|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A SAFE PLACE
Essay written by Sarah Gogin, age 17, San Francisco "Is it harder to make new friends?" "Have you ever been harassed physically or verbally?" "Are you scared?" About a week ago, I was asked to speak on a panel along with three other teens my age. We told a little bit about ourselves and answered various questions. Questions, like the ones I just mentioned, constantly came up during the presentation. The other teens and I, all children of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) parents, were speaking to gays and lesbians wanting to become parents at a panel sponsored by COLAGE (Children Of Lesbians And Gays Everywhere). They asked us on the panel to describe our family situations, and both good and bad experiences we have had in school and outside of school. But why would questions like these be asked of teens with LGBT parents more so then teens with straight parents? It is interesting to me how in today's culture in the schools, no teacher, no faculty member, and no student would tolerate hatred towards another person based on appearance of race, religion, class, etc. Yet when it comes to sexual orientation, we as a community tend to permit this verbal abuse. Everyday in school, some sort of discrimination whether intentional or not is experienced and directed at the LGBT community. "Don't be such a fag" "That's so gay!" These words, although extremely offensive, have been absorbed into the everyday slang. At my high school, we have a group known as Safe Place. Safe Place's mission is to live up to its name: helping to make our school and community a safer place for everyone including those who are LGBTQ and their families. As members of Safe Place, we help to promote tolerance for all differences. We talk to our classmates about our experiences having LGBT parents, being LGBT, or even being an ally to those who are LGBT. We teach our classmates about how certain things students may say hurts those around them. We teach them how we should respect everyone no matter their race, religions, or sexual orientation. We try to break down the stereotypes of lesbians and gays, and teach others that we're no different than they. We all have hope and ambitions. We all have feelings. We all want friends and we all want to be loved. One activity that Safe Place put on at our school was the Day of Silence. Those who chose to participate in the day of silence did no speak the entire day. They were silent in solidarity for those who have been silenced by hatred, oppression, and prejudice. In my opinion, this was one of the most powerful activities and most powerful days at my school. It was amazing how many students and faculty participated, and how many people supported their classmates' decision to take the vow of silence. Although Safe Place, along with gay-straight alliances in many other schools, try hard to create a safer and more accepting environment in our community, nobody is perfect. My wish is that someday parents won't have to wonder if their child will make new friends. They won't have to wonder if they will be harassed and they won't have to wonder if their child will be scared. They will know that their child is happy and living in a safe place. Sarah Gogin is a junior in high school who was adopted at birth by her gay dads. She wrote this essay originally for a resource for educators about the importance of Gay Straight Alliance clubs and support for youth with LGBT parents in schools. |
||||||||||||||||
 |
