GLSEN Outraged by Pennsylvania School Board Member’s Alleged Use of Gay Slur

[John]

http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/2012.html

NEW YORK – GLSEN, or the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is appalled by the alleged use of a gay slur by the Ambridge Area School Board’s vice president last week at a school board meeting.
GLSEN Pittsburgh is calling for a sincere apology from Vice President William Scherfel as well as a workshop on the impact of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in schools attended by the entire school board. If Scherfel is unwilling to recognize his error, apologize and attend a workshop, GLSEN Pittsburgh is calling for him to resign.

"The Pennsylvania code of conduct for teachers includes language specifying that teachers may not discriminate based on sexual orientation," said GLSEN Pittsburgh Co-Chair Tom Wyse. "At the very least, if a teacher can be fired for behavior such as this, we would hope someone setting the tone for the actions of an entire school district would have to meet the same standards."

The incident allegedly took place last week when Scherfel reportedly referred to students in Ambridge Area High School's Gay-Straight Alliance as "faggots."

According the Beaver County Times, Scherfel said he grew up in a different generation when certain terms were acceptable in referring to gays and other groups. Two other members of the board, including the president, downplayed the severity of Scherfel’s actions.

"People need to understand that this kind of language means something and it hurts people," said GLSEN Deputy Executive Director Eliza Byard. "In fact, it has a very negative impact on school climate for all students. There is no place for this sort of language anywhere, let alone by an education official at a public meeting."

GLSEN National and GLSEN Pittsburgh hope Scherfel and the Ambridge Area School Board will use this as an opportunity to educate themselves and bring light to the issue of anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) bias and behavior in schools.

Bullying and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender expression, including the use of anti-LGBT language, makes LGBT students feel less safe at school, causes them to perform worse in class, increases the frequency and number of students who skip school and decreases LGBT students’ sense of belonging.

Students across the country recognize that addressing this problem would improve school climate for all. Nearly two out of three students (63 percent) – gay and straight - who have heard homophobic remarks say their school’s atmosphere would be better if they heard them less often, according to From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, a Harris Interactive report conducted on behalf of GLSEN.

Unfortunately, Pennsylvania students report hearing anti-LGBT remarks at an alarming rate. According to From Teasing to Torment: A Report on School Climate in Pennsylvania, a vast majority of Pennsylvania students reported hearing homophobic remarks such as "faggot" or "dyke" (82%), or the expressions "that’s so gay" or "you’re so gay" (93%) from other students in school.

Sexual orientation and gender expression are among the top three reasons Pennsylvania students say students are bullied and harassed at their school along with physical appearance.

Surprised? Not really...

[KN]

I do really ****ing hate those words.

[bayushisan]

I dislike vulgarity of any sort; but we really need to get away from trying to be thought police. A word only has meaning if we allow it to. It can only have a negative impact on us if we allow it to.

What bothers me more is the notion of "free speach for me but not you" that seems to be gaining prevalence with the PC crowd. Should you call people vulgar names? No. Should it be illegal to to do so? No again.

I don't mean to sound harsh but I think some people need to grow a spine and stop letting these things affect them so much. You'll survive name calling. Its something I know from experience.

[KN]

Your post would be incredibly cool and awesome if you didn't fly off the handle when we call the religious right retarded.

[bayushisan]

Then I apologize. My temper has gotten the better of me more than once when it comes to matters I care about.

[Thefremen]

Your post would be incredibly cool and awesome if you didn't fly off the handle when we call the religious right retarded.

So ****ing seconded. The part that makes me want to say I'm chargin ma laser is the fact that it's so inaccurate to call the gay-straight alliance faggots. It's like calling the people of Iraq 'rabs. I mean, Camel Jockeys maybe but they aren't Arabian. If your going to say **** like that at least do some research. Like calling New York Jew York, or Hiney Town or calling Hamburg Krautsville or Paris Frogland, those would all at least be accurate.

Calling people faggots? That's so gay.

[KN]

Then I apologize. My temper has gotten the better of me more than once when it comes to matters I care about.

That's coo'. As I said, I agree with your post.

Except the part about generic vulgarity. I love it. **** yeah ;)

[Sprngpilot]

I dislike vulgarity of any sort; but we really need to get away from trying to be thought police. A word only has meaning if we allow it to. It can only have a negative impact on us if we allow it to.

What bothers me more is the notion of "free speach for me but not you" that seems to be gaining prevalence with the PC crowd. Should you call people vulgar names? No. Should it be illegal to to do so? No again.

I don't mean to sound harsh but I think some people need to grow a spine and stop letting these things affect them so much. You'll survive name calling. Its something I know from experience.

Bill Maher once commented that people should never become so tolerant as to tolerate intolerance.

I'm often an advocate of remaining calm in the face of opposing views, but in this case we have a man using a slur which has only one purpose in this context: hatred. Being open-minded and tolerant is one thing, but giving people a pass to spread hate and discrimination is taking the notion entirely too far. So I say we level as much criticism and nasty comments at this man as possible in an effort to discourage any more use of that term in the future. I would advocate the same if he has used the word "nigger" to refer to black people, "spic" for latinos, and so on. It's really no different in my mind... and I would be willing to bet if he has used a racial slur you would be saying the same thing.

Or am I wrong? Would you tell us to just let it go if he had used a racial slur?

P.S. The man is full of **** when he implies that he grew up in a time when "faggot" was acceptable... there has never been a time since that word came to be a derogatory name for gay men that is was considered nice or acceptable, unless one was in the company of others who also hated/feared homosexuals. Simply put that's a weak attempt to cover up his opinion of the GSA on campus.

[Gwen]

I dislike vulgarity of any sort; but we really need to get away from trying to be thought police. A word only has meaning if we allow it to. It can only have a negative impact on us if we allow it to.

What bothers me more is the notion of "free speach for me but not you" that seems to be gaining prevalence with the PC crowd. Should you call people vulgar names? No. Should it be illegal to to do so? No again.

I don't mean to sound harsh but I think some people need to grow a spine and stop letting these things affect them so much. You'll survive name calling. Its something I know from experience.

You have point, except it doesn't apply in this case. First, no one's calling for making these words illegal, and second, this is a person with a position in public education, who used the word at a meeting. Being PC is part of the job description in public education.

[Ohma]

P.S. The man is full of **** when he implies that he grew up in a time when "faggot" was acceptable... there has never been a time since that word came to be a derogatory name for gay men that is was considered nice or acceptable, unless one was in the company of others who also hated/feared homosexuals. Simply put that's a weak attempt to cover up his opinion of the GSA on campus.

Seconded, unlike some stupid teen saying "dude, that is so gay" there is no way for faggot to be considered anything other than a hateful name. (unless you're being anachronistic and talking about a bundle of wood...or a pack of cigs)

[kurisu7885]

Seconded, unlike some stupid teen saying "dude, that is so gay" there is no way for faggot to be considered anything other than a hateful name. (unless you're being anachronistic and talking about a bundle of wood...or a pack of cigs)

I woudln't be surprised if the "man's" next move was to try and have that particular organization disbanded.

[Thefremen]

Seconded, unlike some stupid teen saying "dude, that is so gay" there is no way for faggot to be considered anything other than a hateful name. (unless you're being anachronistic and talking about a bundle of wood...or a pack of cigs)

School admin: God Damn, I want to light up a faggot!

Random person: Oh, here I have a smoke mate...

School admin: what the hell? Smoking is a horrible habit. I want to burn a homosexual alive just for being gay.

[Ohma]

School admin: God Damn, I want to light up a faggot!

Random person: Oh, here I have a smoke mate...

School admin: what the hell? Smoking is a horrible habit. I want to burn a homosexual alive just for being gay.

Pff ha ha ha

You just won an interweb.

[KN]

School admin: God Damn, I want to light up a faggot!

Random person: Oh, here I have a smoke mate...

School admin: what the hell? Smoking is a horrible habit. I want to burn a homosexual alive just for being gay.

Winrar. You is it.

[bayushisan]

Personally I think we should all use the term in its original context as the old english word for a bundle of wood, or wrought iron. That would really start to confuse people.

P.S. yes that is the orginal definition. I checked it at the following: http://www.m-w.com/

[KN]

Personally I think we should all use the term in its original context as the old english word for a bundle of wood, or wrought iron. That would really start to confuse people.

P.S. yes that is the orginal definition. I checked it at the following: http://www.m-w.com/

That would be pretty damn hilarious.

[kurisu7885]

That would be pretty damn hilarious.

Agreed.

Damn you short messages.

[John]

Personally I think we should all use the term in its original context as the old english word for a bundle of wood, or wrought iron. That would really start to confuse people.

P.S. yes that is the orginal definition. I checked it at the following: http://www.m-w.com/

I actually use the old English and new English meaning of queer to describe myself.

Saves time and energy typing and both meanings apply to me either way.

As for your first post, if it had been said by Billy-Bob Jr.Jr.Jr.Jr.Jr. down at the laundry mat, then fine, I wouldn't care. But it was a School Board Member, president, I believe, who said it.

[nightwng2000]

PC aside, abuse is abuse. The intent is to use the word in a demeaning and abusive manner. It implies an inferior status on a group of humans. Moreover, used by an individual who is an authority figure, it implies an advocation of abuse, in this case verbal, and perhaps even mental abuse, against a group of humans, in this case bisexual/homosexual. And this, as well, is used to verball/mental abuse children as well as imply that those who are not a part of that group also have the right to verbal/mentally abuse individuals of that group.

This also sends the message, intended or not, that authority figures will perhaps even allow other forms of abuse, including physical and perhaps sexual abuse. By an authority figure announcing that they consider a group of humans to be inferior, they do send the message that anyone else who does the same is doing something appropriate.

In all bluntness, I think the biggest threats to a decent society aren't people of a particular race, sexual orientation, religion, or other grouping, but rather bigots themselves. Bigots tend to advocate all forms of abuse against those they are bigoted against, and therefore present clear and present dangers to others. As such, they do not belong in society and really should be the ones condemned and segregated out from the honorable, intelligent individuals.

That authority figure should be removed from their job and permanently denied the right to work in a job that deals with the public at large. They are clearly incompetent to work with a diverse population.

And, frankly, it's individuals like that that makes me think there should be a "Bigots Registry", much in the same way there are online sex offender registries. Such a registry would keep such obscene individuals out of good neighborhoods and prevent their bigotry and hate from being spread to children by warning public schools that such individuals should not be hired.

Think I'm being extreme? Think again. That was my downplayed version of what I think should happen to bigots.