Action Alert: 8/21-25 Week of Action for Safer Schools!!!

WEEK OF ACTION-Youth are saving history & creating safer schools!

A youth-led week of action will take place next week (August 21-25) to help ensure the passage of SB 1437 and AB 606. Please do your part to create safer schools and protect LGBT students from harassment and discrimination in schools!!!

What's at stake:

SB 1437 (Bias-Free Curriculum Act) would prohibit LGBT people from being discriminated against in school textbooks, classroom instruction, and school-sponsored activities. AB 606 (Safe Place to Learn Act) would provide specific guidelines to school districts on steps they should take to prevent harassment and discrimination of students.

By the end of the summer, the Governor will make a decision on whether or not he will sign SB 1437 and AB 606. He needs to hear from youth all over California that this important legislation must be signed into law. He needs to hear from you!

What you can do:

From August 21-25 youth will be flooding the Governor's district offices with letters and phone calls of support for SB 1437 and AB 606.

Participation only takes a few minutes! Follow these simple steps to participate in our Week of Action!_

1. Educate yourself & sign up! More information about these bills can be found at http://www.eqca.org or http://www.gsanetwork.org/qyad.

Youth activists have been organizing via MySpace. To find out how you can be a leader in the campaign, please join the Youth Saving History MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/youthsavinghistory. Or, email your name, address, and contact information to youth4safeschools [at] hotmail.com.

2. Identify your district office.

Governor Schwarzenegger has six offices throughout our state. Choose the office you believe is closest to where you live (this does not have to be precise). The office closest to you is where you will call and mail/fax letters:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger_
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger 2550 Mariposa Mall #3013
Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: 559-445-5295
Fax: 559-445-5328

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger 300 South Spring Street, Suite 16701
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: 213-897-0322
Fax: 213-897-0319

Governor Schwarzenegger
3737 Main Street #201
Riverside, CA 92501
Phone: 951-680-6860
Fax: 951-680-6863

Governor Schwarzenegger_
1350 Front Street, Suite 6054
San Diego, CA 92101_
Phone: 619-525-4641_
Fax: 619-525-4640

Governor Schwarzenegger
455 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 14000
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: 415-703-2218
Fax: 415-703-2803

3. Write a letter to the governor that asks him to support LGBT students by signing both AB 606 and SB 1437. Sample letters for both bills can be found at the bottom of this message. Add your personal story to the letter to show the real life impact this legislation could have,

4. Mail/fax your letter to arrive between Monday, August 21 through Friday, August 25.

5. Pick up the phone & call!_

On August 24-25, we need you to call your local district offices and tell the Governor's staff you want him to sign AB 606 & SB 1437.

If a staff member answers your call, we suggest saying something like:

"Hello, my name is _________ and I am participating in the Youth Saving History campaign. I'm a student at _____School. I would like to voice my support for SB 1437, the Bias-Free Curriculum Act, and AB 606, the Safe Place to Learn Act. I hope the Governor will sign both of these very important bills."

Make sure you speak clearly, be brief, and be polite. Often, a computer tallies calls of support. Listen to the menu and follow the directions until you hear an option like, "Press one if you are calling in support of SB 1437." Even if you do not speak with someone your call is still very important and taken into consideration!
Congratulations! You did it! Thank you for helping LGBT students!!!
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<Sample letter for AB 606>


Today's date

Governor Schwarzenegger
XXX District office
Address 1
Address 2
City, State, Zip code

Re: Please support AB 606

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I am a student at XXX School and am writing to ask you to please support AB 606, The Safe Place To Learn Act, authored by Assemblymember Lloyd Levine, which makes the law clearer on how school districts can end discrimination and student harassment based on real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.

In my school, I have seen XXX (share a story about harassment or discrimination here from your school if it is applicable).

The California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, prohibits harassment and other forms of discrimination based on actual and/or perceived sexual orientation and gender in California schools. However, anecdotal evidence, as well as pending and settled lawsuits around California, indicate that many educators and students are unaware of the law, many teachers and administrators have not been trained to prevent and respond to illegal harassment and discrimination, most students do not know how to file a complaint, school districts are responding to complaints in an inconsistent manner, and many districts are failing to address the issue entirely.

Harassment and discrimination based on actual and/or perceived sexual orientation is a pervasive problem. The California Healthy Kids Survey found that 7.5 percent of California students reported being harassed on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation: that translates to over 200,000 middle school and high school students harassed every year. Harassment and discrimination have been found to negatively impact student health, well-being, and academic performance in school.

All students deserve to have an educational experience free of harassment and violence. A student who faces harassment is less likely to feel safe and supported in school, and this often has a negative impact on academic achievement. Not protecting students is essentially denying them equal access to education.

Please sign AB 606!

Sincerely,

Your Name
Your mailing address
(You need to include your address so the Gov can verify that you live in their district)
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<Sample letter for SB 1437>

Today's date

Governor Schwarzenegger
XXX District office
Address 1
Address 2
City, State, Zip code

Re: Vote YES on SB 1437

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I am a student at XXX School and am writing to ask you to please support SB 1437 (Bias-Free Curriculum Act), authored by Senator Sheila Kuehl. This bill expands existing legal prohibitions against discrimination in school textbooks, during classroom instruction and school events to include sexual orientation and gender identity. SB 1437 was recently amended and no longer contains any provisions calling for the inclusion of the historical achievements of LGBT people in the social science curriculum. As amended, SB 1437 would simply extend existing laws prohibiting discrimination on the bases of race, sex, disability, nationality, and religion in textbooks, instructional materials, and school sponsored activities to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Despite existing state law that prohibits California students from being harassed or discriminated against based on real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, not all LGBT students feel safe. Not all schools are welcoming. Teaching an anti-LGBT stereotype like "gay men started AIDS" in a health class, for example, is hurtful and demeaning. Stereotypes like these create a hostile learning environment for students. Other minority groups in California are legally protected from this kind of discrimination in textbooks and school events, and LGBT students deserve the same protection.

In my school, I have seen XXX (Share a story here from school if you have one. Example: your health textbook claims that LGBT parents cannot have healthy, happy families. Or, discuss an example of being left out of a school event (ex.prom) because you are or are perceived to be LGBT).

All students deserve to have an affirming educational experience free of discrimination. Not protecting students is essentially denying them equal access to education.
Please sign SB 1437!

Sincerely,

Your Name
Your mailing address
(You need to include your address so that the Governor's office can verify you live in California)

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empowering youth activists to fight homophobia and transphobia in schools

Lai-San Seto
Advocacy Coordinator
Gay-Straight Alliance Network
1550 Bryant Street, Ste. 800
San Francisco, CA 94103
ph: (415) 552-4229
fax: (415) 552-4729
lai-san [at] gsanetwork.org
http://www.gsanetwork.org/
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