by Myra Shays

State Rep. Dan Gordon (R-Tiverton/Portsmouth) is on the R.I. General Assembly’s committee on Health, Education and Welfare, which made it surprising and distressing that in late March he posted comments on the Internet opposing the establishment of a Gay/Straight Alliance at Tiverton High School.
Among the comments were:

“I don’t think there would be much of a problem with bullying if students didn’t flaunt their sexuality in school.”

“I don’t think we should be promoting anything whatsoever that has to do with sexuality, especially in a school that receives public funding.”

He also called the GSA a “sexual meet-up group,” where students get “sexed-up.”
Gay/Straight Alliances — which now number in the several hundreds in high schools, middle schools and colleges in this country — are formed as safe places where gay students can go for friendship, support and advice. It is about education, diversity and tolerance. No one who attends is asked to declare his/her sexual orientation, and many straight students join. Some GSAs are even established by straight youngsters.

Karen Izzo, one of the founders of PFLAG of South/Central R.I., is the faculty advisor of the GSA at East Greenwich High School. As soon as word reached her of Rep. Gordon’s online postings, she called and invited him to visit her group. She also floated a protest petition online, and encouraged the community to write or call him.

PFLAG/Providence president Myra Shays emailed Gordon, saying, in part:
“I have heard first-hand reports of what can happen to ostracized youngsters at school. Gay students who feel like outsiders, always vulnerable to verbal or physical abuse, have very little mental energy left for learning and may do poorly academically or even drop out. Discrimination on the basis of religion, handicap, race or nationality is illegal and will be stopped by school administration. It seems that only discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is tolerated — although there is published policy against it.”

On March 31, Rep. Gordon spent nearly two hours at the studio of WPRO radio, to explain and defend his online remarks. “Anything of a sexual nature should not be taking place at a taxpayer-funded facility,” he said. He repeatedly supported the right of the students to form the group, but said it would be better placed in a private residence with parents who could supervise, because of the sexual nature of high school students.
“When I was in school,” he recalled, “if there was a group for heterosexual students meeting after school, I would be thinking all day about the new faces that would be there. That’s just human nature.”

Gordon also claimed that this is not an anti-gay stance. “I’m not anti-gay; I have a gay cousin I enjoy spending time with. I have gay friends, gay family. I’m a U.S. Marines veteran and served with gay individuals.”

Numerous callers said that a group like this gives students a haven from bullying. His response was, “Perhaps if they weren’t flaunting their sexuality or advertising it, there might be less of that bullying.” He also asserted that some of the liberal comments he hears “border on lunacy.”

Surprisingly, he did state that he would welcome the opportunity to learn more about Tiverton High School’s GSA. “I have reached out to the group and asked to attend one of their meetings,” he reported. “I would be happy to attend if invited. Maybe I can sit in and learn more about the group.”

In mid-April, Gordon claimed on the website “Tiverton-Little Compton Patch” that he had received many messages of support, including one saying that officials involved in establishing the GSA may be subject to prosecution for “contributing to the delinquency of a child.” In response, many letters came in approving of the GSA, one even calling Gordon “unstable” and urging voters to recall him.