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from Gay Activism in the Schools
Psychiatrist "Reassures" Parents
About Lesbian Experimentation
A provocative article appeared in the New York Times (Metro Section, June 13, 1997, p. B7-8), entitled, "Elite Schools Face the Gay Issue." It clearly illustrated how moral-philosophical decisions to be made between parent and child can be reduced to issues of "science"--and sometimes also innacurate use of empirical evidence.
The article describes a parent-faculty meeting at The Spence School, a private enclave overlooking Central Park, where several eighth-grade girls had declared themselves "bisexual." The school called in a Harvard-educated psychiatrist, Dr. Justin Richardson--himself a gay man--to reassure the parents that lesbian experimentation is common, and that it was too soon to know if they would be lesbians or heterosexuals.
At the all-girl Brearly School two weeks earlier, Dr. Richardson told a parent group to advise their daughters as young as nine years old that they, too, may have sex with other girls in the future. "It is a good idea," he said, "to mention that people have sex with members of the same sex sometimes, and that when they grow up they may have friends that do that--and that it may be something that they themselves do."
"A small but growing number of students," the Times article reported, "have come out at these schools, or at least say that bisexuality is stylish." Parents are concerned, and Dr. Richardson--"pedigreed, carefully-spoken, determinedly nonthreatening--has become the schools' gay issues consultant of choice" because he is "sane and clear," according to the Spence headmaster.
Gay Issues Give Students a Cause for Rebellion
To teenagers, gay rights provide a new civil-rights issue which can be used in rebellion against parents. Like all young people, today's teens enjoy making life uncomfortable for the older generation, while feeling they are taking "the moral high ground."
"They are fascinated by the extent to which it rattles the chains in the adult community," said one school administrator.
Gay teachers have spoken at thousands of public and private schools across the country, according to the Times, and as gay students' clubs spring up in the wake of these talks, some parents wonder if their children are being unduly influenced.
Some parents have asked Dr. Richardson if homosexual experimentation will affect their child's future orientation. He takes a "not to worry" approach, saying, "The answer is no. In fact, if this is a girl who has the genetic predisposition and early experience to grow up to be a heterosexual, then bisexual experimentation will probably only help her clarify that she is more attracted to males than to females."
Psychiatrist Richard C. Friedman of Cornell was not so sure. "Psychosexual development in girls leads to a lot more diverse pathways than in boys," he said. "There's no easy guideline."
The mother of a Brearly seventh grader expressed some reservations after the meeting with Dr. Richardson. "It almost seems like they're presenting homosexuality to the kids as the cool thing to do...Girls' schools...pride themselves on 'Girls can do anything,' so it almost gets to the point of, 'Who needs men?'
Dr. Richardson admitted that students often tell him that "bisexuality is in vogue."
Updated: 8 February 2008
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