Feel Accepted

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At-a-glance

Thursday, November 18, 2010 By Oriana Midence

Students battle to feel accepted: Not talking about it doesn't make it go away

Every day countless children and teens who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) struggle to feel accepted.

It is a battle they fight at school, at home, and in society, because for many of them, their peers taunt and tease, using words like, “fag” and “queer,” and shouting “That’s so GAY!”

Thus, they feel forced to fit into a mold that our culture has created in order to avoid this torment.

One way to avoid this is to talk about it, so why has the issue of sexual orientation become such a taboo subject in schools?

Many people believe it is not an appropriate subject for children and school, but people with sexual orientation differences in schools is an issue of reality. Regardless of how much a school may try to shelter students from homosexuality, students will be faced with, this issue at some point in their lives.

The more students are faced with this reality, and the more educated they can be about their peers, the more accepting and understanding they can be of the diverse world we live in.

In recent times, LGBT members of society have become more prominent and accepted. Celebrities such as Ellen De- Generes, Neil Patrick Harris, Anderson Cooper, Lindsay Lohan and Lady Gaga are all either openly gay or bi-sexual.

Even though the media makes society seem to be more inclusive, homosexual students are still faced with hateful remarks and discrimination. According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN), 2007 National School Climate Survey, nearly nine out of ten LGBT students report being victims of verbal harassment at school. Also, out of fear for their personal safety, about 32 percent of LGBT students report missing at least one day of school in the past month. Should students really have to live in fear?

The company GroundSpark does not think so. Their documentary Straightlaced – How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up, is about issues of gender and sexuality and demonstrates the effects of sexuality, stereotyping, and gender role expectations in all of our lives.

The filmmakers interviewed teens from “all points of the gender spectrum,” allowing them to express their opinions on a variety of diverse gender related issues and situations.

This movie represents a powerful perspective that is specifically important to students experiencing issues with their sexual orientation, and it gives firsthand accounts from students, gay and straight alike, who struggle to feel accepted and understand one another.

Especially important to Dunbar students is the fact that two former students are featured in the film. There would be an opportunity for this kind of discussion if a movie like Straightlaced were shown in schools.

“I do think the film should be shown. I do think kids have issues talking about gender and the effect it has on the choices they make and things they say and do on a daily basis,” said English teacher Mrs. Amber Faris, who is the sponsor of the No Day but Today club.

As a step toward opening some students’ eyes, I think the film Straitghtlaced should be shown in the auditorium.

Maybe students would have more understanding for one another, and would not succumb to stereotypical thoughts if they were able to empathize.

Maybe if we lived in a world that was more in tune to differences, we would have more success accepting one another