Yosemitebabe, thanks for acknowledging my post (thinking of having my screen name altered to “chopped_liver”). What strikes me as problematic is that the term “safe zones” is now being used as the center of the debate here. Are we still talking about the safe zones at Woodbury High specifically, or have we evolved to where we’re talking about safe zones in general?
Specific to Woodbury High, it would be nice to know some more about the program: how it began, how it is operated, how it is performing, and whether any other problems are being uncovered or created as a result of the way it is being implemented. Predictably, the AFA website is silent as regards these questions, and unfortunately, the Woodbury High website, besides being silent about the program, doesn’t even offer an e-mail address for the head of the guidance counseling department (four counselors plus a department head for 1500 students, BTW), that would make it practical to ask. My point here is that we have insufficient data to tell us whether to apply the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
However, Lamia’s observations, to the extent that they can be applied to the specific program at Woodbury, tend to suggest that the program as implemented, does not tend to make anyone feel either excluded, or like they’re outing themselves (one of flesh99’s problems with it, IIRC). To be sure, everyone here keeps talking about a small sticker, whereas Young Master Chalmers makes reference to “posters”; still, I am not inclined to give Chalmers the benefit of the doubt and assume that at Woodbury High the pink triangle signs are the size of the Britney Spears poster I wouldn’t let Michaela get the last time we were in Tower records (why am I not inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt? Because he has clearly telegraphed his views and his agenda with his essay [which might more accurately be titled "Elliot’s Side of the Story], and it’s highly possible to apply the term “poster” to anything that is “posted”).
Yosemitebabe, your concerns about the possible exclusive appearance of the program, appear to be based in large part on your own difficulties, and how you would have percieved the availability of the program to you personally. While I’m sorry that you seem to have had problems with assertiveness, on top of everything else (and at the same time happy that you seemed to earn a Master’s degree in empathy with a cum laude in compassion as a result), would have can be a dangerous conditional to throw around. As I see it, yes, you may have been so sure that the zones weren’t for you, that you would not have thought to avail yourself of their benefits, but you also may have heard or overheard comments such as “oh, Mr. Spurgeon in room 311 is such a good listener, you know him, he’s the one on the third floor with the pink triangle near the door, well, anyway, I was talking with him the other day about my composition assignment? And I was, like, all, 'I don’t know how to keep concentrating on my homework, ‘cause, like I’m like having these mondo serious problems with my sister’s boyfriend coming on to me when he’s over to visit her and she, like, goes into the kitchen for a snack,’ and he was, like, all, ‘well, you could always, like, ask your sister nicely to not bring him into your house while you’re trying to do your homework,’ and then he gave me this pamphlet about sexual harrassment, and told me I should, like, read it and get back to him if I needed any help, with, like, understanding any of the stuff, or, like putting the stuff into practice.” (Note: this is my first attempt at typing in Valley-speak; how did I do?) And hearing sometihing like that may have given you the boost you needed to seek out some help for yosemitebabe.