LGBT where are we now ?

1. LGBT where are we now ? Jane E.Bleasdale Saint Peter’s Prep PhD candidate Fordham University

2. Moving beyond tolerance to inclusion….. • Jesuit Schools like Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City are places of diversity. Students come from extreme socio economic backgrounds , of all races and ethnicities. Some are gay, some are straight. We are a diverse community of men and women for others . How do we practice Cura Personalis for ‘minority students’ students of color, and our gay and questioning youth ?

4. Tolerance vs. inclusion =‘don’t ask don’t tell’ • Tolerate ? • Include ?

5. Day of Silence ? • The Day of Silence’s purpose is to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment and effective responses. The goal of the Day of Silence is to make schools safer for all students, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. In a Harris Interactive study on bullying, students said two of the top three reasons students are harassed in school are actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender expression. Additionally, nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students experience harassment at school. Students across the country participate in the Day of Silence to bring attention to this problem, let students who experience such bullying know that they are not alone and ask schools to take action to address the problem.

6. Verbal harassment/bullying • Hundreds of thousands of students of all beliefs, backgrounds and sexual orientations participate in the Day of Silence. Anti-LGBT bullying and harassment affects all students. Slurs such as "faggot" and "dyke" are commonplace in school. The Day of Silence is an example of students, from middle school to college, working together proactively to bring attention to the anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment experienced by LGBT and straight students alike. GLSEN, the Day of Silence’s organizational sponsor, encourages participants to be counted by registering at www.dayofsilence.org. Students from nearly 8,000 middle and high schools registered for the 2008 Day of Silence.

7. National Stats (GLSEN) • The 2009 survey of 7,261 middle and high school students found that at school nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students experienced harassment at school in the past year and nearly two-thirds felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation. Nearly a third of LGBT students skipped at least one day of school in the past month because of safety concerns.

8. Academic consequences • The reported grade point average of students who were more frequently harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender expression was almost half a grade lower than for students who were less often harassed (2.7 vs. 3.1). Increased levels of victimization were related to increased levels of depression and anxiety and decreased levels of self-esteem.

9. Student life ‘diversity club’ • Breaking Barriers is a student club committed to being men and women for others in our diverse student body. Embracing CURA PERSONALIS, we strive to support individuals while educating the school community on issues of diversity, particularly sexual orientation.

10. Activities • What does the club do? • We meet regularly to discuss issues, share ideas, and socialize. • We inform and address the student body on issues of diversity. • We network with other schools (Jesuit and non) in the metropolitan area. • We coordinate the schools ‘safe space program’ which states that every student deserves a safe space to learn free from bullying and harassment.

11. Club mission • Everyone is welcome to join Breaking Barriers • A STUDENT CLUB COMMITTED TO BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS AROUND ISSUES OF DIVERSITY AT PREP. • WE WORK TO ENSURE THAT PREP IS A LOVING AND AFFIRMING PLACE FOR ALL STUDENTS

12. Students That Oppose Prejudice

17. What does inclusion look like ? • Curriculum • Role models • Visuals • Marketing tools • Professional/development formation for teaching, supporting including minority students. • Personal bias.