Controversy Continues on Gay-Lesbian Support Issue at Fountain Valley High

* The continuing spectacle at Fountain Valley High in reference to gay club shows a clear lack of leadership by the school principal. The students should be told in no uncertain terms that bigotry and discrimination will not be tolerated! All students will be treated with respect! If a student harasses another student or a meeting, they are suspended or sent to jail if necessary. If you cut class for a demonstration, you are suspended. Hate must be attacked no matter how it is disguised.

RICHARD FREPANE

Laguna Niguel

* I found it shocking and quite disturbing to see the intolerance of gays being so flagrantly demonstrated by naive students at Fountain Valley High. These young, impressionable people are sending out the wrong message: “You are not allowed to be different. We will not stand for it.” They are exercising their right of freedom of speech and their right to demonstrate while denying others their right to be different. Yet, who among us, but for the grace of God, could find ourselves in a similar situation?

Tolerance of others is a far more admirable trait than bigotry and prejudice.

*

LUCY M. BORIK

La Palma

* There was an article in your newspaper (Nov. 9) about a club being formed at Fountain Valley High School for support of some gay students. Lead-in paragraph, “With the blessing of their principal, teachers and classmates, students at Fountain Valley High School have formed a support group for gay teen-agers.” The principal is quoted (as saying:) “These kids just want . . . someone to talk to and support them.” Dana Parsons’ headline (Nov. 24) on same school, same subject: “Gay Students Need Support ...”

Evidently not ALL students agreed. I was pleased to see some students object to this agenda. It is a wrong message to send to support this kind of lifestyle. These gay kids need help, surely; but I would not agree that they need support .

*

HAZEL H. SCHWAB

San Juan Capistrano

* Your story on the recent board meeting concerning the Fountain Valley High School gay and lesbian club (“O.C. School’s Gay-Support Group Debated,” Dec. 8), left out the concerns that were voiced contrary to those held by the two predominant groups who have boiled the whole thing down to a case of right-wing fundamentalists versus left-wing gay rights activists.

We spoke at the meeting and denounced the exploitation of young students taking place by both groups. We accused them of using the situation and students as pawns in their ongoing political fight with one another, saying that what they really cared about was having access to the minds of children with which to further their own ideologies.

What is badly needed in this and every high school is a complete and honest sex education program, as well as curriculum that dispels the ignorant ideas behind sexism, racism and all types of prejudice that cause young people’s pain and confusion over sexuality et al . . . to begin with. If we lived in a world that was not preoccupied with socially enforcing sex roles and ideas of what is masculine and feminine, this situation would not exist.

That is what society should concern itself with.

Ironically, we opposed the Bible study club being on campus because of how it can affect these same educational concerns.

We asked the board to close the campus to both the gay and lesbian club and the Bible study club.

People may find it surprising that a NOW group would respond in this manner to the situation. To that we say feminism is about women’s and children’s rights and freedom, not about the politics as usual of the male-dominated “right” or “left.”

LISA MARQUISE-MC CLANAHAN

Newport Beach

* At the Huntington Beach Union High School District board meeting, a father of three objected to allowing a gay student support group to meet on campus because (the gay lifestyle) “is a lifestyle that creates depression, despair and low self-worth.”

I could say the same thing about the teachings of many modern “Christian” groups, which also create depression, despair and low self-worth from their teachings of hate, intolerance and deprecation of women.

I also find it typically hypocritical that the Christian lobby who sued the school district for the equal access ruling so that a Bible group would be allowed to meet on campus now wants equal access to be amended to include only groups deemed acceptable by the Christian lobby. So much for equal access.

I was disturbed to see that the Huntington Beach Union High School District board voted to “reconsider” the equal access issue in January. They obeyed the wishes of the Christian lobby when they first passed equal access in 1990. Are they going to again obey the Christian lobby and rescind equal access, or even worse, modify it so that “equal” access only applies to Christian-approved groups?

KATHRYN S. TARBELL

Fountain Valley