• Story, "Feathers on the Wind"

• Read the story so you can present it effectively.
• Optional: Copy the story for all participants.

Participants share a story about harmful words.

Tell or read the story.

Lead a discussion, using these questions:

• Has there ever been a time when you have said something you wish you could take back later? Share what happened. Change the names of others in the story to make it more anonymous.
• Sometimes we unintentionally hurt others with our words. For example, some gay, lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgender people are "out" in some situations, so that others are aware of this aspect of their identity, but not "out" in other areas of their life. Sometimes someone who does not know this may say something that informs others that a person is gay against the person's wishes. Have you ever experienced this personally, or witnessed it happening to others?
• Gossip is defined as sharing unnecessary information that can be harmful or hurtful to others. How do you know if what you are thinking of sharing is gossip or not? Is there a test? One suggestion might be to ask the person you are talking about if they are comfortable with your sharing. Another might be to ask if this was said about you, how would you feel?