Discrimination+against+Homosexuals

 **Discrimination against Homosexuals** January 18, 2010 Contributor : Rachel Shippee Civics Day 1 Period 4

Discrimination towards homosexuals is a prime spark to bullying and harassment throughout the school system. Homophobic remarks and language can be heard throughout the school day and will eventually affect students and their daily lives. There is ignorance towards these differences in students and therefore gains a lack of acceptance in our society and community. These words, whether used directly or indirectly, towards students of any sexuality can be cruel treatment to their self-esteem, confidence, and overall well-being. It is important to address this issue in hopes of striking this prejudice from our school. Teens vernacular have accepted terms such as “that's so gay” and “fag” to become insults as well as replacement words for the meaning of “stupid” or other demeaning words. These words and phrases have become a part of a high schooler’s everyday life and exemplify the ignorance and prejudice teens have towards their peers different from them. Homosexuals as well as their friends, family, and anyone who supports them are affected by this language. I believe that this issue needs to be addressed in order to help create a more comfortable and accepting environment for the LGBT in our high school and community. I think that the best ways to address this issue is through raising awareness of the affects words can have on others and how ignorant teenagers can be towards their own peers. The existing policy towards nondiscrimination in our school handbook simply states “not to discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, religion, nation origin, ethnic origin, color, and disability, status of a veteran or //sexual orientation// (NKHS Student Handbook).” There is no section on the enforcement of punishment if the policy is abused by students, however, there is a long section covering bullying, harassment and the repercussions if used in any school-related activity. Bullying is not tolerated, and yet, verbal threats, psychological and emotional are accounted for as types of bullying as well as cyber bullying. The North Kingstown School Committee has defined bullying as “Bullying occurs when a student or a group of students assaults, batters, threatens, harasses, stalks, menaces, intimidates, extorts, humiliates, or taunts another student. Bullying also occurs when a student or group of students organizes a campaign of shunning against another student or when a student or group of students maliciously spread rumors about another student” (NKHS Student Handbook). There needs to be better enforcement by the faculty and staff to ensure that anti – LGBT language is not tolerated as well as any sort of bullying towards homosexuals. This prejudice can result in lower self-esteem, and potentially school beatings, shootings, or even suicide. The best solution, in my opinion, is to enforce the nondiscrimination policy and raising awareness in our community about how much words can affect others.
 * Introduction to the problem**

 **Strategies employed** The first steps I employed in addressing this issue was researching what other programs and schools have done to try and fix this problem in their region. I found the GLSEN(Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) organization which is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. They have created a twin website in their foundation called ThinkB4YouSpeak.com which focuses directly on the use of anit-LGBT language in schools and how to get involved and inform others about the cause. The GLSEN also gave me statistics about schools they surveyed in 2007 and the affects this kind of language and bullying has on homosexual students. I also used the NKHS Student Handbook as a reference to the existing policies for bullying and nondiscrimination. Researching into this information sparked my attention for a need to enforce repercussions on any form of bullying seen in school. I felt that the faculty should be aware of anit-LGBT language and put in the position to dicipline students if used in and out of the classroom. If they're not stopping this behavior, how can we expect kids to find it wrong as well? I also tried to create scenarios or differnt ways to advocate this awareness to students in such a way that they won't find it completely ludicrous and devoid of meaning. My classmates helped me consider approaching the middle schools in our area versus just the high school and the fact that the initial teenage vernacular sparks in those three years of education. I definitely appreciated these ideas and decided to take steps more towards that direction by coming up with a documentary idea and assembly that would potentially be shown to Wickford Middle School, Davisville Middle School and Jamestown Middle School students. I knew this issue would not change overnight, and my classmates questioned the possibility of truly changing the minds or attitudes of some kids in our school. I don't believe it's impossible but I think that it's combination of raising awareness, a chain reaction of students making a concious decision and stopping this language before it hits high school. I found it successful to really raise awareness and inform people of the strong vernacular that has taken over in our society for teens. If I were given a longer time to complete this project, I would have liked to follow through on my concepts to create a video screening as well as the demonstration days or weeks in order to help raise awareness across the school system.  At the Dialogues for Democracy presentation, I think I was really able to reach out to people and help raise awareness. However, the main goal for me was to get this message out to the students using these terms and I'm not sure I did as strong of a job there than I would have liked. I do believe this is a slow moving process that can only be helped by a chain reaction and people talking and discussing the subject. As long as people have begun to talk and started being more conscious before they speak, then I think I have been successful overall in this project. the next steps for this project would be to follow through and create a video screening assembly for the middle and high schools in North Kingstown, and potentially in the state. There would need to be guest speakers to help get the message across as well as a documentary with stories told by students from NK and their experiences and the Matthew Shepard story to help show the possible results of discrimination through derogatory terms.  I have learned that one voice can really make an effect on others if they use the rights ways of advocating change and action. I realized that if I want change, I need to make it happen myself and I now understand how to do so. This project taught me about pursuing your dreams and standing up for what you believe is right, while acknowledging the fact that not everyone is going to agree with you. I learned to be confident with your opinions and that we all have a right to say what we think. I also think that having a group instead of solitary is a blessing and a curse. I was able to get all of my work done on time in the way I wanted it to be presented mainly because it all fell on me. However, it can be difficult to trust and work with others in school projects but I also believe that having more than one person in a group for a democracy project can help produce a stronger stand and share the work needed to be completed. 
 * Outcomes of the project**
 * Reflections on the Project**
 * Appendix: Ways of Acting**

- Video screening __Direct Action__ - Demonstrations __**The Media**__ -PSA - Testifying at Committee Hearings
 * __Public Education__**
 * __Citizen Lobbying__**