DUNLAP, Ind. (AP) – As a sophomore at Concord High School two years ago, Christopher Dean knew of only one openly gay student among his peers.

Although he suspected he was gay, coming out was a difficult decision for the teenager in a conservative community. He was afraid he’d be ridiculed or harassed. But as time passed, Dean became more comfortable with who he was and decided to be open about it.

“I was envious of many gay people who got the support of their friends and could go to the prom with whoever they wanted,” Dean said. “I wanted to feel that I was like everybody else, me being queer and belonging.”

After coming out at school, the now-senior decided to start Concord High School’s first gay-straight alliance club, the Concord Alliance, at the beginning of this school year.

It has group discussions on issues such as coming out and homophobia, and provides support for gay students. It also educates and encourages acceptance and tolerance among other students.

About one student in every high school classroom is gay, and the average gay person now comes out just before or after graduating from high school, according to The New Gay Teenager, a Harvard University Press book published in 2005.

Throughout the past 10 years, the number of gay-straight alliance clubs at American high schools has exploded, from 100 in 1997 to at least 3,000 registered with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network in 2005. That means nearly one in every 10 American high schools now has one.

Elkhart Memorial and Goshen high schools have registered gay-straight alliances, according to the GLSEN. Penn High School in St. Joseph County also has a registered club, but it hasn’t met for a couple of years, school officials said.

The emergence of high school clubs for gay students has drawn criticism from some in the community, who believe schools shouldn’t support homosexual activities.

Patrick Mangan, executive director of Citizens for Community Values of Indiana, said he has some concerns about gay-straight alliances.

“If it is a proponent of a homosexual lifestyle, if it’s a proponent of affirming it as natural behavior, if it is a proponent of encouraging people to come out rather than seek treatment, I would say, any group in general that did those things, I would oppose,” he said.

Mangan added that he supports debating homosexuality.

Dean said the purpose of the Alliance is not to “convert” students or encourage them to become gay, but to provide a forum where students can support each other.

“I’m not trying to push anyone into being gay,” he said. “We’re not here to hook people up with other students. The last thing we did was make Christmas cards for people at the nursing homes. What’s so wrong about that? We’re not meeting to hook up but to share each other’s personal feelings and feel welcome for once. You feel more welcome in school now.”

Members of the Concord Alliance meet during a resource period under supervision of a sponsor.

The existence of the club does not mean the school endorses it. The club does not receive any money from the school, but sponsors may supply copies of materials if members ask.

The Alliance is open to everyone regardless of sexual orientation, Dean said. Around 100 curious students – not all of them gay – showed up for the club’s first meeting. Since then, the number of attendees has dwindled to around a dozen.

Dean says that’s because some students fear others will think they’re gay if they attend the meetings. Others worry about a backlash from community members and groups who might be against the club for religious, moral or political reasons.

At least one teacher has advised Alliance members to keep a low profile to avoid controversy. Some worry that opponents could harass club members and make them so afraid of repercussions that they wouldn’t meet.

The federal Equal Access Act says it’s against the law for the school to prevent a gay-straight alliance club from existing, or to treat it differently than other non-curricular clubs.

“The whole Equal Access Act basically ensures that students, whether religious groups, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, could meet and use school facilities like any other group,” said Concord Superintendent George Dyer. “Before the law was enacted, there were concerns about

unconstitutional.