When the Drama Club is Not Enough: Lessons from the Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students - Softcover

Perrotti, Jeff

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807031313 ISBN 13: 9780807031315

Publisher: Beacon Press, 2002

Synopsis

When the Drama Club Is Not Enough presents the work of two young activists who have been at the forefront of the successful Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students in Massachusetts, a model for states and school districts nationwide. They give concrete, hard-won, and often inspiring lessons on integrating gay and lesbian issues to create powerful change for school communities.

The book discusses the previously undiscussable--gay and lesbian identity and self-esteem at the middle and elementary school level, and gay and lesbian issues in school sports. It tells the story of a high school junior who, at the end of one of Jeff Perrotti's workshops on school sports, raised his hand and said he was a football captain and wanted to come out and needed help, and uses this dramatic narrative of personal courage to show step-by-step how gay and lesbian issues can be a catalyst for transformation of schools.

The authors speak directly to those who want to change school climate--parents, teachers, administrators, and students concerned about harassment and safety. They offer seasoned and often humorous advice on dealing with controversy--even if it occurs in the context of a school presentation on sexual orientation attended by angry and disruptive parents. When the Drama Club Is Not Enough includes chapters on 'Getting Started' and 'Race and Gender' and sections on school policies and students' legal rights in order to ensure safe schools.

About this title

About the Author

Jeff Perrotti and Kim Westheimer are, respectively, founding and current director of the Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students, a nationally recognized initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Education.

From Booklist

The authors--founding and current director, respectively, of Massachusetts' pioneering Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students--offer an invaluable guide to creating a climate of safety in America's schools for all students who may be regarded as "other." While their context is the singular Massachusetts experience, the lessons shared are universal in their potential applications. Throughout, the authors' voices remain calm and reasoned, and their strategies thoughtful and pragmatic. A chapter aptly titled "Nuts and Bolts," for example, offers stepbystep techniques for forming gay-straight alliances, for using antidiscrimination and antiharassment policies (models are appended), and for working with the media. Other chapters discuss related kinds of discrimination, outline tested strategies for change, and detail techniques for coping with controversy. Numerous anecdotes of students' personal experiences--both negative and positive--enliven and enrich the otherwise straightforward presentation. Although the principal audience for this book will be school administrators and teachers, all caring adults will find it an essential tool for making local schools safe and life-affirming. Michael Cart
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Edition details

• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0807031313
• ISBN 13: 9780807031315
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240