Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher Tom Wyse didn't hide the fact that he is gay, but he didn't feel the need to announce it until he realized some students needed a role model.

"There are still students out there who are putting themselves down and/or being put down for their sexual orientation,'' said Wyse. "As more teachers and students who are homosexual or bisexual come out, the more of us come out, the more accepted we're going to be. We're not that hidden part of society.''

Wyse is one of six teachers -- two of whom won't reveal their names -- scheduled to speak tonight about the treatment of gay and lesbian teachers by administrators, faculty and students at the annual meeting of the GLSEN Pittsburgh, which stands for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. The meeting will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at City Theatre and its neighboring Lester Hamburg Theatre.

The meeting comes at the same time that GLSEN's national organization is preparing to issue a report awarding Pennsylvania -- and 41 other states -- an "F" for its lack of laws, policies and resources protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students and employees. Only two -- Minnesota and New Jersey -- received an A.

Pennsylvania's state laws do not offer legal protection based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Stephen Glassman, chair of the state Human Relations Commission, believes that statewide discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools is rampant.

He said the facts that some gay people don't feel comfortable being open "about who they are and providing role models'' or even talking about the issues are signs of "intimidation and a sense of heightened awareness they have to be extraordinarily careful or they can lose their jobs.''

James Testerman, vice president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association and a teacher for 16 years, mostly in Central York, said he knows of no cases where a teacher in the state has been fired for sexual orientation.

But Testerman, who is among the gay teachers speaking tonight, added, "That's not typically what they use to go after you even if that is the reason. They will all of a sudden put you under much closer scrutiny, observation. A lot of your evaluation is subjective.''

Last year, Glassman became the first openly gay person in the nation to chair a state board whose members must be confirmed by the state Senate.

Since then, Glassman has been encouraging the use of existing laws -- such as looking for "mixed motives" where harassment or gender discrimination could be charged -- as well as changing the law.

Currently, bills have been introduced in the Senate and House that would prohibit discrimination because of "sexual orientation or gender identity or expression'' in educational opportunities, employment, housing and public accommodation. They would amend the state Human Relations Act and the state Fair Educational Opportunities Act.

Ten jurisdictions, including Pittsburgh, have their own laws barring such discrimination.

The policy at Pittsburgh Public Schools states the district "will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability in its activities, programs or employment practices."

Wyse, who is a speech and language specialist at Langley and Allderdice high schools as well as in a program for special education students 18 to 21 years old, said, "You can be an out gay, lesbian, bisexual teacher and at least in Pittsburgh schools, there aren't any repercussions.''

During this school year, Wyse became aware of student needs and helped to start a gay-straight alliance called the Diversity Club at Langley. The club enlisted 114 students and 37 faculty members in support of a day of silence to highlight the difficulty faced by those who can't speak up about their sexual orientation.

The club, though, can deal with any issue of diversity. While Wyse stated his orientation, he said he doesn't know the orientation of most members.

"What we're really trying to do is help create a safer school where you can walk through the halls and you don't hear the constant put-downs,'' said Wyse.

A school climate survey by the GLSEN's national organization last year showed that students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered have lower grades and are less likely to plan to go to college if they experience significant verbal harassment. More than a fourth said they missed a day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation.

That same study showed that those students who find supportive faculty are less likely to experience the lower grades or lower aspirations.

"If there's any kind of intimidation or discrimination that's going on, that's going to inhibit kids' learning,'' said Testerman. "One of the areas we know we're really falling down on is gay and lesbian youth. The school is often a very violent and fearful place for them.''

Testerman, who believes kids should be exposed to a wide range of diversity, said one way gay and lesbian teachers can help is "by showing that you can be a career professional who happens to be gay or lesbian in the workplace.''