Testimony of Kim Welter

Before Ohio Senate Education Committee

Regarding H.B. 276

December 12, 2006

My name is Kim Welter, I am the Executive Director of EqualityToledo and the Project Director for the Safe Schools Project of Northwest Ohio/Southeast Michigan.

I’m here not only on behalf of my job, but on behalf of Todd and Alicia, who poured out their stories in journals entries and rap music lyrics to me during my 5 years as an English teacher in the Toledo area. 

Todd spoke eloquently about having to fake an interest in girls to avoid harassment at school, of being beaten by his father when his father found out he was gay, and of his desire to kill himself as a result, since he saw no other way to avoid the verbal and physical violence at school and at home.  Todd was 13 years old.

Alicia is angry at the world.  Mercilessly harassed for her sexual orientation and gender expression – she moved her body physically in a way that was more masculine than feminine – Alicia lashed out at herself, by cutting and becoming anorexic.  School was something she “endured” every day.  Alicia was 12.

As a teacher, I was never sure where one student’s first amendment rights started and another’s ended.  And the question of whether gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students were protected at all was very unclear.  Even when a statement read “all” students, most of my colleagues assumed that did not include gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender kids, since there is no state or federal protection that names this class of citizens as being worthy of inclusion in protection policies.

I’ve been out of teaching now for 2 years.  I asked a teacher friend of mine from Waite High School in Toledo about a student from her school who attempted suicide last year.  This is what she said:

"There is not much I can tell you about our student except that he tried, thank goodness unsuccessfully, to commit suicide last year.  He was a young man that was called names, made fun of because he wore make-up and didn't hide who he was [gay or transgender], bullied so often that I believe he felt he had no other recourse.  He never came back to school after the attempt and I have since lost track of him.

All children have the constitutional right to a safe school environment.  Unfortunately, school is a dangerous place for many children, especially gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.  In our local schools, GLBT teenagers are dropping out or transferring to charter schools to avoid daily harassment, property damage and physical assault.  In addition, GLBT teachers and staff face similar threats. 

You have heard a lot of testimony today about statewide and national statistics.  I want to share with you a bit about where I’m from, Northwest Ohio.

In a 2004 Northwest Ohio survey, 41% of GLBT students consider their school environment to be hostile towards GLBT students; 65% report harassment or discrimination because of their sexual orientation.  Interestingly 23%, nearly ¼ of the students surveyed, said that teachers or other staff members were more likely to harass or discriminate against a student than other students. 86% of those students said that intervention occurs SOMETIMES or NEVER, with 42% reporting that intervention NEVER occurs, when a student is being harassed due to sexual orientation.  When intervention does occur it is an adult in only 55% of the situations.  My point is that adults in schools are very unclear and do not understand their legal responsibilities to prevent bullying and harassment of students especially gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender youth.

The following are excerpts from this survey of Toledo Rainbow Area Youth

 

“Every day in school I am called a fag and told I will be killed”

“I missed my entire 8^th grade year because of harassment”

“A student threatened to shoot and kill me . . . the incident was reported and no one did anything.”

“Teachers allow students to harass other students right in front of them.”

“I have heard teachers say some violent things about homosexuals.”

“I came out to my Civics teacher in 8^th grade and he immediately told the rest of the teaching staff.  I had to transfer to another school.”

“Teachers will allow students to talk about killing gay people and will sometimes even agree.”

“I have been threatened and assaulted on school grounds.  No teachers took action.

As the Project Director for the Safe School’s Project in Northwest Ohio, I work with teachers, staff and administrators in schools.  These well meaning adults repeatedly express the need to have “who” is protected by anti-bullying and harassment policies spelled out to them.  There is a lot of confusion in Northwest Ohio at least about whether protections like anti-bullying and anti-harassment apply to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students and staff. 

Most adults in schools are under the assumption, based on rhetoric in Ohio, that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students and staff are not included unless specifically spelled out in policy.  These same teachers are, for the most part, relieved to find out that US courts have upheld the right of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students to a safe school environment, and in Toledo, appreciate that their intervention in bullying and harassment is supported by Toledo’s local municipal human rights ordinance.  This does not, however, apply outside of Toledo city limits any where else in Northwest Ohio.

Here is a sampling of what Washington Local School district high school teachers had to say on this subject.

 “I truly believe that tolerance can be taught through realization and legislation.  I found the personal stories as well as the legal explanation to be quite useful for the staff.” 

“[it was valuable] Being made aware of my legal responsibility in these situations [involving gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students and staff].”

“It was nice to be reminded of the laws that protect the GLBT students and what our roles are.”