Gay Straight Alliance Taking Hold In Earlier Grades: Report

San Francisco Chronicle :

It took just a single word for Marcel Brown to make up his mind to join his school's Gay Straight Alliance.

"I was walking down the hallway with my little brother, and he was messing around with his friends and they called him a 'faggot,' " said Marcel, an eighth-grader at San Francisco's Everett Middle School. "And I thought, 'That's messed up.' My older brother is gay."

Read the whole story: San Francisco Chronicle

Comments

[Zippy1169]

10:17 PM on 01/16/2012

Trying to break the cycle of bigotry and predjudice early can only make this a more cohesive country in the long run. Take a look at the changes of attitude toward race or any other group beaten down by bigots. Once it is attacked head on each generation becomes more and more jelled. It is perfect, No. But it gets better and better.

[PorrickSF]

05:30 PM on 01/16/2012

Exactly, we figure it out at the same time everyone else is starting to notice the opposite sex. For me it was at age 12. As far as I;m concerned, any organization that fights bigotry in any form is worthwhile when it is formed by those it impacts most.

Good for these kids for living empowered lives and telling the truth about who they are. Now if we can only get them to run for congress...

[lambdin1]

11:17 AM on 01/16/2012

We need more of these alliances! If Santorum and those of his ilk had access to such alliances maybe he would be different...Maybe not...

[Atwill]

09:39 AM on 01/16/2012

Good. gays know at an early age they are different. My kid told me he always knew, fought it till 16, then said "F it" and came out. I am glad he did it at 16 and not 26 or 36 like many .

[Alonso Moscoso]

05:26 AM on 01/17/2012

It brings a smile to my face you support your gay soon and that you are proud of him!

[lovingthismoment50]

10:37 PM on 01/15/2012

Good. These alliances help kids and tick off bigots. Win-win.

[TheNextVoiceofYouth]

10:02 PM on 01/15/2012

This is really great, especially with puberty occuring at earlier ages. It's bad enough to get teased for being different in high school when you're trying to figure out who to be, but to get teased for being different while your hormones have just signaled your body to change is worse. It's good to see some of the public school kids focus on the fact that they are still kids no matter what.

[Cacey]

09:42 PM on 01/15/2012

Actually, I've had a similar situation. I have some very good friends who have two sons. The younger one is a real jock, great in every sport, very agressive, while the older one was much more into creative things, art, cooking, music. Well which one is gay. As a friend of mine said decades ago, "what's the difference?"

[Junius Gallio]

12:58 PM on 01/16/2012

Fanned and faved. :)