When Michael Bender was a student at Baraboo High School in the 1980s, he knew he was gay.

But with the slur "faggot" being tossed around the hallways, and not a single openly gay person that he knew in the school, he kept it to himself.

He didn't feel safe being who he knew he was.

He knows things have changed some since. There's now a Gay-Straight Alliance club at the high school, and he lives an openly gay life in this community.

But when he learned that Ruth Dawson, one of the Baraboo School Board candidates for the spring election, has written hostile statements about gays and lesbians, it made him think about what it would be like to be a student represented by someone who believes he's a "deviant" and that "Satan has confused (his) mind."

"It would make them feel horrible that someone who is supposed to be looking out for them views them as sinful," Bender said. "Anybody who is in charge of education needs to be open-minded, because you're not just in charge of straight kids. You're not just making decisions for people who think like you do."

Dawson, a frequent Mailbag contributor, is one of four candidates running for three School Board seats April 6.

In addition to stating she believes the theory of evolution is a sham and that creationism should be taught in public school science classes, she has written multiple letters to the editor condemning gays and lesbians.

She has equated them to child molesters and said both are "deviant groups (that) have made their choice and need to live by it. Society need not feel responsible to support them in their decision."

And she has said the "destructive lifestyle of homosexuality is clearly condemned in holy scripture. It is unloving to encourage any human being to follow this ungodly path."

I wonder if she realizes that there are students and parents and taxpayers in this district - represented by the School Board - living quiet, dignified lives as gays and lesbians.

I wonder if she can truly and fairly and with a pure heart represent them on the board.

Lauren Parker, a junior at the high school and co-founder of the Gay-Straight Alliance, wonders the same thing.

The Alliance was formed two years ago to provide a safe and supportive place for any student who needed it. There are now nearly 50 members.

Parker spoke to the School Board when seeking its approval for the club, and admits she follows board governance more than most high schoolers.

"But it's important to their lives whether they know it or not," she said. "A major theme for the GSA is that everyone has the right to feel safe, and I think that if people knew that (Dawson) was openly opposed to who they are, that safety would cease to exist - and that's not what we need on our School Board."

Tyson Kreiger, a UW-Baraboo/Sauk County psychology professor and researcher on issues of gender and sexuality said research shows that people's opinions toward any minority become more positive once they have the opportunity to actually meet someone in that group.

"When you don't know somebody it's a lot easier to be led by your ignorance," he said.

I suspect that's what's happening here. It's easy, if you don't know better, to think of people who you don't approve of as living somewhere else, as being abstract "sinners."

Not fellow law-abiding community members.

Not children in our school district.

I have to wonder why she decided to run. Her campaign posters talk about accountability and budgets. That's great.

But running a school district, whether you like it or not, is about more than a budget being met. It's about protecting the welfare and education of our children.

She may want to consult the Wisconsin Association of School Board's "Guide for Candidates."

Good board members, it says, have "an open mind and readiness to learn."

They have "a vision and an ability to understand changes in our society."

And they can "understand the criticisms offered by people with differing views."

I challenge Ms. Dawson, if she's serious about her candidacy, to walk through the front doors of the high school and talk to the members of the Gay-Straight Alliance there.

Look in the eyes of those young adults, who you would be representing, and say to them the words you furiously typed away and mailed in to the newspaper.

Because as the WASB says, board members are entrusted with one of the most important responsibilities assigned to any citizen - that of helping to direct the education of our youth.

That means every child. Not just the ones who think like you do.

Login to post your comment. If you don't have an account, you may register for one.