By Sharon Gittleman
TROY – Randy, 5, and his little sister 7-month-old Amelia may be young, but their parents, Christie and Eric Pierce, hope they're absorbing an important lesson – the value and dignity of every human being.
That's one reason they brought their youngsters to the Children As They Are Gender Advocacy panel at the Troy Community Center last week.
The panel offered a lecture and question and answer session devoted to bullying and what parents and educators can do to counterbalance its effects on youngsters.
The Pierces are straight, though Christie Pierce, 42, has a gay relative.
"I think anything I can do to improve my kids' understanding of diversity is important," said Eric Pierce, 43, who lives with his family in Troy.
He tries to fight back against messages his son learns in the world outside.
"He'll come home and say things like, 'boys play baseball,' and we'll say 'girls do too,' and he'll say 'no they don't,'" Pierce said.
Christie Pierce said she doesn't want her children picking up outmoded attitudes.
"I want them to grow and be accepting of all people," she said.
The Children As They Are panel discussion focused on giving parents and educators a clear understanding of the effect of gender stereotyping on children, said Taneika Taylor, communications and parenting director of GenderPAC.
People of Diversity of DaimlerChrysler, Ford Globe and pride@kpmg, co-sponsored the event.
When Taylor worked as a teacher in the District of Columbia school system, she said she noticed boys who didn't fit into the traditional masculine mold were often targeted for bullying and teasing.
"The girls too, if they weren't caught up in their physical appearance or were outspoken, were isolated by their peers," she said.
Taylor urged parents to be candid with their children about challenges they may face in school.
She said moms and dads should let youngsters know they can count on their parents' support in the struggles they face outside their homes.
Panelist Joseph Kosciw, research director for the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network shared a study intended to measure bullying and teasing in the classroom.
According to an online survey, conducted for GLSEN in 2005, 30 percent of the Michigan students reported hearing "homophobic" remarks very often at school.
More than a third of the students said bullying, name calling and harassment was a very or somewhat serious problem in their schools, with nasty remarks about youngsters' appearance, sexual orientation and gender expression the three top areas of abuse.
More than half the students said bullying based on appearance was a big problem, with sexual orientation and gender expression named by just over a quarter of the students.
"Students often don't report what's happening in their schools," Kosciw said.
Grades 6-8 is where most of the bullying and harassment starts, agreed panelist Heather Irish, president and founder of MINDS, a group devoted to educating youths about mental illness and suicide prevention.
When she asked the two dozen people in the audience how many of them were harassed or bullied in high school, nearly every person raised their hand.
Irish urged parents to be on the lookout for signs of depression and anxiety in their children and to seek out professional help if they find them.
Backaches, stomachaches, headaches, risky behaviors, changes in sleep patterns, and sudden bouts of intense worrying can be signs of trouble, she said.
"Don't just chalk it up to a phase," Irish said.
Eric Pierce hoped to counterbalance the lessons taught by the outside world with one of his own.
"I have intolerance for intolerance," he said.
