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Local News
Provo School District Grapples with Gay/Straight Alliance Club
Many consider Provo, Utah to be the most conservative city in the United States, so when Provo High School senior Kaisha Medford applied to create a Gay-Straight Alliance student club at her school, it made headlines nationwide.
The group first met Oct. 13 and Director of Student Services for the Provo City School District Greg Hudnall said the club was given the thumbs up Oct 14.
The Provo City School District Board of Education, however, may yet rain on the students’ parade. The board is considering a policy that would require parental permission and otherwise regulate school clubs. They may even consider banning all student clubs altogether. The next board meeting is Nov. 8 where many parents and students are expected to air their opinions.
Interestingly, this controversy started in Utah nearly ten years ago when student Kelli Petersen asked for and was denied the right to create a Gay/Straight Alliance at East High School. The Salt Lake City School District banned all non-curricular clubs in an attempt to keep the group out of the school, but years later reversed their decision after two lawsuits were filed.
Since that time, over 3,000 GSAs have been formed in U.S. high schools. According to Stan Burnett, Director of Youth Programs at the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah, 14 GSAs have existed in Utah high schools, though as few as seven may currently be active.
“Many schools require that a club get reapproved every year, so if a club loses its leadership to graduation, sometimes a club loses its status,” he expained.
Medford said she started the club after talking to many gay and lesbian students and found a lot of harassment happening at the school. She attended a Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network summit in Salt Lake City over the summer to learn how to start the club and submitted the application in September.
The club is “half-way between a support group and social group, a place where we can just hang out and talk, not necessarily about gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender issues, but about everything,” she told the media. She sees the club as “a place where you can go to know that you’re accepted.”—MA
Utah Gay/Straight Alliances
Bountiful High
Brighton High
Copper Hills High
East High
Hillcrest High
Hunter High
Logan High
Layton High (Lancers Opening Understanding Doors-Loud)
Mt Logan Middle (Environmntl Club)
Northridge High (The Community Justice Council)
Park City High
Rowland Hall St Marks School
(Amnesty Intl)
West High
Source: Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network
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