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10 The GUIDE to YELLOW SPRINGS 2019 – 20 YELLOW SPRINGS NEWS PeiferOrchards &FarmMarket 4590 US 68 North, ½mile north of Yellow Springs Open during the season, 7 days a week 767-2208 www.PeiferOrchards.com • Farm Fresh Apples • Farm Fresh Peaches • U-Pick Blackberries • U-Pick Pumpkins • U-Pick Red Raspberries • Jams & Jellies • Baked Goods • Farm Fresh Vegetables • Handcrafted Gifts by Local Artisans • Fresh-Pressed Cider FIND US ON FACEBOOK T W I N C O A C H A P A R T M E N T S 310 / 320 Union Street Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387 767-9180 or 408-3424 Central Air • Fully Carpeted Two-Bedroom Apartments Two blocks from Downtown GEC GREEN ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION Working at the local level to protect the environment since 1990. P.O. Box 553, Yellow Springs 937-305-6735 • info@greenlink.org www.greenlink.org The Black Soldier Fly : Producing Sustainable Quality Insect Ingredients u EnviroMeal™ 40% protein u EnviroOil™ Contains similar levels of lauric acid to coconut or palm oil u EnviroBug™Whole dried BSFL providing a natural food source Contact us at: info@enviroflight.net • www.enviroflight.net T omorrow ’ s N uTriTioN T oday In 1993, villager Willa Dallas led an effort urging the Yellow Springs School Board to adopt a policy for the equal treatment of gay and lesbian students. She proposed a policy stating that 1) gay and lesbian students would be accepted and respected, 2) verbal or physical abuse against them would not be tolerated and 3) the board would “Actively promote educating teachers and children with accurate and adequate information regarding heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality.”   Then-News Editor Amy Harper penned this editorial in response to the board’s initial reluctance. It is reprinted here from the Feb. 4, 1993, issue. The school board’s reaction to a proposal to adopt a policy supporting equal and respectful treatment of gay and lesbian students in the school system is interest- ing, particularly in light of the national controversy surrounding the acceptance of homosexuals in the military. The board has balked at the idea, treating it, for the most part, like a social disease. The reluctance to deal with homosexuality frankly and openly seems to be as much of a problem here as it does in the mili- tary. That is curious since Yellow Springs is known for its tolerance toward gays and les- bians: people have moved here, have come to school here because of that tolerance. Board members have said adoption of a policy supporting equal treatment for homo - sexual students might lead to demands to EDITORIAL : FEB. 4, 1 993— Equal treatment for all include the issue in the curriculum. Per- haps it is an issue the curriculum needs to address, just as it attempts to address issues of race and gender with such things as class discussions or special activities. One board member said he resented the pressure being applied on the board to adopt the policy: the treatment of homo- sexual students, he implied, was a non- issue in Yellow Springs. It is a non-issue, perhaps, in that there has been no physical violence, no overt discrimination against gay and lesbian stu - dents. But in the halls and playgrounds of our schools, students whisper and snicker and taunt, using words like “queer” and “fag” and “dyke” in the same way they might use the word “nigger” or “spic” or any of the various pejoratives applied to women. Is this a non-issue? A policy by itself, of course, will not stop the hurtful behavior or prejudicial attitudes, but it may serve as a signal, just as the Civil Rights Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act have, that those behaviors and attitudes are intolerable. It sets up an expectation, and, as every teacher will tell you, expectation, in time, fulfills itself and becomes reality. The school board acted quickly and deci- sively when dealing with sportsmanship and ethical behavior for athletic fans and play - ers. With little discussion, it approved the first reading of a policy setting a standard for behavior at athletic contests. Adop - tion of such policy was urged by the state, which has promoted sportsmanship as a “number one” priority. The school board’s expedient action followed an away game in which a Yellow Springs High School athlete — the son of a school board member — was injured during a fight imbued with racial overtones. It also followed reports that racial harassment and heckling of Yellow Springs athletes, many of whom are black, had increased over the last few years. Adoption of a policy mandating ethical behavior for athletic fans and competitors is not likely to change, in an instant, the minds or attitudes of those at whom such polices are directed. But it sends a mes- sage; it says: This will not be tolerated. Gay and lesbian students and parents in our community deserve the same kind of support. The school board could give it with adoption of this simple policy. —Amy Harper