LGBT+ community in high school
Bullying is a reality in France, but also in the USA. LGBTQ students are generally more likely to be bullied, both online and on school premises. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, almost 30% have attempted suicide, which is more than four times the rate for straight students. Moreover, 60% reported feeling "sad or hopeless," twice the rate of their straight peers.
During LGBT history month (October), in Sutherland (SHS), Rochester, NY, the week from the 15 October to the 21 October is devoted mainly to bullying. Therefore, a lot of projects are set up to raise awareness on the issue. For example, highschool students and staff can wear purple to show their support to the LGBT cause.
Besides, you can't miss all the anti-bullying posters on the walls of the corridors, aiming to sensitize students to bullying and also in support of the LGBT cause.
In that high schools , as in others, there are also various student clubs, such as the GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) and the Diversity club which promote equality and diversity and aim to make students act in favour of integration and against bullying.
In Sutherland High's library, you can also find a lot of books about LGBT rights and the experiences of teenage gays, lesbians and transgenders. It is another way of showing the importance of these topice, but it also helps students who want to learn more about them, or about their own sexual orientation.
Moreover, SHS had the good idea of creating so-called 'safe areas,' places, mainly classrooms, where students can feel free to speak with someone if they are a victim of some bullying or sorts of harassment. A 'safe place' sticker is appears on the doors of those areas.
Today there are, indeed, still a lot of young people who are very conservative and don't want to see the LGBTQ culture enter the American way of life. Luckily, where there are critics, there will be always defenders.Worldwide, a lot of people raised their voices to support the LGBTQ cause. Karl Heinrich Ulrichs was the first gay person to publicly speak out for homosexual rights in Germany, in 1854. In America, Bayard Rustin, a close advisor to Martin Luther King went to jail after refusing to go to war and worked to expand the rights and liberties of the LGBTQ community. ChristineJorgensen, born George William Jorgensen Junior, became famous for being the first person to have sex reassignment surgery (i.e. to become a transgender) . These three historical figures are just a few examples of what the LGBTQ movement is in reality. But they inspired many people across the world and helped to change people's minds. It's thanks to them that today, schools, along with other places, are trying to fight for the Rights of the Non-straight community. Like many US High Schools, in Sutherland High school, October, LGBT History LGBTmonth is an important event.
Written by Jeanne, Loezia, Mariam and Achille