A handful of Live Oak High students was silent Wednesday, hoping
the silence would speak loudly to bring awareness of what students
who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered suffer on a
regular basis.
A handful of Live Oak High students was silent Wednesday, hoping the silence would speak loudly to bring awareness of what students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered suffer on a regular basis.
On Thursday, the school’s anti-harassment training for ninth graders – mandated by the settlement of a lawsuit against the district brought by a group of former Live Oak students – took place. The training is designed to help students be aware of certain behaviors and language that may be hurtful to other students.
The settlement included a $1.1 million settlement. The students said they were victims of harassment because of their sexual identities, real or perceived, and some teachers and school administrators did nothing to stop the harassment.
Live Oak’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) adviser Tony Bontempi said he hopes the training will make a difference. This is the first year for the training that included seventh graders throughout the district. Each year, the two grade levels will participate.
“I still hear, more from the boys than the girls, the derogatory remarks, the dislike, the distrust, towards those students,” he said. “I truly hope this will change. I constantly hear students and adults using the word “gay” to mean something that is frivolous or stupid, and when I hear it, I try to correct it.”
Bontempi said approximately half of the GSA’s 10 members were silent on Wednesday. An announcement was made in the morning telling students about the Day of Silence.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to all of them yet, but I haven’t heard that any of them were teased or anything as a result of their participation,” Bontempi said Thursday. “That was a concern.”
The Day of Silence is a nationally recognized event that encourages participants to refrain from speaking. Their silence symbolizes the oppression gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals feel every day.
At Gilroy High, the concern was whether the educational experience would suffer during the event, as four teachers participated.
Eight students at Gilroy High also participated, said GHS Principal Bob Bravo.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@mo*************.com or phoning (408)779-4106 Ext. 202.
