Showing Courage

It amazes me these days just how courageous many of our young gay people are. I realize that times have changed since I was a teenager. Much of the support these kids have today didn't exist when I was their age. Still, it takes a lot of guts to stand up and make a problem known.

In this case, Allen Wolff met with the Baldwinsville school board on September 8, to urged the school board to make some additions to the code of conduct. Wolff, 17, said he wants students to be protected against harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity and how these are expressed. The code sets the rules for students in the district. It says nothing about sexual orientation.

Allen didn't graduate in time after failing to complete his physical education requirement last school year. He stopped going to gym class after being harassed. Instead of giving up, he made the school board aware of the problem. Now, it's up to them to step up to the plate and do the right thing.