WILLISTON — In late March, many Williston middle school students eagerly anticipated the anti-bullying workshop to be held by Kate Jerman, co-executive director of Outright, Vermont's statewide organization that supports gay youth, and Connor McFadden, a gay high school student from Burlington.
     The workshop was to be the first in a new "Safe and Supportive Schools Speaker Series," developed in response to Vermont's anti- bullying and harassment legislation that was enacted in 2005.
     Harassment of students by their peers, especially on the basis of sexual orientation or gender expression, has escalated in recent years in Vermont schools.
     The district planned the workshop around bullying of LGBT students to be the first of the series because a survey showed that this population is harassed most often in school and that incidents have worsened recently.
      McFadden often accompanies Outright to talk to young people about his experiences in coming out to himself as gay in middle school, and why he was not able to come out to others at that time. Studies show that young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are far more likely to feel very isolated and to attempt suicide than are other youth.
     Parents had been given two weeks' notice by the school and had the option to have their child not attend the session.
     About 20 of 260 students had already opted out of the session, school officials said.
     However, at a breakfast meeting where the workshop was explained to parents of the students participating, two parents in particular strongly objected to the workshop and the principal abruptly canceled the session. Many students and parents were upset by the cancellation, while a few were pleased with the decision.
     The issue drew attention from newspapers as distant as Georgia and Texas, according to the Williston Observer.
     "I am very disappointed that a very small minority of parents prevented Thursday's workshops from happening," Jerman said. "The students were well aware of the topic of our workshop and canceling it sent the message that it's not OK to talk about LGBT issues."
     Outright's other Co-Executive Director, Lluvia Mulvaney- Stanak, echoed Jerman. "A handful of vocal parents were able to use fear and intimidation to bully the district principal into canceling the day."
     After the parents objected to the session, it was canceled about half an hour before it was to begin. Williston school officials later announced the school would hold two sessions: one with Jerman and McFadden, and the other to be led by school counselors.
     Following an hours-longforum April 3rd during which many community members spoke on both sides of the issue, the school board decided to go back to its original plan. Many of those who spoke, including several current and former students, urged the board to hold the workshop with Jerman and McFadden as speakers.
     Williston Central School District Principal Walter Nardelli emphasized during the forum that Outright received "impeccable" references by all the school districts where the organization had previously held workshops. Jerman later said there hasn’t been this much opposition to Outright's efforts since the civil union debates.
     Other workshops at the school will focus on preventing bullying of youth belonging to the other protected categories of national origin, creed, color, race, sex, marital status and disability. School officials have rescheduled the workshop on sexual orientation for early May.