Closet classrooms

Gay and lesbian student clubs and outreach programs are booming in many Massachusetts high schools. But not in Boston's.

Education by Jason Gay

On December 10, 1993, at a low-key news conference, then-governor William Weld announced his signing of an antidiscrimination bill protecting the rights of Massachusetts's gay and lesbian public school students. The bill, the first of its kind in the nation, was backed by a set of recommendations from the state's board of education that encouraged school districts to set policies protecting gay and lesbian students from harassment, educate staff about gay and lesbian issues, offer in-school clubs for gay and lesbian students, and provide support to their parents and friends.

The impact of these measures has been enormous. Since Weld signed the bill, nearly 100 public high schools in Massachusetts -- one-third of all high schools in the state -- have established clubs for gay and lesbian students and their peers. Many school districts require faculty and other staffers to attend sensitivity workshops. Parental outreach programs have been strengthened. As a result, school has become a safer place for many of the state's gay and lesbian adolescents.

But amid these success stories is one pronounced exception: the Boston public schools. Although Boston's schools have taken some steps to address gay and lesbian issues, state officials claim the city's effort lags far behind many school systems around the region. Staff training programs exist, but aren't required for everyone. Of the city's 17 high schools, pilot schools, and vocational schools, only one -- Boston Latin -- has an active club for gay and lesbian students. And the vast majority of the city's gay and lesbian students stay locked in the closet.

"I'm extremely disappointed with the Boston schools," says David LaFontaine, the chairman of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. "There are thousands of gay students in the city who do not have any kind of safety in their schools, because we are not providing them support."

Boston's record is distressing, because supporting gay youth is more than just the politically correct thing to do. Programs for gay and lesbian students can make them more comfortable in school and improve their academic performance. These programs also heighten the entire student body's understanding of society's diversity, decreasing harassment and making schools safer for everyone. If Boston neglects these programs, the city's school system will continue to court ignorance and trouble.

To wit: in the midst of researching this story, the Phoenix called a city high school to ask if the school had a gay and lesbian student club.

"No," said the staffer before slamming down the phone, "we most certainly do not!"

On to part 2

Jason Gay can be reached at jgay[a]phx.com.