# he's not allowed to be proud that he's straight **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 4, 2001, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310 "2001-05-04T03:51:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/241 "2001-05-07T06:28:32Z")
Yosemitebabe, I suggest you shut up, as you are making yourself appear to be an ass. > [@](#): > > Fine and dandy. But why do you resist the idea that these zones can be altered so that other kids need to be represented as well? Because no-one has been able to suggest a way to make all kids feel included in the safe zones, without the misinterpretation that you see as a fatal flaw in the program. > [@](#): > > I am not asking for anything to be taken away, just things to be added. I have even given you a half-baked idea for a sticker. And you don’t really care. Your idea was inane. > [@](#): > > I do have a vague idea of a sticker - it would include a pink triangle, and, I dunno, maybe some different nationality flags, or cartoons of all different-looking kinds of kids. With some sort of wording to the extent of, “ALL are welcome without fear of judgment, yadda yadda.” How is this not open to misinterpretation? Hell, it’s vague enough not to be open to interpretation of any sort. I asked you to make an improvement on the system in place, and you have made a poster worthy of a Care Bear. Lovely. > [@](#): > > You want me to “take care of my own”, and you also want me to shut up. Fine. That’s a mighty find compassionate attitude, fella. My lack of compassion extends to anyone who believes that children in pain should be denied the help they need because the programs in place to do so may be misinterpreted. You fall squarely into that category. Here’s one for you. If gay kids aren’t taking advantage of the schools’ current support programs, which are based on that idea of universal tolerance, what makes you think a watered-down universal tolerance safe zone will make them feel included? Isn’t it open to misinterpretation? I’m resisting your “suggestions” because they are simplistic and unrealistic. Come up with something better. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/242 "2001-05-07T07:11:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MrVisible \* > Yosemitebabe, I suggest you shut up, as you are making yourself appear to be an ass. My dear, I have been on this board for a very long time. I come up with dumb ideas from time-to-time, I can get hot under the collar now and then. But I am not generally considered an “ass”. I am not telling you to shut up, and I am not insulting you. I am taking great pains to be polite to you, and you are not following suit. So - I would gently suggest that you reconsider who is really looking like an “ass” here. > [@](#): > > Because no-one has been able to suggest a way to make all kids feel included in the safe zones, without the misinterpretation that you see as a fatal flaw in the program. I came up with a rather half-baked idea that at least represented more than just ONE symbol, represented more than just ONE group of people. Is it flawed? Of course. Is it least a little more in the direction of showing a representing more than just ONE group? Yes, it is. Just because it is not “perfect” does not mean that it cannot at least provide some improvement over the current sticker, which has just ONE symbol. I am not aiming for perfection here, just _improvement_. You are acting that unless it can be 100% perfect, with no possible flaws, then screw it. Keep the exclusionary, flawed sticker as it exists! Don’t improve it in little increments! Don’t do _anything_ until everyone can feel it is _perfect_! How screwed up is that? Ever heard of a “beta” version of something? Why not keep working to improve something as you go along, and correct the kinks as they show up? > [@](#): > > Your idea was inane. Exactly, why? It is half-baked, to be sure, but why is it more inane to try to reach more than one group by using more than just one symbol? You want to claim that the current sticker really welcomes more than gay kids, but when a suggestion comes up that actually _represents_ more than gay kids, you are all against it. I don’t believe you really want other kids represented. > [@](#): > > I do have a vague idea of a sticker - it would include a pink triangle, and, I dunno, maybe some different nationality flags, or cartoons of all different-looking kinds of kids. With some sort of wording to the extent of, “ALL are welcome without fear of judgment, yadda yadda.” How is this not open to misinterpretation? Hell, it’s vague enough not to be open to interpretation of any sort. [/quote] It’s got your pink triangle. It’s got something that implies different races. Now, granted, it’s half-baked, but why is a sticker that _includes_ a pink triangle (it’ll be right there, plain as day, for “your own” to see) be bad? > [@](#): > > I asked you to make an improvement on the system in place, and you have made a poster worthy of a Care Bear. Lovely. And you appear to be determined to hate anything that has only (and ONLY) a sole pink triangle. You are too obvious. > [@](#): > > My lack of compassion extends to anyone who believes that children in pain should be denied the help they need because the programs in place to do so may be misinterpreted. You fall squarely into that category. Please copy and paste where I wrote that I want to _deny_ help to children in pain. I am trying to be polite, but you are making it increasingly difficult. So, I will repeat: **PLEASE COPY AND PASTE WHERE I WROTE THAT I WANT TO _DENY_ CHILDREN IN PAIN.** I’m waiting. > [@](#): > > Here’s one for you. If gay kids aren’t taking advantage of the schools’ current support programs, which are based on that idea of universal tolerance, what makes you think a watered-down universal tolerance safe zone will make them feel included? Isn’t it open to misinterpretation? The pink triangle would be there. Why would they take that to mean that they would not be welcome? Hell, the school could take special steps to explain that these teachers have special training to deal with gay kids. And, I see you use the term “watered down”. Your motivations are obvious. You _don’t_ want these safe zones “diluted” by representing non-gay kids. > [@](#): > > I’m resisting your “suggestions” because they are simplistic and unrealistic. Come up with something better. You know, you are not the sole arbiter of what is the “best” way. I’m not either, but then again, I’m not telling you to “shut up”. At least I am not fighting to keep the status quo, until the impossible “perfect” idea can be conjured up. (But, I suspect that for you you, there WILL be no “perfect” design, unless it is _only_ a pink triangle.) My ideas may be flawed, but I do want more kids to feel included. And it’s pretty obvious to me from your repeated mentions of “your own” - you DON’T WANT anyone else to share in this. I have given a suggestion - it’s simple, of course it’s flawed, but it makes some feeble attempt to show that ALL kids (including gays) are welcome. How is this _worse_ than just having ONE symbol? Sure, maybe with the new flawed symbol, some kids would still feel left out, but it seems obvious that LESS kids would feel left out. Why is this bad? And, I emphasize, **THE PINK TRIANGLE WILL STILL BE THERE**. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/243 "2001-05-07T07:47:58Z")
Apparently, the solution to kids being singled-out is to single them out some more. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/244 "2001-05-07T08:05:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cessandra \* > \*\*[ > > > [@](#): > > > > _posted by spooje_ > > The kid is allowed to express himself. He can use his voice and tell others of views. He can write stories or right-wing propaganda leaflets and distribute them across the street from the school. He can sing songs about sexuality(or lack thereof, really) at lunchtime in the playground. > > are you actually claiming that a school which would not allow a t-shirt proclaiming gay pride would allow straight pride pamphlets to be distributed on campus? that’s just naive.\*\* Re-read the post. It says ‘across the street from the school’ which means off-campus. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/245 "2001-05-07T08:22:47Z")
I see I have made an error in my previous lengthy post, so I’ll correct it here: > [@](#): > > And you appear to be determined to hate anything **unless it has** only (and ONLY) a sole pink triangle. You are too obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/246 "2001-05-07T08:53:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flesh99 \* > **If the school, is allowing “out” gays to state their sexual preference, which they are, then his rights are being violated.** Again, he is allowed to state his sexual preference. He may introduce himself as ‘heterosexual boy’ if he wants to. He just can’t wear the ‘Straight Pride’ t-shirt. That, in my mind, doesn’t rise to the level of a violation of rights. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/247 "2001-05-07T09:02:44Z")
> [@](#): > > He just can’t wear the ‘Straight Pride’ t-shirt. How, then, may you suggest that a person declare their straightness (and pride thereof)? What possible slogans can be used that wouldn’t potentially come off as “anti-gay”? ---
**Author:** ![Mearl\_Dox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Mearl\_Dox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mearl_Dox)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/248 "2001-05-07T09:17:27Z")
I think people who advocate ending help programs because they don’t apply universally to everyone on the planet are weird. ---
**Author:** ![ryoushi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@ryoushi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryoushi)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/249 "2001-05-07T09:35:48Z")
I’ll throw another challenge in there. I’m hoping it won’t be too difficult: Find 50 staff members in the school who are tolerant enough to speak to any student about almost any issue, and willing to do so. Having a “universal safe zone” will require the participating teachers to be universally tolerant… putting a poster on the door won’t change the teachers’ attitudes. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/250 "2001-05-07T09:36:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mearlchan \* > \*\*I think people who advocate ending help programs because they don’t apply universally to everyone on the planet are weird. \*\* Oh, puleeze. Please copy and paste anything where I said I wanted to END _anything_. I want to ADD a more clear message onto an exisiting program, that’s all. After all, many of you are claiming that these safe zones are not really “excluding” any troubled kid, including straight kids (even though the signs only specifically show a pink triangle.) So how I am asking that anything be “taken away” or “ended”? I just want the signs to more specifically represent what you-all are trying to claim they _really_ are anyway. A “safe zone” for _any_ troubled kid at school. You may find my desire goofy, you may not want all kids to be helped with this program (unless they’re “one of your own”.) But I don’t see where any of you can interpret my opinion as trying to deprive any kids of help. I think I have been really clear that I want the exact opposite. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/251 "2001-05-07T09:50:31Z")
Why a Pink Triangle, anyway? That sounds like something you’d see in the movie _Dumbo_ (“Pink Triangles on parade, here they come, hippity-hoppity…”). Why not a big ol’ sign that says “Safe Zone”? Further… why not just try to make the _whole damn school_ a safe zone? I mean, unless the kids who need “protection” will stay in the zone all during school, I fail to see the point. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/252 "2001-05-07T12:11:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\*Why a Pink Triangle, anyway? That sounds like something you’d see in the movie _Dumbo_ (“Pink Triangles on parade, here they come, hippity-hoppity…”). Why not a big ol’ sign that says “Safe Zone”? \*\* Because, I believe, that’s what Nazis made gay concentration camp victims wear. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/253 "2001-05-07T13:26:27Z")
A statement has been made a few times in this thread, and I want to clarify it for my own edification, because I don’t understand it: How is “straight pride” hate speech? If it is, then wouldn’t “gay pride” also be considered hate speech? And, to take that argument to its logical conclusion, the school has allowed the placement of hate speech in its physical plant, since the pink triangle is commonly accepted as a “gay pride” symbol. I have no problem with safe zones. I think they’re a great idea. I just think the school is applying two different standards here. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/254 "2001-05-07T14:12:05Z")
Straight Pride is hate speech because it came about as a _reaction_ to gay pride. There weren’t straight pride movements during the 50s and early 60s when the mere discussion of homosexual lifestyles in printed media here in the States was enough to get the publishers convicted of sending pornography through the mails. Once the gay pride movement started gathering steam and people began saying “Gays and lesbians are equal and should be treated as such”, _then_ we saw the emergence straight pride, whose sole message is “No they are not, nor should they be treated as such”. The acceptance of the straight lifestyle has never been questioned, nor have straights ever been attacked the way gaysand lesbians have. Have we ever heard of a young straight man being pistolwhipped and left to die, tied like a scarecrow to a fence, for going into a bar and trying to get laid? To celebrate a lifestyle/skin color/ethnic origin/religious persuasion that has occupied the dominant (and therefore accepted) position at the detrimental expense of other lisfestyles/skin colors/ethnic origins/religious persuasions is hate speech. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/255 "2001-05-07T14:36:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Olentzero \* > Once the gay pride movement started gathering steam and people began saying “Gays and lesbians are equal and should be treated as such”, _then_ we saw the emergence straight pride, whose sole message is “No they are not, nor should they be treated as such”. Huh. And here all I was reading into the phrase “straight pride” was that a person was proud of being straight. I didn’t realize that the words “gay pride” could mean only what they state, but the words “straight pride” were so fraught with hidden motivations. > [@](#): > > Have we ever heard of a young straight man being pistolwhipped and left to die, tied like a scarecrow to a fence, for going into a bar and trying to get laid? Actually, we have. Well, maybe except for the “tied like a scarecrow” bit. Numerous straight people have been beaten up and/or killed because they were trying to find a sexual partner in a bar. They’ve also been killed for adultery. In some cases, the killers have walked free due to a judgement of temporary insanity. > [@](#): > > To celebrate a lifestyle/skin color/ethnic origin/religious persuasion that has occupied the dominant (and therefore accepted) position at the detrimental expense of other lisfestyles/skin colors/ethnic origins/religious persuasions is hate speech. Must be tough for you to sing “God Bless America”, huh? I see no reason why the phrase “straight pride” cannot simply mean “I am proud to be straight”; similarly, the phrase (or symbol for) “gay pride” should simply mean “I am proud to be gay.” ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/256 "2001-05-07T14:49:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sauron \* > > > [@](#): > > > > Have we ever heard of a young straight man being pistolwhipped and left to die, tied like a scarecrow to a fence, for going into a bar and trying to get laid? > > Actually, we have. Well, maybe except for the “tied like a scarecrow” bit. Numerous straight people have been beaten up and/or killed because they were trying to find a sexual partner in a bar. They’ve also been killed for adultery.\*\* Because they were straight? By baseball bat- and chain-wielding gay people yelling “Breeder!”? ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/257 "2001-05-07T15:27:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > Because they were straight? > By baseball bat- and chain-wielding gay people yelling “Breeder!”? Because they were engaging in “straight” behavior, yes. By hitting on a woman that another man had decided was “his property.” I fail to see, though, how the instruments used, or the words that were shouted, make any difference in the beating/killing. The end result was the same: a dead person, who was killed for attempting to initiate sexual congress. **matt\_mcl** , are you saying that you agree with **Olentzero** ’s position that the phrase “straight pride” has inherently more meaning than the phrase “gay pride”? ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/258 "2001-05-07T15:28:32Z")
The Straight Pride sweatshirt that Elliot Chambers was wearing is a product of Straight Pride Wear, Inc. Their web site, predictably enough, is [http://www.straightpride.com](http://www.straightpride.com) > [@](#): > > And here all I was reading into the phrase “straight pride” was that a person was proud of being straight. Then read again. Read the website of the company that produces that shirt, (which was linked to in the article from the OP) and read what they feel the shirt means. Most importantly, read their links page. Links include the AFA, which are of course the publishers of the original article, and the legal counsel prosecuting the case. But also on the list are the following… [rogerhedgecock.com](http://www.rogerhedgecock.com) Particularly interesting is a wonderful little diatribe making fun of gays who were teargassed while marching in San Diego, called Who Gassed the Gays? [Focus on the Family](http://www.fotf.org/) A major mover and shaker in the attempt to condemn homosexuality as immoral. Organizing boycotts against Disney, spewing anti-gay rhetoric, preaching the gospel of “converting” homosexuals, these guys are a laff riot. Don’t believe me? Check out the [apology](http://gaylesissues.about.com/newsissues/gaylesissues/library/content/blprngltf01.htm?iam=dpile&terms=%2B%22focus+on+the+family%22+%2Bgay) issued by one of the group’s original founders, in which she says: “I apologize to lesbian and gay Americans who are demeaned and dehumanized on a regular basis by the false, irresponsible, and inflammatory rhetoric of James Dobson’s anti-gay radio and print materials.” [Randy Thomasson’s 12 answers to 12 questions](http://www.capitolresource.org/12answers.html) A summary of the conservative christian viewpoint on why gays and lesbians shouldn’t be allowed to have equal rights. I’m particularly charmed by the parallels drawn between alcoholism and homosexuality. Etcetera. Gay Pride is a statment of pride in gay peoples’ ability to overcome the difficult obstacles placed in our paths by those who believe that we are somehow less than they are. Straight Pride is a slogan adopted by the organizations that advocate the continued suppression of the gay population. That’s hate speech. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/259 "2001-05-07T15:31:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sauron \* > **Huh. And here all I was reading into the phrase “straight pride” was that a person was proud of being straight. I didn’t realize that the words “gay pride” could mean only what they state, but the words “straight pride” were so fraught with hidden motivations.** Context is a bitch. Keep practicing, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough. > [@](#): > > \*\*Numerous straight people have been beaten up and/or killed because they were trying to find a sexual partner in a bar. They’ve also been killed for adultery. In some cases, the killers have walked free due to a judgement of temporary insanity. \*\* Were they killed because they were straight or because they crossed paths with a possessive and/or drunken partner to the object of their affections? Context, **Sauron**! Context! > [@](#): > > **Must be tough for you to sing “God Bless America”, huh?** Not really, since I don’t. > [@](#): > > **I see no reason why the phrase “straight pride” cannot simply mean “I am proud to be straight”; similarly, the phrase (or symbol for) “gay pride” should simply mean "I am proud to be gay."** Because of the people behind the statements, for fuck’s sake. “Gay Pride” is a statement made by people who want to be treated as equals. “Straight Pride” is a statement made by people who feel the need to reassert their “moral superiority” in the face of this demand for equality. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2001, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310/260 "2001-05-07T15:33:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\*This is insane. Look, if I put up a sign on my door saying Se habla español, I can’t conceive of someone understanding that to mean “no se habla inglés.” > > Maybe I’m just a stupid cocksucker, but I’m failing to see how saying “this is a place where the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and the transgendered are respected and protected” means “the same does not go, however, for anybody else”. \*\* Thank you, matt. I think some people here may still misunderstand the way the Safe Zone program works. Participating teachers and faculty members display a small Safe Zone sticker on their classroom or office doors. That’s it. There isn’t a special designated Safe Zone room, Safe Zone meetings, or huge pink neon signs that flash “GAY! GAY! GAY!” This business about students being afraid to approach a Safe Zone teacher is ridiculous. I went to a high school that participated in the Safe Zone program, and no one avoided Mr. or Ms. X because they had a little sticker on their doors. Students still had classes in those classrooms. They still spoke to those teachers after class about their schoolwork and their college plans. They still asked these teachers for letters of recommendation. They still talked to them about their problems. I do not believe that any troubled student is going to avoid a teacher because he or she has a Safe Zone sticker. If anything, many students would be more likely to approach these teachers – “If he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with being gay, he probably won’t think there’s anything wrong with having purple hair”. The Safe Zone program is not excluding anyone. It is making a point of _including_ gay, bisexual, and transgendered students. No one is going to convince me that reaching out to these students specifically is not worthwhile. These are students who cannot assume that they will be treated with sympathy even by school counselors or teachers who seem “nice” and “cool” (see **MrVisible’s** story). They know that many school non-harassment policies and even anti-discrimination laws do not include them. These kids know that unless they are specifically included they may not be included at all. I don’t know of a better way to make it clear that they are specifically included than using the easily recognizeable symbol of the gay rights movement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hes-not-allowed-to-be-proud-that-hes-straight/64310.md?page=14)