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Military Base High School Allows Gay-Straight Alliance

Students stand in front of a Gay-Straight Alliance banner in the hallway of Robert D. Edgren High School at Misawa Air Base, Japan (Photo credit to Jennifer H. Svan/S&S)

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" affects more than just military personnel, its tentacles spread beyond the barracks and into the 199 DoD run schools which house the children of military and civilian families in 12 foreign countries. When Congress passed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," it enshrined into law the idea that bigotry against gays is ok -- that it is acceptable. After all, if discrimination is ratified by Congress and institutionalized in our armed forces it must be acceptable, right? At least one young woman disagreed. Samantha Cannon, a high school senior at Robert D. Edgren High School on Misawa Air Force base in Japan, recognized the fact that some students at her school might not believe that gays and lesbians deserve to be silenced or marginalized -- so she formed a Gay-Straight Alliance at her school. Despite school official’s attempts to quash the organization, Cannon fought for the group and prevailed. Her fight garnered media attention, including a recent article in Stars & Stripes. So, as a way of honoring her efforts and celebrating both her empathy and intelligence, SLDN has asked Cannon to share her story with our supporters, in her own words:

I am a senior and vice president of the student council at Robert D. Edgren High School on Misawa AB, Japan. Last September I founded a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at my school in an attempt to make our school a safe place for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. The group’s intentions are to promote tolerance and spread awareness, and to end the use of the word “gay” in derogatory ways. There are numerous GSAs in public schools all across the US, and I have found that even in some DODEA schools, such as Wiesbaden, Germany, GSAs exist. Even before presenting the club to my principal at the beginning of the school year, I knew there would be some resistance to a gay-straight alliance on a military base, especially considering the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Initially, my principal told me to go ahead and start the group, and that the GSA would have the same rights as any other non-curricular club. I had already found a sponsor for the GSA, and there were at least fifteen students who had signed up to be involved in the group, so lack of interest was not an issue. After a meeting of Edgren’s School Advisory Committee (SAC) following the start of the GSA, however, changes were made limiting our group’s access to school resources. It was determined that the GSA could meet within the school, but with the following restrictions: the GSA could not use the PA system, fundraise within the school or have access to school funds, meet during school hours, hand out or display flyers/posters within the school, advertise the group on the school website, or have page space in the school yearbook/newspaper. At least three quarters of those who attended the SAC meeting (including my principal) were affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), attending the meeting for no other reason than to argue the formation of the gay-straight alliance. To me, this was extremely frustrating, mainly because the Mormons meet every morning in the school to learn about and practice their religion. Yet, when a group like the GSA wants to spread awareness within the school, we are looked down upon and resented not only by students, but by administration as well. These resulting restrictions also contradicted what other non-curricular clubs had been allowed in the past. Edgren High School’s paintball, ski/snowboard, and chess clubs have met during study hall, displayed posters and handed out flyers, and announced meetings as often as necessary over the PA system. At the same time I presented my principal with my plan for starting the gay-straight alliance, I also asked him if I could start an American Sign Language club. He thought this was a great idea and that students would find it interesting and beneficial. Ironically, the American Sign Language club was not subject to any of the restrictions imposed upon the GSA. This is when I knew that an injustice was occurring within my school. Upon further inquiry, my principal told me that base leadership was responsible for the restrictions on the GSA. When I found out from one of my sources that base leadership had no say in what was to be allowed, or not allowed, within my school, I inquired again about why the gay-straight alliance had so many limitations. My principal then informed me that it was not, in fact, base leadership, but the Department of Defense Education Activity’s (DoDEA) legal department who had given him the order to restrict the GSA. He said that he doubted anything was going to change, and when I asked why he was making the gay-straight alliance’s existence so difficult, he said to me: "It would have been easy for me to tell you ‘no’ from the beginning.” I then told him he was not giving me enough credit. Seeking more on the rights of organization to meet and exist within a public school, I began reading about the Equal Access Act and getting in touch with the ACLU, GLSEN, GLAD, the PFLAG Northeast Regional Director, the GSA network, and the SLDN (who have been most helpful), I was able to put up a fight for the GSA. I attended the next SAC meeting with a few other GSA members and several parents and teachers who supported the formation of a GSA at our school. We were all prepared to defend the group against discrimination. Our conclusion was that we were going to write a letter to the Superintendent of Japan expressing our concerns. Days later, things suddenly turned around. My principal informed me that he made some calls, and the gay-straight alliance was now entitled to the same rights as all the other non-curricular clubs. GSA members and I were relieved, and have met regularly despite the backlash of negative comments from disapproving students. I never would have imagined that students wishing to promote tolerance would have been faced with this much intolerance from administration. Keri Russell once said, “Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.” Had I not decided to press on despite the discouraging series of events, I would never know the intense feeling of accomplishment. For me, this experience has been extremely rewarding, and I am pleased to have been able to lead the fight against discrimination within my school. -Samantha Cannon

Labels: guest blogger

01-24-08