Coming right on the heels of my previous entry regarding the need to preserve school libraries and art programs, here is a heart-warming tale of young people taking it upon themselves to fight for a more just world and to preserve the promise of our public schools.
The site is We Say Gay.
The organizers are high school students.
The cause is a fight for 1st Amendment rights, and just as importantly, making sure that the main safe-haven for LGBT youths who are shunned or abused is not taken away from them.
In the words of the site itself:
We say gay for the students who won’t be able to. This site is dedicated to fight against the Tennessee state bill SB0049 (Don’t say gay bill), which would make it a misdemeanor to talk about homosexuality in grades bellow 9th. That is an obvious insult to our first amendment rights to free speech as well as it is a major blow to those young people who are shunned by their own parents for being gay and soon will not be able to talk to their school about it.
On this site we have collected some facts about the bill. We check and update the site daily or as updates about the bill come in. If you would like to sign the petition against this bill or help the fight just email me at wesaygay@gmail.com
An online petition has been set up against the bill here, and the organizers urge anyone who wants to to sign:
I’ve gotten a few emails asking if there is a minimum age to sign the petition so I want to make it known that their is not one. Me and my friend who made this petition are both 17 and 14 respectively, so do not worry about being a minor or anything like that.
It really is encouraging to see young people take it upon themselves to start organizing against injustice. However, this petition is the only way to get involved. If you live in Tennessee, please contact your state legislators and demand that they stand up for the First Amendment and for our children. And let them know that if they REALLY want to protect children, they won't take away one of the few safe havens that abused kids have in their lives. While you're at it, write a letter to your local paper as well. Be polite, be direct, and bring this issue to light before it's too late.
Note: many thanks to Dan Savage (of Savage Love) for giving this site national exposure.