A girl raised by lesbian parents


In "A teen with two moms," I believe that Katie is wise beyond her years and a genuinely good person. It takes a big person not to judge and an even bigger person to go through all that discrimination! She is truly amazing and her mothers are inspiring. As Katie said in the article about prejudiced people, they are just hurting themselves.
Montana Cohen, Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies (S.O.C.E.S.)

This story was very, very interesting. It seems like having two moms didn’t faze her at all, and that’s exactly the way she should feel. Love is love, no matter who shares it. Homophobics should get over themselves, because loving the same sex isn’t a crime. I actually think people should embrace it.
    Also, Katie’s moms treat her well and live a good life. They are a happy family. If people have a problem with it, they should mind their own business. Differences like these enhance the world. It isn’t wrong, nor is it bad. God doesn’t hate you. A true God appreciates you.
–Julie Bokl, Cleveland HS (Reseda)

After reading this article I’m very happy for Katie and her mothers for being able to live a normal, happy life without fear of anti-gay people. However, I do not believe that gay or lesbian couples make the best parents. They may be perfectly capable of raising a child, but there are certain qualities a father cannot provide and certain qualities a mother cannot provide. Children need both a male and a female role model to look up to, not just two men or two women. While this may be my opinion, I wish the best of luck to Katie and her family.
–Philip George, S.O.C.E.S.



Cops talk about how they deal with teens


I really enjoyed reading your article about the police. I thought that you made us teens see a different side instead of looking at policemen as if they were evil. We need to watch what we’re doing. They are just doing their job protecting the city and we aren’t helping. So teens think about this … Are you making our community look any better?
–Jennifer Guerra, El Camino Real High School (Woodland Hills)

I really enjoyed the article about how cops deal with teens. It’s really nice for me to know how police really are. I usually feel like the interviewer of this article when I am around the police. I always feel guilty even if I haven’t done anything. I think this girl is lucky to have had a chance to talk to police officers and see how they are. Also, it’s great being able to see how they handle certain situations with teens. This has been my favorite article in L.A. Youth. I think this article will help me feel less nervous around them. Also, I’ve learned some things about laws that I didn’t know before. I never knew threats were such a serious offense. Also, I didn’t know much about the curfew, like what the penalties are. This article was actually very educational as well as reassuring.
–Kirsten Beck, S.O.C.E.S.



My grandparents are my foster family


The article about Jasmon Smith’s grandparents, who are also her foster parents, made me feel grateful to have the parents that I have. I’m also grateful that I didn’t have to go through my childhood being visited by a social worker every month. It also made me realize that when parents love their child, they watch out for them and don’t let them do everything they want. This article also made me feel grateful for the times that my parents have let me go out with my friends until late at night. But at the same time I agree with Jasmon about not taking for granted the freedoms that our parents give to us when we get a little older. Thank you, Jasmon, for making me value my family and freedoms. I’m also happy that things have turned out good for you.
–Grecia Flores, Cabrillo HS (Long Beach)

All the articles were great, but the one that really touched close to my heart was "My grandparents are my foster family." It’s hard to understand why the court would have social workers check up on them. It’s not fair. Jasmon’s grandparents took her in and raised her. They should be considered a foster family, but they shouldn’t have mandatory social worker visits. These are people with good and warm hearts and Jasmon should feel extremely lucky because there aren’t many kids that get that lucky.
–Lizett Zelaya, Cleveland HS



Global warming


While reading this article I realized that I do a lot of things that are bad for the environment. I don’t always recycle and I always forget to turn off my lights. Before I read this I had never heard of the Kyoto Protocol. I am not shocked that the United States picked the economy over the environment, but I think it’s wrong. Hopefully we will do everything we can to prevent global warming because it’s already hot enough.
–Jesse Clark, S.O.C.E.S.



Going to college out of state


This article taught me that about the things that might come up if I go to college out of state. I was debating whether to go to college in state or out of state. The problems that Ambar overcame are most likely going to happen to me. Going to a school out of state, I would have to get new friends and try to fit in with the environment. I want to thank the editor for a great article that gave me an idea of what college life outside my state would be like.
–Aaron Ball, Cabrillo HS



A commentary on reality TV


I think that "Reality TV" by Larry Zamel is a great way of showing people that teens’ lives are full of unnecessary things. What we watch on TV affects our lives, because if we see something on TV we think it’s OK. But in reality it may not be. I like the way Larry Zamel incorporated different shows that make us feel bad like MTV Cribs and shows that are irrelevant to us, like watching Britney Spears’s life. If teens weren’t so focused on TV, maybe we would be able to focus on school and things that really matter in life.
–Beth Harden, S.O.C.E.S.



A teen is crazy for The Simpsons


I found the article "Crazy for The Simpsons" very interesting, because I’d never watched an episode before. I started watching it after I read this article. I found out that The Simpsons is a funny show and that it teaches about history. Now I watch the show every day after school.
–Manuel Lorenzo, Jr. Cabrillo HS



Girl Scout’s honor


I really enjoyed the article "Girl Scout’s honor" written by Katherine Lam. The article means so much to me since I am going through most of the things Katherine has done, such as earning the Silver Award and participating in community service. I love how instead of being embarrassed about still being in Girl Scouts, Katherine is proud of it. I feel the exact same way. Reading this article has made me proud of those in Girl Scouts and has really encouraged me to continue Girl Scouts throughout my high school years.
–Carly Randolph, S.O.C.E.S.



L.A. Youth is well-written, but unbalanced


Please cancel my subscription to L.A. Youth. I do not wish to receive the publication any longer. Though it may indeed be written by teens and for teens, it is not something I will use in my class.

Though it is consistently well-written and thought provoking, I also find it to be agenda-driven and unbalanced. As such, I do not often use it in my class. This is not an opinion I have formed over any single issue, but rather over the past several in the year and a half. I’m sure you would prefer that your resources be better used than to send it where it is not being utilized.

Thank you for sending the last year and a half of issues.
–M. Duvall (teacher), Torrance HS