Amherst High School Begins Course on Gay Literature

Homosexual Principal Was Just Dismissed for Molesting Student

By MassNews Staff
May 2002

Amherst High School will be offering a course on gay and lesbian literature this trimester, according to an article by Pancho Gutstein in the Amherst Bulletin.

It will explore the "sexual identity" of homosexuals.

Apparently the school is unfazed by its most recent scandal, in which it was revealed in January that its principal was a homosexual who molested a student and has a past record of molesting children in California. His young, adopted son was removed from his home by DSS after the scandal broke.

Many reported that the school is in "chaos" as a result.

The Bulletin says that the new course does not need approval from the school committee, a process that can often take more than a year, because it is neither a requirement nor an elective. It is categorized as an "alternative learning project."

The newspaper reports that the course is the brainchild of Sara Just, who is gay. She has taught in the English department for the past four years and recently earned a master's degree from Goddard College.

It says that her graduate thesis focused on the development and implementation of a "socially just gay, lesbian and bisexual literature" course of study at the high school level. She is now putting her ideas into practice by piloting the course this trimester.

"I wanted to focus on something that was really personal to me," Just told the Bulletin. "I also wanted to do something for the kids at our school. Many schools, including ours, now have policies protecting the rights of gay and lesbian kids. For me the next logical step is to make it clear that gay and lesbian people will be respected, celebrated and recognized in our curriculum."

Students Were Recruited

She recruited students for the course in a variety of ways. Throughout her thesis project she kept members of a school club, called "Students United By Diverse Sexualities," updated on her progress.

Georgia Fowler, a 17-year-old senior enrolled in the pilot, is excited about the course, according to the Bulletin. "It's really good for people in our school to know that there is a gay and lesbian literature course because it helps promote awareness and acceptance," said Fowler. She is creating a monologue about a woman recollecting her first lesbian experience as part of the course.

"I know a lot of seniors who were upset that they couldn't take this course and I know a lot of students in other grades who are excited to take the course the next time it is offered," Fowler said.

The Bulletin reported that if it is eventually approved by the school committee, Fowler expects the course will become as popular as two other courses she has taken with Just, African-American Literature and Women in Literature. Just said that last year's enrollment in both those courses was among the highest in the English department.

When Just announced plans for a class last year, she received immediate interest from five students in SUDS. Just also spoke about the future course in her other classes and quickly gained five more students, who she says have all chosen to take the course in addition to their "regular" English classes.

The course was approved earlier this year by Jane Baer-Leighton, the head of the English department, and William Wehrli, administrator for the 11th and 12th grades. "I think it is an incredible project and I am excited about how well the pilot is going," said Baer-Leighton. She added that students are "whipping through the curriculum, just gobbling up the material and eager for more." The course is part of an effort to open up the department's curriculum to more voices than those traditionally given space, Baer-Leighton told the Bulletin.

In addition to the chair's support, the English department voted unanimously to award students English credit for the course. Typically, such alternative courses count as credit toward graduation but not toward the fulfillment of individual discipline requirements.

The course has 10 students: three boys and seven girls. The group, which includes sophomores, juniors and seniors, meets with Just the first class of the day, five times a week. Because it is an alternative course, Just does not get paid to teach it. Instead, she volunteers her time to lead the course.

Some of the department's funds did go to purchase books for the course. Just plans to propose the course for inclusion in the English curriculum as an elective next November.

'Sexual Identity' of Gays

The course traces gay, lesbian and bisexual history and sexual identity from the 1900s to the 1990s. Students read works by such authors as Willa Cather, James Baldwin and Rita Mae Brown. Those works are supplemented by critical essays, short stories and writing exercises crafted to encourage students to explore and express their own perspectives.

Recently the students finished work on James Baldwin's 1956 novel "Giovanni's Room." Set in Paris after World War II, the novel follows the movement of its protagonist, David, a young white expatriate, as he grapples with the truth of his sexual identity.

For a final assignment, students were asked to analyze the formation of a gay identity on the part of one of the characters using one of several sexual identity development models they had studied with Just.

Students could also opt to craft a creative writing piece that explores the moments in the life of someone coming to terms with sexual identity. Siena Kaplan, 17, a senior enrolled in the class, hopes to see the course approved as an English elective. "I'd recommend it to anyone," Kaplan told the Bulletin.

"Gay people are always learning about straight people and their feelings and relationships in school's literature, so I don't see any difference why straight people don't learn about gay people and their thoughts and feelings. It should go both ways."