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Way Out Parenting: Will your local school welcome your gay family? Take the SRTG Screener!

Submitted by Way Out Parent on Sat, 05/24/2008 - 8:01am.

The answer to this question will vary from one community to another. You can generally gauge a community’s openness to a gay parent by looking at how that community has responded to a variety of hot-button issues. Use the five-item screener below to determine your school’s potential receptivity level.

The School Receptivity to Gays (SRTG) Screener

Directions: Select the multiple choice item that best describes your child’s school. Click in the bubble next to your answer. Then use the answer key to evaluate your school’s receptivity.


1. The school library contains . . .

A) well-thumbed copies of the Harry Potter novels, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, A Wrinkle in Time, Blubber, Bridge to Terabithia, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and various books with “witches” and “ghosts” in the titles.
B) none of the above



2. The school administration is proud of its…

A) well-funded dual-immersion
English/Spanish program
B) policy to deny English-as-a-second-language services to anyone who will not present a green card and attempt to communicate in English on the day of registration.



3. In December, the school displays. . .

A) a tasteful Christmas tree with silver and gold balls, and a menorah with screw-in light bulbs.
B) no menorah, but an elaborate cresh in which baby Jesus lies in a manger flanked by worshipful wise men, cows, chickens, donkeys, goats, sheep, hay bales, shepherds, villagers, and angels.



4. The administration’s policy for dealing with bullies is to . . .

A) call the parents and engage the school psychologist, if necessary.
B) look the other way because
kids will be kids
and if you’re going to survive in the real world, it’s never too early to start developing a thick
skin.



5. The fifth grade human growth and development curriculum teaches that . . .

A) About ten percent of the population is not exclusively heterosexual
B) Being gay is a choice and a
very bad one
that results in terrible consequences including but not limited to: AIDS, social ostracism,
unemployment, eternal damnation, and a hideous case of adolescent acne.



















If you answered… Then…
“A” to all questions Congratulations! You may even get elected president of the PTA.
“A” to 3 out of 4 questions Not bad. Expect civility at the very least—and we’ll take that!
“A” to 2 out of 4 questions Your reception could go either way. Good luck.
“B” to 3 out of 4 questions It’s going to be a tough first year. Start instructing your child in how to respond to the lesser evolved. Look for future blog entries on this subject.
“B” to all question Get out while you can.

© 2008 by Carrie Smith. All rights reserved.

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