Wed 6 Apr 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
File picture Nelson College has created what is believed to be a first of its kind - a gay-straight alliance at a New Zealand all-boys school. But the school's headmaster is very clear in emphasising it's not a political move nor any kind of endorsement, simply something the school is culturally ready for. The student-led initiative was announced by senior students at an assembly this week, where out Olympic speed skater Blake Skjellerup shared his anti-bullying message as part of Pink Shirt Day promotion and the Nelson Pride Week. Headmaster Gary O'Shea says the support group was worked through by counsellors and administration, at the request of a group of senior boys. He says it's not about promoting anything, rather "a low key acknowledgment of the diversity within our society. And our desire to encourage tolerance and respect within the school for our boys," he says. "We do not see this as a vehicle to promote a sexuality message, nor to be seen to endorse or condemn any other actions by other schools." Mr O' Shea says the group will function independently of any outside agency and will be run by counsellors and students. He does not want it to become any kind of political football. "The boys believe that culturally the school is ready. They all know who these boys are. And you know, we've got 1,200 boys here and there will be significant concern about, I would imagine, from certain sectors of my own community, in promoting a message. And that's not what it's for. It is something we were doing anyway, which was very low-key with counsellors in a very discreet way. We were supporting these boys anyway as they reached the senior school. But there are a number of our senior boys who have friends who are gay and we also wanted to support that, so it has straight boys' senior support. And without that it wouldn't have happened." Mr O'Shea says if the school is seen to be used politically by any organisations, from any side, he will condemn the group strongly for exposing his students and ruining the initiative. "My job is to do my best in respect of the 1,200 boys I have. And we are doing something that we feel that our school culture is ready to sustain." Mr O'Shea says it was great to have Skjellerup come and speak, saying he is "a great guy and a great role model". He says many underestimate the ability of teenage boys, often portrayed in the media as "immature and dirty and scruffy or whatever" to cope with complex messages. "They know. They know their friends. And these senior boys are saying 'we want to support our friends as part of the community'. We want to encourage tolerance and respect, but we are not dictating to any other school that this is the way to go. Each school must make its own pathway in terms of their own culture and their own students," he says. "This would not have been generated by me. It would not have been generated by the school's administration. Tolerance is there and we want to encourage it. But we would not have put this in place without fairly overwhelming initiation by kids."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 6th April 2011 - 3:30pm