School Clubs
Re “Consent Issue Fuels Debate Over School Gay Groups,” April 8: Whatever rationale the Glendale school district gives for requiring parental consent for student participation in clubs, the end result will be that gay and lesbian students will be forced into the closet. As the president of the gay-straight alliance at my school, I have seen many of my classmates come to terms with their sexual orientation. It is not easy, and telling parents is often the last step in a long and difficult journey.
If students need to get their parents’ signatures for a club that deals with issues of sexuality, then many of those students will not be able to join that club; the fear and the sense of invisibility are simply too overwhelming.
It’s hard enough for gay and lesbian teenagers as it is--that’s why one in three teens who commit suicide does so because he or she is gay. In enforcing this requirement, the Glendale school district will only make it harder.
ADAM A. SOFEN
Los Angeles
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