For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 
Contact:
Phoenix: Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director, ACLU-AZ, 602-418-5499 (cell) or 602-650-1854 ext. 106 (office)

PHOENIX  – Do you have the right to be “out” in school and express yourself? Can you start a GSA on campus? These are some of the questions students, advocates and allies will discuss at a community forum on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 7th at Westside Community Center, 715 West Fifth Street, in Tempe.

The forum, which is presented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona and co-sponsored by GLSEN Phoenix, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Equality Arizona, is entitled “Justice for All: Creating Safe Schools for LGBT Students.” It is free and open to the public.

"Public schools have an obligation to create safe and bias-free environments for LGBT kids, but the unfortunately reality is that doesn’t always happen,” said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona.  “This event is intended to arm students with information about how to protect their right to free expression, how to establish gay-straight alliance clubs, and, most importantly, how to convince their school boards to create an environment that is respectful of their sexual orientation and gender identity."

The interactive forum, which will be moderated by ACLU of Arizona Board Member RJ Shannon, will give students, parents and community members an opportunity to ask questions about gay-straight alliances and student expression. Additionally, students can learn how to become active and combat harassment and bullying on campus and in their communities.  

Panelists include:

•  GLSEN Phoenix co-chair Matthew Heil, discussing public schools’ obligation to protect gay teens from harassment and how to lobby school officials to create anti-harassment and bullying policies;
• Alessandra Soler Meetze, ACLU of Arizona, reviewing students’ legal rights in school, the best ways to fight discrimination in schools and how to recognize when your rights are violated;  and
  
• Chris Quintanilla, a 14-year-old gay student at school in Peoria who stood up for his rights after a school principal demanded that he turn his rainbow wristband inside-out or stop wearing it to school.

Last month, the ACLU sent a letter on behalf of Chris and his mother, Natali Quintanilla, demanding that the school district rescind its ban of the wristband. School officials from the Peoria Unified School District recently assured the ACLU that it will no longer prevent a gay 14-year-old student from wearing a rainbow wristband at school.

The groups sponsoring today’s event are urging students and community members to work at the local school board level to pass anti-bullying policies that both protect LGBT students from unlawful conduct, including harassment and intimidation, and preserve – in the way it is written and the way it is enforced – the free speech rights of all students.

This meeting is wheelchair accessible.  For sign language interpretation, captioning, or other accommodations, please contact the ACLU of Arizona office at 602-650-1854, ext. 100. Providing 72 hours notice will help to ensure availability.