GLSTN AWARD TO JAMIE NABOZNY; GLSTN Boston Conference
Jessea NR Greenman
LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND
Press Contacts: Kevin Jennings, GLSTN
(212) 727-0135
Pat Logue, LLDEF
(312) 759-8110
David Buckel, LLDEF
(212) 995-8585/8969
GLSTN'S "PATHFINDER" AWARD TO LAMBDA PLAINTIFF
IN THE FIRST FEDERAL APPEAL CHALLENGING
ANTI-GAY VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS
(Chicago, February 21, 1996)-The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers' Network
("GLSTN") announced that it will award its third "Pathfinder" Award to Jamie
Nabozny at its 2nd Annual Midwestern conference in Chicago on March 8-10.
Nabozny is the first youth to receive the award, which goes to individuals
who have created new paths for others to follow in the work against
homophobia in schools. Nabozny, who is represented by Lambda Legal Defense
and Education Fund, is the plaintiff in the first federal appellate case
challenging anti-gay violence in public schools.
"Jamie is the perfect recipient of the Pathfinder Award," said Kevin
Jennings, Executive Director of GLSTN, "because his determination to pursue
justice is an inspiration to youth everywhere, showing them that they need
not tolerate homophobic harassment."
Nabozny suffered multiple physical assaults from seventh grade to
eleventh
grade in an Ashland, Wisconsin school district. Some of the physical
violence he suffered was so severe as to require hospitalization and surgery.
Students trapped him in hallways and bathrooms and beat, punched, kicked,
and even urinated on him. Nabozny's parents stood by their gay son,
constantly attempting to get the school to discipline the boys who abused
him. However, school officials imposed no meaningful discipline on the
assailants, and scoffed at Jamie, telling him that he had to expect such
abuse because he is gay.
"Every child deserves a safe environment in which to get an
education, and
that education should emphasize teaching respect for others," said Patricia
M. Logue, Managing Attorney at Lambda's Midwest Regional Office, and counsel
to Nabozny.
"If I didn't have parents who showed they continued to love me
after they
found out I was gay, I don't think I would be alive today," said Nabozny,
who attempted suicide three times because of the abuse. "I hope this case
will mean other teens do not have to go through this terror year after year."
"Anti-gay violence is on the rise in schools," said David Buckel, Lambda
Staff Attorney working on the case. "The states of Massachusetts and
Washington, as well as the cities of Austin, Providence, and Wichita have
responded to the brutalizing violence by documenting it and conducting
hearings." Lambda, which took over representing Nabozny on appeal, will be
presenting oral argument in the federal Court of Appeals for the Seventh
Circuit in Chicago on March 28. A friend-of-the-court brief in support of
Nabozny's appeal was filed by the National Association of School
Psychologists, the National Association of Social Workers, the national
office of Parents and Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and Horizons
Community Services of Chicago. -30-
***GLSTN ANNOUNCEMENT***GLSTN ANNOUNCEMENT***
*******PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY*******
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________________________________________________
Date of original message: February 28, 1996
Dear Fellow Educators and Community Members,
We are pleased to invite you to GLSTN's Sixth Annual Boston
Conference, co-sponsored by Project 10 East, to be held at Cambridge Rindge
and Latin School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Saturday, April 27, 1996.
The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network seeks to bring
together educators and community members concerned with homophobia in schools
and to equip them with concrete strategies for making a difference. GLSTN
welcomes all teachers and community members, regardless of sexual
orientation, to take part in this work.
The conference this year is bigger and better than ever! One new
improvement is the addition of a "Youth Track" for high school and college
students. As always, students are welcome in all sessions, unless otherwise
noted, but this year, specific workshops, organized by Project 10 East, are
designed with students in mind. We have over 40 workshops planned, so we
advise individuals to bring allies from their communities so that a "team"
can spread out among the various workshops, assimilate as much knowledge to
share as possible, and then support each other as they return home to begin
the work that lies ahead.
So, if this is your first GLSTN conference, welcome! If you have
attended before, please join us again. Send an e-mail for the brochure
(GLST...@aol.com or psm...@BUCRF15.BU.EDU) and see how many new offerings
we have. We feature presenters from both public and private schools as well
as community-based agencies, allowing participants to learn from experiences
of individuals working in many different settings. Our "Information Area" is
expanded, too. We'll be featuring two photography exhibits, "Love Makes a
Family" and "Public Faces/Private Lives: Boston's Lesbian and Gay History
Project", plus tables with information and hand-outs from several community
groups.
We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge on April 27th!
Patty Smith
GLSTN/Boston Conference Coordinator
Kevin Jennings
Executive Director, The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight
Teachers Network
Al Ferreira
Coordinator and founder, Project 10 East
Respond via e-mail to:
GLST...@aol.com, or
psm...@BUCRF15.BU.EDU
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The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project* Oakland, CA
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