This is a prime example of the emotional abuse LGBT students are forced to endure from adults. The Gwinnett County, Georgia school system has banned LGBT students from accessing LGBT-friendly websites. "It Gets Better"? Forget about it. "Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook"? Not on your life. Instead, the "lgbt" websites that are made available to them are sites that promise to "turn [them] straight". There should be a site where the administrators can go to turn themselves smart.
What they are saying is that it's ok to batter the self-esteem and confidence of a young LGBT person, but it's not ok for them to be able to go to sites that will help make them feel better about themselves or like they belong. That's bullying on an adult level. On a deeper level, this tells them that they are defective, that their feelings are not authentic, that they can be "fixed" with the right therapy or information. I'm guessing they didn't catch the news that "ex-gay therapy" was a fraud. A 30-year lie, led by an "ex-gay" who's now a married (with children) man who openly admits that he still finds himself attracted to men and "still has urges". Surprising, huh?
The ACLU has taken Gwinnett County to task over this issue. Early last year, the ACLU fought the federal government for the right of LGBT students to have access to gay-friendly websites, such as GLSEN. And, they won. Apparently, Georgia is exempt from federal rulings. At this moment in time, I don't know what the outcome is of their battle against Gwinnett County. What I do know is that there isn't time to wait for that decision. Too many lives are at stake.
There's a petition on change.org, "Help LGBT Students Get Their Voices Heard". It needs to be signed by the thousands. Gwinnett County needs to understand that they cannot bully our LGBT students. Like every other student in their care, the LGBT students are to be educated, nurtured, and protected. Right now, like the LGBT students in Tennessee, they're being fed to the lions. We, the concerned citizens, can and must make a difference.
