Governor Vilsack and Lt. Governor Pederson to Host Issues Conference for Lesbian and Gay Students

Governor Vilsack and Lt. Governor Pederson to Host Issues Conference for Lesbian and Gay Students

Conference to focus on stopping bullying and harassment of LGBT youth

In an effort to enhance public understanding about issues facing gay and lesbian youth, Governor Vilsack and Lt. Governor Pederson will host the Governor's Conference on LGBT Youth, Tuesday, February 21st at Drake University in Des Moines.

Vilsack and Pederson will join the LGBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force and numerous education and civil rights organizations in hosting the event, including the Iowa Association of School Boards, Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa State Education Association, and School Administrators of Iowa.

A main focus of the conference will be to address the rates of bullying and harassment in Iowa schools, specifically anti-gay slurs and homophobic harassment. A newly released survey by the LGBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force has revealed that only 77 out of 367 school districts in Iowa have anti-harassment policies that explicitly protect lesbian and gay students. The Vilsack-Pederson Administration and some members of the Iowa Legislature have pushed for policies and programs to stop bullying, harassment, and discrimination against all students, including those that are LGBT.

"All young people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, including LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT," Vilsack said. "Unfortunately, recent Iowa studies show that these students often face bullying and harassment. We all share in the responsibility of protecting children from abuse, and it is my hope that this conference will help our efforts to provide safe and supportive learning environments for these students."

"Bullying is a form of abuse that no child should have to experience and we need to send the message that such behavior is unacceptable and will be punished," Pederson said. "All students should have the opportunity to live and learn free of harassment so that they can perform to their full potential in the classroom."

The 2005 Iowa School Climate Survey released by the Iowa Pride Network illustrates the amount of harassment faced by LGBT students in Iowa: *

92.3% reported hearing homophobic remarks frequently in their schools. *

83.3% reported being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation. *

61.2% do not feel safe at school because of their sexual orientation. *

33.6% reported some incident of physical harassment (being pushed or shoved) because of their sexual orientation; while nearly 18% (17.8) of students reported some incident of physical assault (being punched, kicked or injured with a weapon) because of their sexual orientation or gender expression.

Brad Clark, Executive Director of the LGBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force, said, "We support the Governor and Lt. Governor's push for safer schools. Unfortunately, certain legislative leaders are blocking these proposals from coming forward, saying that schools already have policies to protect these students. This study destroys that myth. The vast majority of Iowa school districts do not have polices that adequately protect LGBT students from bullying, harassment, and discrimination."

The conference will be keynoted by Judy Shepard, Kevin Jennings, and James Howe. Shepard is the mother of Matthew Shepard, who was murdered during anti-gay hate crime in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998. Jennings is the founder and Executive Director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which is the nation's largest network of parents, students, and educators working to ensure safety in schools for LGBT students. Howe is a well-known author of books for young readers, including The Misfits¸ which inspired the national No-Name Calling Week project.

The all-day conference will begin at 8:30 AM with a welcome from Vilsack. It will end at 4:30 p.m. and be followed by a 7:00 PM community lecture featuring Shepard in the Olmsted Center at Drake University.

The conference, which is the first of its kind in the state of Iowa, is sold out with more than 500 registrants from communities across the state expected to attend.

Those interested in more information about the conference may contact Brad Clark, Executive Director of the LGBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force at 515-243-1221 or by email at info@iowasafeschools.org.

http://www.governor.state.ia.us/news/2006/february/february1506_1.html