on their education, and maybe has never been inside of a library.

Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:40 am
- Bootsie the Cat -

So you’d favor those books being included, “hetero” books?

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:41 am
Michelangelo painted an art critic being bitten on the penis by a snake.

https://commonplacefacts.com/2019/10/21/michelangelos-last-judgment-on-an-unwelcomed-critic/

Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:41 am
@Bootsie the Cat

Looks like like we found the bigot. Why is it so offensive to people like you that there are groups of people who may be LGBTQ? Without saying “they’re indoctrinated my children,” could you explain exactly how this effects you? For that matter how does an LGBTQ asking for acceptance personally effect you?

Comment by MTZ Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:46 am
=Does anyone have a list of the books in public school libraries depicting hetero sex?=

That’s snark, right? Because if not, you’re really showing your ignorance as there are dozens, if not hundreds, of books in public schools that depict hetero sex.

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:47 am
We have definitely dealt with more issues related to harassment of our LGBTQ students the last few years, but this year has been the worst. we are very assertive in protecting all of our students and holding people accountable, but some parents have really added fuel to the harrassment fire and their energy seems to be coming primarily from right wing forums.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:48 am
===there are dozens, if not hundreds, of books in public schools that depict hetero sex.===

I was hoping for a “no” from our friendly neighborhood book sensor, but cutting to the chase helps.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:49 am
Bootsie, the majority of the romance novels depict hetero sex, and yes these books are in libraries. It is sad that we have gotten into this, all LGBTQI students want is to be able to be themselves without being bullied. It is even more important as during these years all young adults struggle with their awakening sexuality. We should be more scared of groups trying to marginalize people than a book.

Comment by illinifan Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:51 am
=Does anyone have a list of the books in public school libraries depicting hetero sex? Oh that’s right, there aren’t any because it’s called porn.=

If you only really knew what was in your high school library. LOL.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:54 am
I have owned a lot of cats in my life and they were all very intelligent pets. Bootsie, you are certainly not a cat.

Comment by former southerner Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 10:58 am
Chapter 94 of Moby Dick, “A Squeeze of the Hand,” makes my pulse quicken every time I read it. Let’s ban it which should be obvious from the extremely vulgar title of the book itself. Not to mention the fact that Melville wrote many very thinly veiled love letters to Nathaniel Hawthorne. Can’t have either one of them corrupting the minds of our youth.

Comment by natty lite Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:02 am
There was an ugly incident of LGBTQ hate at Mahomet-Seymour High School earlier this year. To my knowledge, local police have had no involvement in this matter, which should not be a surprise to anyone familiar with Mahomet.

https://mahometdaily.com/mahomet-seymour-students-look-for-statement-against-bullying-from-district/

Comment by Zim Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:09 am
Person pretending to be a cat:

Do your own research. Off the top of my head there’s The Bluest Eye. But then you probably think we should burn all of Toni Morrison’s books

Comment by Cheryl44 Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:13 am
Hard to square this with recent polling about acceptance among youth of the LGBTQ community

The new, nationwide survey included 20,440 boys and 21,106 girls (average age 16 years).

In addition to the overall increase, the percentage of boys who identified as non-heterosexual rose from 4.5% to 5.7%. For girls, the increase was greater — from 12.2% to 17.8%, the findings showed.

“Gen Z youth also have the most positive attitudes towards the LGBTQ community, which can reduce the stigma associated with identifying in this way,” she said.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-06-15/big-rise-in-us-teens-identifying-as-gay-bisexual

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:24 am
“Does anyone have a list of the books in public school libraries depicting hetero sex? Oh that’s right, there aren’t any because it’s called porn.”

“Breakfast of Champions” by Kurt Vonnegut was one of the recommended books in my high school literature class, so of course it was in our school library.

It’s one of many examples, Bootsie.

There is no shame in being profoundly ignorant regarding American and English literature, but if you ever want to be taken seriously, you shouldn’t display your ignorance so publicly.

– MrJM

Comment by MisterJayEm Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:28 am
I was born into a conservative household and held “conservative” beliefs until I’ve evolved as I gathered more experience and education. I don’t understand how a person becomes LGBTQ, I can only relate to the experience I’ve had with family.

It wasn’t a book that created the behavior. It wasn’t an medical or social infection caught by proximity to other LGBTQ people. What I do know is that the family member spent years in severe pain and self-damaging behavior because they felt locked in a role they didn’t want just to conform to the family’s conservative beliefs. Suicide was a danger lurking throughout this period. I was lucky that the family member recognized this destructive path and got help. I never new what was the cause of the pain until the revelation of the cause. A revelation that took too long to come because of fear of a “conservative” reaction or basically a rejection of love.

We’re in better place immediate family-wise. But the hate and hypocrisy continues. This has to stop.

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:30 am
My favorite book depicting hetero sex is the Bible. Though, to be fair, it also discusses sexual assault, child sacrifice, and donkey genitalia (Eze 23:20) so I can see why people are so worked up about it!

Comment by Nazono Sakana Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:36 am
Just an observation based on our grandkid’s experiences… bullying in general seems to be up at schools. The older one has been delayed coming home from school on the bus due to fights and the school policy of taking the entire bus load back to school and reviewing the video once a fight happens.

Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:42 am
“But there are many other factors for it as well,” Magdaleno said. “I think it’s because of the rise in anti-trans legislation that we’ve been seeing across the country.”

This.

A lie.

A total lie.

They just keep lying and think it will get more attention.

Well, it does, but not the good kind.

Comment by allknowingmasterofraccoondom Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:47 am
=== A total lie.===

If one were to provide you a link to these bills, what would you say?

Thanks.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 11:49 am
==A total lie.==

You’re saying there hasn’t been anti-trans legislation across the country? Because if that’s what you’re saying then the only lie here is the one coming from you.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 12:01 pm
= opponents characterizing images of oral sex =

I have not seen the book. Does it actually do the above or is this a false statement?

Comment by Unconventionalwisdom Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 12:25 pm
Plus one on “Breakfast of Champions” by Kurt Vonnegut from MisterJayEm. Back in my high school days at AJCHS you could find it in the library. I did read it as a requirment for American Lit. Not sure it is still there. Probably so as it seems these days most people there just care about the football team.

Comment by Publius Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 12:39 pm
- allknowingmasterofraccoondom -

You still in the camp of a total lie?

Thanks.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 1:37 pm
I have a strong feeling that there’s some big irony in Bootsie being concerned about the contents of libraries.

Comment by Southern Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 1:44 pm
—Does anyone have a list of the books in public school libraries depicting hetero sex? Oh that’s right, there aren’t any because it’s called porn.

You didn’t read the article. How do I know? The story gives the example of Handmaid’s Tale. Oopsie.

Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 8:28 pm
==== We are aware of some unfortunate conflicts that took place last week and are working through them.”

That is the Mahomet-Seymour principal

That is not a conflict. That is an assault.

I remember our principal and deans saying these kind of things or just ignoring incidents because the bullied kid was a little different in high school and then after the bullying got out of hand I watched a kid die in a parking lot across from school.

Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 8:34 pm
===I have not seen the book. Does it actually do the above or is this a false statement?

There are two panels. One shows a dream of the author receiving oral sex. It’s kind of graphic, but it’s not titillating. It’s not meant to turn anyone on.

The second panel (on the same page) shows the author (born a woman, but non-binary) wearing a device to perform like a man (not sure on the word restrictions so I’m being careful here) and a partner performing oral on the author.

In both cases there is no real detail to the phallus and there is no eroticism to it. So it is an image of oral sex, but the most boring depiction I’ve ever seen.

Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Nov 17, 21 @ 9:09 pm