Student Works to End GLBT Harassment

By Tiffany E. Cook, SEX, ETC.. Posted August 18, 2004.

Welcome. Enter this room knowing that we believe all people should be respected. Therefore, we do not tolerate or accept harassment or hate toward others. So, before coming in, please park any prejudices at the door.

Each faculty member at my high school owns a sign with this message printed on it. The signs were made and handed out by the school’s Diversity Council.

Despite this effort at tolerance, though, when I walked into school on my first day, I was greeted with the shock of my life. Everywhere I went, I heard “You fag!” and “That’s so gay!” echoing through the hallways.

I was absolutely amazed at how teens used “fag” and “gay” as substitutes for “stupid” and “weird.” They didn’t understand that using these words carelessly offends those of that sexual orientation.

After a while, I began to hear about other incidents at school. One student threatened a gay student when he said, “I’m going on a killing spree, and you’re number one on my list, fag.” And a student in the lunch line harassed a bisexual girl, calling her a “dyke.” Yet not one adult who was nearby said anything to reprimand the girl’s harasser.

These incidents made the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) community at my school very uncomfortable. A hostile environment makes it difficult for GLBT students to just be themselves.

Before I moved to New Jersey, I went to a school in Virginia that had a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) and was tolerant of GLBT students. Moving from this atmosphere to the one at my new school added to my shock. I was so outraged that I knew I needed to do something.

Getting Organized

My first day at school, I met Alex Hilliard, someone I didn’t think I could ever relate to. She seemed like the stereotypical “punk,” but, as fate would have it, we became great friends. Alex felt the same way about students’ misuse of the words “gay” and “fag.” A few months later, I realized why.

One day, she came to lunch with a big grin on her face. I asked her why she was in such a good mood, and she seemed hesitant. Then, out of nowhere, she blurted out, “I’m bisexual!” She was so relieved that the burden of her secret was finally lifted off her shoulders.

The day Alex came out marked the start of our GLBT-rights campaign at school. We wanted to do something about the school’s homophobia problem. We knew many GLBT students who were afraid to come out because of the negative environment. They didn’t want to be subject to the harassment faced by “out” students.

We discussed starting a Gay-Straight Alliance, but were concerned about the administration’s and students’ responses. Every time a GLBT student was harassed, nothing was done to punish the offending student. So, we thought the administration wouldn’t support our endeavor.

But we believed that a GSA would reduce the school’s homophobia, because it would educate “straight” students about GLBT issues and explain that we’re all just people trying to cope with the same everyday challenges. GSAs work to help everyone understand each other, and that’s our goal—understanding.

Turning Point

Finally, something happened that brought about a little bit of change. A new female student called our friend Drew a “fag” in P.E. Drew isn’t gay, but Alex and a few other GLBT students, who were in the class, took offense at the girl’s verbal attack. Drew shrugged it off, but when Alex came into lunch near tears, I knew we needed to do something, and this was the right time to do it.

Alex and I talked to one of our school’s counselors and “tattled” on this new student, explaining that we were trying to discourage discrimination against the GLBT community. The counselor said that she would talk to the student and advise her against any future attacks.

As luck would have it, this counselor was just the woman we needed to get our ideas put into action. I happened to mention that we really wanted to start a GSA, and she not only supported the idea, she helped us find all the information to make it possible. She said she noticed the harassment of GLBT teens at our school. She wanted them to feel they had people to turn to in times of need. She thought a GSA was exactly what we needed to accomplish that.

Taking Steps

Reprinted with permission from SEX, ETC., the national newsletter and Web site written by teens, for teens, published by the Network for Family Life Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Tiffany E. Cook, 16, is a staff writer for SEX, ETC.

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