To the Editor:

Jesse Brown should be applauded for his courage in trying to start a Gay/Straight Alliance at James Martin High School.

As a gay man and a 1987 graduate of Martin, I fully support Jesse in his efforts. If I had access to such a club during my high school career, I probably could have avoided a lot of the pitfalls I've had early in life, found friends that I truly had something in common with (the fact there is that I did have a couple of gay friends, but none of us came out until we were well into our 20's) and, horror of horrors, maybe found relationships similar to the trials and tribulations of other teenagers' lives.

But instead, I carry the physical scar of gouging my shoulder on a locker latch after being shoved into it for being a "faggot."

But instead, for years I carried around emotional baggage from incidents like having my head yanked back by fingers snaked into my hair and another boy's penis shoved into my mouth in the locker room for no other reason than I happened to look up from tying my shoes as a towel-clad classmate made his way from the shower after gym class. But I was a faggot, so I deserved that one, right?

But instead, after graduating from Martin High, I had to destroy a young woman's self esteem by trying to live a lie until I was 22. But since I'm a faggot, I shouldn't have given up trying to live that lie, right?

Children find strength in numbers. They gather in numbers as older children by finding people with similar interests, upbringing and extra-curricular activities. In my case, I had the Martin Players, the Martin Symphony, the Warrior Post, Student Council and so forth. What I didn't have was the collective gay and gay-friendly friends I enjoy today.

I have my strength in numbers, but through vastly divergent personalities and interests. A groups of friends that only comes with the age and its ability to wear down preconceived notions about people that may have come through ignorance. I've been lucky.

Jesse Brown is lucky enough to have the courage and conviction to do what's right and to have followers who will help keep his dream alive. His dream is to banish ignorance about gays and the way we live, promote tolerance and understanding and demonstrate peaceful coexistence for all of the students at MHS.

The creation of a Gay/Straight Alliance would only cause problems because of the people we try to educate. The people who need a path drawn for them to find a way out of their ignorance.

I could quote statistics and facts and figures all day long. A majority of Jesse and my detractors would then start throwing the Bible into the mix and how this country was founded on Christian principles. The only facts relevant to the entire debate are as follows:

There is precedent for the separation of church and state. Public schools, such as Martin High, should not be under the influence of any religious body or leader, including the Cornerstone Baptist Church and the Rev. William Dwight McKissic. Likewise, the religious beliefs of public school administrators or its parents should not factor into governing decisions. Public schools are essentially a part of the state and are there for the entire public, not just Fundamentalist Christians.

The country's founding fathers were almost universally not Christians, at least publicly; a majority of them were self-proclaimed deists. According to contemporary reports and mounds of personal correspondence, even George Washington never declared himself a Christian. In fact, Washington championed the cause of freedom from religious intolerance.

It is religious intolerance that sparks debate on homosexuality and equal rights for gays and lesbians in this country. It is religious intolerance that caused Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson to act the way they did after September 11, 2001. I firmly believe that it is religious intolerance that is causing this situation now.

In closing, I'd like to point out that a declination of the group flies in the face of what Martin High was supposed to be all about:

Living past through shades of wisdom,
Radiant knowledge beams
Shedding light on paths unknown
Takes us toward our dreams.

If the formation of a Gay/Straight Alliance isn't a step on an unknown path, with the light of 21st Century reality illuminating the way, then I don't know what is.

Sincerely,

Mike Hathaway
James Martin High School Class of 1987

Mr. Hathaway:

Thank you for your letter. I have forwarded it to the trustees. I did want to be certain that you were aware that Jesse has never submitted the required application to form a club at Martin. Every school organization must first submit an application with bylaws, mission statement, meeting times, officers, and sponsor's name, among other information. Jesse has not followed through with this step, so any discussion about whether or not the club should be allowed is moot, or premature at best.

Dr. Mac Bernd

Superintendent