Boston School Committee chair pledges support for LGBT students, staff

Rev. Groover known previously as marriage equality critic

The Rev. Gregory Groover, who was elected to chair the Boston School Committee on Jan. 5, has made a name for himself in education circles as an advocate for strengthening the public schools and closing the achievement gap between black and white students, but many in the LGBT community first became acquainted with Groover in a very different context. In February 2004, as the legislature was in the midst of debating a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, three of the Boston area's most influential associations of black pastors - the Black Ministerial Alliance (BMA), Boston Ten Point Coalition and the Cambridge Black Pastors Conference - announced their opposition to same-sex marriage and their support for the amendment campaign. The Boston Globe quoted Groover, a board member of both the BMA and Boston Ten Point Coalition and pastor of Boston's Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, explaining the decision by the black pastors' groups to support taking the right to marry away from same-sex couples.

"As black preachers, we are progressive in our social consciousness, and in our political ideology as an oppressed people we will often be against the status quo, but our first call is to hear the voice of God in our scriptures, and where an issue clearly contradicts our understanding of scripture, we have to apply that understanding," Groover told the Globe.

Groover's election has attracted little attention within the LGBT community, but at least one parent told Bay Windows he worries about the appointment of a man who once advocated against LGBT families to head the Boston School Committee. Michael McGuill, whose son entered Boston Public Schools (BPS) this year as a kindergartener in Jamaica Plain, said he is concerned that the school committee would elect as its president someone who had publicly opposed LGBT rights.

"I think there's been a lot of headway in the Boston Public Schools on GLBT issues. It just raises questions about the vetting process about how someone with such a hostile attitude towards gays could be appointed to such a powerful position," said McGuill. He said he was also uncomfortable with Groover's role as a trustee of Gordon College, an evangelical college in Wenham that bans students from engaging in homosexual activity.

Yet despite his past comments to the Globe, Groover told Bay Windows he is committed to BPS's mission of making the schools welcoming for all students, families and staff, including LGBT people.

"I totally support BPS's efforts to make sure that students and adults who learn and work in Boston Public Schools who represent the LGBTQ community would be 100 percent supported and would not face any instances of harassment and discrimination," said Groover. "BPS has to remain and become an inclusive community. We have children from all different types of backgrounds, races, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds, and I believe that public education is the major equalizer in society, and it has to be that arena for every child, and for every adult who works in Boston Public Schools."

Groover said he supports the efforts of students and teachers in BPS to form gay/straight alliances (GSAs) and other LGBT-oriented support groups, and he said he believes BPS should work to make sure all families, including families with LGBT parents, feel included in the school system.

As for his past statement to the Globe on the marriage issue, Groover said his comments were taken out of context. He said the reporter had asked him to explain why many within the black church community opposed same-sex marriage, rather than to offer his personal view. When asked by Bay Windows to state whether he supported the right of same-sex couples to marry he declined to answer.

"I think for me to state my own personal [view], I think that would not be relevant to my role as the chair of the school committee," said Groover.

One LGBT advocate who has worked closely with Groover said he does not believe the LGBT community should be alarmed by the minister's election. Gary Daffin, executive director of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition (MAC) and co-chair of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, said he has worked with Groover for nearly a decade on raising awareness about HIV/AIDS within the black church community. Daffin described Groover as a close ally who has invited MAC to hold events at Charles Street AME and who has ministered to people with HIV/AIDS; Daffin said under Groover, Charles Street AME has provided referrals to people to connect them to HIV testing and treatment services.

"Judging from my personal interaction with him he seems very comfortable [with LGBT people]. I'm not worried about that. I don't think his position on marriage is necessarily indicative of his position on LGBT equality for young people and adults," said Daffin. "He, from our experience, has been very supportive of our work with all populations. There are LGBT people in his congregation, so when we do work there we offer them a link to get help as well."

Groover was first appointed to the school committee in 2007. He said since his appointment he does not believe the committee has considered any questions of LGBT-related policy. He said Superintendent Carol Johnson has not brought any major incidents of anti-LGBT harassment or discrimination to the committee's attention during his tenure on the board. Johnson, who began her position as superintendent in 2007, has been a strong supporter of LGBT-inclusion in the schools both in Boston and in her work as an administrator in other cities, and Groover said the school committee would support any efforts by Johnson and her staff to make BPS more inclusive.

"Whatever role I can play to ensure equity and support for all students irrespective of sexual orientation, and all those who work for Boston Public Schools, that's my goal and that's my role," said Groover.

There are 143 schools within BPS, and over the years the school system has taken steps to improve the climate for its LGBT students and staff. BPS has organized an annual GSA roundtable event for the past few years, bringing together students and teachers from across the school system to talk about issues facing their GSAs. About 100 BPS students and teachers take part in the annual Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) of Boston conference each year, and for the past two years BPS hosted the conference at English High School in Jamaica Plain. BPS has also included information on LGBT issues and combating homophobia during professional development trainings for teachers and administrators.

LGBT advocates familiar with the schools say that the climate of the schools and the support for LGBT-related programming varies greatly throughout the district. Kim Westheimer, a diversity consultant and one of the architects of Massachusetts' Safe Schools program, said her most recent involvement with BPS has been working for the past few years to organize the annual GSA roundtable, bringing together about 60 students and about 12 faculty advisors each year. Westheimer credited BPS staff, particularly Chandra Ortiz, head of BPS's Safe and Drug Free Schools program, with creating the gatherings and providing the funding and staff support to produce them.

Westheimer said during the conferences youth reported varying levels of support for their GSA, depending on the school.

"For the specific schools that were there it felt pretty representative from what I've seen in other schools. There were some GSAs that felt like they could use more support, and there were other GSAs that had tremendous support," said Westheimer.

Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director of the Boston Alliance for GLBT Youth (BAGLY), said many of the youth who attend BAGLY are BPS students, and they have said the climate for LGBT youth varies.

"What we hear is similar to what we've heard from young people in any school system. It really does seem to depend on the school. There are individual schools that are really great, with leadership from the top down, the administration, and out queer teachers and GSAs, and there are some where it's a lot harder," said Stowell.