Friday, April 14, 2006

Gay? Fine by me!

I love young people and their open minds and their trust that their instincts are correct. Hamilton, Massachusetts is mostly an Old WASP, New Money kind of town. A Boston suburban community that you move to when you are making big bucks and want a good school system for your 2.5 kids. The following article appeared in our local paper, The Salem News, but I am printing it out because you have to register with The News to read it.


T-shirts aim to foster tolerance for gays, lesbians
By Ethan Forman, Staff writer
Not everyone is "fine" with a national fashion statement that has turned up at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High: a T-shirt bearing the slogan, "Gay? Fine By Me." But students, at least, are respecting one another's differences.On Wednesday, students from the school's 15-member gay-straight alliance group Creating Awareness Respect and Equality passed out 75 of the T-shirts. Two group members, sophomores Aleigh Suffren and Maggie Druschel, said their lunch table was mobbed as they passed out the shirts, and that they didn't have enough to go around.The students did not invent the slogan, however. The shirts bear the motto of the nonprofit Fine By Me Inc., an organization founded in 2003 by 10 Duke University students. The group runs T-shirt campaigns across the country and says 40,000 people are now taking part in the project, with 10,000 college and high school students expected to don the shirts this spring. Other Massachusetts schools involved with the effort include Newton North and South high schools, Georgetown High and several colleges.Kate Roberts, a 19-year-old senior and member of the alliance group, spearheaded the local T-shirt drive. She often wore her own "Gay? Fine By Me" T-shirt to school after she bought one at a conference last year. The shirts range in price from $6.90 a piece for quantities of 25 to 49, down to $4.10 for quantities of 1,000 or more. Roberts did not charge students for the shirts on Wednesday, but did accept donations, raising $190."We are just out for acceptance and creating awareness," Roberts said, explaining the effort. She hopes students wear their shirts often so that "at least every day you see people with a shirt."Yet Roberts acknowledged the effort hasn't enjoyed universal appeal. One freshman, she said, wore a "Gay, Not Fine By Me" T-shirt, but was made to take it off because it targeted a specific group. Several students wore "Straight? Fine By Me" T-shirts, she said, which was fine by her.Druschel said some were shaken up by the opposing T-shirts, but then realized that people have a right to their opinions.School adjustment counselor Holly Brabson-Halsey, who serves as the gay-straight alliance group's adviser, said she spoke to the group about the possible opposition from other students. "Part of that is being respectful to everyone's opinion," she said. "People are entitled to their opinions, but they can't do it in a way that is hateful or is harassing of other students." So far, so good."I think it's no problem with me," freshman Philip Posillico said of the T-shirt slogan. "It's not going to be a big deal. People are just expressing what they feel.""I think it's a good idea," said Conor Burke, 15. "I think it's just good for people to express themselves, just to have an open community and have people be accepting no matter (another person's) religion or sexual orientation."Some, however, did not like the sentiment displayed so openly."I'm not totally opposed," said Colin Jermain, a junior. "I'm not totally in favor. I don't like it in my face.""We are not in your face about it," Druschel said. "... Plenty of people have writing on their T-shirts."Members of the group plan to wear the T-shirts on April 26, a day set aside to support gays and lesbians afraid to reveal their homosexuality. The students also plan not to speak during the entire school day, Brabson-Halsey said.

Countess Bedelia 4/14/2006 07:16:00 PM

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