Performer Scott Turner Schofield will be leading creative workshops with high school students in three Miami Dade County schools.
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By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
Thursday, January 17, 2008
As an adjunct to his show at the Arsht Center in Miami Jan. 25 and 26, female-to-male transgender performance artist Scott Turner Schofield will be leading a series of workshops in three Miami-Dade High Schools and at Pridelines Youth Services.
Schofield’s work deals with finding one’s true identity and expressing one’s truth to the world. He thinks the message can make a positive difference in the lives of teenagers, who are constantly in the throes of identity crises.
The administrators at North Miami Beach High School, Dr. Michael M. Krop High and Homestead High saw it that way too, and they allowed Schofield to speak at the schools. But at Coral Reef High in west Kendall, school leaders thought Schofield’s presentation was inappropriate for students.
School administrators told Tigertail Productions, the presenters of the Schofield’s one-man show, “Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps,” that the subject matter was too controversial for the kids and their parents.
Adrianne Leal, Coral Reef High’s principal, did not return calls for comment.
While three schools are willing to work with Schofield, they set down some limits. Tigertail wanted to present Schofield in general assemblies for all students. Each school, however, agreed to only to have the artist work with students associated with the schools’ gay straight alliance clubs.
“Every school said that they are not ready for that,” said Robert Rosenberg, associate director of Tigertail Productions. “The issue still touches a live wire.”
The residency is part of Tigertail’s annual SpeakOut performance series, where accomplished GLBT artists are invited to lead teens in creative workshops. Last year, several schools hosted gay New York spoken word artist Emanuel Xavier.
“The idea is to use the arts as a way for GLBT young people to learn to express themselves and to develop,” Rosenberg said.
Turner Schofield, no stranger to controversy, said he was disappointed but not surprised when he learned that Coral Reef rejected his workshop.
“For me, it’s sad,” Turner Schofield said. “They have no idea about my work. They’ve only seen clips on the my website.”
He noted that “Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps” may not be appropriate for minors, as it features full frontal nudity and adult themes. But, he said, his workshops go beyond the sexual themes and address what it means to live fully.
Coral Reef High’s decision is a missed opportunity, Schofield said. “They missed the chance for the students to engage with diversity,” he said. “I say it’s OK for people to be freaked out by the fact that I’m transgendered. It allows us to look at ourselves and to look back at what people actually are.”
Vivian Marthell, executive director of Pridelines Youth Services in Miami, said Coral Reef’s decision did a “disservice” to its students.
“That this happened in this day and age is surprising,” Marthell said. “It seems like we’ve come a long way with these issues, but the more time passes, the more it seems like we’re crawling in a cave.”
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