Should schools 'out' gay students to parents?

[gsdx]

I don't like this:

A Utah school that revealed a teenage boy's homosexuality to his parents has drawn criticism from numerous gay activist organizations, but the boy's parents say they stand behind the school and never asked for the advocates to get involved.

The boy's story became an issue when gay activist organizations made public statements condemning the school's actions, claiming school officials violated the boy's rights and put him in danger.

The group's statements turned the story into news items on Salt Lake City television stations and newspapers.

A spokeswoman for the Utah Pride Center in Salt Lake City called the situation "disturbing" and Eliza Byard, the executive director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, said that outing a student "violates their right to privacy" and could "compromise their safety."

"Taking away the choice for a LGBT student to come out on their own terms opens the door to significant risks including harassment at school and family rejection," Byard said in the statement.

That was before the boy's family said they were grateful the school alerted them and that their son was doing fine. The advocate involvement has only drawn unwanted attention, the father said.

http://news.yahoo.com/utah-family-supports-school-outed-gay-son-154123202.html

 

[MTLDude]

Absolutely not! Coming out is something that you have to do on your OWN term!!!

 

[glasvegas]

School does not have the right to intervene someone's life.

 

[mbamike]

As Paul Harvey would say, "There is more to the story."

The situation began last week when the teenager used a class assignment to reveal his sexuality to his classmates. The teacher asked him if it was okay to post his project with the others, and he said yes.

"He had obviously decided it was time for him to let his peers know about his sexual orientation through a variety of ways—verbally, assignments in class, posts on Facebook," said Rhonda Bromley, an administrator at the Alpine School District. "Unfortunately, there was a small negative response from a small number of students."

When the boy was seen hugging another boy in the hallway, an adult aid thought it was "more than a normal hug," and notified school administrators with the intent of preventing any bullying, according to the teen's father.

The teenager was called to the assistant principal's office. He was asked whether his parents knew about his sexuality and he said they did not.

"[The assistant principal] expressed she felt it was important to include the parents because it was a safety issue and the parents needed to be aware so they can stay on top of things," Bromley said. "He was very reluctant, but he did agree that it was okay. He was scared. He was afraid his parents were going to be angry. He didn't want to be in the room."

I am glad the boy has the support of his family, friends and the school administration.

 

[pai mei]

this is a case where it was handled moderately well, tho its such a tough process that this is effective the best it couldve went.

generally outing a kid is a no-no, period.

 

[vidarr]

I've learned that you don't say anything in school that you're not comfortable having the whole world to know about, including your parents.

Schools faculty can be more prone to gossip than even the students.
Although I do think it's unethical..

What are you going to do..?

 

[SonOfSlobone]

Yeah, it's kinda hard to be half-out. Once you've told even one other person, you've effectively lost control of your secret. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- sometimes people need a little bit of a nudge to come out. But every case is individual.

 

[pai mei]

i mean, let's not fool ourselves, maybe this kid did need a nudge, and he got it, and it's a happy ending.

the opposite side of this story is the kid who doesnt need a nudge, and the parents aren't accepting, and when he's pressured to come out, it's a disaster, and we have another suicide 1 month down the line.


so i mean, it's realllllly iffy.