GLBT supporters speak out

This weekend, the "Sexual Minority Youth in the Heartland," a conference sponsored by the IU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Support Services, offered insight to the lives of GLBT youth as they struggle with gender identity and sexual orientation in an environment that sometimes shuns their very existence. In order to educate others and eliminate the stigma associated with these issues, the conference sought action from those both within and without of the GLBT community.\nAt the event's Youth Speak Out Friday night, a panel of six local GLBT youth described the isolation of coming out in a repressive high school setting, where the term "gay" is rampantly used as a derogatory adjective. Administrations also find trouble admitting GLBT youth exist in their high schools, the panelists said.\nWithout anyone to turn to, recent graduate of Martinsville high school Derrick English, said he resisted his identity, trying to remain "in the closet." He tried turning to his parent's fundamentalist religion. He tried dating girls. He had thoughts of suicide.\nNow, English approaches his identity differently.\n"I'm out, I'm proud, and I'm ready to fight for what's right," he said.\nSince crossing gender boundaries invited ridicule in high school, the panelists agreed that a support group is essential to make schools a safer place for GLBT youth. English attempted to form such a club, but couldn't find a faculty member to act as a sponsor, a requirement for its formation. Having since graduated, he said friends would continue in his place.\n"Whether they like it or not, we'll have a gay-straight alliance at Martinsville High School," he said.\nThe panelists also said schools should be allowed to talk about sexuality as early as kindergarten.\nJoycelyn Elders, former U.S. surgeon general in the first Clinton administration, adamantly agreed that sexual education for young people is a must in her keynote speech Saturday.\nElders said adolescents, undergoing very significant changes both physically and socially, are the most neglected age group. As they struggle with parents and peer acceptance, some also face gender identity and sexual orientation issues, which the schools need to address, she said.\n"Six to 10 percent of youth in our society is gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender and we refuse to even accept that this exists," she said. "We have a problem."\nWithout education or support, Elder said GLBT youth are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, whether sexually, or with use of alcohol and other drugs. The risk of suicide among GLBT youth is also much higher than heterosexuals.\n"We've already seen that they're eight to 10 times more likely to abuse cocaine or crack, three or four times more likely to attempt suicide," she said. "Why? They don't have anyone to talk to. They can't talk to the preachers. They can't talk to the doctors. They don't have health educators in all of their schools."\nShe added that schools should have comprehensive health education from kindergarten to 12th grade, because if not in the classroom, children will learn about sex from television, magazines, or the street.\n"The president says to leave no child behind, but if you don't start at birth, you've already left them behind," Elders said.\nDuring the question and answer session concluding Elders speech, Elbert Almazan, an IU Ph.D. student of sociology, thanked her for addressing public health issues that were previously ignored.\n"Just because of her presence in being a part of the administration, there's a new generation of researchers out there who are able to get funding and support," he said.\nThis is particularly important to Almazan, who is currently conducting research on coping resources and mental health problems among gay youth, which he said may affect their mental health and well-being, leading to such high risk behaviors as outlined by Elders.\nAlmazan said GLBT issues are not ignored at IU.\n"I'm here because Indiana has done a wonderful job," he said. "I'm from California, and it's amazing that a school is this progressive in doing groundbreaking research in addressing issues that people really need. If it weren't for the Kinsey Institute, if it weren't for Chancellor Brehm, if it weren't for structures, if it weren't for organizations and funding within Indiana University then this type of research would not have been available."\nAlso on Saturday, Dr. Terry Tafoya, a Native American psychologist, examined sexuality as approached through history and the lens of cultural identity. In Native American culture, as well as others, gender is not defined specifically by physical properties, but by the role of the actor. While European culture would believe only two genders exist, Native American culture identifies up to eight.\nTafoya also examined the role of sexuality among the elderly, and even children.\n"Children are actually sexual beings," he said. "Repressing their expression could actually have life long implications."\nTo explain, Tafoya told the story of a mother who caught her young boy masturbating. She held a butcher knife to the child's penis, telling him not to engage in this act ever again. As the child grew into a man, he became sexually aroused by knives.\nThe man is now a surgeon.\nTafoya said all youth, not just GLBT youth, should have access to sex education to understand their identities, as well the natural functions of their bodies. Sexual orientation is not a choice, as is sexual preference. In the Native American culture, sex is as normal as cooking, fishing or hunting.\nTafoya said the same is true for other cultures.\n"Human beings are just sexual, period," he said.