Parents are there to support gay youth

By MIKE MOONEY
mmooney@modbee.com

Modesto is a great place to live, as long as you fit the proper profile.

Heterosexual?

No problem.

Homosexual?

Yikes!

Why would you want to go THERE!

Look, buddy. We won't ask and you don't tell and everything will be OK.

I mean, we're still going to make fun of you — mostly behind your back, of course — but it's your own fault. That's what you get for looking THAT way, talking THAT way and acting THAT way.

One more thing.

Don't go around flaunting your lifestyle. We find it offensive.

How dare you hold hands or kiss in public. If you keep getting in our faces, we'll have to call you out or beat the snot out of you or both.

Now, some of you — especially the Christians out there — probably will find that characterization a bit harsh.

Try telling that to Amanda Francis.

The 16-year-old Modesto girl has endured more than her share of "gay-bashing."

"I've been jumped," she said. "I've been stabbed. They beat you up because of your sexuality."

Granted, not every Modestan reacts like a boorish thug when confronted with homosexuality.

But looking the other way or refusing to believe such problems exist aren't acceptable alternatives, either.

That's why Edward and Elizabeth Plata took matters into their own hands, founding a gay and lesbian support group aimed at teens.

The Platas were appalled by the city's lack of resources for homosexual young people between the ages of 14 and 19.

"We have a gay son," said Elizabeth Plata. "E.J. is 17 and because of his experiences as a gay youth, we felt our son needed some support. We needed some support."

So, the Platas turned to Modesto's religious community.

Only one church, however, was willing to accept them without judgment or conditions — the College Avenue Congregational Church.

The Modesto church, affiliated with the United Church of Christ, is an "open and affirming congregation." ... The GLBTQ youth group meets from 7 to 9 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday every month at College Avenue Congregational Church, 1341 College Ave., Modesto. For more information, contact Ed and Elizabeth Plata at 524-1169 or online at www.stanpride.org. Parents are there to support gay youth

Modesto Bee, CA