Albany HS Students Discuss Sexual Orientation Issues at WAMC

ALBANY, NY (02/08/2008)(readMedia)-- Do public high schools still practice a form of “don’t ask, don’t tell” when it comes to including sexual orientation in their curricula & bullying policies? What problems do lesbian, gay, transgender or bisexual adolescents face in public middle and high schools? Members of the senior class from the Theatre & Communications Exploration Program of Albany High School in Albany County will discuss these questions and related sexual orientation issues on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at the WAMC Linda Norris Auditorium, 339 Central Avenue, Albany. The program is part of WAMC’s Youth Media Project: Student Town Meetings.

Moderated by WAMC’s David Guistina, the panel for this program includes Libby Post, President of Communications Services; Joanne Trinkle of The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN); and Pat Panepinto, founder and past president of the Capital Region New York chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays). The discussion will be taped for broadcast on WAMC’s afternoon program, The Speakers’ Corner, in April, 2008.

According to an article printed in USA Today in February, 2007, gay teenagers are "coming out" earlier than ever, and many feel better about themselves than earlier generations of gays. This viewpoint is supported by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight (GLS) Education Network, a national group that promotes a positive school climate for gay children, as well as other youth leaders and researchers. The change is happening in the wake of opinion polls that show growing acceptance of gays, more supportive adults and positive gay role models in popular media.

Still, many continue to have a tough time. The worst off, experts say, are young people in conservative rural regions and children whose parents cannot abide having gay offspring. Taunting at school is still common. Cyber-bullying is common, with taunts and hate mail prevalent on MySpace or Facebook.

This is the third WAMC Student Town Meeting in which students from the Albany HS Theatre & Communications Explorations Program have participated. They selected the discussion topic early in January in conjunction with their study of political and societal issues concerning The Laramie Project, a play about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. The murder is widely considered to be a hate crime motivated by homophobia. Students worked with teacher Ward Dales and WAMC Education Director Maryanne Malecki for approximately four weeks in preparation for the taping.

WAMC’s Youth Media Project provides teachers and students with a structured process that prepares young people to critically analyze and discuss issues affecting them with recognized specialists in the community on public radio. By connecting literacy and critical thinking skills with students’ worlds in a meaningful way, WAMC’s Youth Media Project encourages young people to become part of the public radio audience. WAMC's Youth Media Project is made possible through the generous support of the Educational Foundation of America, the Howard and Bush Foundation in honor of Margaret Mochon, and Jack and Connie Hume.

Upcoming Student Town Meetings on The Speakers’ Corner will include high school students from Berlin, Albany, New Paltz, Schoharie, Coxsackie-Athens, Berne-Knox-Westerlo, Newburgh, Queensbury, Lake George, Ulster County New Visions Communications Program, and Hoosick Falls. Secondary educators in pubic schools interested in participating in the project should contact WAMC Education Director Maryanne Malecki at (518) 465-5233 ext. 135, or visit the Web site, www.wamcstudenttownmeetings.org. Audio versions of all previously recorded programs are available online as well.

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