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FESTIVAL NEWS
Coming Out Has Never Been So Difficult
In A Girl Names Kai and Homecoming, two youth encounter hatred and pressure from their peers and family after admitting they are gay. Unfortunately, coming out of the closet is only getting more difficult. Under the current Administration's anti-same-sex marriage campaign, it is increasingly difficult and more dangerous for LGBT youth to be honest with their families and communities. According to The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, LGBT hate crimes have gone up 30 percent within the past year. This horrifying statistic is in addition to the alarming results found in a national survey of LGBT students conducted by the Office of Public Policy of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in 2003. The survey found that, "77.9 percent heard remarks such as 'faggot' or 'dyke' frequently or often at school; 18.8 percent heard similar remarks from faculty or school staff at least some of the time; 82.9 percent reported that faculty or staff never or only sometimes intervened when they were present when such remarks were made; 84 percent personally had been verbally harassed at school because of their sexual orientation; 65.3 percent had been sexually harassed; and 39.1 percent had been physically harassed." Celina R. De Le�n is a social justice journalist and writes about the grave problems facing LGBT youth in the article Coming Out Is Getting Harder published on Alternet. READ the entire article. Take Action with the Gay Straight Alliance Network and START a Gay-Sraight Alliance in your school.Published on June 14, 2005
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