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Date Posted: 14:18:27 03/03/02 Sun
Author: Kari
Subject: More information...
In reply to: Kari 's message, "While BP is on its PSA kick..." on 00:31:25 03/03/02 Sun

I'm seriously considering sending an e-mail to FOX with some of the things I've found out just surfing around...from some of these statistics, they're really passing up an opportunity for a realistic and much-needed "educational" storyline.

"In a study of students in public high schools, 97% report regularly hearing homophobic remarks from their peers. Source: Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, 1993."

Why don't we hear any of this on Boston Public? Because it would, for once, be realistic and in line with statistics? I heard it in my own rural southeast high school...I find it very hard to believe that it isn't happening in a Boston inner-city high school.

"In a 14-city study of gay, lesbian and bisexual youth, 80% reported verbal abuse, 44% reported threats of attack, 33% reported having objects thrown at them and 30% reported being chased or followed. Source: A. R. D'Augelli and S. L. Hershberger, Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth in community settings: Personal challenges and mental health problems, American Journal of Community Psychology 21:421, 1993."

Once again, that's a lot. Hard to believe it isn't happening at Winslow.

"In a study of 4,159 Massachusetts high school students, 31.2% identifying as gay, lesbian or bisexual were threatened/injured with a weapon at school in the past year compared to 6.9% of their peers. Source: Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MYRBS), Massachusetts Department of Education, 1997."

This is where I think that the storyline could take an interesting turn...if it were to go beyond just the verbal assault into something physical. That might hit people a little bit harder. ("Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.")

"In a study of 4,159 Massachusetts high school students, 46% who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual had attempted suicide in the past year compared to 8.8% of their peers, and 23.5% required medical attention as a result of a suicide attempt compared to 3.3% of their peers. The same study found 18.4% of the gay, lesbian and bisexual students had been in a physical fight resulting in treatment by a doctor or nurse compared to 4% of their peers, and 22.2% skipped school in the past month because they felt unsafe en route to or at school, compared to 4.2% of their peers. Source: Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MYRBS), Massachusetts Department of Education, 1997."

Stuff like this is really happening in "real" schools all across the country, every day. While Winslow definitely seems to have higher instances of many other problems, where is this one? Is it too controversial for them? Is society's "wound" still too tender?

While such events would be sad, and maybe shocking to some, I think it's necessitated by the world we live in today. Too many people turn a blind eye to the atrocities that are committed against innocent people simply because of their sexual orientation. Their eyes need to be opened to what is *really* going on in our schools and in our society.

Like I said earlier, they've already got the character, they already have the set up...why not run with it?

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