Informed Opinions on Today’s Topics : Learning to Accept Lifestyle Differences

Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the independence day of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement. Nationwide, June has been designated Gay and Lesbian Awareness Month.

In New York, gays, lesbians and bisexuals have been celebrating the occasion with Stonewall 25 festivities and the Gay Games all week. In West Hollywood, the 24th annual Gay Pride Parade on June 12 drew a crowd of a quarter of a million supporters. Additionally, schools and organizations have been taking on educating the public about gays and lesbians.

San Fernando Valley Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) has written a domestic partnership bill that would grant unmarried couples--from gays to senior citizens--family hospital visitation rights, conservatorship and will procedures like those of married couples. In sheer numbers, the bill affects mostly unmarried heterosexual couples, but concerns gays and lesbians.

Has the San Fernando Valley area become more accepting of its gay/lesbian/bisexual community?

Assemblyman Richard Katz:

“I think all around people are becoming more informed as more people come out of the closet and they realize that gay and lesbian people work and eat just like everyone else. Rather, they just have a different sexual orientation that doesn’t impact the quality of person that they are. . . .

“I think it’s hard to point out specific changes; attitudes change slowly and attitudes can’t be legislated. Attitudes change due to personal experience. As more people know someone who is gay or lesbian now, they know that it doesn’t matter, that they are people just like everyone else.”

Kathy Gill, director of the Gay And Lesbian Awareness Commission of the Los Angeles Unified School District:

“Some San Fernando Valley high schools have had some problems (with gay bashing), but we’ve certainly made some headway at other schools. We do need to continue education, and that’s just it: education for diversity. . . . We intend to go out and continue talking to parents and staff and being as supportive as we can.

“I do a lot of staff development, which means I would go out and share with the teachers about what gay and lesbian youth face and it’s a subject that sometimes they don’t feel comfortable with. . . . And what we would like to do (next year) is to work with the new parent unit through the LAUSD . . . and make a brochure representing all seven of the commissions (each for a minority group).”

Adele Starr, president of the Los Angeles chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG) and the mother of five children, one of whom is gay:

“About half of our members are from the San Fernando Valley. . . . I would say the Valley is very representative of Los Angeles County in that there are many families that have gay and lesbian sons and daughters. . . . I’ve been involved for many, many years and there was a time when the media wouldn’t use the word ‘gay,’ but it is very heartwarming that the media does cover gays and lesbians today.

“We’re beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. . . . I’ve had several calls from middle schools and high schools from distraught parents whose children were picked on for being suspected of being gay: verbal harassment and, in one case, a boy was actually hurt. . . . I would appeal to these parents to teach their children that it’s un-American to be hostile, to verbally or physically harass anyone. I think we should teach our children to respect diversity.”